Yueyuan went to find Haitang.
Hai Yue continued to stand behind the old lady, not showing anything on her face, but feeling aggrieved inside.
She works from dawn till dusk every day, serving the old lady with all her heart and soul.
It's normal for elderly people to have backaches and leg pains, no medicine can cure it completely.
Hai Yue had developed a touch for massage from taking care of her sick mother in the past, so she could perform well before the old lady.
Yet, the Princely Heir didn't notice her efforts at all, only paying attention to a single Haitang!
At this moment, Hai Yue felt a resentment towards Haitang in her heart, blaming her for negating everyone's efforts just because she cured the old lady's insomnia.
Qu Fulan was also puzzled as she followed Yueyuan, wondering why Heir Pei wanted to see her.
Soon she figured it out, maybe it was a reward. Otherwise, she couldn't think of any other reason for the Heir to seek her out.
When she arrived at Fushou Hall, Qu Fulan went in obediently to pay respects to the old lady and the Heir.
The old lady said, "The Heir brought back an antique painting for you during his outing from the mansion. See if you like it."
Qu Fulan had attended many antique auctions in modern times and had some knowledge of such items. Now, looking at the antique painting in front of her, she was quite amazed.
It's genuine, extremely significant for collection!
"I like it very much, thank you, Heir!" Qu Fulan's expression of joy was truly sincere.
Pei Ji'an couldn't help but glance at her, "Do you know the origin of this painting?"
"I do, it's a work by Master Mo Chen, very significant for collection." Qu Fulan responded without hesitation.
Pei Ji'an smiled, his smile carrying a hint of appreciation, "Since you know, that's for the best."
Qu Fulan understood the unspoken meaning in his words. If she didn't understand the value of the painting, keeping it would be meaningless, and he would have to think about preparing another gift.
This gesture of sincerity wasn't for her; it was all for the sake of the old lady.
Pei Ji'an withdrew his gaze and said to his grandmother, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
In a few days, the Pei Mansion would welcome a bride, and since the Heir had returned, he would have to lend a hand here and there.
Now that the Heir had to busy himself with outside matters and family affairs, being able to remember to bring Haitang a gift in the midst of such busyness made Hai Yue feel a mix of emotions, quite uncomfortable.
However, no matter how uncomfortable she felt inside, Hai Yue still kept a smile on her face.
"Old lady, the Young Master is truly kind, treating us servants without any discrimination."
The old lady smiled and said, "Si has always been someone who's clear about rewards and punishments, not only Haitang, but in the future, anyone who makes a contribution will be rewarded by Si. Only in this way can one gain people's trust."
Hai Yue smiled in response, but in her heart, she thought that she had also pleased the old lady, so why did the Heir not notice her?
That night, Qu Fulan had another dream, again dreaming of the scenes in the book.
She was still observing from a god-like perspective, witnessing the heroine Li Jirou's experiences.
This time, the scene was at the Pei Family, at the wedding of Third Young Master Pei.
The Pei Family held a wedding, and more than half of the people in the Capital City came, making the entire Pei Mansion bustling with excitement. Even their rivals, the Xiao Family, had people attending.
Li Jirou saw the male lead Xiao Shiqing at this wedding, the two reunited at the Pei Family's wedding after many years of separation.
Xiao Shiqing only then learned that something happened to the Li Family, leaving Li Jirou to fall to the Pei Family as a maid, no wonder he hadn't been able to find her.
How could this be allowed?
Xiao Shiqing wished he could redeem her immediately, but Li Jirou had sold herself on a death contract, meaning without the master's consent, he couldn't take her away, especially since the Xiao Family and the Pei Family were adversaries.
Thus, Xiao Shiqing found Pei Ji'an to negotiate for Li Jirou's release.
Pei Ji'an did not agree.
Not only were the Pei and Xiao families born political rivals, but the Xiao Family had also recently schemed against the Pei Family, causing them significant losses.
However, Pei Ji'an wouldn't deliberately make things difficult, so he set a condition for Prince Xiao; if he could fulfill it, Pei Ji'an would release the person.
In the end, Prince Xiao fulfilled the task over two years and finally took Li Jirou away.
Li Jirou left with Prince Xiao full of joy, and that kind of excitement made Qu Fulan feel a stir in her heart even upon waking up.
She placed her hand over her chest.
What a foolish woman.
Li Jirou had chosen a path of no return, and now that Qu Fulan was here, she was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.
For this Pei Family wedding, she had to find an excuse to take a leave and avoid running into Xiao Shiqing.
She had planned everything right, and everything was progressing according to her scheme; she didn't want the appearance of the original male lead to disrupt her plans, as that would be infuriating.
Two days later, the Pei Mansion welcomed the wedding of the Third Young Master.
The entire Pei Mansion was bustling with excitement as described in the book.
Qu Fulan endured from morning till afternoon, and the liveliness of the Pei Mansion hadn't stopped.
Especially when the newlyweds entered the door, the sound of gongs and drums was so loud it could be heard several streets away.
Just wait for the banquet to be over, endure the day, and she could dodge the plot in the book.
Qu Fulan successfully requested a leave due to pretending to be sick.
Having a sickly person appear on a day of great celebration was considered inauspicious, so sick leave was easily granted.
Unfortunately, while she had everything planned, she couldn't prevent someone on the other side from sabotaging her.
Not only male guests attended the wedding of Third Young Master Pei today, but also female guests.
Opportunities for upper-class young ladies to go out in ancient times were generally rare, so they wouldn't miss a chance like this to go out.
Those nobility madams would also take the chance to bring their daughters out, eye each other, all for planning marriage arrangements for their children.
Among these female guests, there were definitely some ladies interested in the Heir Pei.
Since the Heir Pei had no personal maids by his side, they sought information about him from the maids around the old lady.
First-class maids were busy serving the old lady, so they couldn't be asked, leaving only the second-class maids.
The most notable one, Hai Yue, was invited by several prestigious young ladies to chat in the courtyard.
Among these young ladies, Miss Zheng took the lead, first asking about the Heir Pei.
"I heard that Heir Pei won't be leaving the capital this time, is that true?"
Hai Yue replied one by one, "I am not someone who serves directly in front of the old lady, so I am not aware of Heir Pei's plans. I only know that when the Heir returned, he brought gifts for everyone in the family, even the servants received rewards."
Miss Zheng asked curiously, "Is the Heir always so kind to the servants?"
Hai Yue lowered her eyes, continuing her responses calmly, "I don't know about other servants, I only saw the Heir gifting a painting to Haitang from the old lady's courtyard, and everyone is envious."
Miss Zheng slightly narrowed her eyes; she's heard of the name Haitang.
Today's bride marrying Third Young Master Pei, Miss Yao, was her close friend; she mentioned Haitang's name, saying she was even more beautiful than the renowned Miss Su, one of the five beauties of the Capital City.
This is indeed intriguing.
"I'd like to meet this girl; where is she now?"