It's not a one or two-day thing to make new tea, and Hua Ruochu wasn't in a hurry either. He went out of the house once every other day, and each time he only stayed outside for half a day.

  There were many idle and scattered words, but Hua Ru initially pretended not to hear them.

  It was the old lady and the old master who fully supported, after beating a few servant girls, they also let the servants who were used to flattering those in power see the direction of the wind.

  That afternoon, a carriage with the Qi Manor emblem stopped in front of the gate.

  Radiant Qi Wu helped Liu's nanny down from the low table.

  These days were the most carefree and relaxed time for her after marrying into the Qi Manor.

  The gatekeeper hastened forward to pay his respects.

  Qī Wǔ shì xiān qù zhǔ yuàn qǐng ān, méi fēi sè wǔ de tiāo zhe zuì ràng tā yǒu liǎn de shì shuō le shuō.

  Translation:

  Qiwu went to the main hall to pay her respects and with a smile on her face, she talked about the things that made her look good.

  The crown prince's consort, entrusted by the crown prince, although she didn't treat Qi Wushi with a different gaze, also spoke a few more words to her and often brought her along to listen to the master recite scriptures.

  Others who witnessed this also had a big change in their attitude towards Qi Wu.

  The lady of the Qi manor has not shown her face like this for a long time.

  Qilin's envy and jealousy were evident to Qiwu, even the old lady couldn't help but look at her with admiration, causing Qiwu to stand up straighter.

  Back to his own courtyard, he thought his wife and daughter would come out to greet him, but unexpectedly no one was seen.

  Qī Wǔ's face suddenly fell.

  Eyes with frost.

  "Didn't anyone go tell them I'm back?"

  Wearing a green dress, tall and slender, with facial features that couldn't be described as delicate but still striking, Da Yu's maid Snow gently helped her master sit down and said in a soft voice: "The servant has sent a message through Xiao Yu, but..."

  "Who will spread the word?"

  A young girl with a low head walked out "It's me."

  "What's going on?"

  "Returned to the master, I went to both Zhen Niang's and Young Madam's places, but...I didn't see anyone."

  "Qi Wu slapped the table and said, 'What do you mean by "haven't seen anyone"? A good person can still get lost in the mansion?'"

  Xiao Yatou was so frightened that she trembled, her voice shaking as she replied, "Reporting to Master, I've asked around and found out that Zhen Niang and the Young Mistress are not in the mansion at present. They left early this morning."

  "Going out? Together? Not back yet?"

  "Yes."

  "Qī Wǔ shì Měng suddenly stood up, 'Hua Rú Chū has eaten bear heart and leopard gall? Taking the unmarried young lady out of the house, what does she want to do?'"

  The big and small girls in the house all knelt down, their breathing also became lighter.

  Xue Ru had always been favored by Wu Shi, but at this time he didn't dare to touch his head and tell the truth.

  Unexpectedly, however, Xi Wu asked.

  "Xue Ru, I left you at home just to take good care of Zhen Er, what do you think? And yet you still let her go out, if something happens can you bear the responsibility?"

  "Master, slave, slave didn't want to let Miss Zhen out of the house either, but... but Young Madam insisted on taking her, and Miss Zhen also wanted to go out, slave can't control it!"

  Qī Wǔ shì qì dé zài wū zǐ lǐ lái lái huí huí de zǒu, gāng huí lái de hǎo xīn qíng quán méi le.

  Translation:

  Mr. Qi Wu paced back and forth in the house, his good mood from just coming back completely gone.

  "Does the old lady not care either?"

  "Whenever Madam went out, she would always bring Zhen Niang along to pay respects to Old Madam, and Old Madam never opposed it."

  "Does she go out every time? Qi Wu's eyes widened 'Are you saying that Zhen Er isn't going out for the first time?'"

  "Yes, Zhen Niang has gone out of the mansion five times."

  "Has she gone mad? Is this how Hua Ru Chu treats her sister-in-law?" Qi Wu's anger was so great that she was trembling with rage, and she wished to find the person immediately and give her a good scolding.

  "Without any upbringing, she's from a humble background and wants to drag down Zhen'er as well? Which young lady from a good family would run around outside every day?"

  No one dared to speak up, and all that could be heard in the room was Qi Wu's urgent gasps for breath.

  "Liu Ma, go wait at the second gate, when those two return, bring me there immediately."

  "Yes."

  At this time, the two people who were playing happily in the tea garden had no idea that there was trouble waiting for them at home.

  Qī Zhēn scrubbed hard at the black stains in her fingernails, "Sister-in-law, they really can't be washed clean."

  Similarly, Hua Ruochu looked at her own fingers and felt a bit anxious. "I told you not to move your hands, but you still thought I was fooling you."

  "Watching you guys rubbing tea leaves is so much fun, my mom will be back soon, I have to get my hands clean before she gets back, or else I'm doomed."

  "I'll definitely be finished before you are."

  Eyes that don't see are clean, she withdrew her hand and hid it in her sleeve. Hua Ru initially looked at the lively little girl with a hint of unshed tears in her heart.

  Starting tomorrow, she won't be able to bring her out anymore, and this is all she can do for her.

  She was still under fifteen years old at that time, wearing men's clothes and wandering around the streets of Yangzhou, don't know how happy she was.

  But now she doesn't have the right to sympathize with others either. She used to live so recklessly, but isn't her wings also broken now?

  "Let's go, it's getting late, can't be back too late."

  Qī Zhēn also knew that today was her last day of freedom, so she insisted on staying with her sister-in-law in the tea garden for a whole day, and had food sent over from another courtyard.

  She looked up at the sky and reluctantly got up. Her sister-in-law had been so good to her, she couldn't let her sister-in-law down.

