The siblings parted ways.
Jiang Yixi returned to Brilliant Garden, where her wet nurse Mama Wu came over and used a handkerchief to brush the raindrops off her clothes before crouching down to change her embroidered shoes.
Brilliant Garden had only three servants: Mama Wu, the senior maid Shui Lu, and the second-class maid Shui Xiang.
Shui Xiang brought back two food containers from the kitchen—one for the mistress and one for the servants.
She arranged the mistress’s meal on the table: just one dish of chicken braised with mushrooms, one stir-fried bean sprouts, and a vermicelli soup.
Life in the Earl’s manor wasn’t particularly extravagant. The standard meal for the masters was three dishes and one soup—three meat dishes and one vegetable dish—with leftovers given to the servants. But now one dish was missing, the chicken consisted only of heads and necks, the bean sprouts were burnt, and there wasn’t even a slice of meat in the vermicelli soup.
The servants’ meals were even worse—just two vegetable dishes with pitifully small portions.
This had been Brilliant Garden’s treatment ever since Jiang Yixi caused trouble.
Shui Lu exploded at the sight. Fuming, she said, “Those bootlicking old hags! It’s one thing to mistreat us, but to treat our mistress like this? You’re too meek—you should’ve dumped this food on them and spat in their faces!”
Shui Xiang flushed red, feeling utterly useless. Pouting, she said, “I asked Mama Chai if there was a mistake, saying Second Young Miss’s meal wasn’t even as good as some servants’. Mama Chai said there was no mistake…”
Mama Wu also disliked Shui Lu’s sharp and pushy nature, but since Shui Lu’s mother was Mama Xia, the stewardess serving First Madam Jiang, she usually spared her some face. Frowning, she said, “The young miss has just displeased the head of the household. Why stir up more trouble?”
The kitchen wouldn’t dare act this way without someone’s instructions. The Old Madam wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters—it must be First Madam Jiang’s doing, holding a grudge. Jiang Yixi had endured it so far because she didn’t want tomorrow’s matter to develop complications.
Jiang Yixi glanced at Shui Lu and Shui Xiang and sighed. “After the mistake I made, Grandmother has explicitly said I should go to the manor to lay low. I’ll likely stay there for years. You’ve all turned fifteen—coming with me to the countryside would affect your marriage prospects. I don’t want to hold you back. If you have connections, try to find another path.”
Mama Wu’s eyes reddened as she comforted, “Young Miss, you’re beautiful. Perhaps in a year or so, the Old Madam will reconsider and bring you back.”
Shui Xiang knelt down. “Please don’t send me away, Young Miss. Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
She wasn’t a hereditary servant. In this manor, the ones who treated her best were Second Young Miss and Mama Wu.
Shui Lu also declared, “I don’t want to go anywhere else.”
Everyone present could tell how insincere her words were.
Shui Lu’s mother, Mama Xia, was a favorite of First Madam Jiang. The reason Shui Lu came to serve Jiang Yixi was because of the late Duke of Guo’s promise—she wanted to follow Jiang Yixi into a wealthy marriage.
Her mother had learned yesterday that Second Young Miss would be punished by being sent to the manor and had already begged First Madam Jiang to transfer her elsewhere. First Madam Jiang had agreed.
Jiang Yixi nodded, seemingly satisfied with their loyalty. She then said to Shui Lu, “Go to the main courtyard and see how my uncle is. If his injury is serious, I should send some gifts to show respect.”
This suited Shui Lu perfectly, and she hurried off to the main courtyard.
As soon as Shui Lu left, Mama Wu spat, “That ungrateful wretch can never be tamed. The sooner she leaves, the better.”
But Jiang Yixi wouldn’t let Shui Lu off so easily. For now, she needed to free up a maid’s position to bring in the person she wanted—then she’d deal with this little troublemaker.It’s laughable how in her past life she had always kept Shui Lu by her side, cleverly thinking she could learn more about the First Household’s affairs through her.
