Chapter 31: Past Events of the Zhou Residence (Part Two)

But since Zhou Xiaoyao had already been born, it wasn’t as if they could strangle him to death.

The First Madam had no desire to see him, so she casually assigned him to a remote, neglected courtyard and left him to be raised by a wet nurse and a few careless servants.

The First Madam wasn’t so petty as to withhold necessities or cut corners on food and clothing. She preferred to keep him out of sight.

But the servants didn’t think the same way.

Everyone wanted to bully Zhou Xiaoyao.

In front of the other masters, they had to swallow their pride and work like beasts of burden. But before this little young master, they could throw their weight around and act high and mighty. For some, it was as if their twisted psyches found a kind of release.

Madam Wei, a close attendant of the First Madam, would occasionally visit Fifth Young Master on her behalf, since the First Madam refused to see him herself.

Madam Wei was a thoughtful and cautious person. She didn’t want the First Madam to be the subject of gossip, so she would warn the servants caring for Fifth Young Master not to go too far.

But she soon realized that those people, though outwardly respectful, didn’t take her words to heart.

Madam Wei felt troubled.

She worried that, someday, this matter might be used to attack the First Madam.

However, the chances of that seemed slim, and Madam Wei was busy with many other affairs, so she let it go.

Fifth Young Master stumbled his way to the age of fifteen. By then, he was already studying at the government academy and had begun to show promise.

Yet the clothes he wore were often too small, and his shoes and socks were worn out—worse off than the sons of the servants who accompanied him.

This was going too far.

He was so outstanding, frequently praised by his teacher. When the teacher wanted to take him out to meet others, he represented the Zhou Residence’s honor and reputation.

Moreover, Madam Wei tried to persuade the First Madam, saying, “Even tiger hunting needs brothers to work together; on the battlefield, it’s fathers and sons who fight side by side. If he succeeds in the future, he could also support Sixth Young Master.”

The First Madam let out a cold laugh. “My son’s future will be taken care of by my own father and brothers.”

She still refused to intervene.

Madam Wei was deeply anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

The  First Madam had simply been too spoiled since childhood…

There was no other way. Madam Wei had to find a solution herself.

Then one day, while she was out, she came upon Lu Qiniang standing up for a young beggar on the roadside, demanding compensation from a man who had nearly trampled the child.

That was how Madam Wei took notice of Lu Qiniang—and brought her into the residence to care for Fifth Young Master.

What Madam Wei valued was also the fact that Lu Qiniang was a widow with three daughters—she wouldn’t try to seduce Fifth Young Master.

Lu Qiniang was eager to join the Zhou family. She wanted her three daughters to see a different kind of household, to broaden their horizons.

She gave her all in caring for Fifth Young Master.

Because she was warm-hearted, fair, hardworking, and never complained, yet still maintained her own set of principles, Lu Qiniang quickly became friends with many of the servants in the Zhou residence.

Among them was Mulan—Madam Wei’s only daughter.

Madam Wei was also a widow.

Her husband had died of illness, and she chose to stay single, devoting herself to raising her daughter. She had no intention of remarrying—her only wish was to teach her daughter well, save up a decent dowry, and help her escape her servile status. She hoped the girl could marry into a stable family, perhaps a modest landowner or a promising, even if poor, scholar, and become a proper first wife.

Madam Wei herself was meticulous and capable, yet she raised her daughter to be innocent and carefree.

Mulan liked Lu Qiniang and often sought her out for conversation, brought her food, and got along wonderfully with Lu Qiniang’s three daughters.

Everything had been fine—until one day, Mulan secretly gave a handkerchief to Fifth Young Master to confess her feelings.

As it turned out, the girl had unknowingly fallen for him somewhere along the way.

By all accounts, with Fifth Young Master’s mild temperament, even if he felt it was inappropriate, he would have gently declined and kept it to himself.

But alas, wherever there are people, there are rivalries.

And wherever rivalries exist, so do vested interests.

Where there is interest, there is calculation.

As the First Madam’s most trusted attendant, Madam Wei was the target of jealousy.

Unable to find a way to strike at Madam Wei, someone turned their attention to Mulan. They secretly took the handkerchief  Mulan had placed under Fifth Young Master’s pillow and reported it to the First Madam.

In the face of this crisis, Madam Wei remained calm and shifted the blame onto Lu Qiniang.

At that time, Lu Qiniang was already feeling disillusioned with the Zhou residence due to other matters and had decided to leave with her three daughters—though she had yet to depart.

She knew that the incident had already become common knowledge among the various factions, and many were eagerly awaiting the First Madam’s embarrassment.

After all, the First Madam was usually so aloof and imperious. Who didn’t long to see her embarrassed?

And the First Madam had a sharp temper. After losing face, she would not let Mulan off easily.

So, Lu Qiniang thought for a moment and claimed that the handkerchief had been left behind when she was tidying Fifth Young Master’s bed, a mere unintentional mistake.

Madam Wei immediately followed up, saying, “Whether intentional or not, it’s still a failure on your part. You aren’t a member of this household, so leave. The estate cannot accommodate someone who does not take their duties seriously.”

The First Madam, furious, ordered that Lu Qiniang be prohibited from taking anything with her.

But she had forgotten that Lu Qiniang was not a member of the household.

She could take with her anything she had accumulated on her own.

Lu Qiniang thought for a moment, but rather than argue, she silently gathered all her gold, silver, and valuables, then put on extra layers of clothing, one for each of her daughters.

“…You don’t know, it was summer, and the four of us were all bundled up in layers,” Lu Qiniang laughed as she recalled the scene. “It must have looked ridiculous, but I figured there’s no point. The First Madam calls the shots. Whatever she says goes. There’s no need to anger her over a few things and risk her turning on us, mother and daughters.”

Xiao Yan watched her laugh carelessly, and for the first time, he wasn’t moved by her smile. Instead, his heart felt bitter.

Lu Qiniang’s status was low, and she had three daughters to care for. When she was bullied, what else could she do but endure?

She likely didn’t even dare to entertain the thought of complaining.

Because that would only crush her under the weight of helplessness.

Beyond that, it served no purpose.

“Funny enough,” Lu Qiniang continued, “Erya happened to see Mulan going in to deliver the handkerchief and was thinking about going to tell me.”

“She told me, but of course, I wasn’t there at the time… Erya’s temperament, as you know, she’d rather eat dirt than let herself be taken advantage of, so she’s held a grudge against Madam Wei ever since.”

“And you? ” Xiao Yan asked. “Do you resent her? ”

“A little bit,” Lu Qiniang replied. “If I hadn’t decided to leave, I’d probably feel more resentment. But I’ve already made up my mind, and I like Mulan, so it doesn’t matter. Life’s like that. Sometimes it’s better to be a little clueless and not dwell on the ‘what ifs’ or the ‘buts.’ It’s already happened, right? It’s fine.”

She lowered her head, falling into a brief silence, likely processing some unspoken emotions.

Soon, she lifted her head again, her eyes now sparkling. “Madam Wei hasn’t forgotten about me, right? She sent me something. If I didn’t accept it happily, she’d definitely think I’m still upset, so I took it. Now we can have some meat to eat!”

Xiao Yan suddenly asked, “What illness did you really have? How coincidental that it happened right when you were about to leave the house?”