Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 63 Few Sober People in the World

Of all the millions of people in the world, only the green willow tree evokes such a sense of helplessness.

She is harmless and soft-hearted to no end, but she only makes things difficult for herself. This makes those who care about her angry at her for being so weak. Meng Shu thought that their relationship would slowly fade away, and in the end, no matter what she did, she could only say "hopeless".

But as she collapsed, many fragmented memories flashed through Meng Shu's mind. When she first entered the Tang residence, this round-faced maid smiled and told her about the rules of Langya Courtyard and the layout of the room. She also took the initiative to invite her to have a meal together. This was the first kindness Meng Shu received in the Tang residence.

After that, they worked together and were inseparable. What she talked about most was that she would save enough money to redeem herself and go home.

When learning to comb hair, I would always ask her to be my model without any hesitation. She would always agree with a smile and even discuss with me the style of hair that would suit the second young lady.

Furthermore, in order to repay her debts as soon as possible, she recklessly helped the young lady's maid find things, thinking that she could get a reward from her master. However, she accidentally stumbled into Fuliu Courtyard and couldn't get out.

This person is warm-hearted, innocent, and full of goodwill, yet so foolish and stupid. Several years after entering the household, he still didn't know that the contract he signed when he was sold was a death contract. He was deceived time and time again by his family, yet he still chose to believe and couldn't bear to leave.

Unable to let go, unable to sever ties, giving without limits, ultimately even corrupting one's character and leading one astray.

Meng Shu was completely convinced that, given her personality, she must have gone through a lot of struggle before daring to take this step. Ironically, until she was exposed, she still thought that raising enough money would solve all the problems.

"How could I possibly feel sorry for you, you idiot?" Meng Shu looked at Lü Liu lying on the ground like a dead dog, and felt utterly powerless to muster any anger. She couldn't wake him up no matter how much she tried, and she didn't want to deal with him, yet she still happened to see him. It truly proved the saying that every pitiful person has something hateful about them.

After waking up, Green Willow stared blankly at the ground, her eyes bloodshot. "I know I deserve to die. I shouldn't have stolen Miss's hairpin, and I made you worry about me too."

Meng Shu was amused and annoyed. The point was never the hairpin. "Since you can't die, live to atone for your sins."

She then sent Green Willow to Yunyi Courtyard, and had someone call Winter Melon to watch over her. After leaving the courtyard, she went directly to Yunqi Courtyard in front to find Mu Feng.

Mu Feng usually stayed in the courtyard, running errands for the second young lady or managing the properties under the eldest young master's name. Right now, he was secretly writing a letter to the eldest young master: "Madam and the old lady are currently preparing to arrange a marriage for young ladies..."

As a trusted confidant, one must report every detail.

Having just finished writing down Madam Yun's plans, Mu Feng chewed on his pen again, writing about how the Second Miss had recently been learning etiquette from Granny Gao, and even mentioning Meng Shu briefly. He wrote: "A few months ago, the Old Madam personally assigned a young maid to serve the Second Miss. She is clever, quick-witted, and very tactful, unlike the other maids..."

Someone came to deliver a message saying that a maid from Yunyi Courtyard was looking for him. He was stunned for a moment, and the small figure of Meng Shu couldn't help but appear in his mind.

His mind was in turmoil. A drop of ink spread out, completely covering the words "maid." He slapped his face hard and cursed, "Wake up, Mu Feng! How dare you covet someone close to the Second Miss? Besides, she's only ten years old... You're a beast!"

Before the moon gate, after paying her respects, Meng Shu looked suspiciously at the two faint finger marks on Mu Feng's fair face. What was going on? Could he really be punished by his master on the day of the betrothal ceremony?

Meng Shu didn't press the matter further, but instead asked, "Brother Mu Feng, I have some personal matters I'd like to ask for your help with?"

"There should be a young man at the side gate. Could you please follow him secretly for a while and help me investigate this family? First, see if anyone in their family has recently fallen seriously ill, and second, find out what has happened that requires a large sum of money."

Mu Feng nodded in agreement without asking any further questions.

