Chapter 5: The Servants Have No Chance to Live

The contempt in Mrs. Zhou's eyes could not be hidden at all. Li Yaoguang saw it clearly. The hand holding the food box could not help but clench it tightly, and the blue veins bulged.

Just when Li Yaoguang could no longer suppress his pride and anger and was about to have a good argument with the old woman, suddenly, a clear voice came from behind the old woman.

"Mrs. Zhou, what are you doing opening the corner door so early in the morning?"

The tone of voice told you that he was not an ordinary person.

Mrs. Zhou no longer had time to ridicule Li Yaoguang in front of her. She turned around quickly upon hearing the voice, and when she saw the person coming, her previously mean face immediately changed. She smiled in a flattering and fawning manner at the tall girl in front of her who was leading the two little girls.

"Oh, it's Miss Jinyan, my dear girl. What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

The woman named Jin Yan frowned unhappily when she saw Mrs. Zhou trying to please her. She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and waved it in front of her eyes in disdain, as if to wave away something dirty. She stepped back half a step, turned sideways, and covered her mouth and nose with the silk handkerchief, saying in disgust: "Mrs. Zhou, did you wash up this morning? Stay away from me."

Mrs. Zhou froze, feeling ashamed, but facing the maid in front of the Marquis's wife, she dared not say a word. She lowered her head in frustration, bowed hurriedly to apologize, took two steps back, and then licked her face and begged for mercy.

"Oh my, did you make me feel bad? I deserve to die, I deserve to die! It's my fault, but Miss Jinyan, I don't know why you came here so early in the morning. Miss, please tell me. I am not talented, but I want to share your worries. I will take this as an apology for making me feel bad just now."

The corner gate she was guarding had no other use except to make it convenient for the children of the marquis's family to enter and exit the mansion to serve the master. Purchasing, transporting goods, welcoming and seeing off guests, all of these had nothing to do with this place.

There must be a reason why the maidservant beside the mistress of the house, Madam Hou, came here, so even if she is just a second-class maid, she is still a beauty in front of this group of people and an unattainable existence.

She can't be wrong in flattering others.

As time goes by, Mrs. Zhou’s guess is indeed correct.

Although Jin Yan despised Zhou Po, she also admired her humility, which greatly satisfied Jin Yan's dissatisfaction in the Marquis's courtyard.

Jin Yan, who was pushed out by her sisters and assigned a task today, had no choice but to go to the courtyard where the sons of the families gathered to temporarily summon people. She did not want to go out of the corner door to those dirty places and dirty her embroidered shoes. Now that Mrs. Zhou handed her a ladder, she flicked the handkerchief in her hand and said lightly.

"Forget it, Madam Zhou, you are a sensible person, I am not afraid to tell you the truth. Isn't it that the Ninth Master will be back from the academy in two days? Madam is happy, and has always been concerned about the Ninth Master's lifelong event, so she wants to take this opportunity to hold a banquet and invite relatives, friends and nobles to come and appreciate the flowers. There are many things to do in the mansion, and there are not enough people to handle it. Sister Jinzhu asked me to come to this courtyard and temporarily recruit some smart girls and boys to work in the mansion."

"Oh, so it's such a happy event. Miss Jinyan is trusted by the Madam, so the important matter of selecting people is entrusted to you. You are really capable! But, Miss, the courtyard outside is really dirty, with men and women living together. You are precious, how can you go there? How about this, this old servant in the outer courtyard knows you very well. If you trust me, I am willing to share your worries. I will go there for you and I will definitely find all the smart boys and girls in the outer courtyard for you."

It would be good if she didn't have to go, but the matter that the mean Jinzhu had asked her to do concerned her master, so she couldn't just be perfunctory about it. Although Jinyan was already moved, she still had worries.

Besides, this woman is the gatekeeper. If she leaves, and something happens to the corner gate, I can't take the responsibility!
Besides, if she left, would I, a second-class maid serving the marquis' wife, have to help her do menial work and guard the gate?
So Jin Yan hesitated, but she said tactfully, "Okay, but isn't there something wrong with mom?" Seeing Jin Yan's eyes fall on Li Yaoguang standing outside the door, Mrs. Zhou heard her continue, "Besides, mom still has to guard the door, how can she leave her post without permission?"

When Mrs. Zhou saw this, she secretly cursed it as bad luck, but then her smile became even wider and more earnest.

