Wu Shi took a sip of tea and, seeing the girls sitting stiffly without daring to touch anything, casually started a conversation by asking, “Do you all know how to read?”
At this moment, the three girls were seated in a row according to order. Upon hearing the question, Shen Yiyi quickly ran through the answer in her mind, then glanced at Sister Gui beside her.
She did want to showcase herself, but not excessively. Manners and propriety had to be maintained.
Sister Gui nervously stood up, her voice trembling as she stammered, “I—I know how to read. My grandfather taught me seventy—no, one—one hundred characters! Grandfather even praised me for being clever—”
“Hahaha!”
Shen Yiyi turned her head toward the sound and saw a chubby, fair-skinned little boy standing outside the door.
Noticing that Wu Shi was also looking at him, the little boy hurriedly bowed and explained, “I just thought it was funny that she’s this old and only knows a few characters, yet still has the nerve to boast about being clever!”
Sister Gui swayed unsteadily, her face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment.
“Look at you, being dull and knowing few characters is one thing. But what’s important is to have self—self-awareness, don’t—”
Wu Shi couldn’t bear to look at Sister Gui’s expression any longer and waved her hand, signaling the little show-off to scram.
As he was dragged away by his mournful-looking attendant, the boy was still asking, “Xiao Man, who are those people inside…”
Amid the awkward atmosphere in the room, Shen Yiyi stood up. First, she imitated Hong’er’s earlier gesture and performed a Fu Li, then spoke calmly and unhurriedly, “In reply, Madam, I have casually read a few books and recognize some characters.”
Her serious, grown-up demeanor made Wu Shi cover her mouth and laugh again, easing the tension in the room.
Wu Shi dared not ask any more “difficult” questions like that. Instead, she shifted to casual topics like what they liked to eat or what they usually played at home.
However, Sister Gui’s composure had completely shattered. After sobbing for a while, she forced herself to pull together and entered a mode of extreme brevity, not daring to say another word.
As for Sister Nian, she relaxed later on and, realizing no one was forcing her to speak, secretly started eating the snacks.
Thus, this interview essentially became Shen Yiyi’s solo show.
While they were talking, a servant woman came in to report something. Wu Shi left with Nanny Tong, leaving only Hong’er and a young maidservant to attend to them.
Leaning back in her chair, Shen Yiyi quietly let out a sigh of relief.
With the two main interviewers gone, she could relax a little.
She thought she had performed fairly well and probably left a good impression on Wu Shi. When should she bring up the matter of seeking employment at Shen Mansion…
After waiting a while longer, Shen Yiyi realized something was wrong!
Once she relaxed, the exhaustion from staying up all night without sleep washed over her.
A child’s body is truly troublesome! Back in my day, I could stay up all night writing a thesis and still bounce around in class the next day… Why does this feeling seem so familiar…
It’s just like…
The first politics class on a summer afternoon…
I know I shouldn’t fall asleep…
But my eyelids are so heavy…
Her eyes snapped open to find the sky completely dark.
Where is this?!
This isn’t the room in the rear annex courtyard. Even the quilt is better than the one there, and there’s a faint scent of cosmetics…
Where are my clothes?!
Have I already been sold?!
Shen Yiyi, her head still heavy and groggy, was startled by the conclusion she had drawn.
“Creak—”
The door was pushed open.
Shen Yiyi quickly huddled in the corner, pulling the blanket up to her chest, and looked over warily.
The first to enter was Nanny Tong, followed by Hong’er carrying a tray.
That scared me to death! Frightening oneself is truly terrifying!
Seeing Shen Yiyi’s still-panicked expression, Nanny Tong sighed inwardly and said gently, “Awake now? Are you hungry? We just saved some food for you.”
She took a set of clothes from beside the bed and handed them over. “These are An Ge’er’s. You’ll have to make do for now. New clothes are already being tailored, and you can change into them tomorrow.”
???
What’s going on?
And what is “An Ge’er”?
Hong’er placed the bowl from the tray on the table, and the rich aroma wafting over completely overwhelmed Shen Yiyi’s still-muddled mind. Her stomach rumbled loudly.
Unable to think at all, she quickly put on the clothes, got out of bed, and started devouring the food.
“Slow down, slow down! Don’t choke!”
After wolfing down the meat porridge, Shen Yiyi, catching her breath, still felt hungry. It wasn’t enough!
“Someone who’s been starving shouldn’t eat so much all at once,” Nanny Tong explained, seeing Shen Yiyi staring at them eagerly. “Besides, it’s late now. Eating more might cause indigestion at night.”
Seeing the child obediently nod, Nanny Tong felt even more that she was sensible.
After a moment’s thought, she asked, “And what happened to the injury on your head?”
It was from me cosplaying as Sadako in the middle of the night, acting like a nocturnal creature—
“I bumped into something.”
Shen Yiyi felt dizzy and her thoughts were still a bit sluggish.
“You bumped into it, huh? And the injuries on your arms? Did you do those yourself too?”
Shen Yiyi froze. They noticed the ones on her arms too?
If she was covered in injuries, would it make her seem unreliable and unfit for her future work as a maidservant?
Feeling a bit guilty, she said, “Yes, um, I accidentally scratched myself…”
Nanny Tong looked at her deeply, pityingly patted her head, and said, “Don’t be afraid. Just stay here and rest well.” With that, she stood up and left.
Shen Yiyi, full of confusion: Afraid of what?
Stay here!
Does this mean I’ve been pre-admitted?
