Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 127 Flower Face and Winter Melon Night Chapter - Daily Life

That night, Hua Yan pestered Dong Gua for half the night with questions.

"Oh dear, Meng Shu, I have to steam chestnut cakes first thing tomorrow morning. This is the first time the Second Miss has personally ordered the breakfast menu. Everyone in our small kitchen is putting in a lot of effort. I really don't remember if that maid was 'pushing' or 'doing something else'."

In private, Donggua called Huayan by her real name in their room. Just now, she used Huayan's memory to recreate the scene, but she really couldn't remember anything. In fact, she recalled it too many times. Donggua was so confused that she couldn't be sure whether anyone had tried to approach Miss Lu on the shore.

This was the first time Hua Yan had suffered a setback in front of Madam Yun at Yun Gui Courtyard, and she felt quite uncomfortable.

Seeing that her best friend was starting to doubt herself after all the trouble she had caused, she finally let Donggua go.

Before going to sleep, Hua Yan reminded her again, "Next time you encounter danger, don't rush forward recklessly! No one else is as important as you."

Donggua suddenly sprang to his feet, slapped his forehead, revealing two large front teeth, and chuckled: "I had forgotten about it until you mentioned it. After returning to the manor, I was busy helping out in the small kitchen. Meng Shu, Madam and the Second Miss rewarded me with quite a few things. Quickly pick out if there's anything you like."

She tiptoed out of bed and took a small package from the wardrobe against the wall.

"It's just some pearls and jewelry. You've received so many rewards, why are you still so excited?" Hua Yan, feeling sleepy, propped herself up and looked at Dong Gua, teasingly asking.

"Master said that it doesn't matter what reward we receive from our master, what matters is gaining favor with our master. As servants, we should save up some gold and silver; they will come in handy someday."

Donggua spoke in a serious and methodical manner, his tone exactly the same as Steward An's. Then, with a twist of his hips, he sat down on Huayan's bed.

Inspired by the vibrant winter melon, Hua Yan perked up completely. She leaned forward, reached for a pair of scissors, and gently parted the candle flame to trim the long wick.

The moment the scissors touched the candle wick, there was a soft "poof" sound, and the candle flame suddenly flickered, bursting into a dazzling flame.

Donggua dropped the package, grabbed Huayan's arm, and exclaimed happily, "It's a firework! When I was little, I often heard the old folks in the village say that firework is a good omen, and we'll definitely get a reward for it during the Mid-Autumn Festival the day after tomorrow!"

Hua Yan rubbed Dong Gua's chubby cheeks and remembered something. "Second Miss actually mentioned a few days ago that she would give you a basket of crabs separately when we eat crabs during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Donggua almost jumped up with joy upon hearing this, but Huayan immediately added another sentence.

"Don't be happy yet. The premise is that you have to steal two, no, three jugs of newly brewed chrysanthemum wine from Steward An."

Donggua immediately looked miserable. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, when he was in Lin'an, Steward An was not working at Yunyi Academy, so stealing a pot of wine was not difficult. This year, his master was keeping a close eye on him.

Upon opening the package, she found two pairs of beaded flowers, a small bolt of brocade suitable for making handkerchiefs and purses, and at the bottom a cookbook about northern cuisine. Hua Yan recognized the cookbook; it had been specially collected by the eldest young master after the second young lady had chatted with him in the study.

"What did the lady bestow upon you?"

Donggua was flipping through a book; she already knew many characters, so she could finally understand simple recipes. Upon hearing this, she completely opened the package, revealing a silk purse embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread. She was immediately stunned when she opened it.

"Meng Shu, pinch me quickly."

Hua Yan was also staring blankly at a small gold ingot that was spinning around in place. Dong Gua patted his cheeks and murmured, "...Isn't Madam's reward a bit too generous?"

This gold ingot is worth at least one hundred taels of silver.

"Madam is rewarding you with 'kindness,' so just accept it well." Hua Yan sighed. As the mistress of the house, Madam Yun didn't need to win over the servants, but her rewards were always generous.

