The Little Bedmaid Just Wants to Get By - Chapter 7
Bi Xin sauntered over. “What is it again?”
Cai Ju complained, “I told her to buy some spring water, but she spent so much time playing outside that I don’t have enough time to prepare the tea anymore. Jiejie, you know how the Second Master is. If he’s not satisfied with a cup of tea, he could make me redo it more than ten times! What am I going to do?”
Feeling wronged, Cai Ju reached out to pinch Guan Yuan’s arm hard.
Guan Yuan jumped back in shock, feeling similarly distressed. “No, it’s not that serious. In the past I started preparing the Second Master’s tea about an hour before he returned. Leave it to me, I can do it.”
“Ptui!” Cai Ju spat at her. “I knew that a slut like you would get greedy. You must be getting ambitious since you helped me for a few days. Do you think you can return to the Second Master’s side if I make a mistake? Dream on!”
Bi Xin’s face grew cold. “Who let you wander around outside?”
Guan Yuan lowered her head. “I didn’t wander around, I was just looking around since it seemed lively. I even walked faster on the way back…”
“That’s enough. You need to be punished for your mistake. Go kneel over by the wall and slap your mouth twenty times. You’re not allowed to return until the sun sets.” Bi Xin had long been dissatisfied with that increasingly fair and tender face, and took the opportunity to let her tan a bit.
If you look ostentatious, then you should know how to be subtle. You need to learn your lesson.
Guan Yuan didn’t expect that she would get into so much trouble over taking a small detour. She had rushed back without even taking a sip of tea, but now she had to slap her own mouth as punishment. That was too much. Even the Second Master wouldn’t be so harsh.
Furthermore, the Second Master typically used punishments like hand spanking or running. Slapping her own mouth was so degrading.
When Guan Yuan didn’t move, Bi Xin flew into a rage. “Why are you still standing there? Or would you prefer if I told the Second Master to grant you a few strokes of the paddle?”
That incident with the herbs was the only time that Guan Yuan had ever been beaten with the paddle. Remembering the excruciating pain, she could only admit defeat. “I understand. I will go now.”
Guan Yuan walked over to the courtyard wall and knelt down and raised her hand to slap her mouth. But when she raised her hand, her tears fell uncontrollably.
She felt so aggrieved. So terribly aggrieved.
She just took a small detour. It didn’t even take that much time. Nobody said anything when those maids spent the whole day strolling about outside. Why did they only pick on her?
She thought of the task that her brother had left to her. What was she going to do about that? She can’t even see the Second Master’s face nowadays, how would she get him to drink those tea leaves? That Second Master! Those leaves were a treasure that could help him with his illness, so why was he being so stubborn?
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. She just wanted to get through these four years in peace, why was it so difficult?
“What are you doing?” As she was feeling sorry for herself, a familiar voice sounded above her head.
Guan Yuan jumped in surprise. When she raised her head, she saw that it was indeed the Second Master.
Today, he was wearing a snow-white brocade robe with flowers embroidered in silver thread. At his waist hung the black Go piece which never left his side. Cold eyes glittered from a chiseled face. For such a beautiful man, he exuded such a cold and distant aura.
Guan Yuan didn’t expect that he would return so early today. It looked like Cai Ju’s worries were not unfounded. But even if she hadn’t gone to seen her brother, the Second Master had returned so early today that it wouldn’t have made a difference.
She could only confess truthfully. “I made a mistake.”
Dou Zhao hadn’t seen Guan Yuan for more than a month. The last time he had seen her was when he called out to her for a cup of tea while she was speaking with Mu Hui in the corridor, but she didn’t come in the end. Seeing her up close, he realised that she had somehow become fair again.
As she became fairer, the beauty that he had intentionally diminished could no longer be hidden. Snow white skin, glittering eyes. A small face that, despite being unadorned, was as vibrant as a pond of water lilies in full bloom in summer. The sight sent a jolt straight to his heart. Faint freckles, which had been hidden by her tanned skin, added an extra touch to her charm.
Dou Zhao forcefully suppressed the stirring in his heart, speaking slowly, “Stand up and speak.”