After finishing her work, Meng Shu was unable to complete the Second Miss's instructions because of the long delay, and the banquet in the front courtyard had already begun. The Second Miss didn't mind when she returned to Fu'an Residence. She whispered, "I'll be able to see them when the wedding procession starts. I heard my father mention that the Song family's great-grandfather had Hu (non-Han) blood, and that many members of the family are skilled in martial arts."

This was the first time Meng Shu had heard this, but the Second Miss had mentioned it before. The Song family in Jinan was a remote branch, and the main family had produced several famous military generals during the previous emperor's reign. The Second Miss probably wanted to see the demeanor of the descendants of military generals.

As evening approached, Meng Shu saw Mu Feng, who looked travel-worn, again in front of the Moon Gate.

"That man waited for a long time at the side gate before being driven away by the old woman. I followed him all the way. There was indeed a young man in the house who was seriously ill in bed, but his legs had been broken. I heard that he was originally a vagrant in the town. A month ago, he became addicted to gambling and borrowed money from loan sharks. In the end, he couldn't pay it back and was beaten."

When I went to investigate, they were looking for a middleman to sell several acres of paddy fields. Strangely, the family specifically instructed the middleman to find a buyer first and then come back in two days, suggesting they were short of money to pay off debts.

"Wait two days." Meng Shu sneered. What a brilliant idea. If Green Willow really stole the things and sent them out, then there would be no need to sell the land.

Mu Feng had helped her a lot, but he wouldn't accept any money. Plus, she already owed him a considerable favor last time, so Meng Shu felt a little guilty. "Thank you for your help, Brother Mu Feng. Please feel free to ask if there's anything I can do to help you?"

Mu Feng looked shy and scratched his head, saying, "The weather is getting colder and colder. Master is going to the capital before the end of the month, and I will go with him to serve the young master. Madam just gave me some fabric. Why don't you make me a couple of new clothes?"

These words just slipped out of his mouth without him realizing it. Mu Feng looked at Meng Shu nervously and said to himself, "Young Master always says that planning is up to people, so I'll just be shameless this once."

Making clothes is not difficult, and Meng Shu is used to it, so she nodded and said, "It's not difficult at all. I'll have someone bring it to you when it's finished in a few days."

Because she was worried about Green Willow, Meng Shu accepted the fabric and stopped exchanging pleasantries with him. As soon as she returned to Yunyi Courtyard, she immediately told Green Willow everything that had just happened.

After hearing this, Donggua was furious: "Green Willow is truly the result of her evil deeds over several lifetimes, to be stuck with such a rotten family. It's an eye-opener. Now you should finally give up, right?"

With a bandage wrapped around her head, Green Willow stammered, clutching her palms, "It must have been Second Brother who went gambling... I'm also Mother's daughter, how could she bear to lie to me again...?"

Meng Shu sat on the edge of the bed. "When you signed the death contract, your kinship was already severed. The reason they brought you food and came to see you from time to time was for your monthly allowance. Yet you are the only one who still thinks about them. But I want to tell you, the only one in this world who can heal you is yourself."

That's all for this.

As night fell, Meng Shu knelt in the second young lady's boudoir and confessed everything about how Green Willow had stolen the hairpin and planned to give it away. She kowtowed and begged the second young lady for her grace in sending her far away.

Consider it repaying the kindness Green Willow showed her back then.

The second young lady didn't care about a hairpin she had long disliked, and she was willing to give the people around her a chance. After a while, she suddenly said to Meng Shu: "You are one of the few clear-headed people in the world, and you know the principle of making a clean break when necessary, but you don't know that all living beings are just dreamers in this world."

There are many people who are caught in a tangled web of emotions, unable to break free from their own circumstances. Green Willow is bound by family ties, and the Second Miss feels that she is no different from Green Willow in some ways. At least Green Willow has Meng Shu who is genuinely helping her.

The next day, Meng Shu asked for leave and, together with Dong Gua, took Lü Liu out of the mansion, wanting her to see her so-called family in person. The alley was too narrow for a carriage to enter, so the three of them got out of the carriage. Lü Liu was pulled forward by Meng Shu and Dong Gua, and after a distance, they heard a woman's voice.

"Brother, go to the Tang residence again today. On the way, spend ten coins to bring her some sesame candy. That little girl, Green Willow, is very soft-hearted. Just tell her I'm going to die, and she'll definitely find a way to take the money out..."