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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Qingzhi looked at her bright reflection in the mirror, her beautiful face and lovely attire making her unable to hold back a laugh!
The compliments from the maids greatly satisfied her vanity: "Auntie is truly beautiful; no wonder the master likes her. I heard this adornment was personally chosen by the master!"
Gently touching the hairpin on her head, Liu Qingzhi proudly lifted her chin: "Wandehai has good taste!" she thought to herself.
Just as they were laughing and joking, a stern voice came from the doorway: "Is there no sense of decorum here?"
Following that was a middle-aged woman dressed in a purple long skirt, wearing an emerald-colored hairpin and matching bracelets. The quality of her jewelry made Liu Qingzhi's gold and silver seem insignificant, and her innate presence filled Liu Qingzhi with fear.
"Good morning, Madam!" The maids quickly stifled their voices and bowed respectfully.
Before them stood their matriarch. No matter how favored Liu Qingzhi was, she still had to heed the lady of the house in this inner chamber.
Madam Wan did not spare them a glance, walking straight past them to take her seat of honor!
Without needing to speak, the elderly woman beside her took over: "Seventeenth Concubine, the madam sees you are from the countryside and do not understand the rules. You didn’t offer tea to the madam this morning and are making such a racket. What kind of behavior is this?"
"I—"
"What do you mean 'I'? In front of the madam, you should refer to yourself as 'this humble concubine.' You are merely a purchased concubine; the contract of sale is still in the madam's hands. Don’t think this place is like your countryside!"
Before Liu Qingzhi could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the elderly woman. This woman, surnamed Liang, was a maid brought over by Madam Wan from her family and was completely devoted to her.
She despised all those women in the inner chamber who vied for their master's favor.
Having never seen much of the world, Liu Qingzhi was directly intimidated by the stern Madam Liang, standing frozen in place.
Wang had never taught her these things; she had never known such rules existed in a large household. In front of Madam Wan, who had lived in this inner chamber for many years, she felt like a blade of grass swaying in the wind, utterly powerless to resist.
Madam Wan looked at the young woman before her, at that age when one is as beautiful as a flower, filling her with envy and resentment!
Even though she took good care of herself, her skin could not compare to that of the young girls. She knew this was the reason why Wandehai repeatedly brought concubines into the household.
In the early days of their marriage, they had shared affection, but at some point—perhaps after their children were born—she gradually aged and lost her charm, no longer able to hold onto her husband's heart.
She waved her hand lightly, and Madam Liang quickly stepped in front of Liu Qingzhi, brandishing a ruler and striking it down with a loud smack. "How disrespectful! Kneel and serve tea to the Madam!"
"Ah!" A startled cry escaped her lips, followed by several more strikes from Madam Liang.
Liu Qingzhi fell to the ground with a thud, while the maidservants who had just been flattering her had long since disappeared.
Crawling forward on her knees, just as she reached out to take the tea offered by a maidservant, the maidservant suddenly let go!
Scalding hot water splashed down unexpectedly, instantly burning her once fair hands that she had taken care of for so many days.
Tears streamed down her face, but she held back any sound; every gasp had earned her an even harsher punishment from Madam Liang.
Madam Liang's devilish voice rang out again: "You can't even serve tea properly; it seems Old Servant will have to teach you well!"
One cup of scalding tea after another poured down on her. Her knees throbbed painfully until they felt numb. Cold sweat dripped from Liu Qingzhi's forehead as she felt utterly exhausted and on the verge of collapse.
"Alright, Seventeenth Concubine has learned enough!" Madam Wan finally spoke up and spared her.
"Seventeenth Concubine, I am not trying to make things difficult for you. It's just that your background is too low, and you don't understand the rules. It's one thing at home, but you cannot embarrass the family outside. That's all for today.
Ming Wo will send someone to continue teaching you the rules; this is all for your own good!"
Madam Wan's earnest words felt like torment rather than salvation to Liu Qingzhi.
Today almost cost her life, and if it continues like this in the future, she didn't dare to think further. Suddenly, everything went dark, and she lost consciousness.
Madam Wan walked out of Liu Qingzhi's room with a victorious demeanor, striding confidently: "Send the maids back!"
She wouldn't openly contradict the man, so she didn't make things difficult for the maids sent by Wandehai; after a warning, she let it go.
Madam Wan's actions caused several women in the back courtyard, who were restless, to suppress their inappropriate thoughts and temporarily refrain from making any moves.
---
Liu Qingxi spent yesterday organizing and registering the families that needed repairs on their houses recently.
Zhang Dafuku and a few others gained considerable experience and insights through practical involvement. Liu Qingxi understood that one person's strength is limited.
Last night, she invited both Zhang Dafuku and Zhang Deli over.
"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Sanyou, you saw it too; I can't manage this alone and would like to ask for your help!"
"This help is nothing; Qingxi, just tell us what you need us to do!" Zhang Dafuku scratched his head awkwardly.
As someone who only knew how to do physical labor, he felt hesitant to accept such an important task for fear of not doing it well.
"There's no need to be polite; I trust you both. As for the pay, it will be the same as Uncle Sanyou's!"
"This..."
The temptation was great; at ten wen each, the two men found it hard to refuse.
"Uncles, you don't need to worry. I will tell you what to do. When the time comes for repairs, just lend a hand and guide the workers; I can't run around by myself!"
With those words, the two big men finally agreed, and as soon as they stepped out of Liu Qingxi's house, they were all smiles, feeling that the cool breeze was much warmer.
Once they got home, they announced the good news loudly, bringing joy to their family!
The next day, without needing Liu Qingxi to greet them, the two of them got up early and tidied up. They kept an eye on the situation over there, and when Liu Qingxi came out to fetch water, they quickly followed: "We'll help!"
Without hesitation, they took the water basin from the girl and solved the problem in no time!
This made Liu Qingxi feel particularly embarrassed: "Uncle Zhang, you really don't have to do this!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing! Just lending a hand!" The two big men were sweating profusely in the morning heat but were still cheerful!
Their enthusiasm inspired Liu Qingxi as well. She quickly prepared breakfast, woke up Liu Qingyan, and hurriedly headed out.
Naturally, the villagers of Ten Li Pu were at the front of the line since Liu Qingxi was from the village. Even if outsiders wanted to be first, they had no way to do so.
Everyone was eager to get the repairs done quickly for peace of mind; they couldn't wait to invite Liu Qingxi into their homes.
As dawn broke, hardworking people along the way were either sweeping their front yards or heading up the mountain with machetes to gather firewood.
Liu Qingxi's name was becoming more and more well-known in Ten Li Pu. An elderly woman with gray hair squinted her eyes and finally recognized her: "Qingxi, you're up so early? What are you doing?"
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