After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 740 Revealed
The two new maids, Cuiguo and Xiangcao, are now learning the rules in the main courtyard. They have to wait until they have learned the basic skills of being a maid before they can be assigned to a specific master's house.

However, Cuiguo had been a maid in the imperial merchant's household in the capital for several years and was familiar with all the skills, so she only stayed in the upper room for three days before being sent to the second courtyard. Mrs. Hu was short of manpower and needed an experienced helper.

Xiangcao, a new hand who had never worked as a maid, was left in the main courtyard. Today, it was her turn to stand at the door of the upper room, open the curtain, and serve tea and water to the guests. She was a careful person, and she did not do things in a rough manner. Although her movements were not skillful, she did not make any mistakes. Ma was quite satisfied with this, thinking that she did not embarrass the Hai family in front of the guests. As for Ma Shangyi, she was full of thoughts and did not pay attention to the fact that the maid who served her tea was a newcomer. She was only concerned about finding out what Ma was thinking.

After Ma Shangyi said goodbye and left, Ma praised Xiangcao and let her go. She called Aunt Cui and Aunt Ma to come and discuss household affairs.

Xiangcao went out of the door, stood at the bottom of the stairs for a while, then turned around and went to the kitchen in front to get a pot of hot ginger tea, which she brought to Haitang in the study in the west wing.

Haitang thought she was ordered to bring ginger tea, so she looked up and smiled at her: "Thank you for your hard work. Just put the ginger tea by the stove. Are you cold? Do you want to stay and warm your hands?"

Xiangcao responded and walked to her side: "Miss, just now... an old lady came to talk to you, and I heard Aunt Cui call her Mama."

Haitang knew who it was as soon as she heard it: "The guest who just came? That's Ma Shangyi who lives in the Jin family. She used to be a female official in the palace for many years and served the Empress Dowager for decades. She retired and returned to her hometown a few years ago. Now she is taking care of Brother Jin's daily life."

As a close neighbor with whom she has such frequent interactions, it is necessary for the new maid of the Hai family to know Ma Shangyi's identity, so as to avoid any inappropriate words in the future that might offend others.

Xiangcao was from the capital, so she naturally knew the importance of the words "palace lady". She was startled, but quickly calmed down and continued to say what she wanted to say: "Just now, this Madam told Madam..." She repeated the news she heard word for word. Although she didn't know the inside story of many things, she had a good memory, so she just told the truth, and the girl would always understand.

Haitang was a little surprised. She didn't say much, just asked Xiangcao: "Why do you tell me this? Aren't you afraid of breaking taboos?" It sounds like a small matter to disclose the conversation between the mistress and the guest to the young master of the house, but if it is in a wealthy family, it is undoubtedly against the code of a loyal servant. What's more, the young master did not ask or spend money to bribe her, but she came to tell him on her own initiative, which is even more unusual.

Xiangcao said seriously, "My mother and I were able to escape from the human traffickers and come to this family because of the girl's kindness. The girl also asked the lady to send someone to rescue my brother as well. Otherwise, the man would have sold my brother, and my mother and I would never be able to find him again. Wouldn't we be heartbroken? I will remember the girl's kindness for the rest of my life! If there are other things in the lady's room, I will never dare to leak a word. But since it concerns the girl's lifelong event, I am worried that the girl will be worried about it, so I must come to tell you. Anyway, the girl and the lady are flesh and blood, so if there is anything to say, just say it openly, and there is no taboo. I just think that the guest from outside does not need to be so worried about the girl's marriage, and we need to guard against her ulterior motives. The lady seems to be very close to the guest, and I think she trusts her very much, and may not be on guard. Then I will mention it to the girl, so that the lady and the girl will not be caught off guard and be calculated by others."

Haitang smiled when she heard this: "You are so thoughtful. Thank you for telling me these words. This matter is indeed very important. I will make a note of it. When you go back to the upper room to work, you don't have to mention this matter to anyone. Just pretend that you never told me anything."

Xiangcao accepted the offer solemnly, bowed, and went out. Aunt Ma came out of the upper room and saw her go to the west wing study. She asked her what she had been doing, and she replied, "The girl's hands are cold, so I brought her a pot of ginger tea." Aunt Ma thought she knew she would work in Haitang's room in the future, so she tried to please the young master in advance, and just laughed it off. Haitang listened to the noise in the yard and began to ponder the conversation Xiangcao heard. When it was time for lunch, she asked her grandmother casually, "Grandma, did Mama come over this morning? She has been busy these days and rarely comes. Has she finished her work?"

"Not yet!" Ma replied casually, "From her tone, it seems like she's in a lot of trouble. She just took a break from her busy schedule and came to chat with me to relax. Look, she only sat there for less than half an hour and went back. She has to go out again in the afternoon!"

Haitang blinked: "What are you guys gossiping about? Is there any change in the marriage between the Wu family and the Xin family?"

Ma gave her granddaughter a glare: "Where did you hear this gossip? How else do you know all this?"

Haitang smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that the ladies from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion sent me a letter yesterday and mentioned a few things casually."

Ma knew that she had been in correspondence with Zhou Xuejun and Zhou Huajun for many years, and also had frequent correspondence with Wu Qiong, so she did not find it surprising and sighed: "According to me, the Xin family's marriage proposal sounded good at first, but I didn't expect that there would be so many troubles when we seriously discussed it! If I had known this, I might as well not have met with them! Their family has very strict rules. They dragged their feet on the date for the meeting, and now that there has been some progress, the family that had previously met with their eldest daughter has jumped out again. If that family really wanted to marry the Xin family's daughter, why did they drag their feet for more than a year and still refuse to give a definite answer? It's obvious that they are not sincere! Since they are not sincere about the marriage, why did the Xin family meet with someone else? They are obviously deliberately making things difficult for us, right?!"

Haitang asked hurriedly, "Did that family really write to question Prefect Xin? I thought their family was far away in the capital, so it shouldn't have heard the news so quickly. I didn't expect them to be so well-informed."

Ma sneered, "I guess someone in his family has been eyeing the Xin family. Since they are determined to get married, why are they dragging their feet and refusing to make a decision? I don't know what Prefect Xin was thinking. He actually fell in love with such a family. I don't know how upset he is now! The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo wants to arrange a marriage for the young man from the Wu family as soon as possible, but I'm afraid it's impossible. The Xin family must first clarify the matter with that family before arranging another marriage for their daughter, otherwise they will be labeled as marrying one daughter to two wives. Sister Ma has been at the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's place these days, and she is also troubled."

Haitang said tentatively, "Marriage is a serious matter, and it is right to be serious. After all, it concerns one's whole life. The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo has also taken great pains for Wu Ke's marriage. Ma Ma used to be someone close to the Empress Dowager, and I think she is also worrying about the marriage of the younger generation for the Empress Dowager."

"She is not only worried about the marriage of the young master of the Wu family, but also about you!" Ma smiled, "She also asked grandma how she plans to arrange a marriage for you after entering the capital. Should she choose someone from the descendants of the Wu family? What if time is delayed for too long and the good candidates have been picked up by others? Should she inform Tao Gelao in advance? How can I know so many things? I can't promise someone to someone without meeting him/her. It's useless to worry!"

Haitang raised her eyebrows: "Mammy is so enthusiastic——"

(End of this chapter)