The Little Bedmaid Just Wants to Get By - Chapter 8

Guan Yuan was distraught. How am I going to answer that? Doesn’t this person have any self awareness? Why was it tense? Maybe because of your nasty temper, unpredictable moods and insane expectations. Always finding fault where it doesn’t exist, or punishing someone over almost nothing. 

Seeing her at a loss for words, Dou Zhao couldn’t bear to continue pressuring her. With a sigh, he said, “Forget it. I know you intentionally tripped up Xiang Xin and Cai Ju so that you can serve me personally once again. Unfortunately…”

“I did not!” Guan Yuan exclaimed.

She was absolutely dumbstruck. What on earth was going on inside his brain? How could she have intentionally tripped up Xiang Xin and Cai Ju? And in no way did she want to return to serving him personally. 

After all, she wasn’t crazy. 

Dou Zhao’s eyes cooled. “You don’t wish to serve at my side?” 

Guan Yuan was on edge. “N…no, that’s not it!”

Ah, cursed impulsiveness. How could someone with an ego as big as the Second Master bear to hear such words? Nervously, she tried to fix the situation. “It’s not that I don’t want to serve the Second Master. I was just saying that I never intended to harm Xiang Xin and Cai Ju. The things that I prepared for them were as clean as always. Today’s incident was because I got distracted. I didn’t mean it. As for Xiang Xin, I don’t even know why she got punished.”

She was suffering more injustice than Dou E*.

Dou Zhao humphed coldly. “I see that you’re good at shirking blame. Tell me, then. That day, was the Bai Mu Dan that Xiang Xin brought in the one that I’ve taught you, and only you?” 

Guan Yuan nodded. “That’s right!”

“Then why didn’t you serve it yourself instead of getting her to bring it in? Did you intend for her to claim credit and make a blunder in front of me?”

Guan Yuan stared blankly. “Huh? I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know?” 

Guan Yuan answered honestly, “Second Master told me to serve tea that day, but as I was about to serve it to you, Xiang Xin intercepted me and said that I shouldn’t get close to the Second Master, which is why I ended up not bringing it to the Second Master myself…”

“That’s enough!” Dou Zhao’s impatience was evident as he interrupted her. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

Guan Yuan bit her lip but didn’t dare to continue defending herself. Her eyes grew red and teary as she thought about how unfair it was. 

Like raindrops on a delicate flower, crystalline teardrops rolled down a tender, supple cheek, falling onto a slender pale neck before disappearing into the impressive mounds of fair white flesh. 

Dou Zhao looked away with some effort. Horrible woman. Even now, she’s still trying to seduce me.

He suppressed the erratic rhythm of his heart and resolved to be firm. “Let’s put aside the matters of the past. I called you here today because there are enough people in the court. If you wish to leave, I can appeal to the Grand Lady to release you early.”

Guan Yuan’s aggrieved heart shook violently. Is he for real? Did I hear wrongly? He’s letting me go just like that?

She wanted to agree right away, but as she was about to reply, she remembered that she couldn’t leave just yet. 

Indeed, she had been eager to leave in the past, but that was because the Second Master was difficult to please. Now that she didn’t need to serve him personally, her days were leisurely, and she was in no hurry to leave. 

She also recalled the task that her brother assigned her. Her brother was in need of money right now, and she herself was penniless. If she left just like this, then wouldn’t she have to go around begging for food with her brother again? Now that they were fully grown, perhaps begging wouldn’t even be enough. In the end, she might need to sell herself or starve to death. 

It was true that she wanted her freedom, but she wanted a freedom where she would be warm and fed. Letting her brother open a clinic with her ten years of savings was her solution. Her plan was to move to another court and muddle through the next four years. With the additional savings, she would have no worries once she left. But now, her brother was not doing well, and she was broke. 

If her freedom was a thousand times more pitiful, then she would rather stay here for the rest of her life. 

Therefore, her brother had the right idea. Only by treating the Second Master and getting those three hundred taels of silver could she and her brother live the life of their dreams. 

She couldn’t leave yet. 

On the other hand, Dou Zhao frowned when she remained silent. “Why? Are you so happy that you can’t speak?” 