She sat down at the table to eat and said, “Since Shui Lu is gone, I want to bring Silly Girl over.”
Silly Girl was born into servitude within the household. Because she was simple-minded and loved to fight, everyone in the mansion called her Silly Girl. Over time, even her real name was forgotten. Someone like her shouldn’t have been allowed to work in the mansion, but she had great strength. Her grandfather was old, and her brother was ill, so the steward assigned her to the kitchen. Not only did she tend the fires and chop wood, but she was also called upon for any heavy labor needed in the inner courtyard.
Last year, when Silly Girl had just started working in the mansion, she picked two peonies in the garden to wear in her hair. The old woman tending the garden accused her of being a thief and insisted she pay twenty copper coins as compensation. Silly Girl was both angry and anxious, explaining that she wasn’t a thief—she thought the flowers in the garden could be picked freely—and she had no money to pay…
The old woman, trying to extort money, threatened to report her to First Madam Jiang and have her driven out.
Silly Girl wept bitterly, saying that if she lost this job, she, her grandfather, and her brother would have no means of survival. Jiang Yixi happened to pass by and helped resolve the situation.
Despite her simplicity, Silly Girl remembered kindness. Every time she saw Jiang Yixi from afar, she would run over to pay her respects.
Jiang Yixi also knew that this girl didn’t just have ordinary strength—she possessed immense power, the kind that could move mountains, and she also had some martial skills.
In her past life, there was a time when Jiang Xun got into a fight with a group of spoiled young nobles. Jiang Xun was tall and skilled, but he was outnumbered and beaten until he was bloody. Silly Girl happened to witness this, rushed over, and gave the group a thorough beating, even breaking the leg of the son of the Marquis of Zhennan.
Jiang Xiao not only failed to protect his own family but instead reprimanded Jiang Xun for offending an important person and ordered Silly Girl to be given fifty lashes before being sold off.
Jiang Xun knelt and pleaded for mercy but couldn’t save Silly Girl. He even considered secretly buying her back, but no one knew where she had been sold.
When Jiang Xun visited Jiang Yixi at the nunnery and told her about this, his eyes were filled with tears.
Jiang Yixi wanted to bring Silly Girl over. Not only could she protect her, but she would also have a powerful bodyguard by her side.
Mama Wu was reluctant. “Miss, Silly Girl isn’t very bright. I’m afraid she won’t be able to serve you properly.”
Jiang Yixi smiled. “You and Shui Xiang can handle the delicate tasks. Silly Girl is strong and skilled. With her around, we’ll be safer in the countryside.”
Mama Wu looked at her increasingly beautiful young mistress and agreed it made sense. She smiled and said, “Miss, you’ve thought this through carefully.”
Shui Xiang added with a laugh, “When I went to the kitchen to get the meal, Silly Girl quietly told me that it was Huan’er who asked Mama Chai to reduce Second Miss’s allowance. She also said that Second Miss is the kindest and the most beautiful. Seeing Second Miss being treated unfairly made her so upset she lost her appetite.”
Huan’er was First Madam Jiang’s head maid.
Jiang Yixi and Mama Wu both laughed, feeling that bringing Silly Girl over was indeed a brilliant idea.
After the meal, Jiang Yixi had Mama Wu and Shui Xiang make shoes for Jiang Xun, while she worked on socks and a pouch.
Children without parents are pitiable, and Jiang Xun was especially so. Mischievous, reckless, and lacking in tact, he failed to win the favor of his elders… Yet beneath his cynical exterior lay a kind heart. Particularly toward his elder sister Jiang Yixi, his love was wholehearted—though in her past life, Jiang Yixi hadn’t truly taken the time to feel it.
Jiang Chen was a man who spent most of his time in the military camp before going to battle, returning home at most once every ten days, and thus neglected his son. Jiang Xun’s servants were either incompetent or inattentive. Although he never lacked seasonal clothing, his attire was always disheveled—either torn or mismatched.
He could even lose his shoes from a simple fall, clearly indicating they didn’t fit properly.