Chapter 224 - 223: Favoritism
Jin Rui wasn’t on duty this day, so she packed her bags and went back to see her parents.
Her home was on the main street, where most of the neighbors were servants of the Du Family, and Nanny Hua’s home was at one end of the street with Jin Rui’s at the other.
One of the wives saw her and quickly called out, "Miss Rui, have you come back?"
"Miss Rui, this silver hairpin looks really nice. Is it a reward from the Fifth Miss of the mansion? It’s evident how distinguished Miss Rui is."
"Miss Rui..."
"This is our second girl. Miss Rui, could you see if she could be sent to the mansion to serve the master?"
Jin Rui couldn’t walk a few steps without people coming up to talk to her. She was terribly impatient, and if it weren’t for the fact that her parents still lived on this street, she would have made some sarcastic remarks.
To those who greeted her with a smile, Jin Rui returned a smile, but she completely ignored those who angled for some benefit from her.
Jin Rui walked quickly, and soon reached the end of the street.
At the street’s entrance, Nanny Hua was holding a handful of sunflower seeds in one hand while popping one into her mouth with the other. She cracked it open, sucked the seed out, rolled her eyes, and spat the shell far away. Turning to her little daughter, she said, "See that? The mannerisms seem just like a concubine coming back to visit her family."
The little girl looked utterly confused; she was just five or six years old and had no idea what a concubine was.
Nanny Hua’s husband came out from inside, annoyed, "I say, can you stop talking like this to the girl? What kind of mother talks like that?"
Nanny Hua spit, "Oh, aren’t you impressive! I know you men all love those enchantresses, walking with their waists twisted like snake spirits."
"Hey, I say could you stop talking nonsense all the time? She’s a perfectly fine girl, and you have to describe her so insultingly." Nanny Hua’s husband shook his head repeatedly, his eyes falling on his wife’s waist, as thick as a barrel. She was plump, so she cursed others as enchantresses whenever she saw someone with a slim waist, but what was the point?
Before the words were out, Nanny Hua was about to jump up. Her husband quickly picked up the little girl and walked towards the door saying, "I’m taking the girl to the shop, you should go back to the mansion early."
Nanny Hua’s husband had just evaded her when he ran into Jin Rui’s father, Xue Si. He smiled, "Xue Si, your daughter just came back."
Xue Si responded, "I just heard she’s back, and I’m heading home now."
Nanny Hua’s husband watched Xue Si leave and felt a bit anxious. Luckily, his wife’s words insulting Jin Rui hadn’t reached the ears of Xue Si and his wife, otherwise...
Xue Si might tolerate it as an honest man, but his wife was formidable and might come wielding a vegetable knife to their house.
Jin Rui pushed the door open, and Mrs. Xue Si raised her head from a bucket of dirty clothes to glance at her.
"Let me do the washing, Mom," Jin Rui said as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Oh my dear Sister Rui," Mrs. Xue Si stepped back, "Your hands are meant to serve the young miss, how dare you wash clothes and roughen them up? How will you wash her hair and face then?"
This reasoning seemed valid, but coming out of Mrs. Xue Si’s mouth, it carried a tone of sarcasm, which made Jin Rui uncomfortable.
However, she knew Mrs. Xue Si’s temperament well and didn’t care to argue with her.
Inside, Xue Ping’er heard the voices and came out smiling, "Sister, you’re back."
Jin Rui raised the bundle she was holding, "I brought you some good things."
Xue Ping’er laughed, taking Jin Rui’s arm as they walked into the room, and they opened the bundle as soon as they were inside.
The bundle contained two boxes of rouge, a bottle of floral dew, two slightly worn robes, and a pomegranate skirt.
"You can make adjustments yourself later, and it’ll be wearable," Jin Rui said.
Xue Ping’er narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Mrs. Xue Si came over to take a look, "Sister Rui, how many times have I told you that Ping’er only goes out a few times a month? You always bring her this rouge, how could she use it all? And they’re all such good quality. Next time, just give me the silver, I’ll buy some cheap stock from peddlers for Ping’er. These would suffice. The remaining money should be saved; your brother’s wedding expenses haven’t been settled."
Jin Rui pursed her lips. If she gave the silver to Mrs. Xue Si, Xue Ping’er wouldn’t be able to buy anything for the rest of the year; it would all end up as food for her brother.
Mrs. Xue Si complained but was all smiles when she got the purse Jin Rui gave her. Even though her daughter loved to spend money on trivial things, she at least earned some. Spending was okay as long as the main share came to her.
She weighed it and frowned, wondering why it felt lighter...
She poured out the contents and was astonished, "Why does it feel like there’s much less than last time?"
"Mom, as you mentioned, last time was the Dragon Boat Festival. There was the Second Master’s wedding and a lot of rewards given. What’s happened in the past month? Only the Seventh Night Festival when the young miss gave me a little reward," Jin Rui explained.
Mrs. Xue Si found it reasonable, "Then in less than half a month, there’s the Third Miss’s wedding, surely there will be reward money, right? Next month is the Mid-Autumn Festival, then the Fourth Miss’s coming-of-age ceremony, we can save a lot."
Jin Rui felt pained listening to this and was relieved when Xue Si came back to rescue her from the nagging.
After eating lunch at home, Jin Rui chatted with Xue Ping’er for a while. She was about to head back to the mansion when Mrs. Xue Si stopped her.
Mrs. Xue Si pulled her aside and whispered, "Sister Rui, I’ve heard people say that the young miss prefers Jin Ling, is that true?"
Jin Rui glanced at Mrs. Xue Si, "Who’s spreading rumors? Constantly scheming and plotting, how can these people guess the miss’s thoughts? If anyone dares say this to my face, I’ll tear their mouth apart!"
"Just tell me whether it’s true or not." Mrs. Xue Si insisted.
Jin Rui rolled her eyes, "What if it’s true? What if it’s not?"
"So it really is true?" Mrs. Xue Si gritted her teeth, "Why you? Our old Xue family has been in the mansion for a long time, and you’ve served the young miss longer than Jin Ling. How could you lose to an outsider? What a joke!"
"A joke? Who would dare!" Jin Rui was getting annoyed, saying, "With only me and Jin Ling by the young miss’s side, the young miss doesn’t have a scale in her heart to balance us equally; it’s not like she’s excessively biased. What’s the big deal?"
Mrs. Xue Si disagreed, "That’s not how it works! In the future, anything good that comes from the young miss will go to her, and what will you have left?"
"Alright, alright," Jin Rui leaned over and whispered to Mrs. Xue Si, "I’ll give you the bottom line, the young master’s pageboy has taken a liking to Jin Ling, this thing seems likely to happen..."
Before Jin Rui could finish, Mrs. Xue Si jumped up and pointed at Jin Rui saying, "You’re silly, you really are! Who is that? A young master’s side boy, if this happens, Jin Ling will be over you, and how would you ever turn it around?"