  Qiu Jin handed over the tea leaves packed in a box to Hua Ru Chu, smiling: "Miss, your brother-in-law will be very happy."

  Hua's eyebrows rose slightly as she said with a flying spirit, "Why didn't you say that I have new tea to drink and should be happy about it!"

  "Yes, yes, you should be happy." Qiu Zhen smiled even more "We will try our best to make the new variety according to what you said, and we will definitely make it for you."

  "There's no rush, first ensure the quantity of new tea is sufficient, these are all to be presented to the prince by your uncle, it's very important."

  "Yes, I understand."

  The sky was indeed late, and Yun Shu urged the two of them repeatedly.

  In the soft sedan, Qi Zhen was playing with a small box, opened it and smelled it contentedly "It's really fragrant, I can't drink those brick teas at home anymore."

  "You're still young, don't drink too much of this tea. One or two cups a day is enough. Drink more of the huā tea I gave you, it's good for women."

  "Alright, sister-in-law, you've said it several times already."

  Hua Ru's expression turned stern as she shot her a sideways glance, "You'd better listen, women's bodies are mostly cold and weak, this tea isn't suitable for excessive drinking. If I could make red tea, I wouldn't control your intake."

  "Is what Akito and they are doing now just red tea?"

  "Not just red tea, there are others too. If I can make them, I'll definitely give you a share."

  Qī Zhēn was delighted and grabbed Huá Rú Chū's sleeve, shaking it excitedly "Sister-in-law is the best."

  She did such affectionate actions naturally, and Hua Ruochu didn't push her away either, letting her act spoiled.

  The sedan chair was carried directly into the mansion.

  Although Hua Ru Chu, this young mistress, had a weak presence in the manor, her personal maid, Yun Shu, was extremely popular among the lower servants.

  From affluent Yangzhou, although also serving others, Yun Shu's attire was in no way inferior to that of a young lady from an ordinary family. Originally, such a servant would have been ostracized.

  However, Yun Shu was good at getting along with people and was generous. From time to time, she would buy some food or cosmetics to win over the various little ghosts. Moreover, she had a skilled needlework, and her embroidery was famous all over the world. The clever maid would occasionally take her embroidery to ask for instructions, and Yun Shu never hesitated, satisfying her every request.

  She is not worried that others will learn the essence of her craft, if it were that easy to learn, then embroidery would have been widespread long ago and wouldn't be so famous.

  The gatekeeper didn't dare to openly convey the message, and secretly gave a wink to Yun Shu.

  Yun Shu walked over with a smile on his face and said, "Big Brother Yun Hu, I didn't buy the things you asked me to bring for you, so here's your silver back."

  Yun Hu let out a sigh of relief "I was just about to ask, it's fine if you keep the money, next time we meet again you can buy me something."

  He fished out four silver coins from his sleeve pocket and handed them over, saying with a smile: "Take it, next time I'll buy it for you and you can pay me back in silver too."

  "Whatever." Putting away the silver hairpin, Yun Hu's eyes were full of smiles. What was wrong with Young Madam being soft and weak? But her maid was fierce and generous, who wouldn't want to follow such a master?

  "Old Mrs. has returned, I hear she's in a terrible temper."

  The Cloud Book suddenly appeared, what a mess! How come it happened today of all days? Didn't they say it would take two more days to return?

  Chong Yun Hu nodded with gratitude, and Yun Shu quickly caught up to the person in front. When they arrived at the inner courtyard, he supported Hua Ru Chu as she got out of the sedan chair and whispered: "The Grand Madam has returned, and it's likely that she knows you took Zhen Niang out. Apparently, she threw a huge tantrum."

  This is really...

  Hua Ru glanced at the little girl who came out from behind her with a smile on her face, and today she was afraid of being in trouble.

  "Heaving a deep sigh, Hua Ruyan faintly said: 'When the enemy comes, we'll resist; when the flood comes, we'll dam it. Can she still take my life? Let's go.'"

  "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"

  "It's all right, hurry up and finish your meal, go back home."

  Qī Zhēn looked at her with a puzzled expression and followed up.

  As soon as they entered the second gate, Hua Ru saw Liu Mama at a glance, and Qi Zhen also saw her, and was so frightened that his face turned pale.

  Liu's mother was getting anxious by then. She had been waiting here for more than two hours, and the madam had sent someone to ask after them several times, but those two still hadn't returned.

  The later you come back, the more angry the madam will be!

  Just as I was thinking about whether or not to go out and take a look, I heard the sound of many people's footsteps. My heart skipped a beat, and I looked over.

  It's them again.

  Liu hurriedly walked forward and said, "Ah, my good girl, you've finally come back. If you hadn't returned, I would have had to go out and look for someone."

  Qī Zhēn nervously grasped Liú Māma's hand and asked "Has Mother returned? When did she come back?"

  "It's been two hours since you returned, you should go and pay your respects quickly." Looking at Hua Ruochu who was silent on one side, Liu's expression became less amiable. As the personal maid of the first madam, her status in the first madam's quarters was not ordinary. Usually, she couldn't help but put on airs, and towards the second madam, she only maintained a respectful appearance, but deep down, she looked down on her.

  Just thinking that his own daughter would be scolded by the madam, he was even more displeased, and his tone became harsher. "Young Madam, please go with me too, the madam is waiting."

  Hua Ru Chu hadn't said anything yet, but Qi Zhen already pouted "Liu Ayi, how can you speak to sister-in-law like that?"

  Seeing her like this, Liu's heart was shocked, but she wasn't afraid. "Jen Niang, you'd better hurry over, the madam is probably furious."

  "If mother gets angry, I'll take responsibility for it, and it has nothing to do with sister-in-law."

  Liu's wife looked back and forth between the two of them. What had happened in the days she and the madam were away that they didn't know about?

  How did these two become so close?

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