mtlumby2d Chapter 878 Promotion to Second-Class Maid, Closer to the Goal
Chapter 878 Promotion to Second-Class Maid, Closer to the Goal
The little girl nodded, without saying much.
"When you first came in, did you have to wash hundreds of dishes and clean all the courtyards in this mansion all by yourself?" Song Dujuan pressed further.
The little girl said slowly, "Everyone has a different task."
"And what about you? What was your test when you first arrived?"
"You should just focus on your own business and stop asking so many questions."
The young girl got up, put her work aside, and turned her back to Song Dujuan.
Song Dujuan could only stare helplessly.
As evening approached, the cooks came in one by one. The cook took the menu, read it aloud, and then the cooks went about their respective tasks.
The cook's gaze fell on Song Dujuan, and she frowned.
"Gui Lan, you're washing dishes so slowly. If it were anyone else, they would have washed at least a hundred more dishes by this time."
Song Dujuan's hands had been soaking in the water the whole time. Although it was summer, they had gone numb from being in the water for so long, and a layer of white had appeared on the surface.
Thinking back to her time in the Song family, she was always the one coming up with ideas and directing others. When she came to the Qiao family, she was aiming to become the mistress of the house in the future, and she never expected to do such arduous work.
Song Dujuan straightened her back and found that she could hardly stand up; she swayed and almost fell off the stool.
"Aunt Zhao, I've never done such heavy work before. Please let me get used to it," she said, suppressing her temper.
The cook, Zhao Ma, said, "I'm not a demanding person, but you have to finish washing before the meal is ready. In this big mansion, everyone, from top to bottom, is waiting for their meal."
Song Dujuan bit her lip and picked up another dirty plate.
She just couldn't understand it. It was said that Princess Zhenguo was kind and benevolent, and that the Qiao family had a harmonious atmosphere and that there was no deliberate mistreatment of the servants.
Why is she being treated differently?
The cook looked at Song Dujuan with a scrutinizing gaze.
That's right. She wouldn't treat her servants like that without orders from above; it's not in line with the Qiao family's usual practices.
But the message from above has been passed down, indicating that this Guilan is no good person, so let's rub her as much as we can.
A figure appeared at the doorway, and the cook's expression immediately became respectful, and she took two steps back.
“If the Princess Zhenguo has any instructions, her servants can simply relay them. Why come to such a smoky place?”
Qiao Lian'er had a smile on her face.
"Let me take a look."
Song Dujuan was washing the dishes with her head down when Qiao Lian'er arrived, and she became a little more diligent with her hands.
To avoid Qiao Lian'er being dissatisfied and making her leave the Qiao family.
Although she was very dissatisfied with how the Qiao family treated her, she could endure it for the sake of her future plans.
"Gui Lan, how are you feeling? Is there a lot of work to do?" Qiao Lian'er asked.
Song Dujuan suppressed a hint of resentment in her heart and said respectfully.
"Thank you for your concern, Princess Zhenguo. I am able to adapt and complete the task."
"That's good. It's not easy to enter the Qiao family and become a qualified servant. Just do your job well and you'll be blessed with good fortune," Qiao Lian'er said.
Observing Qiao Lian'er's expression, Zhao Ma noticed a hint of sarcasm at the corner of her mouth.
She became even more certain. "Let him torture me to death," she thought. "This man must have offended the Princess Zhenguo in some way."
After saying this, Qiao Lian'er left.
"Gui Lan, Princess Zhenguo hasn't been to the kitchen in a long time. She's come especially to take care of you, so you'd better do your best."
Song Dujuan felt something was amiss. Apart from her, hadn't Qiao Lian'er paid any special attention to anyone else?
Did she discover something?
Impossible. It took a lot of effort to find her face, and her voice was also changed. Even her family members couldn't recognize her at first.
Seeing her confusion, Zhao Ma said, "It means that Princess Zhenguo values you and wants to give you important responsibilities. If you do these jobs well, how far are you from becoming a second-class maid or a first-class maid?"
Song Dujuan then thought that some people do indeed have to go through rigorous tests before they are given important positions, just as jade cannot become a useful object without being carved, and people cannot become talented without being tempered.
Perhaps Qiao Lian'er saw her intelligence and wanted to train her, which is understandable.
So Song Dujuan, enduring her aching back, finally finished washing a large basin of dishes as darkness fell and the food began to be served.
There were many third-class maids, each sleeping in a small cubicle, only about half a meter square. In order to allow the servants to rest early and recuperate, the tung oil lamps were supplied with a fixed amount of tung oil every day. After burning for a while, they struggled a couple of times and then went out.
Song Dujuan lay in bed, her arms almost too heavy to lift. Thinking about the large courtyard she had to sweep tomorrow, she felt a surge of irritation and closed her eyes until midnight before finally falling asleep.
The next day, as soon as she opened the door, the head housekeeper, Granny Zhang, handed her a broom.
"Sweep up the fallen leaves and mud; it should be done in one morning."
As the sun rose higher and higher, the air grew increasingly sultry. Song Dujuan, holding a broom, worked under the blazing sun and soon became drenched in sweat. Moreover, as she swept in front, a gust of wind would blow fallen leaves all over the ground behind her, leaving her utterly exhausted.
But she dared not be negligent. She wiped away her sweat and looked up at the huge Qiao mansion.
Such grandeur and exquisite beauty, and the thought that she would become the mistress of this place filled her with a sense of conviction.
No matter how hard or tiring it was, she endured it all.
After noon, Song Dujuan finally finished cleaning all the courtyards. She was so tired that she sat on the ground, leaning on the broom, panting heavily.
"Not bad," said Granny Zhang. "Go to the kitchen and get busy. Today you only need to wash two hundred dishes, and tomorrow you only need to clean half of the courtyard."
Song Dujuan went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Two days later, the task was reduced again, to only a quarter of the initial amount.
Song Dujuan originally thought that this would give her more free time.
But things didn't go as she expected.
Because there is never a truly free time when you are a servant.
Various trivial chores filled her entire day, and by evening, she was completely exhausted and could only lie there.
Trapped in chores and unable to escape, Song Dujuan felt her mind beginning to go numb.
She slapped herself hard, determined not to let herself be slowly worn down like a frog in boiling water.
She must always remember her goal.
A month later, Song Dujuan was summoned to Steward Chai's presence.
"Gui Lan, your performance this month has been quite good. I have decided to promote you to second-class maid and assist the personal maid in Princess Zhenguo's room. You will be working with Zhu Xiang."
Qiao Lian'er had four personal maids by her side: Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, each with the character "Xiang" (香) in their names.
The fragrance of plum blossoms is calm and steady, the fragrance of orchids is gentle and tender, the fragrance of bamboo is sharp and keen, and the fragrance of chrysanthemums is fiery and intense.
"Do whatever Zhu Xiang tells you to do. You're her assistant, so don't overstep your bounds," Butler Chai added.
Song Dujuan was overjoyed; she was finally a little closer to Qiao Lian'er.
After enduring humiliation and hardship for a month, she began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.