Chapter 14

Hit Them Hard

“Let me show you around the courtyard, Cousin.”

Without warning, Yu Youyao pushed Chang An, who was behind the wheelchair, aside. She held onto the armrest of the wheelchair and gave it a push, but she was too weak. Again, she pushed as hard as she could, but it still did not move.

A corner of Zhou Linghuai’s lips lifted slightly. “Let Chang An do it. He’s used to it.”

But Yu Youyou was unwilling to concede. “Cousin, don’t underestimate me. I eat a big bowl of rice every meal and I’m very strong. I can definitely push you.”

She had been drinking a drop of Spirit Dew every day and had become much stronger.

Chang An crossed his arms and watched with a cold expression, full of derision, while she pushed as hard as she could with a reddened face. How strong could a girl under the age of ten be? Not just anyone could push the Young Master.

And yet!

The very next instant, it was like he got slapped in the face.

Seeing that the little girl could not manage to push him forward, Zhou Linghuai touched the wheels on both sides and secretly exerted some strength.

At the same time,Yu Youyao had held her breath and pushed with all her might. To her shock, the wheelchair ran into the gate and hit it with a loud clang.

“Cousin…” Yu Youyou’s face turned pale.

Caught off guard, Zhou Linghuai fell forward and almost fell out of his wheelchair.

Chang An, who had been behind him, immediately pushed Yu Youyao away and stabilized the wheelchair. “Young Master, how are you? I’ll go get Uncle Sun…”

“I’m fine.” Zhou Linghuai’s forehead was covered in sweat, and his face was getting paler. He held onto the wheelchair’s armrest, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, and his knuckles white.

Yu Youyao, who had caused this trouble, stood rooted to the ground at a loss. She wanted to step forward, but she did not dare to. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she did not dare to cry.

She had almost caused her cousin—who was such a dashing and magnificent young man—to fall from his wheelchair to the ground in a sorry state.

Zhou Linghuai slowly adjusted his clothes and looked at the little girl whose face had turned pale from fright. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, revealing a trace of gloom and coldness.

After causing trouble, she was now quiet and obedient. Her little head drooped as she looked listless and at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the anger in his heart had inexplicably dissipated.

On the other hand, after confirming that Young Master was fine, Chang An was furious. He glared at Yu Youyao and said, “Miss Yu, please be careful in future. My Young Master’s health isn’t good. He can’t handle your mischief. If you want to mess around, go find someone else.”

Zhou Linghuai frowned and chided, “Chang An, don’t be rude. Apologize to her.”

Chang An straightened his neck. “She was the one who had misjudged the situation, and almost caused Young Master to fall over. If anyone should apologize, it should be her apologizing to you.”

Zhou Linghuai’s voice turned sterner. “Do my orders mean nothing to you now?”

Chang An hung his head and his lips moved slightly.

“Cousin, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Yu Youyao felt utterly ashamed. After saying this, she quickly turned around and ran away.

Zhou Linghuai pursed his lips as he watched her retreating figure.

“Young Master…” Chang An was a little anxious. The Young Master seemed to treat Eldest Miss Yu differently.

Zhou Linghuai retracted his gaze and said coldly, “Go in!”

Yu Youyao felt terrible. She ran back to the north courtyard. As she ran past a low wall, she saw two older maids sitting in the side courtyard, munching on melon seeds and chatting.

“That Young Master is really handsome. It’s a pity that he’s a cripple.”

Yu Youyou suddenly stopped in her tracks. She heard one of them continue, “He will be a Young Master in this residence from now on. Watch your words. Have you forgotten what happened to old maid Zhao and the others?”

“Oh please, who in this residence doesn’t know that Eldest Miss is Old Madam’s darling? Yet Old maid Zhao dared to spread rumors about her. She and the others deserved to be beaten and sold. Young Master Zhou is merely a disabled guest. How can he compare to Eldest Miss?”

“…”

Yu Youyao rushed toward the two women and glared at them. She questioned angrily, “What did you say?”

The two old women were so frightened that their faces turned white. They knelt on the ground with a thud and started slapping their own faces, all the while crying out for mercy.

In An Shou Hall, Old Madam Yu was flipping through the portraits sent by Nanny Liu. She pointed at one of the portraits of a long-faced woman—

“This Aunt Xu looks suitable. She used to work at the Empress Dowager’s palace and is well-versed in pharmacology. She’s good at cooking, incense fragrances, and character training. She’s just turned forty this year; just the right age. Yao Yao needs someone who can take care of her well.”

Just as she thought, Nanny Liu smiled and agreed. “Old Madam has good taste. Those you like always prove to be great choices. I also think this one’s good.”

Old Madam Yu looked at the portrait carefully again. The more she looked at it, the more satisfied she was. “This Aunt Xu is so qualified. Why haven’t other families in the capital grabbed her up first?”

The palace servants released had always been very popular. Many of them would be booked in advance before they even left the palace. Aunt Xu was the most popular one in this batch.

“There’s something you might not have heard. Aunt Xu’s family had suffered a disaster when she was young. Everyone else had perished, so that’s when she had entered the palace. Eventually, after she received permission to leave the palace, she wanted to find a good family to spend her later years peacefully. Many households in the capital took a fancy to her, but she didn’t choose any of them.” Nanny Liu had always handled everything thoroughly and knew everything clearly.

Women in the Great Zhou Dynasty could not establish a household on their own. Hence, other than marrying again, someone like Aunt Xu, who did not have any other family, could only hope to find a kind family to work for.

A respectable nanny from a big family, such as Nanny Liu, was considered half a mistress of the household. In the future, she could also spend her elderly years in the same residence. It was not a bad way to live.

Aunt Xu was a respectable person in the Empress Dowager’s palace, and was even more qualified than Nanny Liu. She did not have to sell herself short.

When Old Madam Yu heard this, she clapped her hands together and smiled happily. “That’s good. Our family doesn’t have many people, and our back house is a clean and quiet place. Aunt Xu deserves to belong in our family. Go and ask her what she thinks. Tell her that if she joins us, she’ll only need to take care of Yao Yao, who’ll just need to be taught and reminded of some rules. Our family will definitely treat her well.”

Nanny Liu smiled and agreed.

At this moment, Dong Mei, an old personal maidservant of Old Madam Yu’s, lifted the curtain and entered. “Old Madam, bad news. Eldest Miss has ordered her servants to tie up two old maids. She even said that she wanted to give them 30 strokes of the paddle and sell them off…”

When Old Madam Yu heard this, she understood immediately. The beating in the residence a few days ago must not have been a thorough warning to the servants. It had only been half a month since then, but some of them had already reverted to their old ways of spouting nonsense. Old Madam Yu got very upset. She quickly asked Nanny Liu to help her over there to take a look.

When she reached the place, she could hear Yu Youyao’s angry voice. “You old maids. You don’t do your jobs well, only knowing how to avoid work and gather to gossip. Cousin is your Young Master. How dare you gossip about him? Grandmother is kind-hearted and has always been generous to you servants. But instead of doing your job properly, you’re here sizing up your young master’s character. Beat them, and hit them hard.”