Donggua saved Zou Xiuer, and that's why Madam Yun gave her a reward, but of course it wasn't because Zou Xiuer was her niece.

It was precisely because Donggua did not abandon the idea of ​​saving people despite the conflict between Aunt Zou and her daughter and the masters of the Tang family.

Having good intentions and putting them into action is commendable, and this is what Madam Yun meant.

It must be said that she and Donggua were extremely lucky to have met masters like Madam Yun and the Second Miss.

The two companions who had been sold to Zheng's brokerage firm in the same carriage were now a child bride. Er Yazi was sold to become a child bride, while Huan Di went to great lengths to curry favor with Li Yapo and eventually ended up at the Du family mansion. However, through Chun Yue's words, Hua Yan already knew that it was not a good place at all.

And what about Chen Lin? I wonder how he is now, and where he has settled down.

Hua Yan had always felt sorry for Chen Lin. As a boy, he was more handsome and lively than most women, which suggested that he was very likely to suffer the same tragic fate as the women who sold themselves into prostitution. She had also subtly inquired about the whereabouts of the boys bought from the brokerage firm, but Zheng Dongjia had always remained silent about the fate of the boys.

After a moment of reflection, Donggua carefully put the small gold ingot he had received the first time into his purse.

"This pearl flower is so green, I'll send it to Green Willow later. I haven't received a letter from Green Willow for a while; she wrote last time saying that the drought in Haijin Town is getting worse."

Hua Yan snapped out of her daze and suddenly heard the words "Haijin Town." She felt as if the ten years she had lived in Mengjiazhuang were a long time ago, so long that all she could remember were her mother's voice and smile, and her uncle who would bring many gifts to her door every year during the New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and her birthday.

As for Meng Chengwen, his stepmother, and the younger brother born to his stepmother, Hua Yan tried hard to recall, but their appearances were blurred into a jumbled mess in her mind, and she couldn't make out their faces clearly.

A moment later, Meng Shu chuckled. It turns out that people really can selectively forget certain bad memories.

Or perhaps, their remains have already decomposed.

Seeing that Hua Yan was lost in thought again, Dong Gua shook the beaded flower in his hand. "Meng Shu, what are you thinking about? Your smile just now was a bit... sinister..."

Hua Yan: ......

"Green Willow and Yingchun are busy with their affairs right now, they should be able to write to us soon. I also have a few pieces of jewelry here, I'll give them to them then," Hua Yan said, picking up the pearl hairpin from the package and looking at it.

As the two finally lay down and Hua Yan was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard Dong Gua speak in a hoarse voice: "Last time Green Willow wrote, she said that the water level of the Guhe River at the entrance of Dazhangzhuang Village has dropped a lot. I wonder if the drought has affected the autumn harvest."

Dazhangzhuang is my hometown when winter melons were still called "dunzi".

Hua Yan turned over and looked at Dong Gua from a distance of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). "Dong Gua, are you... homesick?"

In the darkness, Donggua shook his head and said dryly, "I never imagined that when I was sold to Granny Zhou, I would have no home."

However, Donggua also had people in Dazhangzhuang she was worried about, people who had helped her before. She wondered if they would be able to get through the drought safely if it worsened.

Hua Yan blinked, rolled off the covers and got out of bed. She groped her way onto Dong Gua's bed in the dark. Dong Gua shuddered and screamed in fright, then quickly shoved Hua Yan back under the covers.

Hua Yan scratched the winter melon's soft belly. "This little house is our home!"

The next day, August 14th.

The Second Miss received a phoenix hairpin from the Princess after participating in a poetry gathering. It was probably already widely known in the capital yesterday. This morning, she received invitations from several families, almost all of them for flower viewing banquets.

Before the festival, Madam Su personally visited the old lady, clearly knowing about her daughter's ordeal the day before. She not only gave many gifts to the young ladies of the mansion, but also showed a much better attitude towards the Tang family.