Dong Jin replied, "In reply to Eldest Miss … yes." Then, she hesitantly peeked at Mu Jiahua's expression.
When Old Lady Yun heard this, she looked up and carefully sized up the maidservants in the corridor. "Dong Jin, which maidservant is from Xia Shi's family? Quickly bring her up!"
Dong Jin was anxious, but she didn't dare to show it on her face. She could only wave her hand to signal Bai Suyan to come forward.
Bai Suyan was also stunned when she was suddenly called out. She originally only wanted to sneak into the residence first and keep a low profile for the time being.
She slowly stepped forward and bowed down. "Sanya, on behalf of father, mother, eldest sister, and second brother, bid farewell to Old Lady Yun, Mu Laoye, Lady Mu, and Eldest Miss." When she stood up, her eyes were already red. Dong Jin, who was beside her, thought of her sister's family, and her eyes were also filled with tears for a moment.
Bai Suyan bowed again, and her voice was already choked with sobs. "Sanya greets Old Lady Yun, Mu Laoye, Lady Mu, and Eldest Miss."
Old Lady Yun thought of the old people and felt sad. "It seems that your parents taught you well. You are very sensible."
Bai Suyan said, "Father and mother were indebted to master's kindness and were able to return to their hometown to support grandmother in her old age. After all these years, we never dare to forget master's kindness."
Mu Jiahua said, "You speak clearly, as if you have studied for a few years."
Bai Suyan looked down at the floor. She didn't show it on her face as she respectfully replied, "Under mother's guidance, I have skimmed through a few books." Her back was already drenched in cold sweat. This Mu Jiahua was indeed difficult to fool.
Old Lady Yun had been dissatisfied with Mu Jiahua for a long time. Seeing him make things difficult for the orphan of the old people around him, she was even more dissatisfied. "My Lim Clan has been educated for generations. I have also been taught by my teacher since I was young. Servants are influenced by their masters and are tainted with the smell of ink. What's so strange about that?"
"It's a slip of the tongue. Please …"
"Alright, you are being filial to me if you speak less." Old Lady Yun's gaze turned back to the thin child, and her tone softened. "Good child, get up. Don't kneel. Raise your head and let me take a look."
Bai Suyan straightened her upper body and raised her head slightly. She lowered her eyes and avoided looking at the faces of the people seated at the table.
Old Madam Yun carefully sized him up and said: "He has a decent appearance."
Mu Guiyi also carefully sized up the people in the court. After a while, she tugged at Old Lady Yun's sleeve. "Grandmother, why don't you transfer her to granddaughter's side to serve? Since she was taught by Nanny Xia, granddaughter believes that she must be a good girl."
As soon as she said this, before Mu Jiahua could express his dissatisfaction, Dong Jin hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. "Thank you, old madam. Eldest Miss, for your kindness. But this servant's niece has been outside. I'm afraid that she doesn't know the rules and will offend Eldest Miss."
"Yes, mother. Although the people around you are good, they have been outside for many years. They are not as convenient as the maidservants in the fu who have been around since young." Lady Mu said carefully. Firstly, she didn't want to make her husband unhappy. Secondly, she was afraid that her mother would be angry and disappoint the old people in the fu. Since it was Dong Jin who suggested it, she went along with it.
"Grandmother ~ Grandmother ~" Mu Guiyi shook Old Lady Yun's sleeve and acted coquettishly. "We agreed to let granddaughter choose one."
"Okay, okay, okay. I really can't persuade you. Since it's like this, you can give this girl a name yourself!" This was a disguised agreement to her granddaughter's request.
Since ancient times, servants were born without a proper name. They were only given nicknames. Proper names were left for their masters to obtain. However, it was impossible for their masters to give everyone a proper name. Only those who served them personally and were respected maidservants were lucky enough to have such a name. Some servants didn't even have a proper name in their entire lives.
Mu Guiyi tilted his head as he pondered, looking very adorable. "Since she traveled thousands of miles to the capital to bid farewell on behalf of her parents, this friendship is hard to come by. Why don't we call her Yanyan? Grandmother, what do you think?"
Old Lady Yun said, "She is by your side. Naturally, you have the final say. Yan Yan, why aren't you thanking master?"
Bai Suyan was really shocked by the two words "Yan Yan". She didn't know if Mu Guiyi saw something, but when she was suddenly called out by Old Lady Yun, she immediately kowtowed and thanked her.
Dong Jin looked at Mu Jiahua's dark face from the side. She was so nervous that she was drenched in cold sweat. Her face was pale. Now, Old Lady Yun's words were not as useful as before. What should she do if Mu Jiahua said one thing in front of her and another behind her back?
Just as Dong Jin was feeling nervous, she heard Mu Guiyi say, "Father has the final say on the other one."
Hearing that, Mu Jiahua's expression became better. He directly pointed at a young maidservant with a delicate appearance, "She will be called Xiao!"
Xiao looked like an overly clever person. She walked forward gracefully and knelt beside Bai Suyan. She kowtowed in a delicate voice, "This servant greets old madam. I wish old madam good fortune and good health."
Old Matriarch Yun glanced at Xiao Yin a few times. "You speak clearly, as if you have studied for a few years."
Xiao said, "This servant is not talented. I know a few words. I don't deserve old madam's praise."
"Hmph, this maidservant selection is not an elective maidservant. She is by Yaohua's side. There is no need to be so restless. I have already decided on her." As she spoke, Old Lady Yun casually pointed at another young maidservant. "You will be called Jing Jing."
The maidservant who was suddenly called was stunned. After she reacted, she hurriedly went forward and knelt behind Bai Suyan. "This servant … Jing Jing greets old madam, laoye, madam, and eldest miss."
