A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

After leaving the shop, feeling warm inside, Chen Wanxing saw that it was still early, so she took Granny Li and Yunzhu for a stroll around the city.

Chen Wanxing didn't know much about Kaifeng Prefecture. When she thought of Kaifeng Prefecture, the images that came to mind were still those from videos from later generations.

Yunzhu, however, surprised her quite a bit.

She was just a young maid who had been sold to Kaifeng Prefecture, yet she was remarkably familiar with the roads here. When Chen Wanxing asked about the prices of firewood and charcoal markets, as well as grains, oils, rice, and noodles, she was able to answer clearly.

As the sun rose higher, Chen Wanxing found a teahouse to rest.

We sat down in a private room on the second floor and ordered tea and snacks. Below the stage, a specially hired storyteller was enthusiastically recounting the legendary tale of a general from a previous dynasty, the plot of which was full of twists and turns, drawing cheers from the audience.

Chen Wanxing listened to a segment and found it quite interesting; she had never seen a storyteller in the Marquis's residence. The Marquis's residence employed servants who specialized in opera performances, and occasionally going to listen to operas was a way to relieve boredom.

"This gentleman is eloquent. Although the stories are not particularly original, they become quite interesting when he tells them."

Yunzhu listened intently, her eyes sparkling. In the past, when she went to the city with her father, she had never had the opportunity to sit in such a teahouse and leisurely listen to a story.

Seeing her expression, Chen Wanxing found it amusing and asked, "Yunzhu, do you think this book is well-written?"

Yunzhu nodded vigorously and whispered, "Good! It sounds even better than the blind man we hire for the New Year in our village."

"From your village?" Chen Wanxing followed up, "What did your family do before? How did you get into the brokerage business?"

Yunzhu's expression dimmed slightly, and she honestly replied, "Miss, my home is in Liujia Village, which is located below Kaifeng Prefecture."

My mother fell ill and needed a large sum of money. My father had no choice but to sell me to buy medicine and save her life.

As she spoke, her voice became barely audible.

Chen Wanxing felt a pang of sympathy. In this world, there were too many people selling their children to survive. Not wanting to upset her, he changed the subject, asking, "So, what do you do every day at the brokerage?"

Yunzhu was stunned by her question, tried hard to recall, and said:

"We don't do much, just learn the rules every day. We can't leave the courtyard, and we spend our free time chatting with people."

Occasionally, the nannies who came to teach us would, when they were in a good mood, tell us about the wealthy families in Kaifeng.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing raised her eyes slightly, but remained expressionless, asking, "Oh? What kind?"

Since we all live in Luochuan Prefecture, it's always beneficial to know more about it, at least to avoid offending people for no reason.

Yunzhu lowered her head shyly. "Miss, I can't remember any of it. They talked about a lot of things, mainly which household was easier to make a living in, and which household had a bad-tempered master. Hmm, there were too many names they mentioned, I can't remember them all."

Fearing that Chen Wanxing would be angry, she racked her brains and thought for a moment before saying, "The Zhou family, the Zhou family in the east of the city, treats their servants very harshly. They often deduct from their monthly wages and frequently beat, scold, or force them to kneel. You have to be extremely careful when you go in to serve them."

She paused, then added, "I remember this most clearly. Just two days ago, the Zhou family sent someone to pick a girl to leave. The older sisters all said that the one who was chosen had jumped into a fire pit. When they came to pick someone, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night."

Chen Wanxing paused for a moment, then said nothing more: "I see. These rumors are best left unsaid; there's no need to spread them."

As the mistress and servant walked along the street, her gaze swept over Li Mama and Yunzhu, who stood with their hands at their sides. Apart from still wearing the same coarse cloth clothes that had been washed until they were faded, the two of them had come almost empty-handed.

Chen Wanxing did not immediately make any promises, but only instructed Granny Li:

"You're all tired today, so get some rest. Staying in an inn is inconvenient right now. Once we're settled and have our own house, I'll make you new clothes and other necessities."

Granny Li calmly replied "Yes," and Yunzhu obediently nodded as well.

After walking and stopping for about an hour or two, the three of them, master and servant, visited several lively places and, following the crowds, wandered along the bustling riverbank to the dock.

Most of the houses along the road are low and old, with uneven gray tiles and mud walls covered with traces of rainwater erosion.

But against this somewhat dilapidated backdrop, a rare vitality is revealed.

The rough shouts of boatmen and porters along the canal mingled with the sharp cries of vendors, but Chen Wanxing didn't find it noisy at all.

She felt that what she lacked most while living in the Marquis's mansion was this sense of being alive.

The three of them, mistress and servants, were swept along in the flow of people, while the peddler carrying his load skillfully weaved through the crowd, with baskets at both ends of the carrying pole filled with fresh vegetables.

Some shops along the street piled their goods directly outside their doors, making the already narrow road even narrower.

Someone's cart must have left a deep rut on this dirt road during a rainy day. A fully loaded oxcart got stuck in it, and the driver was shouting anxiously, drawing curses from those around him.

Several children chased and played among the legs of the crowd, nearly bumping into Chen Wanxing. Seeing that they almost hit someone, they screamed and ran away.

A diverse crowd thronged the air, the stench of sweat, the earthy smell of the river, the aroma of food, and the odor of livestock mingling in the sweltering heat, so intense it was almost impossible to dissolve.

Compared to the world she remembered, let alone Beijing or Shanghai, this place was far inferior, even to herself five hundred years in the future.

Any ordinary county town would far surpass this place in terms of size, cleanliness, and convenience.

No, it's not necessarily five hundred years. The era she's in now isn't any dynasty that has ever existed in history. Chen Wanxing doesn't even know if this is the real world or some parallel universe.

Or perhaps she transmigrates into someone else's book. Isn't that how it's always written in novels? She transmigrates into a small world where there's a male and female protagonist.

Thinking about his own space, and wondering if there were ghosts here, Chen Wanxing silently recited the twenty-four-character core socialist values, not knowing what program had been triggered.

"Prosperity, democracy..."

Chen Wanxing was amused by her own inexplicable wild imagination.

She looked up and carefully observed the world around her. Regardless of whether it was real or fake, she was alive now, and her own feelings were the most important thing.

"Miss, this place is too chaotic. Let's hurry back to the inn." Granny Li frowned slightly and stood protectively in front of Chen Wanxing.

"Okay, let's go back."

The next morning, just after Chen Wanxing finished breakfast, Granny Wang from Xinglong Pawnshop came to her door with a fawning smile.

Hey, the timing is pretty precise. Both of the dental technicians came looking for her right after she finished breakfast.

"Great news, young lady!" Granny Wang smiled before even speaking. "The house you asked me to find is looking promising."

I've been searching around for a few places these past couple of days. If you have some free time, we can go take a look now. I'm sure you can find one you like."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing put down her teacup, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.

"Then I'll trouble you, Granny, to lead the way."