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Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Not a Decent Maid
Zhan Lan and Mrs. Li bid farewell to everyone together.
Zhan Xinzhang saw Zhan Lan’s resolute look, and he said nothing.
Zhan Beicang felt somewhat guilty, suddenly wondering if his conversation with Qin Shuang from the day before had been overheard by Zhan Lan.
Why were the mother and daughter suddenly planning to leave the General Mansion?
Qin Shuang stepped forward and took Zhan Lan’s hand, saying, "Lan’er, are you really leaving?"
Zhan Lan smiled faintly, "Yes, Madam, thank you for your care."
Zhan Rui and Zhan Heng, scurrying on their little short legs, ran out crying.
"Sister, don’t leave..."
"Sister, who will play with us if you go!"
The younger siblings clung to Zhan Lan’s hand as she bent down to touch their chubby little faces.
Mrs. Li’s gaze shot over, as if to say if they kept this up they would never leave, and she coughed a few times; Zhan Xuerou, seeing this, hurriedly said, "Are you alright? The weather is cold, it’s too cold outside, and you’ve only just started recovering from a serious illness..."
Mrs. Li, touched by her biological daughter’s concern, covered her face and said, "It’s nothing."
Zhan Xuerou couldn’t wait for Zhan Lan to leave the Zhan Family quickly, suppressing the joy in her heart, but still wiped away a tear, "Lan, you must come back to see us often!"
Zhan Lan looked at Zhan Xuerou with meaningful eyes, "I will, I’ll come back."
Mrs. Li urged, "Hurry up and go!"
Zhan Lan once again said goodbye to her grandfather, parents, and younger siblings, then turned her back to the General Mansion, her eyes instantly growing cold.
Sooner or later, she would take back her place brightly and openly, step by step, with the status of the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, and return to her loved ones.
In just a quarter of an hour, Zhan Lan and her entourage arrived at her new residence.
Mrs. Li was rudely lifted off the carriage without her feet touching the ground by two maids.
Mrs. Li scolded, "How can you be so clumsy in your work!"
The two maids did not speak, as if they were entirely unaffected by Mrs. Li’s criticism.
Mrs. Li shook her sleeves and looked towards the courtyard, shocked in her heart—such a fine residence, how much silver must Zhan Lan have spent to rent it!
This wretched girl is actually quite rich!
The two maids followed behind Mrs. Li, which gave her a sudden sense of being a true lady of status.
The sunlight fell on Mrs. Li’s face, softening her expression as she looked at Zhan Lan, and she thought that the girl wasn’t unfilial after all, otherwise she wouldn’t have found such a fine residence just for her.
"Lan’er, where is my room?" Mrs. Li looked towards the most luxurious building.
Zhan Lan turned back to look at Mrs. Li, rarely seeing such gentleness on her face.
Ever since she had woken up, she had changed into a different person, harsh and overbearing.
Rarely, she was starting to play the role of a mother again.
Zhan Lan smiled and pointed to the wing rooms by the entrance, "You will live there."
Upon looking, Mrs. Li could tell that the room was clearly not as good as the main house located at the center in front of the rockery, and, surely, Zhan Lan was going to live there.
From the wing room, she couldn’t see what Zhan Lan was up to every day.
Zhan Lan looked around and used her hand to shield herself from the sun, saying, "This place is well-ventilated from south to north, which the doctor said is beneficial for recuperating. There is a little garden by the door where you can sunbathe in the morning."
Mrs. Li thought it over and decided it indeed didn’t sound so bad.
She turned to the two maids behind her, who were serious and blunt, "Can these two be replaced?"
Zhan Lan took a deep breath and smelled the fragrance of the flowers in the garden, refusing, "No, I don’t have the silver to purchase new maids anymore. Tie Chui, Tie Tou, take good care of Madam."
"Yes, Miss!" The two replied in coarse voices.
Xiao Tao and Liu Xi giggled behind their hands; such names must have been casually concocted by the Miss!
Mrs. Li’s lips twitched, these two were clearly not proper maids, what kind of names for girls are Tie Chui and Tie Tou?
The two seemed to sense Mrs. Li’s confusion, and the maid Tie Chui said, "Madam, when we sisters were young, we got sick easily, so our grandmother named us, saying it would help us grow strong - and sure enough, after that, we sisters have been healthy."
Madam Li gave the two a stern look, dissatisfiedly turned her eyes toward Xiao Tao’s direction, and asked, "Is that Xiao Tao...."
