Zhang Ma, why are you cleaning so early?” The blond girl, who had a conflict with Mage, suddenly feels the world is suddenly cleaner. The maid turns, and she can"t help but say a few words.“It"s not that early. I overslept this morning since I went to visit my husband in the hospital yesterday. I"ve been so busy, too. I"m working hard to get a down payment for his house. Otherwise, I wouldn"t do such a tiring job,” she slyly says.
The blonde"s name is Carrie. She used to work in Nangong Zifei"s place in the US. She didn"t want to be inconspicuous. Everywhere, even at the car wash, the villa was ruled with an iron fist.
Normally, Carrie isn"t fond of the old woman, but compared to Mage, who ruins her mood, the old woman isn"t as annoying. Carrie follows the old woman while she walks upstairs and chats. Her Mandarin isn"t good, but she can converse.
“Zhang Ma, you"ve been here for a few days now. What do you think of our boss?”
The maid is responsible for cleaning the 2nd floor, specifically, Nangong Zifei"s room. She also has to clean Mage"s room, so she opens her door, too.
“Your boss is good looking, but cold. He doesn"t like to talk. We, rural folk, like kids who like to talk. But, uh, your boss has money, and many women would want to marry him.” Zhang Ma starts vacuuming.
“With your experience, what kind of woman do you think our boss would like?” Carrie asks with clear, blue eyes.
“I don"t know. I"m not familiar with him. You can tell me what kind of woman he"s been with.”
Carrie was about to say something when she suddenly feels the urge to use the bathroom. Using Mage"s bathroom, she sees the pregnancy test kit in the trash can as she reaches for the toilet paper.
Since this kit is rather common, Carrie recognized it immediately. Once she finishes using the toilet, she squats and looks at the stick. With only one horizontal bar, she knows Mage isn"t pregnant. Carrie lets out a sigh of relief. If she was pregnant with the boss"s child, she wonders if he"d let her keep the child.
She can"t stand the sight of that woman, she should just die! Even if she can"t be his equal, she"d prefer that a stronger woman to be beside the boss.
As she thinks about it, Carrie walks out of the room suddenly feeling better.
* * *
Since there weren"t any stars in the sky the night before, it"s a good guess that the day would be cloudy or rainy. Despite the gray skies, the morning is pleasant.
It"s been a while since she wore the uniform. After she puts on her skirt, she feels it"s a bit snug. Looking at her profile sideways is enough to give her a headache.
After two consecutive hospitalizations, Jiang Yuan watched over her, and in that month, she raised her to be a pig. Fortunately, her belly isn"t too prominent, and she hasn"t gained fat in other places. At least her face looks better than before.
Since she slept very early last night, she was able to finish her breakfast before Qilu got down for breakfast. To avoid an awkward moment, An Chuxia tells Jiang Yuan she"ll be waiting outside. She takes her bag and walks out the hall.
She loves the morning air. An Chuxia takes a deep breath, inhaling the gra.s.s" scent. A maid pa.s.sing by greets, “Good morning, xiaonainai.” An Chuxia is so used to the t.i.tle, she returns her greeting. But the maid doesn"t hear her since she leaves in a hurry.
Chuxia is confused. She walks toward the direction the maid came from, and suddenly, a boy in Stein uniform approaches her.
Only she and Qilu attend Stein, so who is he?
Her stomach flutters in concern as the gap between them closes. Steward Han starts walking ahead to meet An Chuxia. “Good morning, xiaonainai.”
“Yeah,” she says, as she looks at the boy whose head turned. He looks so familiar.
“h.e.l.lo,” the boy finally greets her.
However, his voice falls when he gets reprimanded. “Remember to call her xiaonainai. I told you the rules last night. Don"t you remember?”
Feeling the air get cold, An Chuxia quickly smiles. “We"re the same age. You don"t have to be so old fashioned, steward Han. Having him call me xiaonainai ages me. Besides, wouldn"t it be awkward if he calls me that in school?”
