Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 53 Wu Er Qing Wen
It was just past noon, and the kitchen in the mansion was idle. The cooks and maids who cooked and washed clothes all found a place to rest.

Only the Liu family's family was still in the kitchen, with a unhappy expression on their faces. Wu'er was quietly putting away the sundries in the kitchen.

Wu'er had beautiful eyebrows and a delicate look. She wore a pine green jacket with white plum embroidery on the cuffs and an emerald green long skirt underneath, looking as graceful as a lotus.

She had not been assigned any work yet, so unlike the maids in the mansion who were dressed in red and green clothes, she was still dressed like an ordinary girl.

Today is Wu'er's last day helping her mother with chores in the kitchen.

At noon, Sister Ping'er from Second Madam Lian's room came to congratulate her and said that the mistress had appointed her to be the head maid in Third Master Cong's room, with a monthly salary of one hundred yuan as the second-class salary.

In theory, this is indeed something worth celebrating.

Lin Zhixiao's family was much more respectable than Liu's in the mansion, but his daughter Xiaohong had been in Baoyu's room for several years and was just a third-class maid.

Wu'er had just been assigned a task and was given the position of a second-class maid, which was a much higher starting point than that of ordinary maids.

But the woman from the Liu family sighed a little. She was an old member of the family and knew that if one wanted to live a smooth life in a big mansion, the type of master one was with was of utmost importance.

After all, she was just the kitchen manager and didn't have much experience. She didn't know what Jia Cong was doing outside. She vaguely knew that the second master seemed to be nice to Jia Cong, but what was the use?

The old man in the mansion didn't know the origins of the Third Master Cong. He had the worst background among all the illegitimate sons, and he was the one the old lady in the mansion disliked the most.

How come he was brought up in Dongluyuan for so many years and even disliked the cats and dogs in the mansion?

There was no seat for him at the old lady's New Year's Eve party, and even the more respectable servants were better than him.

At this time, the old lady moved him to the West Mansion to raise him, but she did not change her mind and like him.

It was because Third Master Cong was nearly beaten to death by the eldest master in the East Courtyard. They were afraid that he would die in the East Courtyard and cause shame to the whole family, so they moved him to the West Palace to be raised.

If my daughter follows a master like this as a maid, how will she be able to have a good future?

She said with a frustrated look on her face: "I originally wanted to find a way to let you serve in Master Bao's room, but why did Madam suddenly assign you to Master Cong as a maid?

There must be some mean-spirited person who spread rumors in front of the lady, which gave her an excuse to get angry. "

Wu'er continued to pack her things without looking back.

He said, "Mother wanted me to go to Master Bao's room to take charge, but the matter hasn't been completed yet, but you leaked the news yourself. How can you blame others for spreading it?"

Liu Jia knew that her daughter didn't talk much, but she was a very alert person. This was indeed true. She regretted, "It was my fault for not keeping my mouth shut and ruining your good deeds."

Wu Er said: "Mom, please stop talking. Who can say that it is a good thing? Master Bao is the apple of the eye of the old lady and the mistress. There are so many people in the mansion watching him.

Why are there so many maids in his room? I heard that they are always fighting and vying for favor. I don’t know how I would be bullied if I went there. It’s better not to go.”

Liu Jia frowned and said, "You stupid girl, what do you know? It's a good thing if someone fights for it. If no one likes you, how can you be a good thing?

This person wants to move up, not down. You are assigned to Congge's room. How can you ever make a name for yourself in the future?"

Wu Er suddenly asked, "Mother, how is Zhi Shao?"

The Liu family replied, "Zhi Shao was naturally good. She was such a good girl, but she was forced to death like this. I have been feeling uncomfortable for many days."

After hearing what her mother said, Wu'er thought of Zhishao and started to cry.

"I have been close to Zhishao since childhood, and I have heard her talk a lot about Third Master Cong. She said that although Third Master Cong came from a humble background, he was a kind person.

I didn’t think anything of it before.

But this time when the Third Master came back and learned that Zhishao had jumped into the river, he went to Liuyang River and searched for her for three days and three nights.

The man in the mansion would do this for a maid. He is a man of loyalty.

He was beaten by the master, and the news spread throughout the mansion. It was because he stood up for Zhi Shao that he angered the master. How could such a person be bad? "

Liu Jia sighed, "Now that the Madam has spoken, there is no turning back. Just be willing and be more careful in the future so as to avoid suffering any loss."

Wu Er stood up and murmured, "Zhi Shao was able to do this for him. I trusted Zhi Shao's judgment, so I didn't suffer any loss."

At this moment, a cargo ship sailing out of the Liuyang River had been traveling on the Grand Canal for four or five days.

In the room at the stern, an old nun with a kind face was giving acupuncture to a dazed woman.

