Here’s a new chapter guys. Enjoy!

Chapter 9 : A Malicious Servant Domineering Her Master (Part I)

On the journey home, Lian Qiao tried to hold it in before she finally snapped, "Miss, why did you gift those plum blossoms to someone else? In any case, they still costed us money. If you wanted to use them as a present, you should have kept a stalk so we could display it in the house. What is the logic in giving them away to strangers without anything in return?

"Lian Qiao, have you ever seen me fancying plum blossoms?" Jiang Ruan spoke.

"This- Indeed, you don't favor them greatly," Lian Qiao shook her head. When Jiang Ruan's mother was alive, her lady still liked flowers. However, ever since her passing, Jiang Ruan had been living through hardships everyday and was not in the mood to lead a life of love and gaiety.

"Since I don't like them, there is no use in keeping them." Jiang Ruan spoke indifferently, "Why not do someone else a favor at little cost by gifting them to him?"

"But this favor is also made from money." Anxiety led Lian Qiao to approach the subject bluntly, "That old man is neither our relative nor friend. What was the point of gifting them to him?"

Jiang Ruan walked forward in a relaxed fashion, "Of course, there is a benefit in doing so. In this world, everything has a price. Today, I gifted him a few stalks of plum blossoms. In the future, the price that he will have to pay will naturally be higher than these plum blossoms. It is just that for now, we are not able to see it yet."

These words were too vague. Lian Qiao could not understand what she heard, while Bai Zhi trailed behind them silently. The both of them were very perplexed. Bai Zhi opened her mouth, "From your words, are you implying that we are going to meet the old man again in the future? But those plum blossoms were bought today in passing. If you already had an earlier plan, how could you predict that the old man would show up and argue with others?"

"I am not a deity, so how can I foresee the future?" Jiang Ruan replied calmly. Although her tone was light, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao felt a few degrees of coldness within. Goosebumps rose on their skins.

In the end, they managed to return to the residence without a hitch. From a great distance, they saw a maid, who wore a brand-new, green double-layered jacket, walking towards them. Her lips were smeared in brilliant red. As soon as she set her sight upon the trio, she raised her voice exaggeratedly, "Aiya, my lady. The weather is bitter and cold out there. Your body is still unwell so how could you venture outside? Where did you go? I searched the entire residence but I could not find you at all."

"Chun Ying," Lian Qiao stuck her hands on her hips, "Why are you causing an uproar in broad daylight? Don't tell me that wherever she goes, our lady has to report her whereabouts to you?"

"I am just worried about our lady. Miss, you barely recovered. As it is currently the year's end, if there were any more unexpected accidents, what should I do?" With her mocking tone, Chun Ying was not easy to be dealt with.

Bai Zhi knitted her brows, "You are also aware that our lady has not recovered fully yet. Then, why are you so loud? Your noisiness is causing her headaches."

Chun Ying flattened her mouth and spoke to Jiang Ruan, "Miss, I have the best of intentions. You are currently still sick, so you should not walk all over the place and allow outsiders the chance to gossip."

Jiang Ruan looked at her quietly. Both Chun Ying and Qiu Yan were high-ranked maids. Hence, her position was relatively high within the residence. Throughout the year, Qiu Yan was busy with matters outside of the residence, so her opportunities to bump into Jiang Ruan were extremely rare. However, Chun Ying was mainly responsible for the matters within the residence. She had a close relationship with the Zhang Lan family. As she was eager to please Zhang Lan, she often made life difficult for Jiang Ruan; she probably acted upon her superior's wishes. In front of Jiang Ruan, Chun Ying did not show a single shred of respect at all, as if she did not attach any importance to Jiang Ruan. Instead, she treated the Zhang Lan's family with more respect than her.

Jiang Ruan remembered Chun Ying very clearly. In her past life, the gossip about how she seduced Chen Zhao had spread like wildfire because Chun Ying was involved in adding fuel to that fire. She recounted the incident amongst the servants, as if she had seen it with her own eyes. Because of this, the gossip worsened and led Jiang Ruan to her early ruin.

As Jiang Ruan did not reply for a long time, Chun Ying looked towards her in surprise. Her sight met Jiang Ruan's. Her soft gaze was indescribably unnerving, as if she was scrutinizing a plaything that would soon be destroyed with detached pity.

"Miss?" Chun Ying creased her eyebrows.

Translated by : togekiss

Edited by : Anks & Ely