Mu Guiyi stood up and bent her knees. "Granddaughter thanks grandmother for your love."
"Silly child, don't be so polite with grandmother." Old Lady Yun softened her expression towards Mu Guiyi. "You must be tired after sitting for so long. Accompany grandmother back. After lunch, you can take a nap at my place."
Mu Guiyi responded crisply. She helped Old Lady Yun stand up. "Grandmother's courtyard's food is the most refreshing and delicious. Granddaughter even wants to eat at your place for dinner, let alone lunch."
Old Lady Yun tapped her granddaughter's delicate nose. "You little greedy cat. Fine. As long as you like, you can come to grandmother's courtyard every day."
Mu Guiyi: "Then we have an agreement. In the future, grandmother can't dislike granddaughter for being chatty."
The grandmother and granddaughter pair slowly walked out. Dong Jin pulled Bai Suyan to kneel at the side. The Mu couple also stood up to send them off.
After Old Lady Yun and the others walked far away, Mu Jiahua reprimanded Xiao, "Old madam said that your conduct is improper. Since that's the case, you can go to eldest miss's place to be a third-rank maidservant who sweeps. Learn the rules well."
Xiao obediently agreed. Mu Jiahua glanced at Bai Suyan and Dong Jin before he waved his sleeves and left.
Old Lady Mu saw her husband leave without looking back. She sighed and said gently to the people who were still kneeling, "Stand up. Dong Mammy, old madam believes in your ability. These two maidservants will be handed over to you. Don't disappoint old madam and me."
"Yes."
"Take them away." Old Lady Mu hadn't slept all night. Seeing that her husband didn't soften his attitude, she felt dizzy for a moment. She also saw that Dong Jin was still kneeling there with the maidservants and didn't move for a long time. She could only ask, "Nanny, is there anything else?"
Dong Jin hesitated and then motioned for the maidservants to wait outside the hall. The maidservants who weren't chosen were also taken away. When they went out, she looked at the completely unfamiliar maidservant behind Old Lady Mu and pursed her lips, "Furen, please forgive the Old Slave for overstepping her boundaries."
Old Lady Mu rubbed her forehead and forced herself to be spirited, "Nanny is too polite. There's no harm in saying what you want."
Dong Jin kowtowed three times, "Old Slave shamelessly asks for a promise from Furen. Asking Furen to betroth Yan Yan to someone outside the fu three years later."
"Nanny, why do you say that?"
"Old Slave knows that this request is excessive. But because of the matter of the Old Slave's niece, the master and mistress of the house are at odds. It's our fault. Today, I'm indebted to old madam and Furen for thinking highly of me. But Sanya doesn't dare to have extravagant hopes of serving a noble. She even wants to take root in the fu for a long time and hinder the master's fortune."
Old Lady Mu's face was as white as paper. She didn't know what to say. How could she not understand Dong Jin's meaning? Dong Jin was blaming her for being meddlesome and implicating Yan Yan. She was afraid that Mu Jiahua would do something to Yan Yan. But three years later, the general election would be held. If Yaohua was chosen, how could there be no trustworthy people around him?
The maidservant selection this time was to prepare for the general election three years later. She specially chose from the children in the house to control the two maidservants. Otherwise, if the carefree maidservants became ambitious in the future, it would be difficult to control them.
"Nanny, I can only promise your niece a future. As for the marriage, let's talk about it later." Old Lady Mu turned her face away. She didn't want to see the disappointed look of her nanny, who had always been close to her. After all, her daughter was more important.
"Furen, Furen, marriage is also a future. Old Slave begs you. Seeing that the Old Slave's family has worked hard for many years and has never been disloyal, even if there is no merit, there is hard work, Furen!" As Dong Jin spoke, she fiercely kowtowed several times. The skin on her forehead was broken and bleeding.
Old Lady Mu opened her mouth. Before she could speak, the maidservant behind her snorted coldly, "Nanny, what are you talking about? It's our duty to serve the master. How can we use the so-called" merit "to threaten the master?"
"Shut up!" Old Lady Mu sternly stopped her. She looked at the blood dripping from Dong Jin's forehead and sighed. However, she still said, "Nanny, go and have a good rest. Later, I will order someone to send you some good medicine."
Although the maidservant who was reprimanded shut her mouth, she rolled her eyes behind Old Lady Mu.
Dong Jin's face turned ashen. She originally wanted to risk her old face to beg for a promise to preserve the last bit of her sister's bloodline. However, how could she forget that the general election was in three years? Old Lady Mu must have discovered that there was something wrong with the people in the fu. That was why she didn't care and used Sanya to make up the numbers.
Old Lady Yun, who was rarely involved in the selection of servants today, appeared in the hall. She didn't realize it before, but now she understood. This was clearly Old Lady Mu's intention. She was using filial piety to suppress Mu Jiahua.
Outside the hall, only three maidservants were left waiting in the corridor. They couldn't hear what was said inside. They only saw Dong Jin kowtowing fiercely to Old Lady Mu. It seemed like she was begging for something, but it also seemed like she was begging for mercy from her mistress.
Bai Suyan was a martial artist. Her five senses were sharper than the average person. She could roughly understand what was said inside. For a moment, she was filled with emotions. The real Sanya had already died of illness halfway through. Even if she didn't die of illness, the people sent by "Raccoon" would have eliminated her completely, leaving no trace behind.
Her "Sanya" was fake, but Dong Jin's protective feelings for "Sanya" were real. However, she took advantage of her sincerity and used underhanded means that she once despised.
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