Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 104 He never returned to Lin'an after that.

Yunyi Courtyard had been gradually tidying up for half a year, mainly because the Second Miss had too many good things in her storeroom. The Second Miss, Aunt Mei, and Hua Yan discussed it several times and figured that they probably wouldn't be coming back from Lin'an, so there were quite a lot of things to take with them.

The people in the courtyard also needed to be settled. In Lin'an, servants and maids had to be left to look after the front and back courtyards of this residence. The fate of the people in Yunyi Courtyard had been carefully reviewed half a year ago.

For example, Aunt Mei and the four head maids, Hua Yan, naturally had to go to the capital with their young mistress. Among the second-class maids, only Dong Gua and Yu'er remained. Madam Li from the small kitchen and the old woman from the side gate chose to stay in Lin'an. As for the other servants and the maids in the small kitchen, Madam Yun gave instructions that they did not need to go.

However, there was great news for Donggua. Since Madam Li was not going to the capital, Steward An was assigned by the old lady to serve at Yunyi Courtyard. The master and apprentice could finally work together again. Donggua's heart softened, and he hugged his master and cried tears of joy.

Going to the capital is certainly wonderful, with the emperor's presence and countless nobles around. The eldest son of the family has also entered the court as an official, and the entire Tang family's social standing will undergo earth-shattering changes. However, not all the servants want to leave their hometown.

The head of the sewing room relayed a message to Wei Mama, saying that she was getting old and her eyesight was failing, and that she was going to ask Madam Yun for mercy and permission to retire. Madam Yun then relayed a similar message, saying that anyone who did not want to leave would be allowed to stay.

The servants in the manor spontaneously went to Yun Gui Yuan to kowtow and express their gratitude. They would then be assigned to work in various estates or shops in Lin'an.

Five days before leaving, Wei Mama came to Yunyi Courtyard and instructed the Second Miss that each courtyard should send someone with trunks and valuables to leave first. The residences in the capital had been purchased long ago, and the servants had gone there in advance to clean and settle them in.

The second young lady had already made up her mind about this matter and arranged for Aunt Mei to take Mengzhu, Ruizhu, Donggua, and Yu'er ahead. Mengzhu had always been in charge of the storeroom, and she had become increasingly meticulous in recent years. Ruizhu was clever and was Aunt Mei's favorite. Donggua and Yu'er could also take care of things in the kitchen first.

As Wei's mother finished delivering the message and was about to leave, Hua Yan lifted the curtain and entered the embroidered hall.

Hua Yan smiled slightly and curtsied to Wei Mama according to etiquette. When she looked up, she caught a strange look in Wei Mama's eyes. Wei Mama subconsciously looked away and said to Hua Yan, "I've been busy these past few days. Madam is very satisfied with you and Xiangmei taking care of the young master's courtyard."

It's May now. Tang Lin, the third-ranked scholar, returned to Lin'an at the end of April to offer incense to his ancestors, and has now returned to the capital.

"It was all the Second Miss's orders; we're just keeping a closer eye on things," Hua Yan said.

After Wei Mama left, Hua Yan was stunned for a moment, but was called to the storeroom by Rui Zhu, so she stopped thinking about it.

Upon arriving at Yun Gui Courtyard, Madam Yun noticed that Wei Mama seemed distraught and asked, "What's wrong? Is Wan'er alright?"

Madam Wei stepped forward to massage the lady's back, lowering her eyes: "The second young lady has been acting more and more methodically lately, and everything has been arranged properly."

"Don't laugh at me, Madam, but this old servant can't understand Hua Yan anymore. She's so well-behaved and considerate in Yunyi Courtyard, but once she leaves, she's a completely different person. I know what she's done, and it still makes me a little uneasy..."

Madam Yun shook her head, her eyes filled with admiration. She patted Wei Mama's arm and said, "It's not that she's heartless, it's just that the old lady has become more kind as she gets older."

"It's true that we should remember the kindness of Ju Chang's husband in saving his master, but he also released her son's indenture and promoted her to steward; that debt of gratitude is settled. Back then, the old lady was kind-hearted and spared her life; she should have immediately left Lin'an with her good-for-nothing son and daughter-in-law..."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to be encountered by Hua Yan, and would have ended up with a tragic fate.

To be honest, even Madam Yun had to admire Hua Yan's methods. Afterwards, Yun Guiyuan sent people to investigate. It turned out that half a year ago, Hua Yan accompanied her mistress to see off Mr. Lin. When they were boarding the carriage at the dock to return to the mansion, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a figure resembling Ju Chang.

