The Third Madam smiled and said, "That's great, have you decided to choose her?"
The Second Miss nodded.
The Third Madam continued, "If so, why didn't you call her in just now for a conversation?"
The Second Miss looked at her mother, "Ask what?"
The Third Madam said, "Ask her how old she is this year, whether she signed a living contract or a death contract, and how many people are in her family. When she leaves with you, you'll certainly give her family a considerable reward. Since you've decided to take her away, you should reassure her family to make her feel at ease working for you."
The Second Miss shook her head. Now she understood why her grandmother didn't choose her mother to manage the household and instead let her second aunt take charge. It's really a matter of understanding the weight of matters.
And paying attention to the time, besides, who asks so many detailed questions the first time they meet someone?
"Let's leave it for today; let her come over in a few days, so as not to draw attention."
On this side, Qu Fulan was inexplicably called away, then inexplicably returned.
Although she still didn't know anything, she had some guesses in her heart.
First, Nanny Fang appeared out of nowhere to look for a bracelet, then called her to the Third House, but she didn't even get to see the main person.
These two things conveyed the same message: the Third House wanted to stir up something.
What was the Third House trying to do that involved maids?
Nanny Fang, under the guise of looking for a bracelet, took stock of the maids like they were goods.
She was called to stand in the courtyard of the Third House, and although she didn't see the main person, wasn't someone hiding and observing her somewhere?
If it was an observation, why choose her out of many maids for individual scrutiny? What was the purpose?
Qu Fulan couldn't help but think of a word: confidante.
It might not be completely accurate, but that's generally what it meant.
To make someone willingly contribute to oneself, one must cultivate them as a confidante.
If you want to cultivate a confidante, you naturally need to observe carefully and select one that meets the criteria to take back and nurture.
And what task would require selecting a humble yet beautiful maid to be a "confidante"?
Qu Fulan had watched many dramas about palace and household battles, more or less understanding that ancient women could go through a lot to secure favor, even bringing concubines to their husbands as a means of consolidating affection. The concubine must be her own people, completely obedient to her commands.
Isn't this what the Second Miss, who returned to her parental home, is doing now?
In ancient times, men having three wives and four concubines was normal. Was the Second Miss forced out of her husband's love by other concubines, which is why she returned to bring back a 'trusted person' to cultivate?
So the candidate must be extraordinarily beautiful and of low status to be easily controlled.
Thinking this way, she truly met the criteria perfectly.
Qu Fulan didn't want to indulge in wild thoughts, but this was the only guess that fit the current situation.
As for the real situation, further confirmation was needed. Even if this wasn't the intention, she had to find out what the other party intended for her to come up with a countermeasure.
Meanwhile, Yueyuan planned to find Fulan to discuss something, but when she arrived, she only saw Hai Xia, not Haitang.
"Where did Haitang go?" Yueyuan asked.
Hai Xia, who was inside the room eating sunflower seeds, quickly stood up nervously upon seeing Sister Yueyuan and replied, "Nanny Fang took Sister Haitang to the Third House, and she hasn't returned yet."
Yueyuan frowned and said, "Nanny Fang? Why would she go looking for Haitang for no reason?"
Seeing that Yueyuan didn't seem to intend to blame her for being lazy, Hai Xia felt relieved and said, "I don't know either. Earlier she came to this small courtyard saying she lost something and asked our sisters to help find it, but she left before finding it. Later, she returned and took Sister Haitang away without saying what it was about."
It's not that Hai Xia didn't care about Haitang's well-being; she was worried when Haitang was mysteriously taken away. But she had a bad habit: she liked to eat sunflower seeds when she thought about issues, and she couldn't figure anything out despite munching for a long time.
Yueyuan thought for a while but didn't come up with anything, so she said, "When she comes back, have her come find me."
Yueyuan had just left for a short while when Qu Fulan returned.
Hai Xia immediately said, "Just now, Sister Yueyuan came looking for you. I told her you were called away by Nanny Fang, and she said for you to go find her when you get back."
Qu Fulan initially wanted to ask Hai Xia some questions about the Third House to make further analysis, but after hearing this, she changed her mind.
Although Hai Xia was well-informed, her understanding of the Third House surely couldn't compare to Yueyuan's. Asking her would be futile, so she went to find Yueyuan.
When she saw Yueyuan, she was embroidering a forehead band for the Old Madam.
"Sister Yueyuan, Hai Xia said you were looking for me earlier. Is there something you need?" Qu Fulan asked.
Yueyuan smiled and said, "Ever since Hua Hao drank the medicine you prescribed, she's felt warm inside and has never been in pain again. She wants to thank you, but since she's not fully rid of menstrual issues, she asked me to come instead, and this is her thank-you gift to you."
Senior maids could receive some special privileges, such as being exempt from serving the Old Madam during their period. It was not only to consider the maid's health but mainly to avoid passing bad luck to the master.
Looking at the bracelet in Yueyuan's hand, Qu Fulan declined, "I've already received the medical fee; how could I possibly accept another gift now?"
Yueyuan said, "It's just a token of appreciation. You should accept it. Even though it seems like an ordinary bracelet, it was bestowed by the Old Madam herself, quite precious. If you don't accept it, are you saying it's not good enough?"
With words put like that, it left Qu Fulan unable to decline further.
"Please thank Sister Hua Hao for me."
Only then did Yueyuan say, "Earlier, Hai Xia mentioned you were called away by Nanny Fang. What was it about?"
Qu Fulan was about to speak, and upon hearing this, she didn't hide it, recounting how Nanny Fang had gone to the courtyard to look for a bracelet, then brought her to the Third House only to be stood up.
"Sister Yueyuan, I'm afraid I might have done something wrong and offended the Third House, but honestly, I don't know where I went wrong. After all, I've been in the courtyard all day without going out. Now this situation is making me nervous. I ask Sister Yueyuan to help me find out, so if I've inadvertently done something to offend, I can seize the opportunity to apologize and be at ease."
Friendship meant a lot, as Yueyuan took it to heart after listening.
"You needn't worry. It's late now; I'll look into it tomorrow. There's probably nothing significant, so rest assured."
Under normal circumstances, dealing with such perplexing matters would have kept Qu Fulan up at night.
Yet, she fell asleep right after lying down.
This was related to the drastic ups and downs she experienced in modern times, where she learned that often panic was useless. Once things happened, only by calming down could one find ways to resolve issues. Panic would only make matters worse.
It was the same now; even if she didn't sleep all night, whatever was bound to happen would still happen and wouldn't change because of her worries. It was better to rest well and then think of a plan.
Even when facing the worst scenario, there would always be the worst solution to address it.