Time Is Slow - Chapter 33
The group arrived at the west wing of Yahe Courtyard.
As soon as they entered the yard, they were met with the sounds of Second Miss, Li Jiao, groaning. Each groan louder than the last.
Madam Liu couldn’t help but smile.
“Old Madam, do you hear that? It sounds like Second Miss is quite badly injured!”
Old Madam Deng remained expressionless as she walked forward.
“We’ll know the extent of the injury once we see it.”
A little maid, Shiliu, saw the large group of masters arriving and shrank back in fear before dashing inside.
“Madam! Miss! The Old Madam is here!”
The sight of shattered porcelain all over the floor, paired with Li Jiao’s groans, threw Madam He into a panic. Hearing the maid’s report, she leaped up from her seat, only to step on a piece of broken porcelain. She immediately grimaced in pain and fell right back onto the chair.
Afraid that her daughter would see her as weak, she gritted her teeth and didn’t utter a sound.
“Mother, did you step on a shard?” Qiao Zhao asked naturally as she crouched down, reaching to lift Madam He’s dress.
Madam He instinctively pulled her foot back and hurriedly said, “No, no—”
A pair of soft, slightly cool hands gently pressed her foot in place, accompanied by a soothing voice.
“Don’t move.”
Qiao Zhao carefully lifted her mother’s right foot. There was a mark on the sole of her shoe, but thankfully, it hadn’t pierced through.
She sighed in relief, then looked up with a smile.
“It’s nothing serious.”
Madam He sat there as if she had been petrified, staring blankly at Qiao Zhao. Her eyes slowly turned misty.
At that moment, Old Madam Deng entered and took in the scene, puzzled.
“He, what’s going on here?”
Madam He snapped out of her daze and gave a somewhat bewildered smile.
“I accidentally stepped on a porcelain shard just now, and Zhao Zhao was checking my foot to see if I was hurt. Old Madam, just look at how thoughtful Zhao Zhao is!”
So clearly, whatever happened to Second Miss must have been her own doing. Old Madam, you must see the truth!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Madam He’s tears instantly spilled over. Yet even as she cried, she managed to throw a triumphant glance at Madam Liu.
Madam Liu scoffed dismissively but couldn’t help feeling a little sour.
Her own two daughters had never been this attentive to her!
She cast a sidelong glance at Qiao Zhao as the girl stood up. Why hasn’t this wretched girl gone back to her usual self yet?
Qiao Zhao, who had no intention of ever going back to her “usual self,” greeted the elders properly.
“Grandmother, Second Aunt.”
Old Madam Deng frowned as she glanced at the broken porcelain scattered across the floor.
“Why hasn’t this been cleaned up yet?”
Second Miss Li Jiao immediately shot a warning glare at Qiao Zhao.
Qiao Zhao smiled and answered honestly, “Second Sister said she wanted to keep it as evidence.”
Old Madam Deng stepped carefully around the mess and approached Li Jiao, who was sitting in a chair.
“Second girl, your foot is injured? Let your Great-Aunt take a look.”
Li Jiao was the only legitimate daughter of the Eastern Courtyard, and her name, “Jiao” (meaning delicate), was truly fitting. She had been pampered beyond measure. Now, though her foot was injured, she was too afraid of the pain to remove her shoe. Instead, she stretched out her wounded hand, pitifully showing it to Old Madam Deng.
“Great-Aunt, look. I didn’t just hurt my foot. My hand is injured too. It hurts so much! And it’s all Qiao Zhao’s fault…”
The palm of her fair, soft hand bore a shallow scratch, with a bit of dried blood.
Seeing that it wasn’t serious, Old Madam Deng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, she still didn’t know how bad the injury on her foot was, so she ordered, “Nanny Gui, check Second Miss’s foot.”
Nanny Gui was one of the old madam’s personal attendants and had some basic medical knowledge. The Western Courtyard wasn’t a household of extreme wealth, so for minor illnesses and ailments among the women, they usually wouldn’t call for a doctor. Instead, Nanny Gui would tend to them.
“Yes, madam,” Nanny Gui responded as she stepped forward.
