Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The smallest courtyard in the Plum Garden Mansion is located in the southwest corner of the Ye Mansion. It is usually where the low-born concubines reside. After passing through the corridor, crossing a round archway, and finally passing through a large bamboo forest, you arrive at the courtyard. The courtyard is pitifully small, with only one entrance courtyard, two main rooms, three side rooms, two side chambers, and a very small kitchen.

The courtyard is overgrown with weeds, and the few plum trees show no signs of life. The winding branches look like dead twigs. The stone benches and tables in the courtyard are covered in dust, and several discarded chairs are scattered on the ground. The eaves of the house are covered with spider webs, the doors are covered in dust, and most of the window paper is damaged.

Is this the "cleaned-up" courtyard that Aunt Xie mentioned?

Two maids in red and green were already standing in the courtyard, apparently waiting here in advance.

Upon seeing Ye Fuxun, a smile appeared on their faces. The maid in red stepped forward and greeted, "Miss, I am Jixiang, and this is Ruyi. It must have been tiring traveling by boat and carriage. Madam instructed that since it's Miss's first return to the mansion, it wouldn't do to not have a maid serving by her side. However, she's afraid that the new maidservant might not be attentive enough, so she ordered us, the two sisters, to come and assist first. After a few days, when everything is settled, we will pick a few clever and capable servants to serve Miss."

These two maids in red and green are Jixiang and Ruyi, who serve Aunt Xie. Jixiang, the maid in red, looks a year or two older and is more stable in her actions.

"Please convey my thanks to Aunt Xie." Ye Fuxun coldly looked at the two of them. They were referred to as maids, but their attire was very decent, and their attitude was neither humble nor overbearing. They even looked at Ye Fuxun with a hint of disdain.

Qingruo placed a handkerchief on the stone bench and helped Ye Fuxun sit down. "Miss, you can rest here for a while. Let the servants take care of the courtyard."

"Alright." Ye Fuxun looked at the two of them and thought, with their delicate appearance and soft skin, they were not fit for manual labor. "Since you're both here, let's start working. Jixiang, Ruyi, you two are responsible for sweeping the courtyard, cleaning the spider webs on the eaves, wiping the dust off the doors, and fixing the windows. Qingruo, you're in charge of tidying up the interior. There are some things I don't like others to touch, so I trust you more."

Jixiang and Ruyi were somewhat dumbfounded after hearing this. They were first-class maids by Madam's side. When had they ever done such rough work?

As they spoke, Qingruo took a broom and a cloth from a corner and unceremoniously handed them to the two maids. "Thank you for your help, ladies."

"I suppose you two are both capable maids by Madam's side. The tasks that these servants should do don't need to be instructed, and they should be done well. Let's get started and finish quickly so we don't delay dinner."

Jixiang and Ruyi looked at each other in distress. Madam didn't ask them to come and do laborious work, and normally, the two of them only did some tea-serving tasks. Even if they were sent to serve in a courtyard, with their status by Madam's side, no one dared to order them around. Moreover, wasn't the young lady supposed to be gentle? Why was she acting so unreasonably, not only ordering them around but also doing so as if it were a matter of course? Qingruo gave a sly smile to Ye Fuxun and helped her into the house.

"Jixiang, do we really have to do this?"

"Of course we do. She is the mistress, so we can't let her do it. Besides, have you forgotten what Madam told us to do? If we just go back like this, Madam might break our legs! "

After Jixiang said this, they realized that they had a task here. If they went back now, Madam might punish them. Thinking of this, Ruyi didn't care about her clothes and pinched her nose to start working.

After a busy afternoon, the courtyard was finally cleaned up.

In the evening, a nanny brought two maids and, upon seeing Ye Fuxun, greeted her perfunctorily, "Miss, Madam is concerned about your weak health and the fatigue from the journey, so she specially ordered me to bring the meal." The nanny gestured to the two maids behind her, and they placed the food on the freshly cleaned table.

Several bowls of hardened rice and four types of vegetables without any oil or moisture, it looked unappetizing. Ye Fuxun glanced at it indifferently. Xie's ability was limited to withholding things from her. In the previous life, and even in this life, there was no improvement. Sending leftover food like this was disgusting to her.

"Thank you, but you can tell Madam that there's no need to send meals in the future. My uncle is the renowned General of the Zhen Guo, how could I, with such a strong background, have a weak body? Tomorrow, I will dine with my father, so there's no need to trouble you."

The nanny was surprised to hear Ye Fuxun's words. Who said this young lady was a soft-hearted person? Her words were quite firm, and her attitude was much more respectful than before. "I understand. I won't disturb Miss's meals in the future."

"Goodbye, Nanny." After Qingruo saw the nanny off, Jixiang and Ruyi, who were standing on the side, looked at the food brought by the nanny with disgust. It was worse than what the servants ate. When would this bitter task come to an end?

"I'm not hungry, and you two have worked hard. You can have the food sent by Aunt Xie as a reward."