Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 77 Proposal

When the group arrived at Fengyin Courtyard, the head of the Fang family and his servants were already waiting at the gate. Jian Zhi bowed and kept looking behind them, but didn't see her master. She hurriedly asked, "Second Miss, didn't Master come back with you?"

Mengzhu stepped aside and replied, "Dr. Jian, Dr. Zhen took the old lady's pulse early this morning and will not set off until around noon. He will not return home until evening."

Jian Zhi's straight shoulders relaxed a little. He felt most at ease with his master around. Although Aunt Lu's poison had been mostly cured, she had not yet woken up. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He carefully wrote a prescription, but was afraid that the medicine was not suitable for her.

Miss Liu was worried about her aunt and couldn't care about anything else at the moment. She nodded slightly to the head of the household and followed the maidservant beside Aunt Lu into the courtyard, listening to Jian Zhi talk about Aunt Lu's illness.

This was Meng Shu's first time entering Fengyin Courtyard. The two-courtyard compound was not large, far inferior to Yunyi Courtyard, and the scenery was also sparse and ordinary. The only thing worth mentioning was the pervasive scent of spices, which was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but it made her nose itch.

Donggua followed behind Meng Shu, barely managing to suppress a sneeze. She quickly took out a handkerchief and gently covered her mouth and nose, then leaned close to Meng Shu and whispered, "I didn't come in at the courtyard gate yesterday, but I didn't expect the smell to be so strong as soon as I entered... ugh..."

As the group passed through the hanging flower gate carved with fish playing among lotus leaves, the noise was overwhelming, and Meng Shu gestured to Dong Gua to keep quiet.

The maids and servants stopped in front of the main room. The second and sixth young ladies went into the inner room, and Mengzhu followed them in to serve them. Mengshu and Ruizhu and the others stayed outside to wait.

In front of the windows of the east and west wing rooms of the second courtyard, there was an osmanthus tree. Now the osmanthus flowers have withered, but the leaves are still lush. Meng Shu looked around at the furnishings in the courtyard. She saw that the wing rooms and the side rooms were connected by a covered corridor. In the middle was a moon gate. Beyond that was the backyard. The closer she got, the stronger the smell of spices became.

Winter Melon's sense of smell was too sensitive. She held back for a while before saying with a pained expression, "I felt something was off just now. There's a sandalwood scent here that you only hear in Buddhist temples, but it's different from the sandalwood in the old lady's temple. It's lighter and softer, and should be more reassuring. It's also mixed with many floral, medicinal, and other fragrances, making it quite alluring... ah..."

Seeing that Donggua was about to sneeze, Meng Shu quickly covered Donggua's mouth and nose, turned her head and smiled awkwardly at the head maid guarding the door, and then hurriedly took Donggua out of the courtyard.

Seeing Meng Shu and the other girl acting strangely, Rui Zhu also ran out to see what was going on.

"What's wrong with Donggua? Her face is turning red and white all the time. Oh... Meng Shu! Quick, get her a handkerchief, she's having a nosebleed!" Ruizhu exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

Donggua pinched his nose and tilted his head back forcefully. "It's okay. My nose is so unreliable. It gets nosebleeds after smelling too many scents. It's alright, it's alright."

Meng Shu handed over the handkerchief tucked at her waist. She knew about Donggua's problem, but at this moment it made her heart flutter. She hadn't thought about it before, but now she realized that Donggua's skill was an essential life-saving technique for the inner quarters!

Thinking of this, Meng Shu couldn't help but get excited. After a morning of investigation, she learned that Aunt Lu had been stung by a scorpion. The conclusion given by the Fang family and Doctor Jian was that it was an accident, but Meng Shu had a feeling that it was because of the stimulation of the spices that the scorpion was agitated by the smell and came out to hurt people. It's just that they hadn't found any evidence.

If one possesses the ability of winter melon, and is further supplemented by cases of mutual generation and restraint in the pharmacopoeia, could one avoid danger at critical moments?

Half an hour later, the second young lady and Mengzhu left Fengyin Courtyard, and the master and servants returned to Yunyi Courtyard.

On the way, Meng Shu recounted the events that had transpired in the mansion over the past two days in great detail. The second young lady said, "You handled it extremely well. The steward is an old man whom Mother trusts, so she must have checked things out as well."

"Although Aunt Lu is still unconscious, her pulse has stabilized. Once Doctor Zhen returns to the manor, she should be fine. We don't need to do anything else."