The moment Li Jiao saw the rough, large-handed woman approaching, she felt disgusted. She frowned and shrank back, pouting at Old Madam Deng.
“Great-Aunt, have you informed my grandmother and my mother? I want Nanny Dong to take a look.”
Nanny Dong did have some real skills. Her adoptive mother, surnamed Dong, had once been a medical maid in the palace. When Old Madam Jiang married into the Li family, her mother personally requested a noblewoman in the palace to gift Dong to her as a dowry servant.
Dong had spent over twenty years in the Li household. As she grew older, she took in a maid from the estate as her adopted daughter and passed down all her medical knowledge to her. That maid was now Nanny Dong.
After Dong’s passing, Nanny Dong took over her position in the Eastern Courtyard.
Of course, no matter how skilled Dong had been, she was nowhere near the level of the imperial physicians. Naturally, the disciple she trained, Nanny Dong, wasn’t extraordinarily talented either. But compared to the average household servant with only basic medical knowledge, she was certainly much better.
Still, Nanny Dong’s skills were hardly needed for a simple foot injury. NannyGui was more than capable of handling it.
Hearing Li Jiao’s request, Nanny Gui couldn’t help but feel displeased.
She stood quietly to the side, waiting for the masters to make their decision. Though her face remained impassive, inwardly, she scoffed coldly: Look at Second Miss acting all high and mighty, does she really think she was born to be a princess?
Old Madam Deng respected the Eastern Courtyard, but she wasn’t the type to be manipulated by a child, nor would she lower herself to argue with one.
Smiling, she gently advised, “Jiaojiao, your foot is bleeding. If you wait too long, the wound will stick to your sock, and removing it later will be much more troublesome.”
Li Jiao’s face turned pale. After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly stretched out her injured foot.
“Then… let Nanny Gui take a look.”
Nanny Gui glanced at Old Madam Deng, who gave her a slight nod.
With that, Nanny Gui knelt down and carefully removed Li Jiao’s shoe.
Li Jiao winced in pain and snapped, “Be gentle!”
“Yes, yes, this old servant will be careful—” Nanny Gui suppressed her irritation and maintained a neutral expression. However, as she picked up the scissors to cut away the blood-stained silk sock, her fingers subtly brushed against the exposed wound.
“Ah! That hurts so much!”
The sudden pain, combined with her earlier frustration with Qiao Zhao, pushed Li Jiao’s anger to the breaking point. Completely forgetting the ladylike manners instilled in her by Ol Madam Jiang, she lashed out.
She kicked Nanny Gui straight in the face, sending her tumbling backward.
The unexpected scene startled Fifth Miss, Li Shu, who let out a sharp gasp before quickly covering her mouth in fear.
Li Jiao was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. She rushed forward, bending down with a look of concern.
“Second Sister, are you alright?”
Li Jiao clutched her leg, her eyebrows furrowed in fury.
“Clumsy fool!” she scolded.
Old Madam Deng’s expression cooled. She said indifferently, “Nanny Rong, help Nanny Gui up. Be careful not to let the scissors cut her hand.”
Nanny Rong stepped forward and helped Nanny Gui to her feet. Nanny Gui, still shaken, hurriedly bowed and apologized, “Second Miss, please forgive me. It was my clumsy hands that hurt you.”
The servants in the room exchanged glances, their perceptions of Second Miss subtly shifting.
Usually, when they had minor ailments, they couldn’t afford to call for a physician and would seek out Nanny Gui instead. She was kind-hearted. If a maid or old servant had money, they might give her a scented sachet or handkerchief in gratitude, but those who had nothing were never turned away.
Now, as they looked at Li Jiao, they couldn’t help but think: Tsk tsk, everyone says Third Miss has a bad temper, but it seems Second Miss is the truly arrogant one.
A fleeting, cold smile flickered in Nanny Gui’s eyes as she bowed in apology. A good reputation takes years to build, but ruining one only takes the flick of a finger. Too bad these high-born young ladies don’t understand that.
At that moment, Binglü called out loudly, “The Marchioness and the First Madam have arrived.”