He took notice at first glance, and upon returning home, he immediately wrote to Jinnan, requesting that Huanyun allocate manpower to search the docks day and night.

Back then, Hua Yan, taking advantage of Steward An's position in the mansion, already knew that Ju Chang had only been driven out of the mansion by the old lady, and that her family business had been seized by the gambling den to pay off debts.

Ultimately, to a mistress like the old lady, this was merely a steward making a mistake. Out of consideration for their relationship and her reputation, she naturally wouldn't send him to the authorities. Although Ju Chang's indenture was still in the old lady's hands, if she didn't want to really deal with it, no one could say anything.

From the moment Hua Yan discovered the trail to the time she set up the trap and took action, excluding the time spent mobilizing manpower and conducting investigations, it took no more than half a month at most. The revenge that was not taken back then has, many years later, come in due time, and retribution is inevitable.

Chun Ya Zhao Di had experienced it all, and Ju Chang's son also had the chance to try it all.

When Ju Chang finally found the dilapidated temple, she saw her son being abused to the point of unconsciousness by a group of beggars. She then witnessed him wake up and, in shame and anger, commit suicide by hitting his head against a pillar. Ju Chang went mad on the spot. She was taken to a ship overnight by the men sent by Hua Yan and is now working as a laborer in the laundry room of a brothel in Jinnan. She fears she will never leave again.

"Doesn't Mother Wei feel extremely satisfied? To give someone a taste of their own medicine, for a fourteen-year-old girl to have such thoughts, isn't she the best candidate we've seen in all these years?"

Madam Yun increasingly felt that Hua Yan resembled her in some ways, but she was not prepared to dispel Wei Mama's 'disappointment'. Wei Mama was cautious enough and wary of Hua Yan, which she was happy to accept.

After Aunt Mei and her entourage departed with the fleet, Yunyi Courtyard suddenly became much emptier. For the last three days, the Tang family had to deal with the two young ladies. These two young ladies were undoubtedly the most heartbroken when the Tang family moved to the capital.

Second Aunt arrived at Fu'an Residence amidst tears and sobs. Upon seeing the Guangbai Mujin, she learned that her mother and younger brother had gone to the ancestral hall. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to turn around and go to Yungui Courtyard.

Madam Yun never even saw her sister-in-law; a carriage was sent to the estate.

They are mother and daughter, sister and brother. There's no reason for Tang Xian, the sister-in-law, to be caught in the middle. It's up to Tang Xian to worry about it. Not letting them go to the capital is Madam Yun's bottom line, and it's also a consensus between Tang Xian and her, so she's not worried.

The eldest aunt was genuinely worried that her mother would face difficulties from the first and second wives after returning to the capital. Pei Wen advised, "With your uncle and cousin around, what is there for Mother to worry about? We are capable. Father and aunt no longer dare to bully Mother like before. Mother should relax and be a good matriarch of the Pei family."

The Second Miss didn't need to worry about any of the above. She was busy saying goodbye to the young ladies she was on good terms with in Lin'an. The Third Miss Qin came to Yunyi Courtyard every day to talk, or accompanied the Second Miss to the farewell banquet.

Qin Tongzhi was re-elected. Three years ago, Qin's son, Du Ge'er, ranked 178th in the third class of the imperial examination. His ranking was not high. Qin's family had a low starting point and no help. He only managed to get the job of magistrate of Jinan County by relying on the Tang family's connections.

Fate is truly inexplicable. Aunt Liu had hoped her eldest daughter would marry into the Qin family, but instead, the daughter married into Jinan County, and her father-in-law is now the deputy to the county magistrate...

The trivial matters of Lin'an will not be repeated. After everything was in place, the gates of the Tang family mansion opened and closed again. From then on, this mansion became the past of this branch of the Tang family.

The real farewell had no long pavilions or ancient roads, nor any scene of parting with willow branches. For masters like Madam Yun and Tang Xian, it was just an ordinary morning.

But Hua Yan stood beside the fourteen-year-old second young lady, and the two of them turned around at almost the same time to look at the closed gate of the mansion. This place held their carefree teenage years, which were worth reminiscing about from time to time in the future.

"Set off."

Tang Xian showed no remorse and boarded the same carriage with his wife.

In the midsummer of the forty-seventh year of the Qian Yuan era of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Tang Qingwan and her maid Hua Yan went to the capital and never returned to Lin'an.