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Chapter 78: Either Beating or Scolding

“Yes, she just left for home, and I even let her take that box of cakes with her. I don’t know how happy she must be, letting the nephews try something new. Speaking of which, I really owe you one, Fourth younger sibling. Such fine cakes certainly aren’t cheap, and you just gave them to me,” Mrs. Liu said, her smile widening when talking about her nephews from her mother’s family, much more joyful than when she mentioned Han Baofu from the second branch of the Han Family. It was clear that her relationship with her mother’s family was good; otherwise, Mrs. Liu would not have allowed her eldest sister-in-law from her mother’s family to take the cakes with her.

“It’s just a box of cakes, not worth much. It’s good that your sister-in-law likes them.” As for the cakes, Su Wenyue preferred to eat the ones she made herself. It was only because the Han Family hadn’t yet split the household, and it was inconvenient to do anything, that she had bought several boxes from the county town, but even then, the taste was just mediocre.

In her previous life, with her culinary skills, apart from what she made herself, only the pastries from the biggest cake shop in Chang’an City, Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant, met her standards. The truth was that most of the truly good pastry chefs were employed in large mansions. Back then, as a concubine, Su Wenyue rarely had the chance to visit other mansions, not to mention truly prestigious households, which looked down on a concubine of her low status. It would be disrespectful to the host if such a person was brought along.

Nevertheless, to humor her, since he knew she liked those treats, sometimes he would specifically bring back some pastries. After she tasted and analyzed them, she could make most of them, and sometimes even improve the taste. He ate them with delight, and sometimes she even suspected that he brought the pastries just to satisfy his own cravings.

What mattered was not the reason. In her previous life, she learned so many things just to please him, not only to survive better but also as a distraction from the loneliness in the large and deserted mansion. It could even be seen as a pastime; otherwise, she feared she might go mad from regret and solitude.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, Fourth Daughter-in-law, what are you thinking about, so engrossed?” Mrs. Liu said after speaking for a long time before realizing Su Wenyue had been lost in thought.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just remembered something for a moment. Sister-in-law, you came to see me for something, right?” Su Wenyue saw that Mrs. Liu was beating around the bush with flattery and praise, which bored her, and she preferred to be forthright and have Mrs. Liu get to the point. That way, she could focus on her embroidery in peace. Besides, she was feeling rather down at the moment and didn’t have the patience to listen to Mrs. Liu’s rambling.

“Ah, well, Fourth Daughter-in-law, I do indeed have a favor to ask you, but I’m not quite sure how to approach it.” Upon hearing Su Wenyue’s words, a rare look of difficulty appeared on Mrs. Liu’s face, the consistent requests from her eldest sister-in-law putting her in a bind.

“We are sisters-in-law; there’s nothing we can’t talk about. Sister-in-law, just be direct with me. I’ll do my best to help if I can, and if I can’t, I hope you’ll understand,” Su Wenyue said, seeing Mrs. Liu’s troubled expression and uncertain what the issue might be, preferring to get things clear up front.

“It’s like this: My eldest sister-in-law from my mother’s family has a niece I’ve seen before. The little girl is pretty and, although not as eloquent as my big sister, is honest and hardworking. She’s very efficient at work, but unfortunately, she has a cruel stepmother who beats and scolds her constantly. My eldest sister-in-law’s big brother is often out doing farm work and can’t always look after her. By the time my eldest sister-in-law found out, the girl was covered in bruises from being beaten.

I felt so sorry when I heard about it. The girl is even younger than our Eldest girl at home. If it continues, she’ll end up being beaten to death by that cruel stepmother. You might know, Fourth younger sibling, that my mother’s family isn’t well off and they can’t really offer much help. My eldest sister-in-law really had no other choice, so she turned to me for help.”

Mrs. Liu isn’t such a kindhearted person. First, it was because her eldest sister-in-law from her mother’s family came to her, and also, when she thought of her own children, her heart softened a bit, and she felt more pity for the girl.

“So what does my sister-in-law suggest?” Su Wenyue asked indifferently, her voice betraying none of the pity she felt for the unfortunate girl.

In her previous life, she abandoned her husband and son. She wondered how her obedient and sensible son managed later in life, recalling that Han Yu remarried, to a lady from a prestigious family. The treatment of a son from a husband’s previous marriage probably wasn’t too favorable. An eldest son eligible to inherit the family fortune could become a target for a malicious person seeking to remove obstacles for their own children. The more Su Wenyue thought about it, the more her heart ached.

Mrs. Liu mentioned all this hoping to stir Su Wenyue’s sympathy and prompt her to offer help to the girl herself. Seeing that Su Wenyue’s expression was still indifferent, showing no sign of pity for the girl, Mrs. Liu felt disappointed. However, since she had brought it up, she had to plow ahead with the request.

“Fourth younger sibling, I know this might be imposing on you, but I really have no other choice. My eldest sister-in-law from my mother’s family has come to me several times. Could you ask your family if they still need servants? That girl is quite efficient at work. Despite her young age, she handles all the farm work at home. Whether it’s cooking, gathering pigweed, chopping wood, she can do all sorts of tasks! But since she is young, the Su Family might not consider her. My eldest sister-in-law from my mother’s family told me she’s not asking for much in wages, as long as the girl gets a full meal, that would be enough.”

Worried that Su Wenyue might not agree, Mrs. Liu’s plea sounded a bit urgent, sincerely advocating for the girl.

As Su Wenyue listened, it seemed like a simple matter. The Su Family had so many servants; one more wage wasn’t a big deal. But she couldn’t just carelessly agree, as that would lead Mrs. Liu to think she could easily come to her for anything. Furthermore, the girl was from Mrs. Liu’s eldest sister-in-law’s side of the family, which complicated things if it involved relatives; a misunderstanding could create discord. Although her relationship with Mrs. Liu was currently amicable, the future was uncertain. Besides, Mrs. Liu wasn’t exactly virtuous, greedy for petty advantages. If Mrs. Li were asking, she could agree directly, even sending the girl to work on her own estate. But having someone from Mrs. Liu’s side nearby wasn’t entirely reassuring, and there were things Su Wenyue preferred Mrs. Liu didn’t know; thus, extra caution was warranted. She couldn’t send the girl to her estate; placing her in a less crucial part of the Su Family to do miscellaneous tasks could work, though.

“Don’t be anxious, Sister-in-law, I didn’t say I wouldn’t agree. It may seem easy to take in a servant, but it’s not that simple. There are things that need to be made clear. It’s not just about being efficient at work; at the very least, a good character is required, with no acts of betrayal! Though the Su Family has some businesses, we are very cautious when recruiting servants. Particularly after the recent incident, Sister-in-law, you must remember the girl from Third Sister-in-law’s maternal family, who was dismissed for going behind our backs..”