Zhan Lan turned her gaze towards Xiao Tao, who looked at her with hopeful eyes, and said, "She’s clumsy and awkward; it’s better to leave her with me."
Having spoken, Zhan Lan took Liu Xi and Xiao Tao with her, bypassing the rockery and pavilion over the water, and arrived at her own quarters.
Madam Li entered her own room and looked around; this place was so much better than the back yard of the General Mansion.
She sat on the long bench and said to the two maidservants, "Come and give me a shoulder massage."
The two maidservants nodded, stood to her left and right, respectively, and started pressing down on Madam Li’s shoulders.
Not far outside the room, Zhan Lan heard Madam Li’s cry of agony, "Ah!"
The strength of the maidservants’ hands was a bit too much; they almost crushed Madam Li’s shoulder blades.
"That’s enough, that’s enough, you both can leave!"
Madam Li was feeling upset and was thinking about how to replace these two maidservants who didn’t know how to work properly.
Liu Xi, seeing their master Zhan Lan curve her lips into a smile, felt a sense of satisfaction herself.
These two maidservants were found by Dugu Yan as instructed by their master, both of them with bandit backgrounds.
When it came to fierceness, they were each unmatched, nominally just two maidservants, but in reality, they were only there to keep an eye on Madam Li.
Madam Li wouldn’t be able to gain any benefits from them.
The three entered the room, and upon observing the furnishings of the room, Xiao Tao excitedly flapped her hands. Zhan Lan took Liu Xi and Xiao Tao to the side room.
The side rooms were not far from Zhan Lan’s boudoir, comprising two separate rooms, nearly the size of where Madam Li stayed.
"Xiao Tao, Liu Xi, from now on, both of you will live here," Zhan Lan declared, sweeping her hand as she pushed open the door.
Xiao Tao walked in, looked around from east to west, touched the carved redwood bed, and, rubbing the carvings with her fingers, excitedly said, "Miss, am I dreaming? I can’t believe I’d get to live in such a nice house in my lifetime."
Liu Xi also looked towards Zhan Lan with a beaming smile, "Thank you, Miss."
"Woof, woof, woof!"
The three turned to look at Little Black, who was wagging its tail. It had grown quickly and was now as tall as Zhan Lan’s knees.
At a full ten pounds in weight, picking it up was becoming a bit of an effort.
Zhan Lan bent down to pet Little Black’s head, and Little Black comfortably rubbed against her leg in circles.
"Don’t worry, you have a place to stay, too."
Zhan Lan brought Little Black to an unused stable, teasing it deliberately, "Bear with it for a bit; we’re short on time, and the luxurious doghouse I had commissioned for you hasn’t arrived yet, so make do for the time being!"
Little Black drooped its head and looked at Zhan Lan with a pitiful face.
Zhan Lan chuckled and petted its head, "I’m just kidding. You’ll stay in the room with me for the next few days."
Whether it was Xiao Tao or Little Black, they had suffered too much with her in their past lives; in this life, they certainly deserved to enjoy the good life.
"Let’s go eat," Zhan Lan walked ahead, while Little Black followed behind, tongue out and tail wagging.
Looking at the table filled with fine delicacies, Zhan Lan rolled up her sleeves and said, "Today, we celebrate our relocation by sitting down and eating together."
Xiao Tao swallowed hard upon seeing the table full of delicious-looking dishes and gestured, "Miss, I shouldn’t sit at the table; it’s not proper."
She had not expected at all that Zhan Lan would even hire a cook, a kitchen maid to prepare their meals.
Blinking her big eyes, Xiao Tao asked, "Also, shouldn’t we invite Madam to dine with us?"
Holding a chicken leg in her hand, Zhan Lan declared with an air of grandeur, "No need; the Madam is a devout Buddhist, she doesn’t eat meat. Today’s meal is a treat for you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao became so moved that she began to cry. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and grabbed a piece of Dongpo pork, devouring it with such relish that she stamped her feet.
Liu Xi also sat down with a smile. Perhaps moving out from the General Mansion was a good thing; at least in this home, their Miss was in charge, and they no longer needed to look at others’ faces.
Zhan Lan casually passed a chicken leg into Little Black’s bowl, and Little Black ate it with voracious pleasure, "Awooo, awoo."
Zhan Lan, sipping her beef soup, glanced in the direction of Madam Li’s wing, guessing Madam Li was having millet porridge.
She wondered what Madam Li would think, smelling such delicious aromas.
