40 Old Acquaintance

The next day.

Without a doubt, Qu Fulan would leave the residence with the Third Young Mistress.

The women of the Pei family were all in carriages, while the men were on horses. The group of them headed towards the Zheng Residence.

This was the first time that Qu Fulan had walked out of the Pei Residence since she came to the ancient times.

The Pei family's residence covered a large area and had a vast and elegant garden. There were pavilions, waterside pavilions, winding corridors, rockery, jade trees, and pebbled paths. One could not see the end of the garden and the scenery was beautiful.

However, no matter how big the Pei Residence was, to her, it was just a prison.

These servant girls were not allowed to leave the manor. First, it was to prevent them from running away. Although they could be reported to the authorities if they ran away, it would be troublesome for the master's family.

Second, even if there was something, there would be a fixed servant and old woman in charge to do it, so it was less worry-free.

Qu Fulan was in the same carriage as Third Young Mistress, so she could only kneel in the carriage and could not sit. It was very uncomfortable.

The Third Young Mistress's personal maid, Huan'er, could sit down. With such differential treatment, it was not difficult to see that the Third Young Mistress was deliberately targeting her.

However, Qu Fulan really couldn't understand why the Third Young Mistress would target her when she had never come into contact with her or offended her.

During the day, the capital was bustling and bustling with activity. The streets were bustling with people, and all sorts of stalls and items were sold on the streets, a feast for the eyes.

It was a pity that Qu Fulan could only use her ears to hear and not her eyes to see. Because she was kneeling in front of Third Young Mistress, she could not look out of the car window.

Even so, she could still feel the free space outside the window.

Listening to the noise outside the window along the way, Qu Fulan's mood was very complicated.

Only after losing one's freedom did one realize the value of freedom. Therefore, even if it was just a short moment of fresh air, it would still make people excited from the bottom of their hearts.

It was a pity that she didn't even have the right to take a second look at the current situation.

In the end, her temporarily excited heart also slowly calmed down.

Just wait. In a year, two or three years, she would definitely be able to accumulate enough merit and achieve complete freedom.

Xiao Shiqing had taken two years to bring the original owner out. Now that she was relying on her own strength, it was normal for her to take two or three years.

Yao Xing had been observing the girl in front of her the whole time. She was surprisingly calm and didn't show any signs of humiliation or grievance because of her.

No wonder she could catch the old lady's eye, and no wonder Prince Pei was so nosy.

"How old are you this year?" Yao Xing asked lazily.

"This servant is thirteen this year."

"You'll be of marriageable age in two years, and when you're of marriageable age, you'll have to be matched with someone else. Which manservant do you have in the residence? Tell me so I can make a decision for you?"

"This servant only wants to serve the old lady well. As for other things, I have not thought about them."

Yao Xing immediately sneered. If she had said that she had taken a fancy to any of the manservants in the residence, she wouldn't have minded helping.

Why did she say that she only wanted to serve the old lady well? It was nothing more than an excuse for her to look up to him and wait for an opportunity to climb into his bed.

This kind of girl was the most troublesome and could not be kept.

When they arrived at the Zheng Residence, the madams and young ladies of the Zheng Residence came out to welcome them. After a round of polite greetings, they took their seats.

Some people noticed Qu Fulan.

There were indeed some intelligent and graceful people in the world. They didn't need to do anything. They just needed to stand there. Even if they were wearing servant girl clothes, they could still attract many people with a glance.

"Where did Third Young Mistress find such a beautiful little girl? She looks so adorable."

One of the ladies could not help but ask.

"Madam Zhao, you have a few pretty maids as well. Are you interested in mine as well?" Yao Xing asked with a smile.

"I like to keep some pretty maids around me," Madam Zhao said with a smile. "They're so pleasing to the eye."

Yao Xing immediately said to Hai Tang, "Madam Zhao is so kind. Hurry up and thank Madam Zhao."

Qu Fulan bent her knees and bowed to Madam Zhao, then retreated behind Third Young Mistress.

Yao Xing smiled at Madam Zhao. "This is the first time this little girl is out. She doesn't know the rules and is very embarrassing. I hope Madam Zhao can forgive her."

Madam Zhao was extremely satisfied. Why would she mind?

"Forgive me, forgive me. This little girl doesn't know the rules. She'll be fine after a good lesson."

Yao Xing wiped her mouth with a handkerchief to hide the smile on her face.

This Madam Zhao had already reached the point where she did not know how to hold back when she spoke in front of everyone.

But it didn't matter, who asked her husband's family to have such a strong foundation?

However, no matter how strong her background was, Madam Zhao had no foundation. Because Madam Zhao was the second wife, Master Zhao only married her when he was over forty years old. Perhaps it was because of his old age, but after marrying the second wife, they did not have any children.

Madam Zhao had no children by her side, so she had to search for some pretty maidservants to win over her lecherous husband and consolidate her position in the family.

Master Zhao was getting on in years, but he still had to bring in one mistress after another.

Now it seemed that Madam Zhao had taken a liking to Hai Tang.

Yao Xing wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. She had achieved her goal of bringing Hai Tang out.

She had learned from her close friend that Madam Zhao would also be attending today's banquet and had long planned to bring HaiTang.

It didn't matter if Hai Yue didn't come. They came one by one.

Hearing their conversation, the other madams and young ladies also looked at them with sympathy and disdain. Who in the noble circle of the capital didn't know about the Zhao family?

"Good child, come sit with me and let me take a good look," Madam Zhao said to Hai Tang.

"Hurry up," Yao Xing said before Hai Tang could speak. "You're so slow. You don't know the rules."

Qu Fulan lowered her eyes and walked over, sitting down in front of Madam Zhao.

"Good girl, do you know how to drink?"

"I don't."

"This can't do. A young lady should at least know how to drink some wine. The wine here is not pungent and when it enters the mouth, there is a sweet and mellow feeling. Try it."

After saying that, Madam Zhao passed the wine in front of her to Qu Fulan.

As a servant, she couldn't refuse someone's offer of wine. Qu Fulan could only express her thanks and take it. Then, under the eyes of others, she used a handkerchief as a cover and drank it in one gulp.

At least, it seemed so to others. But in fact, when she covered her face with the handkerchief and raised her head to drink, she had already poured the wine into her space.

Then, she wiped the corner of her mouth gently with a handkerchief. Others who saw her would think that she had drunk it.

In the end, she was just a servant girl. The others' interest in watching the show immediately disappeared, and most of them looked away. Only two burning gazes fell on Qu Fulan, and she looked over without a sound.

It was a pair of mother and daughter.

They were looking at her with a complicated and incredulous look.

Did they... know her?

Did she meet an old friend of the original owner?

Qu Fulan's heart trembled slightly. In the current situation, she did not want to meet any old friends.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as he wished.

"Nice to meet you, Madam Xiao. I have something to discuss with Miss Xiao. Can I take her away for a while?"

Miss Zheng had come over and said to the mother and daughter.

Xiao?

Xiao Shiqing's mother and sister?

Qu Fulan's heart trembled.