Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 207 This kid is even more impatient than me

These subtle gestures, to the mistress of a household, were nothing more than raising a hand or saying a few words.

But this consideration for the servants is extremely rare, and it is also a testament to Madam Yun's wisdom.

Hua Yan personally believes that the Second Miss, the Eldest Young Master, and the Fifth Miss of the manor all grew up well under the tutelage of Madam Yun, and are all gentle and kind-hearted people.

However, the second young lady and the fifth young lady have opposite personalities. The second young lady is thoughtful and too kind-hearted, while the fifth young lady is broad-minded and somewhat naive.

Only the eldest young master inherited the cunning and strategy of Madam Yun and the head of the family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave Lin'an at a young age to study in the capital and make so many friends. Even the heir of the Marquis of Huai'an followed his lead.

Mother Wei instructed Hua Ying to look after the flowers in the main hall, and then left Fu'an Residence with Hua Yan.

On the way to the guest house, Mother Wei first briefly talked about the changes in the mansion in the past few months.

For example, after the Fourth Miss was sent back to Lin'an, she sent letters to the head of the family and the Third Miss every day. The Third Miss only used her own money to buy some food and daily necessities and asked someone to send them back. She never replied to the letters.

For example, after the second young lady was no longer in charge, the fifth young lady dragged the sixth young lady to skip school many times and were punished by kneeling. The two young ladies even opened a fragrance shop together in the East Market Street. They also ingeniously cooperated with Huanyun's shop to launch all kinds of sachets, and they actually made some money.

Furthermore, after the eldest young mistress married into the mansion, Madam Yun entrusted her with the management of the household. The eldest young mistress did a very good job, managing everything sent to the Prince of Jin's mansion, including the second young lady's dowry estate and shops. Although she was still young and not yet showing her pregnancy, she had already taken the initiative to perform facial rituals for the maids accompanying her, but the eldest young master had never shown any favor to them.

Finally, she even made some small, casual mentions of Zheng Dongjia, Lvliu, Huaying, Mufengmuyu, and other people and things that Huayan used to know.

The reason why Madam Wei said so much was also to intentionally improve the relationship between Hua Yan and the Tang family.

Hua Yan's status upon entering the palace is different; even Madam Su cannot predict what her future holds. It's possible that one day the household may need Hua Yan's help...

Hua Yan didn't know whether this was Wei Mama's own idea or Yun Madam's instruction, but she chatted with Wei Mama with a smile all the way.

From the moment she was brought to the Tang family mansion from Chunfeng Tower and became a lowly maid, to eventually becoming part of their dowry due to various reasons, she followed her master all the way to the capital.

For her, the Tang family was no longer a relationship bound by a thin contract of servitude.

“I understand what Madam Wei means. The Tang family trusts and values ​​me enough. If I may presume to say that I consider this mansion my home.”

As they approached the guest courtyard, Hua Yan stopped. Her expression was no longer indifferent; for the first time, she opened up to Mother Wei.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei smiled warmly and gently took Hua Yan's hands, saying, "Our Madam has always treated you like a daughter. The Tang family is your maternal home. What happened just now was not at Madam's behest. Please don't take it to heart. Madam has never doubted you."

Madam Yun's trust in Hua Yan was something that even Wei Mama had privately wondered about. Now, after hearing Hua Yan's words, Wei Mama was secretly relieved, realizing that Madam Yun had not misjudged Hua Yan.

Two guards stood watch at the entrance of the guest courtyard. When the leader saw the people from the Tang family arrive, he quickly bowed slightly in greeting.

Hua Yan had just heard Wei Mama mention on the way here that these were guards sent by the palace to watch over Zhou Bai. Even if Zhou Bai had made meritorious contributions in the Northwest war, there would still be the necessary investigations.

Hua Yan looked indifferent and turned to Wei Mama, saying, "We've troubled you with your journey, Wei Mama. Madam needs help from others, so I can go in alone."

Mother Wei smiled and agreed, then took a thick purse from her sleeve and handed it to the guard.