Guan Yuan stood up and wiped away her tears, trying to change the subject. “Second Master, why are you back so early today?”
“What mistake are you kneeling for?” Dou Zhao shot back.
Guan Yuan lowered her hand and wrung her hands, thinking for a long time before speaking. “I went out to buy spring water, but I was late because I was distracted by the crowd…”
“You’re back, Second Master!”
Bi Xin and the rest rushed over, hurriedly explaining. “This brat has become lazy recently. She doesn’t do her work properly, and even wanders around when buying groceries, so I told her to kneel as punishment. I wasn’t intending to offend the Second Master.”
“Not only that,” Cai Ju jumped in. “Recently, Second Master has been saying that the tea is poorly prepared. It’s all because the things that she prepared were unclean. She must be unhappy that the Lady demoted her, and has been playing tricks to make the Second Master dissatisfied with us. Please be the judge of this, Second Master!”
Dou Zhao’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Guan Yuan. “Is that really your intention?”
Seeing that the two were intentionally slandering her, Guan Yuan couldn’t even defend herself. Even if she won here, she could forget about living peacefully in the days to come. Besides, she couldn’t disprove the accusation that the things she prepared were unclean, and it was a fact that she returned late when she left the manor.
She could only bite her lip and look at Dou Zhao helplessly. “Second Master, I…I won’t do it again. I must have been possessed, please forgive just this once.”
Guan Yuan’s reddened almond-shaped eyes glistened with tears as the faint freckles on her face danced under the sunlight. Instead of diminishing her beauty, it elevated it, adding a unique, intoxicating flavor.
Dou Zhao forced himself to look away, saying calmly. “Since this is your first offence, I will overlook it. I won’t let you off next time.”
Guan Yuan was taken by surprise. Her misty eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Second Master!”
Cai Ju couldn’t understand, and said bluntly, “How could the Second Master just let her go? She returned late with the spring water because of her careless wandering. Because of that, your tea isn’t even ready yet!”
Dou Zhao’s eyes cooled, but his voice was unchanged. “Then how do you think I should handle this?”
Cai Ju said, “Of course she should carry on with her punishment of kneeling and slapping her mouth. You returned before she could begin slapping herself. She can’t be let off the hook that easily.”
Dou Zhao froze. He narrowed his eyes. “You told her to slap her mouth?”
Cai Ju was startled by the sudden coldness in his eyes. She retreated a few steps as she stammered, “It…it was Bi Xin Jiejie. She…she punished her, it’s not my fault.”
Bi Xin took a deep breath and knelt, swallowing her anger. “It was this servant who made the decision to punish Guan Yuan, because Cai Ju reported that she wandered off on her own and delayed My Lord’s tea time. Thus this servant wanted to give her a serious warning with a small punishment, so that she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”
Dou Zhao laughed coldly. “Since kneeling and slapping your mouth is a small punishment, I will give you both a serious warning with a small punishment for overstepping your authority and punishing others. Kneel outside and slap your mouth twenty times. Come back to serve me after you’re done.”
He turned to Guan Hai. “Keep an eye on them. If they hit too lightly, add another twenty.”
“Yes, sir!”
Cai Ju grew pale with shock. She wanted to plead for mercy, but seeing Bi Xin kowtow wordlessly and follow Guan Hai outside, she didn’t dare say anything anymore. She shuffled after them as she wept.
Although Dou Zhao’s actions could be considered as standing up for Guan Yuan, she wasn’t happy about it at all. She was so nervous that she didn’t dare breathe too loudly. She lowered her head and stood as still as a wooden pole, hoping that Dou Zhao wouldn’t suddenly turn around and punish her in a fit like he did with the others.
Seeing that he was leaving, she quickly bowed. “If the Second Master has no other orders, I will leave now.”
“Where are you hurrying to? Come with me. I have a question for you.” Dou Zhao didn’t want to let her off so easily.
“…” What else is there to ask? I wish I could faint right now!
After more than a month, Guan Yuan stepped into the main house once again.
After serving for ten years, she could recognize every chair, cup and plate in this house with her eyes closed. She thought Bi Xin and the others would make some changes after their arrival, but from the state of the house it seemed that the Second Master still preferred to keep things simple.