Next to the old nun stood a pretty young nun. Although she was dressed in black robes, her beautiful hair was visible at the temples outside her monk's hat.

"Master, she is confused every day and can't even speak. When will she get better?"

"There's nothing wrong with her body, it's just that her soul was severely injured, that's why she's like this. I give her acupuncture every day, if you have time, talk to her more, maybe she'll get better."...

Jia Cong saw Qingwen busying around in the room. She was wearing a red silk jacket and a blue satin vest. Her slender and graceful figure was moving back and forth, and her hands and feet were very nimble and skillful.

Sometimes he brought water to Jia Cong, and sometimes he brought him some warm porridge.

That delicate and pretty little face is pleasing to the eyes when you get closer, and you can also smell the fragrance of rouge.

He touched his quilt again and felt it was a little cold, so he pushed the charcoal basin on the ground closer, added some charcoal, and used an iron poker to fan the flames.

After a while, he wiped the tables and chairs in the room again and opened the window panes to let in some air.

He then went to the Qixianzhai across the street to find a small incense burner and lit some calming incense in the house.

After such an orderly tidying up, the house was tidy in no time.

Seeing her busying around reminded Jia Cong of when he was in the warehouse in the East Courtyard, Zhishao was also busy around him.

He suppressed the churning thoughts and hidden pain in his heart, and suddenly missed the small and dilapidated warehouse.

Although Qingwen is good, she is not Zhishao.

Judging from the time, Qingwen at this time is much younger than when she first appeared in the original book. She has not yet developed the habits of a deputy lady and is very diligent and down-to-earth in doing things.

Since she was a maidservant by Lady Jia's side, she must have known that her family's reputation was not very good, and being a maid was not a good idea for her.

Perhaps she had heard that Lady Jia's plan to put her in Baoyu's room had failed, but her expression showed no emotion.

She was so thoughtful and busy, probably just trying to fulfill her duties as a maid.

Although she was resented for her flirtatious and clever ways, it was not just because she was pretty and good at sewing. She must have done her job as a maid very well, otherwise how could someone like Lady Jia value her?

Jia Cong grumbled in his heart, thinking that Qingwen would be unwilling to be assigned to be his maid.

But they didn't know that Qingwen was serving the old lady, and she knew almost everything the old lady heard.

Besides, Jia Cong’s stories were so bizarre, how could the little girl not take them to heart?

Because of his good calligraphy, he was appreciated by a prince, and he became very famous at a literary gathering attended by scholars. In short, he was a capable man.

Everyone says that Master Bao is a good person in the family. He is the most caring and loving to the maids, and all the little kids in the garden want to squeeze into his yard.

However good Master Bao is, he is only good at home. In comparison, Master Cong is more capable.

As for Jia Cong's humble origins, Qingwen didn't take it to heart. She was not a born child, and she didn't have a father or mother to fight for respect in the mansion.

She was just a maid bought halfway, and although she did not accept it, she could not escape the fate of a servant.

Master Cong is of humble origin, how could he be lower than her?
Moreover, today in the court, Qingwen heard it with all her heart. It was said that a high-ranking official recommended Third Master Cong to study in a very famous academy, and that he might become the top scholar and become a high-ranking official in the future.

How could it be possible for Master Cong San to be such a capable person? Wouldn't it be nice to be his maid?

I heard that he was very kind to the maid who jumped into the river. If I treat him wholeheartedly in the future, he will definitely treat me the same way.

Besides, how handsome is Third Master Cong? None of the men in the mansion is as good-looking as him...

Jia Cong was still unsure of what Qingwen was thinking, but he didn't know that the little maid actually had the right ideas in her mind.

Qingwen served Jia Cong dinner, cleaned up, took out a piece of sky-blue cloth, and measured Jia Cong again.

They said they wanted to make a set of undergarments for Jia Cong, as his current outfit had been torn by whipping and he needed a new one to replace it.

Coincidentally, she had also kept some of the soft smoke screens that the old lady had given her as a reward, which came in handy.

Watching Qingwen sewing under the lamp reminded Jia Cong of the scene in Dream of the Red Chamber where Yong Qingwen mended the golden pheasant fur coat while she was ill.

When Qingwen saw him suddenly staring at her blankly, she didn't know why, so she gave him an innocent and sweet smile, and the empty room suddenly became warm.

Because of his back injury, Jia Cong had to lie down all the time. This position made him most sleepy, and he fell asleep soon.

I don’t know how long I slept. In a daze, I seemed to hear someone touching the wound on my back. A slender figure was sitting beside the bed, and he looked somewhat familiar.

　The new book is in the difficult stage of accumulating momentum, so please follow me and collect my support, thank you very much.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)