The guards were clearly quite lax in their watch over Zhou Bai; the guards only accepted the woman after some initial refusals. The woman before them was a trusted head maidservant of Consort Chun, and he dared not look up to examine her closely.

"Please do as you please, young lady. No one will disturb you."

The eunuch had given advance notice that all they needed to do was ensure Zhou Bai didn't leave the Marquis of Lin'an's residence. The other guard was overjoyed; this was truly a once-in-a-century job. In just one day and one night, the two of them had already received so much money that their hands were sore from carrying it all...

Inside the guest courtyard, besides Zhou Bai, there was another person who was quite excited.

Hearing a commotion outside, Chen Lin turned and ran towards the courtyard gate. Zhou Bai, who was pacing anxiously in the flower hall, stared in astonishment at Chen Lin's disappearing figure.

"...Something's not right, something's not right! Why is this kid even more impatient than me?"

Without time to think it through, Zhou Bai followed him out of the flower hall.

As soon as Hua Yan stepped into the guest courtyard, she saw a man hurriedly passing through the moon gate, his eyes fixed intently on her.

The man before them was extremely handsome, especially his eyes, which were like an autumn pond overflowing with starlight, and a small beauty mark at the corner of his eye added to his charm.

...My uncle has been exposed to the wind and sun on the grassland for nearly ten years. Could it be that he has gone to cultivate Taoism? He has such a way of preserving his youth!

Hua Yan's little head was unusually blank.

After regaining her senses, she realized it wasn't her uncle. She shook her head, looked closely, and found the man increasingly familiar.

From a distance of more than ten feet, Zhou Bai was furious and rushed forward to pull Chen Lin behind him.

“...Shu'er”

Zhou Bai's voice was hoarse, filled with guilt.

A burning heat instantly ignited in Hua Yan's eyes, and her eye rims gradually reddened. In her memory, only her mother and uncle would call her that, and she hadn't heard it for more than ten years.

Looking at the features that vaguely resembled her mother's, Hua Yan's heart instantly calmed down, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face. It seemed that with her uncle around, she felt more confident.

Just like when she was a child, after her mother left, her uncle became her support for a short time.

"uncle"

Hua Yan gracefully approached and bowed in greeting.

Zhou Bai nervously clenched his fists, then relaxed them after a moment. He longed to gently stroke Meng Shu's soft hair, just like he did when they were children.

Many years have passed since they last met, and the graceful young girl has grown into a beautiful young woman. She is dressed in a light blue palace gown, with a beautiful face and an ethereal air. Her bun hairstyle has been replaced by a crescent-shaped updo secured with kingfisher feather and jeweled hairpins.

As a young man, Zhou Bai was carefree and unrestrained. He never imagined that a tea business deal years ago would lead to his being trapped on the grasslands for so many years. Even more unexpectedly, despite leaving Meng Chengwen twenty taels of silver before leaving home and hearing the man's solemn promise to protect Meng Shu, less than five years later, that beast would sell Meng Shu to a slave trader...

A deep sense of guilt lingered in Zhou Bai's heart, so much so that he had a thousand words in his heart, yet they remained stuck in his throat.

Fortunately, Hua Yan seemed oblivious. She turned to gaze at the boy who had appeared at the beginning. Chen Lin had realized that his actions had been rash, but he couldn't help but meet Hua Yan's gaze expectantly.

"Chen Lin, it's been a long time."

The girl's voice was clear and melodious. Chen Lin felt a lump in his throat, pursed his lips, and smiled.

......

At the same moment that the uncle and nephew met, in the Imperial Study of the Funing Hall in the Imperial Palace.

On the imperial desk lay a neatly arranged dossier about Zhou Bai, the contents of which were extremely detailed, even including the fact that the Dragon Guards had thoroughly investigated the three generations of Zhou's ancestors.

During a break from reviewing memorials, the emperor casually unfolded the document again.

Jingming stood respectfully to one side, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly. Since the court session ended, the Emperor had already reviewed this document more than twice…