PROOFREAD BY AFREANA

Chapter 36.1

“You’re right.” Mrs.Tan said to her daughter. “I’ll take care of this. No one is allowed to say anything. That old woman didn’t go out much, and Master has recently grounded everyone, so even if she heard anything, how would she pass it on to that bitch An Ruochen? Except, she must have found a helper.”

Then, Mrs. Tan asked her maid to call the steward, An Ping, and instructed him to go to the woodshed to check on the old nanny. If she died, they should get rid of her body in a mass grave in the countryside so that no one would know about it. She also told An Ping to pay attention to all the houses. The other house servants were not close to the old nanny, but if there was someone close to her, then expel them together. Master had instructed everyone not to mention this matter, and he would beat anyone who dared to say one more word to death. If they understand the warning, they will naturally obey.

An Ping answered affirmatively and proceeded to have it done.

Mrs. Tan also asked the gatekeeper about the regular outsiders who came in and out of the residence and talked to the people in the inner courtyard, especially those who had frequent contact with the old nanny. After listening to the gatekeeper, she already had a conclusion in her heart. 

Mrs. Tan told him to answer anyone who asked that Master had dismissed all the servants in the first house. If anyone asked about the old nanny, he should answer that she went back to the countryside to retire. He needed to take note of whoever asked about the old nanny and report to her.

The gatekeeper heard about Master’s warning today and saw that he really dismissed all the servants of the first house. After hearing Mrs. Tan’s instructions, he expressed his dedication to do his job well and assured that he would never say a word, then he left. 

An Ruoxi was still nervous: “Mother, you must warn the Third Mother. You can’t let the Third Sister talk nonsense everywhere.”

Mrs. Tan was thinking about something and was displeased to hear An Ruoxi chattering on and on. “What is the point of panicking? You are always in a panic and can’t stand the trouble. If the third house dares to say one word, I will teach them a lesson like that old nanny. That’s right, what were you doing in the woodshed in the first place? What were you seeing that old nanny for? If you wanted to ask something, why didn’t you ask me? By sneaking around and getting impatient, you’ll only get into trouble. Go back to your room. In the future, if you dare to do this again, I’ll punish you.”

An Ruoxi was so scared that she didn’t dare to say more and ran back to her room.

The next day, An Ruoxi heard the news about the dismissed maids from the Third and Fourth Houses. Everyone was trembling in fear and did not dare to talk about it again.

An Ruoxi did not know whether her mother dismissed the third house’s maid to warn An Ruolan or because the maid was really broken-mouthed. When all the Houses dined together today, everyone was harmonious, talking about the weather, new clothes, and jewelry as if yesterday’s events had never happened. But An Ruoxi felt that An Ruolan looked at her strangely. She quietly asked her maid about it, but her maid said there was nothing wrong with the Third Miss, and she was still the same as before.

An Ruoxi felt as if there was a thorn in her heart. In the afternoon, she deliberately went to find An Ruolan on the pretext of playing with her. An Ruolan did not refuse, took the string, and knitted it together with her. After knitting for a while, An Ruoxi casually said: “I saw that nanny Song was badly injured yesterday, so I brought water and medicine for her. I fed her some water ……”

Before she finished, An Ruolan said, “Didn’t Nanny Song return to her hometown to retire? Did you get it wrong, sister? Ah, my lace is beautiful, sister, don’t you think so?”

An Ruoxi choked, only saying “yes” with a forced smile. She turned her eyes to look at An Ruolan. An Ruolan’s face was full of smiles, but her eyes were full of contempt. An Ruoxi felt unhappy but could not get angry. She couldn’t stay any longer, and after sitting for a while, she made an excuse to leave.

Lu Daniang delivered vegetables to the An House on this day, and she felt the unusual atmosphere. The kitchen servant who received the vegetables did not say a word, sullenly completed the order, and left quickly. The gatekeeper was also not as helpful as before. He stayed aside and was afraid of getting close to the kitchen servants. Lu Daniang asked him what was wrong. Did he quarrel with the servant? He answered no, but yesterday Master dismissed all the servants in the first house and some other housemaids. Now the whole residence was being careful, afraid of getting into Master’s eyes and causing his displeasure.

Lu Daniang was shocked and asked: “Dismiss all the servants in the Eldest Miss’s house? What about Nanny Song?”

The gatekeeper was stunned, raised his eyes to look carefully at Lu Daniang, and then seriously replied: “Nanny Song went back home. She said she had this intention all along. So when Master dismissed the first house, she left.”

Lu Daniang was surprised and asked when the old nanny had left. Did she use a carriage, or was she looking for a place to settle in the city first?

The gatekeeper said, “I don’t know. Many people were going in and out yesterday. There was also a laborer who came to collect people. There were all kinds of carriages and carts, and no one left any messages, so I don’t know where they all went.”