“Why are you still covering for those people!” Hong’er asked angrily.
“What exactly happened?” Shen Yiyi was even more bewildered. “And what did Nanny Tong mean by saying I could stay?”
It turned out that in the afternoon, everyone thought she was just too tired and had fallen asleep in the chair.
But when it was time to leave, they couldn’t wake her no matter what, and her face was deathly pale, as if she had fainted.
This frightened everyone, even startling Madam Wu, who urgently sent for a doctor and came to check on her personally.
“So what exactly was wrong with me?” Shen Yiyi was very worried. Could the original body have some illness?
Coincidentally, it was the same doctor from a few days ago.
After taking her pulse, he went on about signs of yin deficiency, qi deficiency, and dual deficiency of the heart and spleen, then prescribed a remedy—a bowl of sugar water.
After being forced to drink a bowl of thick brown sugar water, Shen Yiyi’s complexion did indeed improve shortly after.
The skeptical Wu Shi, who had kept the doctor for tea, then politely escorted him out of the estate.
But Shen Yiyi, half-awake, mumbled a few words before falling into a deep sleep again.
The doctor, who had just left the estate, was invited back once more.
This time, he didn’t bother with medical jargon: “She’s not sick, just weak! As long as you feed her well and let her sleep enough, she’ll recover in a few days.”
The physician glanced over Shen Yiyi’s bruised forehead and arms covered in pinch marks, giving the crowd a meaningful look.
This time, he spoke plainly enough—surely they could understand now? Don’t abuse a child and then question his medical skills.
Wu Shi was dumbfounded.
Wu Shi felt aggrieved.
Wu Shi flew into a rage.
Once again receiving a hush-money red packet, the physician left the estate carrying his medicine chest, clicking his tongue in amazement. This family was truly something—just the other day, the mistress was vomiting, and today, the young lady fainted from hunger. The hush money he earned was more than a month’s worth of consultation fees!
Wu Shi was so furious she smashed a teacup. What kind of look was that?!
It really wasn’t her doing!
“What’s going on with that Hu Family!” Unable to argue with outsiders, Wu Shi directed her full fury toward Hu Sicai and the others.
Hong’er, filled with righteous indignation, recounted Shen Yiyi’s old injuries, her only set of dirty clothes, and even that bizarre Luffa flower.
This time, Nanny Tong didn’t stop her. The old nanny herself was among those unfairly blamed and was quite displeased.
“Have those Hu Family members gone mad?! Never mind the child’s identity—even if she were just a maidservant in our household, we wouldn’t tolerate their insolence here!” Wu Shi slammed the table and stood up. “That child will stay in the inner courtyard to recuperate. Let those black-hearted wretches get out!”
Nanny Tong still intervened to some extent. Keeping the child was fine, but everything else should be left for now.
After all, as the saying goes, whether to acknowledge her, when to do so, and how—only Shen Rusong could decide that.
Moreover, she felt there was still one unresolved point. The pinch marks on the arms were somewhat understandable—they were covered by sleeves, and the Hu Family were habitual offenders.
But the forehead was such a conspicuous spot—too glaring. Living in someone else’s home and openly beating their daughter? That wasn’t just madness; it was sheer insanity.
The Hu Family came to claim kinship for wealth, not to get beaten. This didn’t make sense.
If the child had deliberately done this to herself, then—
“I was afraid she was using a ‘bitter flesh’ scheme. But this child is still hiding it now, insisting she did it herself. That’s almost too honest!” In the main house, Nanny Tong sighed with emotion.
“She’s only six years old—where would she get such cunning ideas? Nanny, you’re overthinking it!” Wu Shi exclaimed. “This child is so pitiful, a delicate little doll, to be—”
“Reporting to the mistress, the Hu Family in the rear annex is asking when their niece will return?” A servant woman announced from outside the door.
“Tell. Them. To. Get. Lost!” Recalling the blame she shouldered that afternoon, Wu Shi ground out the words through clenched teeth.
“So the mistress ordered you to stay in the inner courtyard and rest properly. For now, young lady, please bear with staying in the West Wing room. Only Nanny Tong and I live here, so there’s plenty of space.”
So that’s how it was!
These past two days, due to Niu Shi’s underhanded actions, she really hadn’t eaten properly. She had stayed up all night last night, draining her energy even more.
She hadn’t touched the afternoon snacks either. After all, it was a life-or-death interview situation—it wouldn’t do to answer questions with food in her mouth or with crumbs all over.
So, it was probably low blood sugar combined with exhaustion from staying up late. The moment she relaxed a little, she collapsed.
Was this a fortunate accident? A very good start!
Well, she had to seize the opportunity and strive to make a good impression. Whether as a study companion or a dog-holding maidservant, she could do it—she wasn’t picky about the position at all!
Shen Yiyi pondered, “Can I go thank the mistress?”
“Young lady truly understands propriety!” Hong’er said with a smile. “But it’s too late now, and the master will likely be returning soon. You don’t have any suitable clothes at the moment, so it’s not very convenient. How about I go to the main house later to pass on your message and see if the mistress will be free tomorrow?”
“Then I thank you, Sister Hong’er.”
Shen Yiyi suddenly thought again: Could it be that Nanny Tong’s earlier questions meant she was blaming the injury on her forehead on Hu Sicai and the others?
Hmph, given what Hu Sicai intended to do, shouldn’t he bear such blame? It’s just a pity that she was so dizzy with hunger at the time that she actually missed the chance to pin it on him.