A Good Country Wife
Chapter 263 - 254: On the Same Rope_1

Chapter 263: Chapter 254: On the Same Rope_1

Not achieving her goal, Zhao Lingxiang came out of Zhao Erhu’s house with a gloomy face, too lazy even to pretend. In Zhao Lingxiang’s eyes, Zhao Erhu and his wife were still lower in status than Zhao Xinglin and his wife. She didn’t believe at all that the Magistrate would view Zhao Erhu differently as the master had said. She had come here only for the master’s orders and those recipes for making food.

"Nothing but ungrateful wretches, each more detestable than the last," Zhao Lingxiang murmured. Though she didn’t name names, everyone knew to whom she referred.

"Auntie Zhao, you didn’t complete the task the master assigned. If you go back like this, the master will fault you," Xiaocui, originally sent by the mistress to watch over Zhao Lingxiang, received further orders from Old Master Wei to serve and, more importantly, to keep an eye on Zhao Lingxiang, fearing she wouldn’t take matters seriously. Therefore, as soon as Zhao Lingxiang appeared, regardless of her demeanor, Xiaocui spoke up to remind her.

Zhao Lingxiang wasn’t too foolish, she knew Xiaocui, the maid with grand schemes in her mind, wasn’t truly on her side, having been sent over by the mistress. So she warned with a cold face, "You’re but a maid who takes orders; just do your duty. Since when do you have a say in these matters? Don’t think I’m not aware of your little schemes. Best keep yourself in check, for if I catch you out, I’ll make you pay. I may be just an aunt, but I have more than enough means to deal with a little maid like you."

"Auntie Zhao, please forgive me; I won’t dare do it again," Xiaocui was not convinced in her heart, but Zhao Lingxiang was right—she was but a maid. Even if she was following the orders of the mistress and master, she didn’t dare step out of line too much in front of Zhao Lingxiang. Otherwise, should a real conflict arise, while Zhao Lingxiang may not come out on top, there were rules in the back of the house. For a servant to disrespect her master was an act most inappropriate, and Xiaocui would likely be demoted to a menial maid or even sold off. Her end would not be good, and after all, she was not so favored by the master and mistress that they’d protect her out of bias.

Seeing Xiaocui subdued, Zhao Lingxiang wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, somewhat pleased with herself. "Good that you know fear; as long as you are loyal to me, I naturally won’t treat you poorly."

"Yes, thank you, Auntie Zhao," Xiaocui cursed inwardly, but her expression was increasingly respectful. Surviving in the Wei Residence was not easy, whether you were an aunt or a maid. Everyone had to learn to observe and act accordingly; even if the skills weren’t perfected, they should deceive to a degree. Otherwise, she’d have been sold off during the Wei Residence’s cost-cutting layoffs.

"But Auntie, the master did specifically instruct us before we left. When we return, he will surely ask, and we’ll have to find a way to deal with it. Otherwise, if the master places blame, not just you, Auntie, even I, a lowly maid, won’t escape responsibility," Xiaocu said as though worried for Zhao Lingxiang, but in truth, she feared falling into trouble because of Zhao Lingxiang.

"Those two, Zhao Erhu and his wife, are just impossible. No matter how I pleaded, they refused to hand over the recipes; what could I have done? Now there’s no other choice; we can only go back and see," Zhao Lingxiang lamented. She hadn’t managed things well at Zhao Xinglin’s before, and now, switching to Zhao Erhu, the outcome was the same. She wondered if the master would accept her previous excuses and give her more chances.

"Auntie, we can’t just tell Master the truth when we get back; otherwise, Master might get upset. If he neglects you over this issue, it wouldn’t be good, especially since Madam is already watching for your mistakes. If Auntie slips up even slightly, Madam won’t let you off easily."

Xiaocui, as a servant, understood the brutality of Master Wei even more deeply. Although Zhao Auntie was an auntie, at most she would be neglected by Master as long as she didn’t make any serious mistakes. Unlike them, the servants and maids, a minor error or sometimes even guilt by association could result in being beaten to death or sold off. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so easily pacified by Zhao Auntie. After all, what she feared wasn’t Zhao Auntie, but Master Wei behind her.

"Oh? Aren’t you Madam’s person? How come you are now advising me to be wary of Madam?" Zhao Lingxiang looked at Xiaocui suspiciously, unsure of what her maid was plotting. Perhaps she deliberately gave her such advice and then planned to betray her behind her back.

"Auntie is astute. Although I was indeed sent by Madam initially, I’m not Madam’s confidant. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sent away so casually. Now that Master has assigned me to serve you, Auntie, you are my true master. We are all tied to the same rope; if something happens to Auntie, as her maid, I won’t end up any better. So I am absolutely loyal to Auntie," Xiaocui expressed her allegiance to Zhao Lingxiang wholeheartedly, having understood her own predicament.

Zhao Lingxiang believed Xiaocui’s words; based on Madam’s personality, it was indeed the case. Whether Xiaocui was wholly on her side or not, she didn’t know, but under the current circumstances, they were like grasshoppers tethered to the same string. If trouble arose, neither could escape; Xiaocui’s fate would certainly be no better than her own.

"Alas! Do you have any good ideas? If you have any suggestions, let me hear them. Last time I didn’t leave on good terms when I visited my cousin’s place, and Master was very displeased. If he finds out I failed to handle things again, he might get very angry. We need to think of something to placate Master first, then we can slowly plot our next move," Zhao Lingxiang decided to trust Xiaocui and no longer concealed her own thoughts. She was in a desperate situation, and Xiaocui seemed clever; maybe she could come up with a good idea.

"I don’t have any great ideas, but it would be best if Master doesn’t find out that our gift was returned. Perhaps Master will think it is because Auntie’s brother is greedy and unsatisfied with such a reward that he refused to give Auntie the prescription, wanting more. At the very least, this incident will only be blamed on Auntie’s brother and won’t be associated with Auntie," Xiaocui suggested.

Zhao Lingxiang’s eyes brightened, "That’s true! Xiaocui, you are quite clever. How come I didn’t think to do this last time? We can use this chance to return to my parents’ home. My father suffered a severe injury from a fall in a ravine last time; I should visit him and take these gifts as well," said Zhao Lingxiang as she instructed the coachman to drive the carriage toward the Zhao Family’s old house.

Chunxi, hiding around the corner, saw Zhao Lingxiang storm out and guessed the meeting with Lin Yue must not have gone well. She edged closer and overheard bits of the mistress and maid’s conversation, although not very clearly. She faintly heard the words "prescription" and grew even more curious. Seeing Zhao Lingxiang about to leave in the carriage, she hurriedly followed.

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