The servant, upon seeing her, gave her a strange look, quickly pulling back their sleeve. With a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile, they said, “Lingxiu is working in the South Courtyard.”
The South Courtyard? Working? Huaiyu furrowed her brow, finding it odd, but after a moment’s thought, she asked the servant for directions and proceeded.
In the courtyard, where the lanterns were sparingly lit, Lingxiu strained her eyes to see the intricate patterns, carefully embroidering them onto the gown.
Standing not far away were two gossiping old maids, whispering to each other.
“Our mistress has been more than generous to Fourth Miss. They’re not even related by blood, yet she’s given her such fine fabric. Isn’t she afraid it will overshadow Second Miss at the Jiang residence?”
“How else could she become the mistress of the house? Our mistress is kind-hearted. But in my opinion, even if the Fourth Miss wears this outfit, she won’t shine as brightly as the Second Miss. One is the legitimate daughter of the main wife, well-educated and refined. The other has been mad for three years. Even after waking up, she’s been out of touch for several years. It’s a miracle she’s not making a fool of herself.”
“You’re right! You haven’t seen Fourth Miss’s behavior today. In front of His Highness, she showed no manners whatsoever. How could she resemble a noble young lady?”
“Yes, the Jiang family is known for their etiquette. Does Fourth Miss live up to it?”
“Not at all!” someone at the back chimed in, laughing.
Turning around, the gossiping maid wanted to praise the person for their insight, but when she looked at their face, she dropped all the melon seeds in her hand in shock.
“Fourth… Fourth Miss?”
Huaiyu smiled as she caught a few fallen melon seeds, popping them into her mouth and crunching them crisply. Blinking, she said, “Why are you panicking? You’re just speaking the truth.”
The two maids stared in astonishment, dumbfounded, as they watched her. They saw her walk over to Lingxiu, still chewing on the melon seeds, and asked her, “What are you doing?”
Hearing her mistress’s voice, Lingxiu finally raised her head, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying. “I’m helping you make clothes.”
Glancing at what she held in her hand—a robe with a smooth silk surface. Such robes required extensive embroidery to look good; otherwise, they wouldn’t be wearable. The piece Lingxiu had was barely big enough to fit a palm-sized design. If she were to embroider it all, even if she didn’t eat or drink, it would take at least half a month.
Narrowing her eyes, Huaiyu asked, “Are you daft? Do you think you can finish this?”
Moving her stiff neck, Lingxiu held up the robe for her to see. “Look, this fabric is of excellent quality!”
“Even if it’s good, you still can’t finish it, and I still can’t wear it. Instead of this, why not eat and get some rest?”
Lingxiu paused, feeling a bit lost. “But… but you don’t have any other clothes to wear. The birthday banquet at the Jiang residence is very important, it’s important for you. If you can’t correct everyone’s impression of you, then the marriage…”
She was indeed a caring maid, despite being a bit naive. It was quite endearing.
Huaiyu smiled, reaching out to pull her up and rubbing her neck. “If you insist on embroidering, I won’t stop you but go back to our room to do it. It’s late, and you haven’t eaten yet. Do you even care about your mistress being famished?”
Lingxiu suddenly remembered about eating, her face paling instantly.
“Lingxiu… you forgot!”
“It’s not too late to remember now. Let’s go,” Huaiyu said, picking up the nearby sewing basket.
“Fourth Miss!” The two maids beside them finally snapped out of their daze and hurried over. “Madam said it’s best to embroider this robe here. If it gets stained or dusty elsewhere, it won’t be good.”
Huaiyu smiled at them. “This robe is meant to be worn by me. If I’m not afraid, why should you be?”
The two maids were momentarily speechless, and Huaiyu didn’t bother to argue further. She just took Lingxiu’s hand and walked away.
“Where’s the kitchen?” she asked as they walked.
Lingxiu whispered, “The kitchen is strictly locked after curfew. We won’t be able to get in.”
“Don’t worry about that. Just show me the way,” Huaiyu said confidently.
After a while, Lingxiu held four steamed buns and half a roasted chicken in her arms, staring wide-eyed at the person walking ahead.
“Miss, you… you stole these!”
Not only did she steal, but she also climbed walls and jumped through windows. If the master found out, she would be in big trouble!
Huaiyu bit into her bun, her speech slightly slurred. “If you don’t tell, and I don’t tell, who would know?”
“But… but…” Lingxiu was shocked, her mouth hanging wide open.
How could Miss do such a thing? Even when she was acting foolish, she would only speak nonsense or break things. Now that she seemed normal, her behavior was even more carefree and unrestrained than before.
“Seems like a completely different person.”
Huaiyu stopped and reached out, taking a steamed bun from Lingxiu’s arms and stuffing it into her mouth. Then, she smiled and said, “Listen carefully. Your Miss suddenly had a profound realization about life. There’s no need to be bound by superficial things. If we’re hungry, we eat. Let’s not say more about it. Understand?”
Lingxiu blinked her watery eyes, unable to speak with her mouth full of bun.
Huaiyu patted her head affectionately. “As long as you understand.”
But she didn’t understand at all! Lingxiu shook her head vigorously. She didn’t understand how Miss could suddenly talk like this. Everyone in the Bai residence followed the rules strictly. How did Miss come up with these ideas?
The person in front of her didn’t seem to notice her shaking her head like a rattle. After returning to the west courtyard, she unwrapped the lotus leaf containing the roasted chicken and shared it with Lingxiu, eating it with steamed buns. Once she was full, she lay down on the bed, looking like she wanted to continue sleeping.
“Miss,” Lingxiu’s voice was like a mosquito’s buzz, “may I ask where you’ve been these past few days?”
That day, she suddenly disappeared from the room, and Lingxiu had searched for her for a long time. She even went to report to Madam, but Madam didn’t care, leaving her sleepless all night.
Huaiyu yawned. “I went out for a stroll.”
Seeing how agile she was when she sneaked into the kitchen earlier, Lingxiu felt there was no need to ask how she managed to get out. But she couldn’t help adding, “Second Miss has been eyeing your engagement. She’s just waiting for you to make a mistake so she can take your place. You can’t be so casual in your actions from now on.”
“I know.” Turning to face her, Huaiyu half-opened her eyes and chuckled. “You, this girl, talk too much.”
It was completely different from Qingsi.
Qingsi was a cold beauty who hardly spoke a word more than necessary. When she was around, Liang Jingxing once joked that she was like a moving ice sculpture. No matter how he teased her, there was never a hint of a smile on her face.
The image of Qingsi’s frosty face flashed in Huaiyu’s mind, making her sigh deeply.
When she sees her, she must ask carefully. Qingsi was clearly sent out of the capital, so why did she come back, only to end up in Jiang Xuanjin’s hands?