The Stein hierarchy is strictly enforced. Even Han is called Master Han. If anyone finds out Liu Dongyu is steward Han"s son, he would be looked down on. An Chuxia can tell the butler was about to say something, so she changes the subject. “You"re really going to school in Stein? College?”
“High school.” Liu Dongyu has a good impression of An Chuxia. He knows she"s a little nervous and can"t help but talk. “What about you?”
Xu ayi sees the two children getting along, and sidles next to the steward. “Xiaonainai is right; don"t be so old-fashioned. If you are like that, the other kids would look down on him.”
Steward Han looks at Liu Dongyu and quickly refocuses. He nods and says, “You"re right, I"ve failed.”
“Who says you failed?” Xu ayi asks before Han Qilu arrives. The maid closes her mouth and walks away to do her work.
An Chuxia is personable with the staff, unlike Han Qilu, who"s still feared by some of the servants. He is born to be feared. It"s not like Qilu can smile and resolve the issue.
From a distance, he watched her talk animatedly with steward Han"s son. His hands unconsciously ball into fists, and his face tenses as he approaches. “We"re running late, and you find time to chat?”
Han Qilu"s tone wasn"t nice, and An Chuxia wonders why the young master is upset. It seems that this temper has been cultivated since he was young, even before he knew himself.
Liu Dongyu doesn"t say anything when he looks at Han Qilu. He didn"t have a good impression of the young master. After all, he has been the object of his ill-will since his youth.
“I"ll drive the car over,” steward Han says nervously as he witnesses the battle brewing.
Liu Dongyu gets into the same car Han Qilu and An Chuxia, only he sits upfront with his father driving. Jiang Yuan made this arrangement. The butler knows the madam wants the couple to reconnect.
As long as Han Qilu has limited contact with Mankuai, his feelings for her should subside. As for Liu Dongyu, Jiang Yuan wants the boy to reconnect with the steward. Steward Han"s heart is full; she watches out for everyone, and he can see it.
The car has reached the iron gate, and as it slowly opens, steward Han hears Jiang Yuan. Fortunately, steward Han"s ears are still functioning, and he was able to stop the car in time.
He rolls down the window, and Jiang Yuan runs toward them with a horde of maids behind her. She pants as she reaches the car door. Three bags are handed over, and An Chuxia quickly takes it. “Mommy, couldn"t you have someone else run this over?”
The hall is quite far from the gate.
Han Qilu takes the bags from An Chuxia. The bags are transparent, and each bag contains two tea eggs. He licks his lips unconsciously, suddenly feeling hungry for the eggs.
“Everyone gets a bag. I specifically told the cook to prepare them. If you eat the eggs,you"ll get full marks!” Jiang Yuan says, smiling like a kind mother would.
Han Qilu snickers in irony. “Why so low when we can get a hundred and fifty?”
“Give me a hundred-fifty first before saying it!” She gives him a look. “An Chuxia, give out the eggs. Dongyu gets one, too.”
Liu Dongyu turns around and takes the tea eggs from Chuxia. This is the first time he has met Jiang Yuan, and he starts wondering how she gave birth to a character so cold and violent. How can the gap be so wide?
With the warm tea eggs in her hands, An Chuxia says, “Thank you, mommy. We"re leaving. “
As the car speeds away, Jiang Yuan calls out, “Remember to eat the egg… .”
The scenery around them recedes as they leave. With the morning air still cool, steward Han closes the window, afraid that the children will freeze. Without circulation, the car smells like tea eggs.
An Chuxia sighs, “It"s so fragrant!”
Han Qilu was about to make a smart response, but Liu Dongyu"s retching sound leaves his words unspoken. “Kid, do you think the tea eggs smell bad?”
An Chuxia"s face turns black after hearing Qilu"s statement. It"s not that his statement is wrong; she just feels the original Qilu is still around.