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

Seeing that the business had been discussed to a minimum and the atmosphere had eased, Chen Wanxing changed the subject, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and showed a pragmatic expression.

"Alright, friendship is friendship, and accounts are accounts. As the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. Let's calculate how much money you owe me now."

In order to rescue you from that hellhole of the Zhou family, you have to pay me back for all the money I spent on errands for the innkeeper, the gifts for the matchmaker, the cost of hiring a carriage, and the money I spent on gathering information.

Oh, right, and all the food, drinks, and other necessities you have here...

Before she could even give a specific number, Amber's face flushed bright red. She hurriedly waved her hands, her voice trembling with anxiety, "Sister, don't count. I... I don't have any money."

Chen Wanxing was slightly taken aback, thinking she had misheard: "What?"

Amber's cheeks flushed even redder, not from anger, but from extreme embarrassment. She lowered her head, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress tightly, and her voice weakened further: "I... I have no money."

Now it was Chen Wanxing's turn to be stunned: "You have no money? You've been by the Madam's side for so long, what about your rewards? What about your monthly allowance?"

Amber was so ashamed that she couldn't lift her head, and her voice grew softer and softer: "I usually use most of the reward money I receive to buy clothes, cosmetics, or to bribe the maids. I haven't saved much."

Most of the rest were taken by my parents, who said they would keep them for me, afraid that I would spend them recklessly because I was young.

But on the night before we left the manor, I went to see my parents, hoping they could plead with the madam on my behalf. After hearing this, my parents left, telling me to go back to Kaifeng first, saying that the madam was angry and they would plead for me after she calmed down. They didn't mention giving me any money.

Now all that's left are a few boxes of ordinary clothes and jewelry. My aunt took quite a bit while we were at the Zhou family's house, so now all that's left are some things the young master gave me and a few items from that bundle.

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, as if she wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

She used to treasure the gifts from those young masters, and out of spite, she would never sell them, no matter how difficult it was.

Now that her heart has grown cold, she is willing to put it up for sale, but after all the calculations, it would barely be enough for her to live frugally for a few years, and she would definitely not be considered wealthy.

She hadn't thought much about it before, but now she understood. Judging from her parents' attitude, they probably felt that she had offended the madam and was no longer useful, so they gave up on her.

"How could she be so miserable?" Amber carefully observed Chen Wanxing's expression and felt like crying again.

As Chen Wanxing listened to her increasingly soft voice, the expression on her face changed from composure to astonishment, then to disbelief, and finally froze completely.

She slowly, very slowly put down her teacup, looking at her former colleague who was still beautiful but had suddenly become penniless, and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

The sky has fallen!

Before Chen Wanxing tried to bail out the person, he thought that even if things went badly, he could at least recoup his costs and maybe even make a small "management fee".

The result? The costs aren't recovered, and you might even have to pay for a "money-losing" employee who only knows how to freeload.

She held her forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness, not from panic, but purely from anger and being devastated by this huge investment mistake.

Chen Wanxing had planned everything meticulously, but she never expected that Amber would be a spendthrift and have a family that was extremely stingy and exploitative.

She could almost hear the sound of the money she had spent on bribes, and the money that might need to be invested in the future, all flapping their wings and flying away.

Seeing Chen Wanxing's expression, as if she had swallowed a bitter pill and couldn't express her embarrassment, Amber felt even more ashamed and whispered, "Sister, why don't you take the things that the young master gave me?"

Chen Wanxing waved her hand weakly, barely having the strength to speak.

"Never mind, you can keep it yourself." She stood up and walked out with unsteady steps, her back view filled with the vicissitudes of life and the vicissitudes of thwarted plans.

Raising a money-losing child only makes an already meager wallet even worse.

These days are truly wonderful.

Amber saw that Chen Wanxing's steps were unsteady as she walked away. After all, she wasn't one to take advantage of others. She clenched her fist firmly and said to Chen Wanxing's retreating figure:

"Sister, don't worry, I won't just sit around doing nothing. I'm sure I can find a way to make money."

……

Having realized that she was being taken advantage of, Amber felt embarrassed to let Yunzhu or Granny Li serve her anymore.

And she was very perceptive in helping with the work, even refusing to eat the fancy meals and snacks that Chen Wanxing had prepared for her, and only eating the same food as Yunzhu and Granny Li.

But despite her eloquent words, Amber couldn't figure out what she could do after thinking for two days. Now, she suddenly felt like a useless person who couldn't do anything right.

When she couldn't find a way out, she came up with an idea that left Chen Wanxing both amused and exasperated.

She crept into Chen Wanxing's study, twisting her fingers nervously, and timidly suggested, "Sister, how about I sell myself to you as your maid? It seems like all I know how to do after all these years is serve others."

Chen Wanxing was reading a storybook that had just reached its climax when she heard this and almost choked on her saliva. She looked up at Amber with a "Are you out of your mind?" expression and was speechless. Had this girl gone crazy from serving people?

"Are you playing the maid reincarnation game with me? I went through all sorts of trouble to get you out of the Zhou family, just so you wouldn't have to go back to the old mansion to serve people right after leaving the Marquis's mansion, right?"

So you're going to turn around and sell yourself to me to serve me? What was the point of all that trouble we went through? Just for fun?

She put down her pen, looked at Amber's bewildered face, and knew she was truly panicked. She could only sigh resignedly and beckon her to sit down.

"Alright, you really are a fool. Where did all that cleverness go when you were at the Marquis's manor? Did you leave your brain behind when you left? It's not that you can't do anything, it's just that you don't value what you do know. Come on, let's sort it out properly."

Chen Wanxing took out paper and pen, asking questions and taking notes as she went:

"First of all, you've been in the Marquis's residence for so long, surely you've developed a keen eye for things? Observing people's expressions and expressions, dealing with people, and observing etiquette—aren't these skills?"

Amber nodded hesitantly.

"Secondly, your attire and appearance have always been outstanding among the maids. Even the madam has occasionally praised your elegance. Isn't that a remarkable sense of aesthetics?"

Amber's eyes brightened slightly.

"Furthermore, I heard that when you were serving the young master, you even studied cooking techniques to better serve him, especially some pastries and dishes with complicated preparations, is that right?"

Amber nodded vigorously this time.

"Yes, young master is picky about food, so I searched for recipes from both the north and south, and also learned a lot from the cook."

I can make some of the more time-consuming dishes, like crab meat lion's head meatballs, jade belt soup, and the Thirteen Cold Dishes. I also tried making some pastries, and the young master praised my thoughtfulness and said they were delicious.

She sounded more confident when she talked about what she was good at.