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

She put the letter away and did not open it on the spot.

When the Chen family returned from town today, it was already late. The two exchanged only a few words before Lin Wei decided to get up and say goodbye.

Chen Wanxing glanced at the sky outside; it was already getting dark. It would take one or two hours to get back to the county town from the village, and she really couldn't rest easy.

"Wei'er, why don't you not go back tonight? The journey back to the county town is long, and I really can't bear to let you go back alone. Why don't you let the driver go back and inform your uncle and aunt yourself, and you can stay here with me tonight?"

As dusk settled, Lin Wei realized it was getting late and that returning to the county town would likely involve traveling at night, which would be inconvenient. So, at Chen Wanxing's urging, she decided to stay.

There was actually a guest room at home, but Lin Wei insisted on sleeping with Chen Wanxing, and in the end, she naturally stayed in Chen Wanxing's clean and comfortable bedroom.

As night deepened, the daytime hustle and bustle completely subsided. The moonlight outside the window was hazy, casting a soft glow through the pasted paper windowpanes.

After washing up, the two lay side by side on Chen Wanxing's large four-poster bed, covered with soft new cotton quilts. The curtains hung down gently, creating a private space that belonged only to the two sisters.

At first, they just chatted casually about interesting things at the shop and what they saw and heard in the town, but gradually they turned to something more.

"Sister Wanxing," Lin Wei turned to face Chen Wanxing, her eyes sparkling in the darkness, "what kind of life did you lead all those years away from home? Sometimes I think about it, it must have been extremely difficult for you, all alone, so far from home."

Lin's father had indeed inquired about her background beforehand. Although he didn't know everything, he did find out that she had returned from the capital and had previously worked as a maid in the household of some nobleman.

However, Lin's father had not mentioned any of this to Lin Wei, so she had only vaguely heard some rumors before, but had never talked about these things with Chen Wanxing. At this moment, her tone was inevitably a little curious.

Lin Wei's voice was very low, filled with curiosity and cautious concern.

Chen Wanxing stared at the blurry embroidery on the top of the tent and remained silent for a moment. In this day and age, this place was more than a thousand miles away from the capital.

Not to mention the dangers that might be encountered along the way, such as bandits and robbers, just the fact that it would take two or three months to get there by horse-drawn carriage.

Let alone ordinary people, even wealthy families from various places might never go to the capital in their entire lives unless there's a specific reason.

Therefore, she never thought of hiding her past after leaving the Marquis's mansion.

As for whether the noblemen of the Marquis's mansion or that noble lady would still harbor murderous intentions towards her, Chen Wanxing had never worried about it.

She wasn't so presumptuous as to think she was important. Besides, she had been away from the Marquis's residence for more than half a year, and there was probably no one there who still remembered her.

When Lin Wei suddenly brought it up, she was momentarily dazed and couldn't quite describe her feelings, finding herself at a loss for words.

But deep within the Marquis's mansion, over a decade of life, those days of being cautious, observant, and prudent, those days of loneliness and constraint behind the prosperity, unfolded silently in my heart like a faded painting.

There are some things she wouldn't say without reservation, even to close friends and family.

Chen Wanxing took a light breath, her tone calm, even carrying a touch of just the right amount of warmth from reminiscing about the past: "The family I was sold to was a very disciplined and kind family."

While I was working there, the master was kind, and I didn't suffer any hardship. On the contrary, I gained a lot of experience, learned some characters, learned the skills of bookkeeping and management, and even saved up some money to support myself.

She paused, her voice softening as if she were truly reminiscing, "Without that experience, I wouldn't be who I am today. I am very grateful."

These words were entirely in the grateful tone of a maid who was lucky enough to gain the favor of her master.

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei sighed, "Sister is truly blessed, and it's also because of her own hard work. Someone else might not have had such good fortune, and could have returned unscathed, with all her skills."

The biggest banquet she had ever attended in her life was one she attended with her maternal grandmother in Runing Prefecture, hosted by the prefect's wife. At that time, she felt that the rules were strict and every step was fraught with danger.

Imagining the life of Sister Wanxing in that grand mansion, Lin Wei felt that the rules there must be much stricter, and that it must be very difficult for her.

Sister Wanxing must have endured a lot of untold hardships to return safely and be so outstanding, yet she never mentioned them. This made her even more respectable and admirable.

Somehow, the conversation turned to Lin Wei herself. Perhaps it was the quiet night, or perhaps it was Chen Wanxing's calm and reliable demeanor that made her feel at ease, but Lin Wei rarely opened up about her feelings.

"Sister, my father has been mentioning Brother Zhou to me a lot lately." Lin Wei's voice was a little muffled, lacking its usual cheerfulness.

Chen Wanxing understood: "Brother Zhou? The son of Magistrate Zhou? Zhou Wenbo?"

"Hmm." Lin Wei responded softly, "Uncle Zhou and my maternal grandfather had a teacher-student relationship, and their two families can be considered close friends."

My brother and I spent the most time at our maternal grandfather's house since we can remember, so my brother, Zhou Jia's brother, and I grew up together, studying and playing together.

"Uncle Zhou has always been kind to my brother and me. But..." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Aunt Zhou doesn't seem to like me very much."

I could sense that she looked down on our family because we were merchants, and felt I wasn't good enough for her son, even though my maternal grandfather was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and my brother had passed the county-level examinations a year earlier than that Zhou Wenbo fellow.

As she spoke, she seemed to recall Madam Zhou's attitude towards her, and became angry again. She stopped calling him "Brother Zhou" and started calling him Zhou Wenbo by his full name again.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she deflated, rolled over and lay flat on her back, staring blankly at the tent ceiling in the darkness:

"Although Zhou Wenbo sometimes likes to tease me and argue with me, he is a good person. He is polite, refined, and knowledgeable."

We've known each other since childhood, so our bond is naturally different from others. But is marriage just about marrying this person? It's about entering a family, facing in-laws, and spending a lifetime together.

Despite Aunt Zhou's attitude, my father didn't think much of it. He simply said that Uncle Zhou was a county magistrate, and Zhou Wenbo had a promising future, making it an excellent match. He told me to get closer to him.

My mind is in turmoil, sister. What should I do? Should I listen to Father and try my best to win this good marriage, or...?

Her voice was filled with the helplessness of a young girl facing marriage, the vague fear of the future, and the reluctance and weighing of the childhood sweetheart relationship.

Chen Wanxing listened quietly without answering immediately.

She could understand Lin's father's considerations; a marriage alliance between local gentry and their families was indeed the safest option for many merchant families, as it would elevate their social standing.

But she could also understand Lin Wei's concerns. She had heard and seen too much about the hardships women face in their husbands' families, both here and in modern times.