Upon hearing this, Hai Yue quickly pulled open the thin quilt and spoke to the person outside, "Yueyuan, cough, cough, I heard the Old Madam didn't rest well yesterday. It's entirely my fault for being useless. I'm fine now... cough, cough... No need to trouble anyone else. If they don't manage well, won't it make the Old Madam uncomfortable?"
Due to her anxiousness, she choked on her own saliva while speaking and coughed several times.
Yueyuan, although preferring Hai Yue to massage the Old Madam—believing that her absence would indeed cause discomfort—now realized from Hai Yue's coughing that she hadn't recovered yet.
The Old Madam was advanced in age; if she caught an illness, nobody could bear the responsibility.
"Hai Yue, you should rest well. I know you're devoted to the Old Madam, but you need to take care of yourself. Otherwise, your condition might worsen."
With that said, Yueyuan took Haitang away.
Behind them, Hai Yue bit her lips hard.
Though she knew Haitang going there wouldn't be of much help, if such work could be replaced easily, it wouldn't have been her responsibility in the first place. But knowing is one thing. Seeing Haitang take her place in serving the Old Madam was not something she could feel good about.
After Qu Fulan entered the Old Madam's room, the first person she saw was Heir Pei.
He, with a composed demeanor, looked at her mildly. Qu Fulan lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes, and stepped forward to pay respects.
Pei Ji'an raised a hand to stop her, "No need for formalities. You come over and massage the Old Madam."
Qu Fulan responded affirmatively, washed her hands, and approached to massage the Old Madam.
Massage is just a matter of moving fingers; whether it's done well is another matter entirely. Therefore, Qu Fulan didn't refuse, claiming she didn't know how to massage, lest she appear dull and useless.
In fact, Qu Fulan could massage well. Back when her Grandpa was bedridden, she took care of him meticulously.
But now, she could only pretend her actions were clumsy and novice, avoiding showing her proficiency.
Why?
The reason is simple.
Because this opportunity was one she intentionally let Hai Yue have, or rather, let someone else have. At the time, she hadn't realized Hai Yue knew how to massage.
She had been noticing the Old Madam's sleep issues, without overlooking any aches or pains the Old Madam had.
Yet, she could not take on the massage tasks because she had already cured the Old Madam's insomnia. The Old Madam had relied on her for two months already. If she became dependent again for massages, she would surely appear suspicious to others.
For someone with medical expertise, making someone depend on oneself is not difficult. She might have even been interrogated to determine whether she used any drugs on the Old Madam, leading to such dependency.
Even if nothing was found, her future would be ruined, leaving her without freedom or dreams.
Historically, those whose achievements surpassed their lords came to no good end. Thus, more achievements are not always better; they need to be kept moderate.
Some accolades need to be relinquished.
As for why Heir Pei chose her for the massage now, Qu Fulan continually speculated, having roughly figured out one possibility. She just didn't know if it was accurate; she'd see what Heir Pei would say next.
Indeed, after just a few massages for the Old Madam, Heir Pei spoke, "Since you know medicine, you should understand some acupoint meridian knowledge. Accurately targeting the acupoints should yield results."
With that, he watched Haitang's technique and then pointed out several special acupoints for her to try massaging.
Qu Fulan pretended to slowly grasp the essentials under his guidance. After a few tries, the Old Madam indeed felt comfortable and said she was doing well.
Indeed, those with a medical background have different comprehension abilities.
Heir Pei watched a while longer and then asked Hua Hao and Yueyuan to learn as well.
This was to avoid future situations where no one could be a substitute if anyone was ill.
Qu Fulan realized that her earlier decision was correct. She did not become the irreplaceable sole person, which would have harmed others and herself, arousing suspicion as well.
That night, the Old Madam slept soundly after Qu Fulan's massage.
Knowing this, Hai Yue was so upset she didn't sleep well all night. Consequently, by the next day, she was genuinely ill, necessitating Haitang temporarily to take her place.
During Hai Yue's recovery, Qu Fulan's techniques kept improving, and she also taught Hua Hao and Yueyuan. All these developments were unknown to Hai Yue for the time being.
Once she finally recovered, she eagerly wanted to go massage the Old Madam.
Yet since she didn't receive "training," her skills couldn't compare to Hua Hao and Yueyuan, let alone Haitang. The Old Madam suggested she rest a few more days.
The implication was she should practice more in the future.
But to reward her previous lone efforts, quite a sum of money was given to her.
It was only at this moment Hai Yue regretted deeply; she shouldn't have feigned illness out of spite. Otherwise, how would others get a chance to showcase before the Old Madam? Without them, she'd still be the sole contributor.
Yet now regret was futile; the position she painstakingly secured in pleasing the Old Madam was divided and gone.
Although the Old Madam generously rewarded her, how much did she care for that money?
She had grand aspirations.
Now, Hai Yue truly resented Haitang. It was rumored Haitang taught Hua Hao and Yueyuan.
She couldn't understand how she had possibly offended Haitang, leading her to stab her from behind like this, ruining her sole good job!
Despite her hatred, there was nothing she could do to Haitang now.
She couldn't even casually voice her complaints to others and could only find Taohong, venting lest she die from anger.
Luckily, Taohong was on her side, cursing Haitang as a vile woman, which somewhat alleviated her distress.
Before leaving, Hai Yue made Taohong repeatedly promise not to disclose anything, and Taohong swore to keep her word.
Yet returning to the third household, Taohong recounted the incident to other sisters, mainly to tarnish Haitang's reputation and stand up for Hai Yue and her sisters. As a result, a maid close to the Third Young Madam overheard it, reporting it to the Third Young Madam.
The Third Young Madam, named Yao Xing, was the legitimate wife of the third son.
Upon hearing this, she found it highly amusing.
"I haven't even had time to take any action, but they've already begun their fight?"
After entering the household, Yao Xing observed that her husband's eyes lit up at the sight of pretty maids; those at Fushou Hall were potential calamities.
The personal maid laughed, "This is fine; as the saying goes, when the snipe and clam struggle, the fisherman gains. We just sit back and enjoy the show."
Yao Xing chuckled at her maid's naiveté.
Having seen her mother battle concubines at home, never once did she see her merely wait and watch; inevitably, there was backhanded instigation.
"Isn't my dear Jin Lan about to host an elegant gathering at home? I'll ask the Old Madam's favor to bring both maids along."
As for whether they'd return unscathed, it was uncertain.