Chapter 11: A Foolish Young Madam
Wang Gege remained nonchalant and kept on listening without much response.
Seeing that, Madam Liu continued, "For many years, I have assisted the Master in managing the affairs of the Xie residence."
Wang Gege nodded politely. "I see."
Madam Liu’s smile stiffened slightly. The reaction she had expected never came.
Most newly married young ladies would have immediately understood the significance behind those words. Yet the girl standing before her merely nodded as though she had just been informed about the weather.
After a brief silence, Madam Liu continued, "Before the Young Master returned to the residence, many matters within the household were entrusted to me."
Wang Gege nodded again, "I see..."
Madam Liu’s smile became noticeably more strained. For some reason, she felt as though she was punching cotton.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege was genuinely trying to keep up with the conversation. Unfortunately, she still had no idea what the woman was trying to say.
After several moments of thought, luckily a realization suddenly struck her.
Her eyes widened, "Ah...."
At last, she understood.
Madam Liu’s expression softened slightly. She thought finally, the girl had caught on.
Wang Gege immediately bowed her head, "Thank you for your hard work."
The courtyard instantly fell silent and Madam Liu’s smile froze. Even the servants standing behind her seemed momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege remained completely unaware that anything was wrong. The more she thought about it, the more impressed she became.
Managing such a large residence for years could not have been easy. Not only did Madam Liu have to oversee countless servants, but she also had to handle the daily affairs of the household while caring for an elderly master. That sounded exhausting.
As someone who had spent years dealing with endless paperwork, impossible deadlines, and unreasonable demands, Wang Gege genuinely respected people who could shoulder that kind of responsibility.
"Madam Liu must have worked very hard over the years." Her tone was entirely sincere.
But, sincerity was not always helpful if the other side saw it differently.
Madam Liu stared at her for several moments. She found herself unable to determine whether this new Young Madam was genuinely foolish or deliberately pretending not to understand.
The smile on her face became somewhat forced before she said, "You are quite polite, Young Madam."
Wang Gege immediately brightened, "Thank you."
The answer came so naturally that Madam Liu found herself momentarily speechless. A strange look flashed across her eyes.
The servants behind her quietly lowered their heads.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege continued standing there with a perfectly sincere expression.
After a long moment, Madam Liu finally withdrew her gaze. Perhaps she had been overthinking things.
Before today, she had already heard numerous rumors regarding the second daughter of the Shen family.
A timid temperament, an unremarkable appearance, little talent with little ambition and most importantly... not particularly clever.
Originally, Madam Liu had dismissed such rumors as exaggerations.
But when news of the bride switch first reached the residence, she had been among those who found it difficult to believe. The Shen family had abruptly replaced their carefully raised eldest daughter with the second daughter, and no one seemed to know the true reason behind it.
At the time, Madam Liu had assumed there must be some hidden calculation at work. After all, no one would willingly send a truly foolish daughter into the Xie residence.
Yet now, looking at the young woman before her, she found herself beginning to reconsider. Perhaps the rumors had not been entirely wrong after all.
The thought immediately eased the last traces of vigilance in her heart.
’A foolish young madam was far less troublesome than a clever one.’
With that in mind, Madam Liu’s smile finally became genuine, "Young Madam should take good care of herself."
After saying that, she no longer seemed interested in continuing the conversation. To Madam Liu, the girl standing before her had already ceased to be a threat.
She was ready to leave when Wang Gege smiled brightly, "Thank you, Madam Liu."
Then, after a brief pause, she added sincerely, "Madam Liu should also take good care of yourself."
Madam Liu’s footsteps paused.
Wang Gege continued without noticing anything unusual, "Managing such a large residence every day sounds exhausting. If it were me, I would probably collapse after a few days."
The smile on Madam Liu’s face became slightly strained again. She didn’t know why, but she could not tell whether the young woman was praising her or mocking her.
Before she could think further, Wang Gege spoke once more, "Fortunately, I do not have such ambitions."
The courtyard fell silent.
Madam Liu slowly turned her head and even the servants behind her looked up in surprise.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege remained completely oblivious to their reactions.
She was simply stating a fact because her greatest ambition in this life was simply to live peacefully, eat well, sleep well, and avoid being poisoned for a third time.
Anything beyond that sounded far too troublesome. However, her words carried a very different meaning in Madam Liu’s ears.
Madam Liu turned back completely, studied her quietly for a moment. As though a thought had suddenly occurred to her, she smiled.
"Is that so?" Her voice was gentle, yet there was something strange hidden beneath it, "Then this Madam is relieved."
Wang Gege blinked, "Relieved?"
Madam Liu nodded. "After all, Young Madam is now the wife of the Young Master."
A brief pause followed, "One day, the responsibility of managing this residence may naturally fall into your hands."
The servants immediately lowered their heads. Everyone understood what she was implying. Everyone except Wang Gege.
Wang Gege tilted her head slightly, simply stared at her, as her brain was loading.
When finally she caught the meaning behind Madam Liu’s words, her eyes widened. The color slowly drained from her face.
"No."
The answer came so quickly that Madam Liu nearly thought she had misheard.
Wang Gege shook her head, "No, no, no."
The smile on Madam Liu’s face froze. Meanwhile, Wang Gege looked genuinely horrified. As though she had just heard something terrifying.
"I think Madam Liu is much more suitable for that."
The courtyard once again fell into a deep silence.