Guan Yuan pinched her fingers and replied steadily, “No, Second Master. I don’t want to leave yet.” 

Silently, Dou Zhao let out a sigh of relief. These contradictory feelings made him uncomfortable, but he continued nonchalantly, “That’s strange. All the servants who were pardoned by the manor and allowed to leave early have always been ecstatic and grateful. And yet, you don’t wish to leave. Why is that?” 

Guan Yuan wracked her brains for a suitable response. “I’ve already gotten used to life in the manor, and the masters treat us well. If I were to leave, I’m afraid…afraid…”

Afraid of what?

Working in the manor for ten years, the money they earned would have been enough for them to live a comfortable life. With their freedom, they would be able to pick a good husband and get married. Even if the maid didn’t come from an influential family like the Dou family, a maid from a lesser family would be in high demand from commoner scholars. 

If she still had her money, she would have been able to live the leisurely life of her dreams once she left. She would have nothing to be afraid of. 

After umming and ahing for a good long while, she finally came up with a reasonable explanation. “I have lingering attachments to the manor. After staying at Chang Zhi court for ten years, I have touched every tree and blade of grass here. This place is like my home, and I can’t bear to just leave.” 

Now that she thought about it, Guan Yuan started to feel a bit sentimental. When she arrived, she was only six years old. The liveliest ten years of her life were all spent here. It was impossible not to have any lingering attachments. 

“Also,” Guan Yuan suddenly thought of the most important point, “The Second Master saved my life. If it wasn’t for the Second Master, I would have died in the stables back then. I have no way of repaying such kindness. I only wish to serve the Second Master for a few more years. Then, I will be satisfied when I leave.” 

She recalled the incident from ten years ago. 

That winter, she had no choice but to sell herself into the Dou manor as a servant so that her older brother could survive. At that time, she was tanned and scrawny, so she was sent off to the kitchen to tend to the fires. 

Although she was young, she was diligent. Whatever the kitchen maids told her to do, she did it to the best of her abilities. She also did her best to learn to speak sweetly, so that she could curry favor with the other kitchen maids. 

Despite this, when the Third Young Lady complained of a fishy odor from the undercooked fish soup, she was pushed to take the blame. Since then, she was assigned the dirtiest and most exhausting jobs, such as washing the servants clothes or emptying the chamber pots. 

How could such a young girl handle these tasks? In the cold winter, she soaked her hands in water all day. Within a few days, ice burns started appearing on her hands. It hurt whenever she touched water. If she didn’t finish washing the clothes she would be beaten and starved. Within a few months she was as skinny as a twig, and was barely able to continue working. 

One day, she felt faint as she was emptying a chamber pot, and accidentally splashed some onto Cai Yue, the senior maid who happened to be passing by. Cai Yue came from the Eldest Young Master’s court, and was always arrogant and picky, so there was no way Guan Yuan could get away with angering her. 

Ignoring Guan Yuan’s weak explanation, she rushed into the stables, and began beating Guan Yuan to death with a horse whip. 

That was a whip used for training horses. Being hit by it was excruciatingly painful. Guan Yuan was barely skin and bones, so how could she bear such a cruel beating? At first, she could still cry out from the pain, but as her breath grew weaker, she could only make feeble attempts to crawl away. 

This scene was witnessed by the Second Young Master Dou Zhao, who happened to be returning to the manor on horseback. He immediately shouted at Cai Yue to stop. 

That was the first time Guan Yuan had seen the true masters of the manor. At around ten years of age, he was fair and slender. Although he was very handsome, his pallid complexion made him look somewhat haughty. 

Perhaps this young master saw that she was about to die, so he brought her back to his court and even summoned a doctor to treat her. The senior maids of the court, who were about sixteen years old, also took pity on her and took care of her. When she recovered, she remained in Chang Zhi Court, starting from the position of a sweeping maid.

When she was ten years old, the senior maid in charge of tea preparation left the manor upon turning twenty. Thus, she was called forward to take over her duties.

It was from then on that Guan Yuan began to actually interact with the Second Master. 