Meng Shu nodded and began to talk to the Second Miss about Jinshu. The Second Miss then stopped, her face expressionless, and asked Meng Shu in a low voice, "In your opinion, how should she be dealt with?"

This is a difficult question to answer. Firstly, if a maid makes a mistake, it should be dealt with by the master. Why should a maid like Meng Shu have to speak up?

Secondly, if we look at it in detail, Jinshu's mistake was really not that big. Many of the maids and servants in Yunyi Courtyard were close to those in other courtyards, and it was common for them to help pass on messages or do favors.

Unfortunately, Jinshu was unlucky and fell into the hands of the people Madam had warned her to be careful of in Lanting Courtyard. Meng Shu made her pick beans to stop her from leaving the house, which was just a precaution.

Therefore, Meng Shu lowered her head and said, "In response to Second Miss, this servant believes that Jin Shu's fault is not entirely in helping Fu Zi relay messages. This servant privately believes that her fault lies more in disobeying discipline."

With the mistress, Second Miss, and Mama Qin in charge, absent, Meng Shu, being a first-class maid, was expected to obey everyone in the courtyard. Jin Shu's public rebuttal was an offense of disobeying authority.

The second young lady nodded slightly, "You always seem to understand what I'm thinking. Since she has broken the rules of the courtyard, let's hand her over to Mama Qin to deal with."

These past few days, Qin's mother has been granted permission by the second young lady to leave the manor and reunite with her family, but she has not yet returned home.

"What's wrong with Donggua?" The second young lady finally noticed the chubby Donggua beside her.

Donggua covered her nose, blushed, and stammered in response. Meng Shu then took the opportunity to say, "Second Miss, Donggua's nose is really good. I was thinking that Donggua will be serving at Yunyi Courtyard in the future, so we should make good use of this talent."

Ruizhu was stunned. "A keen sense of smell is considered a talent? What's the use of that?"

The second young lady and Mengzhu also looked at Mengshu curiously. Donggua's face turned even redder. She nervously tugged at Mengshu's sleeve, "What's going on? Can you talk to me about this beforehand, my dear sister?"

Meng Shu pursed her lips and explained with a smile, "Donggua previously gained Manager An's appreciation by relying on her sense of smell in the small kitchen. Manager An even took her on as an apprentice. Isn't that a talent?"

Moreover, the incident with Aunt Lu should serve as a wake-up call. Whether it's medicinal herbs or spices, their interdependent and mutually restraining properties make them extremely vulnerable to tampering, leaving little room for defense.

The second young lady immediately said, "You mean to let Donggua... use this talent to identify spices and medicinal herbs? To prevent problems before they arise."

Meng Shu added, "That's right. With the help of pharmacology and medical theory, we can avoid dangers similar to those encountered by Aunt Lu to a certain extent."

Ruizhu clapped her hands and immediately flattered, "Second Miss, Meng Shu's suggestion makes a lot of sense. Madam often calls us over to ask questions, saying that we should learn and observe more so that we can serve you wholeheartedly."

Mengzhu nodded in agreement, "Meng Shu is smart and literate, she will definitely be able to memorize the pharmacopoeia."

Meng Shu: "...It seems like I've taken on too much work for myself."

Donggua scratched his head: "...Could we ask the person involved for their opinion?"

The second young lady's usual dignified demeanor softened slightly as she looked at the four maids in front of her, each one devoted to her needs. She felt a little sentimental, thinking that with them around, the days ahead wouldn't be too difficult.

"In a couple of days, we'll be going out of the mansion to inspect the shops. The bookstore will also be reopening soon. Donggua, come along. I'll take you to Yongwei Xiangfang for a stroll."

The second young lady made the final decision and entered Yunyi Courtyard with light steps.

The second and third-class maids in the courtyard, along with several servants, waited at the main gate to greet them. After passing through two hanging flower gates, they walked through the garden and along the connecting corridor to the front of the embroidered building. The second young lady immediately noticed that there were more than a dozen pots of chrysanthemums of various colors on the first-floor corridor. On the left and right sides of the curtain at the entrance were two large pots of green chrysanthemums, their blooming posture extremely eye-catching.

The second young lady's eyes lit up. Judging from this thoughtfulness alone, it was clear that Meng Shu was very considerate. However, her leisurely state of mind had changed after the Double Ninth Festival.