Dou Zhao emerged from the inner rooms after changing his clothes. As he sat down at his desk, Guan Yuan instinctively moved to serve him tea, but she quickly remembered that she was no longer in charge of such things. Internally, she lamented over how a maid couldn’t even stay idle.
Currently, out of the five senior maids of the house, Bi Xin and Cai Ju were being punished by slapping their own mouths. Xiang Xin was being punished by serving tea at the second gate. Xiang Tao couldn’t withstand the kneeling by the lotus pond for seven days, and had found an excuse to return to the Grand Lady’s court long ago. Cai Mei was the only maid remaining in the house.
Together with Bi Xin, Cai Mei undertook the tasks that Mu Hui used to handle in the past, such as helping Dou Zhao to get dressed, folding his blankets, and fetching his bathwater, and could be considered one of the people closest to the master.
Seeing that nobody was present to serve tea to Dou Zhao, she went to prepare a cup for him.
From the color of the liquor, Guan Yuan could tell that it was his favourite Yu Qian Long Jing*, prepared with last year’s preserved rainwater. It’s just that the brew time was a bit too long, resulting in a darker color. The cup and serving time were not right as well.
Guan Yuan felt like her heart was stuck in her throat. This was equivalent to putting her hand into the lion’s mouth. The master was already angry, but to be served such a lousy cup of tea on top of that, wouldn’t she be sentenced to slap her own mouth as well?
Seeing that Cai Mei usually didn’t pick on her, Guan Yuan gathered the courage to speak up. “It’s been a while since I’ve served the Second Master tea. Shall I prepare a cup?”
Dou Zhao glanced at the tea in front of him. Swallowing his anger, he said to Cai Mei, “Forget it, take the tea away. When Cai Ju returns, get her to prepare another cup.”
He didn’t know Guan Yuan prepared most of the tea that Cai Ju served, and thought that it was mostly acceptable, although the intensity and temperature were a bit off sometimes.
Guan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Do you have something to ask me, Second Master?”
Seeing that she could still smile, Dou Zhao grew annoyed. “Is it fun to be bullied?”
Not expecting such a question, Guan Yuan murmured, “It…it’s not really bullying. I did spend some time watching a performance. It was right of Bi Xin Jiejie to discipline me, it’s just…just that I’m not used to slapping my mouth.”
“It was right of her to discipline you? So you mean that I’m the one in the wrong, since I punished her?” Dou Zhao said unhappily. Does this girl have a brain?
“N…no!” Guan Yuan waved her hands anxiously. “Whatever the Second Master does is right. I’m the one to blame.”
She really wanted to slap her own mouth now. Why was she spouting such nonsense, when everybody in this house was weird nowadays?
Dou Zhao stared at her for a long while. Then he said coldly, “You are indeed the one to blame. I haven’t seen you around recently. Have you been slacking off?”
Guan Yuan didn’t dare to say anything but the truth. “Mu Hui and I are now third-class maids. On top of that, we are under suspicion, so we are only allowed to care for the flowers and birds in the courtyard. We are not allowed to be anywhere near the Second Master.”
“Are you complaining about being demoted?”
“Huh?” Guan Yuan was stunned that he would understand her words that way. “That’s not true, Second Master. Mu Hui and I are quite at ease now. Being a third-class maid is great too.”
“At ease? So it was exhausting when you were serving me personally?”
Guan Yuan really wanted to die on the spot. What kind of question is that? Wouldn’t you know best if it was exhausting or not?
Verbally, she said, “Serving the Second Master personally…was not exhausting. It was just…somewhat tense.”
Dou Zhao laughed. “Oh, is that so? Tell me, why was it tense?”
At a young age, she already knew how to doll up and seduce him. When she was scolded, she acted innocent, then continued to tease him with all sorts of little actions. These days, she would cook up little schemes, and act pitiful to gain his attention.
Nervous? I don’t think so.
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* Yu Qian Long Jing – Long Jing tea picked before the Grain Rain Festival (between April 5 – April 20). Teas picked during this time have a stronger flavour