The brightness in Liu Ya's eyes suddenly dimmed, and she hung her head in dejection. Those items were all more valuable than her; if she accidentally broke even one, selling her wouldn't cover the costs! Born into a poor hunter's family with many siblings, her parents had no choice but to sell her cheaply, which eventually brought her to Sang Wan's side. Although life with Sang Wan wasn't one of great wealth, she at least always had food and had never suffered abuse or scolding. The thought of possibly being sold by her master if she made a mistake made Liu Ya feel as if the sky was falling!
She wanted to say she would serve the lady of the house well from now on, never making a mistake, but the Shi family was so different from the Sang family! Since this morning until now, while the other maids attended to the lady's face washing and hair combing, she couldn't even get involved!
It wasn't that she was lazy, but that she simply didn't know how; she had never seen many things before, nor did she know their uses even on seeing them!
The hidden unease in her heart suddenly surged up, intensely assaulting her little heart.
There were many servants in the Shi family, each of the sisters smarter and more capable than her. The lady of the house had plenty of people to serve her; would she even need her?
Liu Ya's face turned pale and she couldn't help but shiver deeply, falling to her knees with a "thud".
"Lady of the house! Lady of the house! Your slave will learn, your slave will study hard, your slave will learn everything! Lady of the house, please, please don't sell your slave! Your slave wishes to serve the lady of the house for a lifetime! Your slave doesn't want to leave the lady of the house!" Liu Ya kowtowed, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Liu Ya! Get up!" Sang Wan quickly sat up and reached out to help Liu Ya. Thinking of her past life, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow too.
"Liu Ya, don't be afraid, don't be afraid! I won't sell you. Even if others want to sell you, I will protect you, as long as you are obedient! You—"
"Hmm! I'll listen, I'll listen to everything the lady of the house says!" Liu Ya nodded vigorously, promptly agreeing, and then asked pathetically, "Really?"
"Of course, it's true!" Sang Wan sighed softly, "In this mansion, it's only the two of us who are our own people. From now on, we might have to depend only on each other! You are impulsive by nature, fond of arguing with others, you can't do that anymore!"
"I'll change, I'll definitely change! Even if others beat or scold me, I won't talk back!" Hearing Sang Wan still had expectations of her, Liu Ya's heart steadied a bit more.
"Hmm, and, just serve me, when I'm not around you can just stay in the house and do needlework for me. If someone asks you to do something, you have to check with me first, of course, except for the young master, Mrs. Li, and Xingzhi."
"Yes! I will remember!"
"Do more, talk less, and especially about matters concerning our natal family, don't casually speak of them with others. Don't listen to what shouldn't be heard, and don't ask about what shouldn't be asked."
"Understood, will take care!"
"Also, don't be too proud; if you don't know something, ask others. Don't feel embarrassed about it. We from the Sang family are from a modest background, there's a lot we don't know, even if others speak about it, it's nothing much!"
"You must also learn proper manners and conduct, after all, this is the Shi family, not our Sang family."
"Be polite to everyone, especially Mrs. Li and Xingzhi. If you offend them, though they might not sell you, you'll likely suffer physical pain, and then I cannot help you speak on your behalf, you would just have to bear the suffering."
"Yes, lady of the house! I, your slave, your slave remembers everything! Your slave will definitely not embarrass the lady of the house, not cause trouble!" Liu Ya's expression grew solemn as she responded affirmatively with every phrase.
Sang Wan gently smiled and firmly helped her up, "Why are you still kneeling, get up quickly!"
"Ah, lady of the house!" Liu Ya wiped her eyes and stood up, smiling broadly.
Sang Wan and she smiled at each other, her gaze gently sweeping the exquisitely arranged and finely furnished house, "Scared?"
Liu Ya thought for a moment, nodded gently, and softly said, "A bit, always feeling a bit panicky inside."
Sang Wan slightly nodded, people from the countryside are already uneasy when entering the city, let alone suddenly falling into this wealthy Shi family of Qingzhou! Hadn't she experienced the same in her past life? The more afraid she was, the more she was despised and looked down upon, even by her masters. In the end, everyone mistreated and insulted her, step by step, she walked into a dead end, desolately withering in an abandoned corner!
In this life, she would never accept such a fate again!
"Don't be afraid, learn slowly, who here is a monster with three heads and six arms ready to eat you, what is there to be afraid of!" Sang Wan pinched her wrist encouragingly, smiling.
"What the lady of the house said is right, at most it would just be a few laughs from others!" Liu Ya, seeing her so convinced, felt greatly assured and laughed, her eyes sparkling.
The master and servant exchanged glances, each secretly resolving their intentions.
Fengju quickly left Ningyuan and headed toward the study.
"Fang'er!" As he pushed open the door, he saw Gu Fangzi standing in front of the large desk, flipping through the account book intermittently, her frail yet strong silhouette softening his heart with pity.
"Cousin!" Gu Fangzi's eyes brightened and then swiftly calmed down, the sudden radiance on her face quickly subsided, she put down the account book, and faced Fengju with a forced smile.
"Fangzi.." Fengju couldn't help but step forward and embrace her, gently patting her back, his tongue feeling like a thousand pounds, at a loss for words.
Gu Fangzi did not speak either, compliantly nestling OPTION[indtended likely intended]in his embrace, her hands gently circling his waist.
"Your cousin's wife, she's really nice. Gentle and polite with people, also beautiful and dignified, and not to mention her demeanor, truly a scholar's daughter, knowledgeable and well-mannered, not like us, covered in the stench of copper, sheer commoners." After a moment, Gu Fangzi gently extracted herself from Fengju's embrace, forced a smile, and softly spoke.
Fengju saw her clearly jealous yet pretending to be generous, her charming yet slightly resentful face even more appealing than usual, evoking his love and pity. He raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, "Oh? Is that what you think? Really?" Saying this, he raised his head, stroking his chin, pondering, nodding seriously, "Well, hearing you say that, it seems really true!"