She had caught so many seafood earlier, and it was quite tiring. She also wanted to go back to her room for a short nap.
Fu Xin Ci slept for quite a long time. When she opened her eyes, she saw the sun setting again.
"Heh heh, no heartbroken person around."
After she simply washed up and changed into a goose-yellow casual outfit, she went out of the small building and saw Han Xue and Chun Yu talking under the cherry tree.
"Sister Han Xue, who were those people just now? They acted so haughty with our Madam, and the first thing they said was they wanted to see our young lady?"
"I'm not too sure, but judging by their tone, they seemed to be servants attending to Madam of Jin Xiang Marquis."
"Servants attending to Madam of Jin Xiang Marquis, and they're so brazen?"
"They must be favored by Madam of Jin Xiang Marquis. In the eyes of the servants, they are tantamount to being vice-masters."
"My heavens! Vice-masters? Why don't they just fly up to heaven?"
"Chun Yu, you don't understand. Some servants in wealthy families think and act this way."
"That seems to be the case. Like those few just now, as Sister Han Xue said, just a favored wet nurse, yet so arrogant and bossy in our home. If I didn't see her old face, I would have thought..."
Chun Yu was also cautious. While she was angry, she stopped herself from saying more. She couldn't bring trouble to her young lady.
"Alas, Chun Yu, you don't understand. As the saying goes, 'A minor official in front of the prime minister is like a seventh-rank official.' That wet nurse relies on her master's power, so she doesn't put our Madam in her eyes."
"Tch, they're just looking down on people. Don't forget our Madam is a scholar's wife."
"Alas..." Han Xue didn't say it, but in the eyes of those people, let alone their Madam being just a scholar's wife, they probably wouldn't even give the county magistrate a good look.
After all, the Jin Xiang Marquis was the Empress Dowager's nephew, a true royal relative. These servants, relying on their master's power, wouldn't care about common folk.
Fu Xin Ci overheard the two maids' conversation and was a bit puzzled. Why would people from Madam of Jin Xiang Marquis's household want to see her? They weren't familiar with each other.
With a belly full of doubts, Fu Xin Ci strolled towards the front yard.
Hearing footsteps, Han Xue and Chun Yu knew their young lady had woken up and hurried to greet her.
"Young lady, you're awake." In Chun Yu's heart, there was no problem her young lady couldn't solve.
She had heard Lord Thousand Households and the Old Master say that in this region, their young lady was the smartest.
"Young lady." Han Xue looked at her young lady's slightly worn but still new dress and instinctively wanted her to change into a new one.
But she understood her young lady's temperament very well; she wouldn't be happy if asked to change clothes for no reason.
So, Han Xue had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Young lady, those servants from Jin Xiang Marquis's mansion haven't left yet. They've been insisting on seeing you."
Upon hearing Han Xue's words, Fu Xin Ci felt a bit bewildered. "Why would servants from Jin Xiang Marquis's mansion want to see me?"
"We servants don't know either. Even when Madam asked them the reason, they refused to say."
"They just said you'd know when you saw them, acting as if the young lady was getting a great deal." Seeing her young lady, Chun Yu felt a sense of direction and poured out everything she had observed and guessed.
"I'm getting a great deal from their family? Heh heh, are you sure they're not here to make a joke?"
Madam Zhu's ears were sharp. Hearing voices in the courtyard, she knew Miss Fu Da had woken up.
Without even informing the host family, she went out of the room. She wanted to see the young lady's character immediately so she could report back to her Madam.
Just as Madam Tian was about to stop her, she was halted by Madam Fang's gaze.
Even a clay figurine has some spirit, let alone Madam Fang, who was not a clay figurine. Thinking of the arrogance of these servants, she had enough tea dregs to last a lifetime.
A servant from Jin Xiang Marquis's mansion, acting as if she were the current Empress Dowager in their home. She didn't know who gave her the courage.
Madam Tian turned back to look at the bowls of tea brewed with dregs and held back a laugh.
She hadn't expected Sister Yu to be so ruthless in dealing with people.
Alas, why hadn't she thought of brewing tea with lukewarm water for them, to scorch these arrogant individuals?
Just as Fu Xin Ci was about to lead her two maids along the bluestone path to the front yard, she saw five or six women, old and young, walking towards her in a hurry.
The woman in the lead wore her hair in a bun. She looked to be in her early forties, with a tall figure and a shrewd expression. Her brown Shu brocade dress indicated her status was not low in front of her master.
Beside this woman followed a young woman of eighteen or nineteen, dressed as an unmarried lady, with an oval face and arched dark eyebrows above a delicate nose and cherry lips.
Truly beautiful, she was too good to be a mere maid.
Looking at her plump hips and slender waist, she indeed had the capital to charm male masters.
However, her gaze was rather intriguing. They were meeting for the first time, yet why did this person look at Fu Xin Ci as if she had dug up her ancestral grave?
Fu Xin Ci thought, "This is unscientific."
The wet nurse leading the way saw Miss Fu Da standing still and frowning at them. She perfunctorily stepped forward to greet her: "This old servant, Zhu Shi, pays her respects to Miss Fu Da."
Fu Xin Ci looked at her raised chin and silently thought, "I don't believe you."
However, if this person wanted to play a role, she didn't mind being a supporting actor and a foil. Being a foil had its own fun.
It was just a shame she couldn't bring a small stool to sit and watch; it was a bit tiring.
Heh heh, if it's a play, then let's go all out. Fu Xin Ci didn't mind giving her a fake smile and saying, "You may be excused."
Earlier, Madam Zhu hadn't seen clearly from afar. Now, at close range, her internal scales began to tip.
The glow of the sunset fell on the little girl's hair, making her face appear misty and ethereal.
Although Qing Ying was also beautiful and favored by Madam, compared to the person before her, she had nothing else to show besides her face.
And this little person, no wonder she could capture the attention of their young master. Not to mention her slightly immature and exquisite demeanor, her bearing alone showed she had weathered many storms, unlike Qing Ying, who was born into the household.
Then her previous plan might have to change. After all, Qing Ying had parents. If she gained any benefits, she would have to prioritize her parents first, and outsiders like herself would come last.
But if this little person before her could be controlled and used by her, with the young master's favor towards her, even if she couldn't become the head steward, she could at least be the second steward.
Madam Zhu's eyes burned with the thought of her bright future.
Fu Xin Ci disliked the calculating look in this person's eyes and furrowed her brows even tighter.