"Hey, these are all trivial matters, not as important as your matter. How about this, young lady, you stay in the gatehouse, and I will call my little girl who keeps me company at night to go outside and call for help. I guarantee that I won't delay your important matter."

Jin Yan thought about it and was too lazy to really go to a dirty place outside, so she nodded, "That's fine, I'll trouble my mother's daughter to lead the way and take the girl with me."

Seeing Jin Yan calmly pointing a thin girl behind her to come out, Mrs. Zhou responded without hesitation. She nodded in response and then shouted to the girl in the gate room to get up.

Not long after, Li Yaoguang saw a little maid about eleven or twelve years old in an indigo cotton dress coming out of the small room where the gatekeeper usually rested. Mrs. Zhou nodded at her and gave her some instructions. Then the little maid took the maid pointed out by Jin Yan, passing Li Yaoguang and going to the outer courtyard. The maid named Jin Yan was being invited into the house by Mrs. Zhou.

Seeing this, Li Yaoguang felt that the opportunity was not lost, and hurriedly stepped forward, "Sister Jinyan, wait a minute." Jinyan paused, frowned, and there was displeasure in her eyes. Li Yaoguang pretended not to see it and took the opportunity to speak, "Hello, Sister Jinyan, I just heard that you need someone in the mansion. What do you think of me?"

Jin Yan frowned and looked Li Yaoguang up and down, then looked at the attentive Mrs. Zhou beside her, "What is this?"

Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but secretly spit again, then she leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice: "Miss Jinyan, you don't know, this is the little girl from the second house, the one who came to live with Grandma Suliu's family half a year ago."

"Oh, it's her."

Jin Yan nodded, indicating that she knew about this person who she had heard about in front of her lady half a year ago but had not been heard from since then.

Seeing that the little Li Yaoguang was still looking at her intently, Jin Yan smiled, walked forward and bowed perfunctorily to Li Yaoguang.

"So it's my cousin. I didn't know it was my cousin who came to visit me just now. I was rude. Please forgive me."

Li Yaoguang had never seen such a scene before. Who would greet others without hesitation? When meeting someone, shaking hands was extremely polite. Facing Jin Yan's sudden greeting, Li Yaoguang was somewhat at a loss and quickly gave way and waved his hand.

"No, it's okay."

The other party chuckled and covered her face with silk, "Oh, my cousin is really considerate and generous."

"No, no, I don't know if Miss Jinyan wants me to come to the mansion to help you?"

Li Yaoguang saw that the other party had a good attitude and thought that this person was quite generous and polite. He thought that the perception and evaluation he had in his mind after meeting him just now might have been wrong. It turned out that he had misjudged people, right?
Li Yaoguang had just thought of this, but he was slapped in the face in the blink of an eye.

Jin Yan's next words, which seemed to be praise but were actually derogatory, were like a slap in the face, hitting her directly on the head.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. My cousin is a relative, not a slave. How can the Marquis' Mansion employ people? My cousin, please don't joke with me. If this matter gets out, won't everyone think that our Marquis' Mansion is not good enough in entertaining relatives and friends? I'm afraid that I will be beaten to death by the lady, but the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion will be tarnished. My cousin, for such a crime, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me and others to bear nine deaths!"

Oh! OK!
I never knew that this cousin of hers was actually quite "dignified"!

She is wearing the skin of a relative of the Marquis's mansion. Even if she is starving to death in the next second, you can't find a servant job with your own labor, and you can't earn a penny. You can only wait to die in agony...

Li Yaoguang was countered by someone neither softly nor hard, and just looked at the smug smile of Mrs. Zhou beside him;

Seeing the return of Mrs. Zhou's daughter and the little maid leading a large group of young boys and girls;
I watched helplessly as Jin Yan acted like a brothel owner, ahem, no, like a mistress, standing in the courtyard outside the corner gate, picking and choosing thirty people, and then walking away;

Li Yaoguang could only watch everything happen, thinking that if all else failed she would just give it a try, grit her teeth, and follow this group of people to force her way through.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Zhou seemed to have been prepared. After the last person who was picked entered the corner door, she slammed the door shut, almost breaking Li Yaoguang's nose.

In the end, Li Yaoguang could only watch the door being locked and listen to the familiar spitting sounds and the triumphant and arrogant laughter coming from the black door.

"Bah, what the hell!"

Li Yaoguang, who had been frustrated, had no choice but to smile bitterly. He could only touch his empty and rumbling stomach and turn back with the food box in his hand.

Why is her life of time travel so fucked up and difficult? Who will save the child?
(End of this chapter)