003: The Arrogant and Disdainful Nanny
Shen Jichuan told her to make herself at home, and Wen Qiao truly didn’t hold back.
In her previous life, she had stayed at the Shen family’s house for about three months, so she had some understanding of the situation here.
The Shen family’s house was a two-story building. Shen Haiyang and the nanny, Sister Ling, both lived on the first floor.
Shen Jichuan preferred quiet, so his bedroom was on the second floor.
There was also an empty room on the second floor that had always been vacant.
Wen Qiao thought it was probably because the Shen family saw her as a country girl from the countryside, unworthy of living in such a nice room.
They directly arranged for her to stay in a room that had been cleared out from the storage room on the first floor.
It was cramped, narrow, hot, and damp.
She had arrived in the summer, during the hottest time of the year.
Staying in that storage room, she couldn’t sleep at night due to the stifling heat.
Now, she wasn’t like in her previous life, where she revolved around Shen Haiyang, acting pitifully submissive and fearing he would abandon her.
Even if they arranged for her to stay in the storage room, she wouldn’t dare to resist.
She was afraid of angering Shen Haiyang and making him unhappy.
Shen Haiyang already disliked her at first sight, and she feared that if she said she didn’t like staying in the storage room,
he would think she was troublesome and dislike her even more.
She thought that by enduring humiliation and not making a fuss, Shen Haiyang would feel a bit more sympathy for her.
Little did she know, someone who doesn’t like you will remain indifferent even if you die in front of them.
The room on the second floor was locked.
Wen Qiao had thought about finding something to pry it open, but as soon as she touched the lock, it fell off.
She guessed it probably hadn’t been locked properly.
After entering the room, she realized it had been tidied up.
There was a fairly new bed and a dressing table, though the dressing table was covered in a thick layer of dust.
It was clear that this room was intended for a woman.
Wen Qiao only knew a little about the Shen family’s situation, not much.
As for whom the room across from Shen Jichuan’s was reserved for, she had no idea.
In her previous life, she hadn’t been given the chance to find out before she was sent back to her rural hometown.
She first cleaned the room thoroughly. After working for a while, she was covered in sweat and thought about taking a bath later.
Right now, aside from her, there shouldn’t be anyone else in the Shen house.
Not long after Shen Jichuan left, Shen Haiyang had also gone out.
He wanted to give Wen Qiao the cold shoulder, making her feel panicked and afraid in the city.
In her previous life, that’s exactly how she was—staying in the Shen house, not daring to go anywhere, confined to the small storage room every day.
Even during meals, she didn’t dare to take an extra bite of food.
Knowing that the second floor was Shen Jichuan’s territory, Wen Qiao naturally didn’t dare to use it.
She could still tell who was in charge in the Shen family.
Wen Qiao took her change of clothes to the first floor and quickly took a bath.
Just as she finished, she heard the sound of the door opening outside.
It was the Shen family’s nanny, Sister Ling, returning.
Sister Ling was someone who had served the Shen family’s elderly madam.
Later, when Shen Jichuan needed a nanny, she was specifically sent over.
It was said to be a temporary arrangement.
But she had stayed with Shen Jichuan for many years without any mention of returning.
Wen Qiao felt that Shen Jichuan held Sister Ling in high regard, entrusting the entire household to her care.
When Sister Ling entered and saw Wen Qiao in the living room,
her eyes were filled with scrutiny and undisguised disdain.
“So you’re Wen Qiao. You look quite well-behaved, but I never expected you to be so cunning, showing up with a piece of worthless paper. You’re not some kind of fraud, are you?”
"You should think about what kind of place this is—the nation's capital. How dare you bring that rural childhood betrothal of yours to Beicheng? If you're really exposed as a fraud, you'll definitely end up in jail."
"I advise you to be sensible and leave here quickly, or you'll face the consequences later."
Hearing Sister Ling's words, Wen Qiao knew that Shen Haiyang must have spoken to her about it.
Wen Qiao knew Sister Ling was no pushover, so she didn't plan on getting along with her peacefully.
She confronted her directly.
"Your mouth stinks. Did you just come back from cleaning out a cesspit?"
"Stay away from me."
Sister Ling, who had always been respected as an elder in the household, turned pale at Wen Qiao's words.
"You… you country bumpkin, you're so uncultured and ill-mannered."
"How did the master even let you into the house?"
"I'm going to drive you out on behalf of the master right now."
Wen Qiao stood directly in front of Sister Ling, her almond-shaped eyes glaring angrily.
"Shen Jichuan is going to marry me. Before you try to kick me out, why don't you make a call and ask if you even have the right to do so?"
"You're just a housekeeper who does laundry and cooks. Do you really think you're the lady of the Shen household?"
Sister Ling was skeptical of Wen Qiao's words but didn't dare to casually call Shen Jichuan to confirm.
Shen Jichuan held a deputy division level position, and unless it was a life-or-death family emergency, he forbade being contacted about trivial matters.
This was Shen Jichuan's order.
Even Shen Haiyang didn't dare to bother Shen Jichuan lightly, let alone a housekeeper like her.
Unable to argue with Wen Qiao, Sister Ling had no choice but to take her things and return to her room.
Shen Jichuan rarely came home for dinner under normal circumstances.
Even when he returned to rest at night, coming back two or three times a week was considered frequent.
But Shen Haiyang was on leave recently and had been staying at home.
Sister Ling prepared dinner every day.
Wen Qiao waited to eat, determined not to repeat her past life's mistake of foolishly trying to warm up to people who treated her coldly.
When she first arrived at the Shen household, she didn't bother tidying herself up.
Instead, she went straight to the kitchen and cooked a full table of dishes for the Shen family.
Not only did she receive no appreciation, but Sister Ling even told Shen Jichuan right in front of her that she was petty-minded.
After coming to the big city and seeing so many delicious foods and drinks in the house, she had used them all up just to satisfy her own cravings.
At that time, she felt her vision go dark, unable to defend herself, as if she had lost her voice, and began crying uncontrollably.
This made Shen Jichuan frown.
Shen Haiyang scolded her disdainfully, calling her an embarrassment.
After confirming that his adoptive father, Shen Jichuan, was going to marry Wen Qiao, Shen Haiyang felt extremely depressed and invited a few friends out to play pool.
After playing, they drank a bit, which was why he returned so late.
Sister Ling had prepared dinner but insisted that Wen Qiao couldn't eat until Shen Haiyang returned.
Wen Qiao hadn't expected Shen Haiyang to return so late and was growing impatient.
She had just arrived at the Shen household and had already threatened Shen Jichuan once with the childhood betrothal contract.
His impression of her was already poor.
Deep down, Wen Qiao didn't want to offend Shen Jichuan.
Once Shen Jichuan married her and they obtained the marriage certificate, she would definitely keep a polite distance from him.
But before getting the certificate, she had to behave herself.
When Shen Haiyang finally returned, Wen Qiao looked at Sister Ling.
She said coldly, "Can we eat now? If you still won't let me eat, then you're deliberately making things difficult for me."
After speaking, Wen Qiao walked over to the dining table on her own. Looking at the cold food on the table, she thought it was still better than having nothing to eat.
She started eating heartily with a good appetite.
Meanwhile, Sister Ling, upon seeing Shen Haiyang return, immediately rose from the sofa and walked toward him.
Her words were filled with concern.
Like a mother caring for her own son.
"Haiyang, where have you been? Why did you drink so much? Even if you don’t like her, you shouldn’t harm your own health."
"When your father comes back, he’ll definitely find a way to drive her away."