After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

When she came out of Cining Courtyard, Granny Cui personally saw her off to the gate. Before leaving, she said, "It is your good fortune that the Madam values ​​you. You should serve the Prince more carefully and diligently in the future."

Afu lowered her head: "I have remembered your teachings, Granny."

Back at Shian Courtyard, Bai Zhi immediately ran over to her as soon as she entered, "Sister Afu!"

She lowered her voice, but couldn't hide the joy on her face, "Congratulations, sister!"

Afu was helped by her and walked into her room: "Congratulations on what?"

Bai Zhi's eyes shone brightly: "Madam has rewarded my sister with so many things again, and she's already had them delivered. I've already put them all inside for her. There's also a huge bag of tonics."

When Afu entered the room, she saw several boxes on the table.

A pair of phoenix blood jade bracelets, several bolts of silk, and other items such as ginseng, bird's nest, and donkey-hide gelatin.

She looked at the tonics, her feelings complicated.

Bai Zhi looked at her, then suddenly became shy. "Sister Afu, didn't Madam say that Sister Xu should choose a maid to serve her?"

Seeing her expression, Afu roughly guessed: "You want to come?"

Bai Zhi nodded, then quickly added, "Sister Afu, you're such a kind person. You never scold people randomly, and you always teach people when they make mistakes. Sister Lanxiang is gone, and I... I just want to follow you."

Bai Zhi was originally a servant girl in the household. Her family spent a lot of money to get her into Shi'an Courtyard from the kitchen, but she wasn't as ambitious as her parents. She was known for her gluttony and love of gossip.

But she is a rare girl with a simple and pure heart.

Afu nodded: "Okay, I'll report to Granny Cui later."

Bai Zhi's eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

"real."

Bai Zhi was so happy she almost jumped for joy. Then, remembering that Afu wasn't feeling well, she immediately poured tea for her, tidied up the boxes, and even patted the chair cushions for her.

Afu took a sip of tea before saying, "Why don't you go out and play for a while? I'll rest for a bit."

Bai Zhi nodded immediately: "Then call me if you need anything, sister."

After Bai Zhi left, A Fu closed the door and opened the old box under the bed.

The silver is still there, ninety-seven taels.

She stared at the loose silver coins for a while, then closed the box.

Then, he picked out a few items from the rewards: a packet of donkey-hide gelatin, a small box of bird's nest, and two bolts of silk that weren't too flashy.

Too expensive won't do; sending it to my uncle's house would easily spoil their appetite. Too little won't do either; Ah Zhen is in their hands, and she'll have to be mindful of their every whim when it comes to food, clothing, and other necessities.

Afu took another two taels of silver from the box and put it in her purse.

She looked at the two taels of silver and felt a pang of heartache, but she quickly tightened her purse again.

Fine, give them one last month's salary.

A little girl living under someone else's roof must be mindful of how others treat her. Afu had also lived with relatives for a period of time since she was little, and she didn't want little Azhen to become another version of herself.

If you give her money, Ah Zhen will suffer less grievance there.

Once she leaves the manor, she will take A-Zhen out and care for her properly, thus fulfilling her obligation to occupy the original owner's body.

She packed her bags, changed into simpler clothes, locked the rest of her belongings back into the box, and carefully kept the key close to her body.

Just as she was about to leave, Bai Zhi poked her head out from under the eaves. "Sister, are you going out?"

Afu nodded: "Madam has given permission to go back to my aunt's house."

Bai Zhi immediately said, "Shall I go with my sister?"

"No need," Afu said. "You stay here and watch the house. Make sure no one touches anything."

Bai Zhi immediately straightened her back: "Don't worry, sister, I'll keep watch."

Seeing her posture as if she wanted to die with the thief, Afu couldn't help but laugh, "There's no need to be so nervous."

Bai Zhi said seriously, "That won't do. Now that you have something good, someone will definitely be envious."

.

After leaving Shian Courtyard, Afu took the token given to her by Granny Cui and headed to the second gate.

The gatekeeper was much more polite than before.

"Is Miss Afu visiting relatives outside the manor?"

Afu smiled and said, "Thank you for registering, Mom."

The old woman smiled, her wrinkles deepening. "You're too kind, young lady."

Before, when she went out, she had to slip her some money, watch her expression, and listen to her sarcastic remarks. Now, however, she's become very attentive.

As Afu stepped out of the side gate of the Marquis's mansion, a burst of noise rushed towards her from outside. She hired a carriage to go to Qingyi Lane.

As soon as they turned into the alley where the Jiang family lived, they heard an old woman yelling, "You little brat, hurry up! Stop dawdling, do you even want your money back today?"

She paused as she got out of the car.

Several large wooden basins were placed at the entrance of the alley, and several women were bending over and washing clothes.

The early spring wind still carried a chill on my face, mixed with the smell of soap and damp cloth.

Afu recognized the small figure on the far side at a glance.

Eight-year-old Azhen squatted in front of a wooden basin, her hands soaked in cold water, vigorously rubbing an adult's thick padded jacket.

The old woman in charge of washing clothes picked up a pile of clothes and threw them in front of her with a thud, splashing water all over her face.

"If you dawdle any longer, I'll deduct your pay! Your auntie told you to come wash, not to sit here doing nothing!"

She kept her head down, her eyes vacant, as if she couldn't hear the old woman's scolding at all, and only knew how to rub vigorously.

Afu felt her hands and feet were cold.

She was still pondering when she left the mansion that morning. Although her aunt was greedy, she was at least somewhat decent on the surface, since her younger sister lived in her house.

Now she feels she can't get through this.

She walked straight over, placed a few copper coins on the wooden stool, and said, "This is compensation for lost work time. We're not doing this job anymore."

The voice wasn't loud, but it made the old woman awkwardly shut up.

Then she squatted down and pulled A-Zhen's hand out of the cold water.

It was icy and swollen, with several chilblains on my fingertips, and soap scum filling my fingernails.

Afu felt a sharp pang in her heart; she was only eight years old.

The woman doing laundry next to her sighed and said in a low voice, "Ah Fu, why are you back before the end of the month?"

"You have no idea, your aunt's heart is made of iron. She made Ah Zhen come here to do laundry last winter."

Another sister-in-law chimed in, "She also said that children have to do chores too, they can't just eat for free. They do a lot of work at home, carrying water, lighting fires, washing dishes, sweeping the yard, we've all seen it."

The more Afu listened, the more her chest tightened.

Ah Zhen lowered her head, tears falling one by one onto the back of her hand, not daring to cry too loudly.

"Why didn't you tell your sister?" Afu held her hand, her voice softening. "Didn't your sister say that if anyone bullies you, just tell your sister, and she'll stand up for you?"

A-Zhen's lips moved, but she didn't say a word.

Suppressing her anger, Afu took off her shawl and wrapped it around Azhen's shoulders, took Azhen's hand, and turned to walk towards the Jiang family.

Once A-Zhen had calmed down, she slowed her pace and lowered her voice, saying, "Don't be afraid. In a few days, I'll leave the Marquis's mansion. Then I'll buy a small courtyard and bring you to live with me. No one will dare to bully you then."

Ah Zhen's eyes were red, and finally there was a bit of life in them.

As they approached the Jiang family's house, Afu asked again, "Does your aunt usually forbid you from telling your sister that she treats you badly?"

A-Zhen was silent for a while before whispering, "My aunt said... if I dared to tell you, she would go to the Marquis's mansion and cause trouble. She said the people there would beat my sister to death."

Afu stopped in her tracks.