In the first few years, the Second Master was actually quite good to her. He didn’t criticise her even when she made mistakes. Instead, he taught her patiently. Guan Yuan’s exceptional skill in tea preparation was mostly a result of Dou Zhao’s teachings. 

But when she turned fourteen, Wang Hui was thrown out for attempting to seduce the Second Master. Not long after, Guan Yuan herself was reprimanded harshly for applying makeup. After that, all the maids in the court were made to run laps around the courtyard during noontime every day. In addition to being tanned by the sun, they were forced to increase their food consumption, resulting in all of them having sturdier figures than the maids elsewhere. 

Even so, Guan Yuan vaguely felt that he was dissatisfied whenever she was serving him personally. Like picking a bone from an egg, he would always be able to find some reason to criticise her, but if she suggested having someone else serve him instead, he would get even angrier. 

Guan Yuan spent her days tiptoeing around him. It was too difficult to serve such an erratic master. 

Thinking about it, if the Second Master could stay the way he was before she turned fourteen, she would have been willing to serve him forever.

With the way things were now though, surviving until she turned twenty was stretching it. 

Guan Yuan said sincerely, “I hope the Second Master will keep me for another four years.”

At this time, Cai Ju returned and served a cup of tea to Dou Zhao. 

Dou Zhao hurriedly took a sip. Although his brows visibly furrowed at the taste, he didn’t criticise her, and just said mildly, “The flavor is lacking. Prepare another cup.” 

Guan Yuan was taken aback. You’re letting it go just like that? 

If it had been her, a scolding would have been considered a light punishment. Most of the time, he would make her brew the tea right in front of him, over and over, until it was identical in taste and color to the one that he brewed. Then, she would have to practice the same thing for an entire night without any sleep. 

Now that Bi Xin and the others had arrived, they could get away with just preparing another cup? Not even a single word of criticism? 

Guan Yuan stared at Cai Ju enviously. It must be nice to be a frail and beautiful woman. As long as it’s not a severe mistake, the masters can’t even bear to scold you. 

Cai Ju, however, looked devastated. She trembled as she brought the tea cup out. 

Guan Yuan was somewhat bewildered. If the Second Master was that merciful towards her, she would laugh in her sleep. 

Sigh. We lead the same lives, yet our fates are so different. Inevitably, a wronged expression appeared on her face as she thought this. 

Dou Zhao glanced at her, then asked, “Why do you look so unhappy?”

There was no way Guan Yuan would answer honestly. Instead, she continued the earlier topic, “It makes me sad to think that I won’t be serving the Second Master anymore. Second Master, please don’t send me away so soon!” 

A woeful look appeared on that tender, beautiful face, her eyes imploring as she looked at him. 

That was the first time Dou Zhao saw such an expression on her face. Normally, she would act as if she didn’t care. Even when she was seducing him, she would act as if it was an accident. The honest and exposed expression on her face now assaulted the deepest recesses of his heart. 

Instead of replying, he closed his eyes and rubbed at the spot between his eyebrows. Seeing that he looked annoyed, Guan Yuan lifted up a feather fan, attempting to placate him. “Second Master, do you feel warm? Shall I fan you?” 

Distracted by the agitation in his heart, Dou Zhao didn’t hear what she was saying at all. Guan Yuan misunderstood his silence for assent, and stepped forward. As she was about to fan him, Dou Zhao stood up. 

She didn’t expect that he would stand up, and fell backward. As she was about to hit the ground, she felt a hand on her back. Dou Zhao was holding her, preventing her from falling down. 

Close. Too close. 

Their breaths mingled. The scent of a young lady in full bloom wafted towards him unabashedly. A petal-pink face hovered a mere inch from his own. The baby hairs moist with sweat, the pliant skin, the splatter of faint freckles, the tiny delicate nose. And that small mouth, as delicate as a cherry blossom petal. It glistened with a faint pinkish hue, tempting him to take a bite. 

Dou Zhao could not prevent his involuntary reaction. Hastily, he released his grip, and Guan Yuan tumbled unceremoniously onto the floor. 

—

* Reference to 窦娥冤 (Dòu É yuān), a play from the Yuan dynasty.