Chapter 39: First Madam Of The Zhou family
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Chu Yan registered his name and turned to look at Liu Sanniang. He walked over and saw that Liu Sanniang was avoiding his gaze with her head lowered.
Chu Yan’s gaze darkened as he walked out.
Liu Sanniang was terrified and was even more determined to stay away from Chu Yan.
Butler Zhou smiled. “Miss Liu, register your code word here.”
Under her name, Liu Sanniang wrote ‘water’.
Butler Zhou’s smile widened. “Your handwriting is really good.”
Not many girls from Yong County know how to write.
Liu Sanniang could write because her mother could write. Although Liu Sanniang wasn’t particularly smart, Madam Wei was still very strict with her.
Madam Wei believed that even if her daughter couldn’t be a scholar, she had to at least know how to write.
Liu Sanniang smiled in return and said, “Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Zhou.”
Butler Zhou was about the same age as her father, so it was not wrong to call him so. After all, she was not a real servant of the Zhou Mansion.
Butler Zhou responded with an amiable look. “Your clothes are ready. Thank you in advance on behalf of the Zhou family for your help.”
Liu Sanniang nodded and turned to leave.
All the young servant girls in the Zhou Mansion had two buns on their heads and wore some flower hair accessories. The older ones looked different.
Liu Sanniang changed her clothes and combed her hair before going to the main courtyard.
In First Madam Zhou’s courtyard, there were six servant girls, two nannies, a wet nurse, and a servant doing manual labor.
Tao Hong and Liu Lu, Li Yazhi’s personal servant girls, said to Liu Sanniang, “You are Liu Sanniang, right? We’re both trained servant girls, but you are not. So be careful when you serve Madam. If you offend Madam, don’t blame us for not reminding you.”
Liu Sanniang was speechless.
The Zhou family was rich and powerful, and Li Yazhi was also a young lady from a rich family. Her status and family were something she was proud of. Hence, her servant girls were also proud.
Tao Hong looked at Liu Sanniang and admonished. “Be careful when you touch things. Don’t break anything. You can’t afford to pay for anything in the room, not even with your life!”
Liu Lu added. “You’ve probably never seen these things in your life. It’s best if you don’t have any ill intentions. If anything is missing, we won’t let you off.”
Liu Sanniang smiled. “Understood.”
“It’s good that you understand. Also…” Seeing that Liu Sanniang was so obedient, Liu Lu was emboldened. She paused and added further. ” In front of our Madam, you have to call yourself a servant! ”
After Liu Lu finished speaking, Tao Hong smiled and looked at Liu Sanniang. “Liu Lu is right. Do you remember everything we just said?”
Liu Sanniang smiled and retorted. “Well, I’m sorry for not agreeing to that since I’m not a servant of the Zhou Mansion, nor am I a slave.”
Tang Tao and Liu Lu were stunned, and their expressions changed. They had forgotten that Liu Sanniang was not a servant. Although she was an ordinary person and might not live as comfortably as the servants, she was after all not a slave. She had freedom in life.
On the other hand, though the servant girls looked good, if they offended Madam, she had the right to sell them off. Liu Sanniang’s words hit the nail on its head, making them unable to refute.
Nanny Li had been watching from the side for a long time. She thought that Tao Hong and Liu Lu would be able to put Liu Sanniang in her place, but she did not expect them to be taught a lesson by Liu Sanniang instead.
Nanny Li immediately walked over and said, “Miss Liu, please don’t mind them. As servants, we put our master and madam first. Please don’t take offense!”
They were servants, so they definitely had to put their master and madam first.
With a smile, Liu Sanniang said, “I understand.”
She didn’t say that she didn’t mind, but she said that she understood.
Tao Hong and Liu Lu subconsciously looked at Nanny Li. The nanny had been serving Madam since she was young, so even if she was just a servant, she was well-respected in the Zhou family.
Nanny Li said, “That’s good. Miss Liu, you don’t have to work because you are on a mission. Madam doesn’t like strangers. Miss Liu, just try not to make Madam unhappy.”
Nanny Li had lived for decades. With a glance, she could tell that Liu Sanniang wasn’t a pushover.
Besides, she was backed by the magistrate and was here to protect Miss. Even if Madam saw her, she would not make things difficult for her.
If a quarrel broke out between them and Liu Sanniang, Madam would only punish them.
However, Nanny Li was not someone to be trifled with either. Everyone in this courtyard had to follow the rules.
Liu Sanniang smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
Nanny Li glanced at Liu Sanniang and felt a lingering anger. Liu Sanniang was agreeable, which was something that made Nanny Li angry the most.
If Liu Sanniang was short-tempered, Granny Li was ready to use the rules to teach Liu Sanniang a lesson.
With a grudge, she let Liu Sanniang off… for now.
Before long, First Madam Zhou returned.
Recently, Li Yazhi had been feeling uneasy. She was afraid that in the blink of an eye, her precious daughter, Zhou Yanshu, would disappear. After thinking about it, she decided to go to the temple outside the city to pray for a talisman for her daughter.
She only came back at night.
Butler Zhou immediately reported what happened during the day to her in detail.
Li Yazhi smiled and said, “Magistrate Wei is a good official. The family will do our best to cooperate with him. If we can catch the criminal, that will be even better.”
After Li Yazhi went back to her courtyard, Tao Hong and Liu Lu told her what happened again.
Li Yazhi smiled. “Bring my daughter here. My daughter has been sleeping with me for the past few days. I want to see what kind of a criminal wants to take my daughter away from me.”
Nanny Li nodded and left.
Liu Sanniang had been keeping an eye on Miss at all times. Nanny Li asked the servant to take the child to Madam, but Liu Sanniang stopped her. “Have you registered your code word?”
Nanny Li frowned. “Our Madam wants to sleep with her daughter. Why do we need to register? Don’t cause trouble. Our madam hasn’t seen Miss for a day.”
Liu Sanniang did not move aside but grabbed Nanny Li. “Better to be safe than sorry. Everyone around Miss has to be checked meticulously.”