Chapter 276: Changing Maids

Chapter 276: Changing Maids

Yu Sanbao was momentarily taken aback.

Yu Sanbao felt completely innocent, so when Su Rouer asked such a question, he didn’t immediately understand why she would say that.

Meanwhile, Shuanglian immediately knelt down, trembling, and defended Yu Sanbao, "Third Madam, please don’t get the wrong idea. Third Master was just asking me about your health condition... There’s really nothing going on. You’re pregnant, so for the sake of the baby, please don’t dwell on it."

At first glance, Shuanglian’s words seemed harmless, but to the sensitive ears of a pregnant woman, it sounded like she was being blamed for overthinking and not caring about the baby in her womb.

Su Rouer swayed slightly, grabbing onto the doorframe.

Alarmed, Yu Sanbao rushed forward to steady Su Rouer, but she avoided his hand, turned around, and went back into the room, closing the door behind her.

Yu Sanbao wanted to say something, but Shuanglian reacted more dramatically. She got up from the ground and ran over, her eyes red, saying to Yu Sanbao, "Third Master, it’s all my fault! I made Third Madam misunderstand. Don’t worry, Third Master, I will explain everything clearly to Third Madam!"

After saying that, Shuanglian went to knock on the door, "Third Madam, please open the door. I’ll kneel and apologize, okay? It was really a misunderstanding just now..."

"Shut up!" Su Rouer shouted from inside the room.

She clearly wasn’t in the mood to hear Shuanglian’s excuses.

"Third Madam..."

Shuanglian raised her hand to knock on the door again, but Yu Sanbao glared at her fiercely, his expression extremely unpleasant, and scolded, "Rouer told you to shut up, didn’t you hear her?"

Shuanglian reluctantly stopped speaking, but a glint flashed in her eyes.

Her act of enduring humiliation and submission would surely make her appear better compared to the unreasonable Third Madam, wouldn’t it?

Once she planned further...

While Shuanglian was still scheming in her mind, she heard Yu Sanbao say coldly, "Shuanglian, starting today, you don’t need to serve in our courtyard anymore. I’ll go tell Mother, and you can switch places with Shuangyun."

Shuanglian looked up abruptly, too shocked to control her expression, revealing an extremely astonished look.

Yu Sanbao, however, didn’t bother to look at her anymore. He gently knocked on the door, coaxing Su Rouer in a soft voice.

Shuanglian was slow to react.

How could she suddenly be kicked out of the courtyard?

Yu Sanbao spent a while trying to coax Su Rouer, but she didn’t respond. He sighed and said to the room, "I’ll take Shuanglian to Mother’s courtyard. Rouer, I’ll come back and talk to you later."

There was no response from Su Rouer inside.

Yu Sanbao thought that since Su Rouer was pregnant, being upset would harm her health, so he decided to switch the maids as soon as possible.

Shuangyun had been with the family for a long time and had a good relationship with Rouer. She was also efficient and capable, so he would temporarily borrow her from his parents.

Yu Sanbao had already reached the courtyard gate when he turned around and noticed Shuanglian still standing there in a daze. He frowned and urged, "Hurry up and follow."

Shuanglian quickly caught up, her face flushed with emotion, "...Third Master, why are you sending me away? Is it because you’re afraid Third Madam will misunderstand... I, I’ll go beg Third Madam, ask her not to misunderstand us... Third Master, I..."

Yu Sanbao interrupted Shuanglian, "What misunderstanding? What is there to misunderstand? Rouer is pregnant, and you made her upset, which shows you’re not clever enough and can’t serve her well."

Shuanglian’s face turned from red to pale, "Third Master..."

"That’s enough," Yu Sanbao instructed, "When you go to the main courtyard, serve my parents well and take good care of Xingxing. Be diligent and quick with your tasks."

Hearing this, Shuanglian felt a wave of dizziness.

Wasn’t this just another way of saying she was a lazy maid?

Feeling both ashamed and timid, Shuanglian gathered her courage and said, "But, Third Master, I, I want to serve you and Third Madam..."

Yu Sanbao scowled, displeased. "What? Are you saying you don’t want to serve my parents?"

"..." Shuanglian froze, completely at a loss for words.

Yu Sanbao brought Shuanglian to the main courtyard and told Wei Pozi he wanted to temporarily swap Shuangyun with Shuanglian.

Wei Pozi knew her daughter-in-law was naturally sensitive, and her pregnancy only made her more prone to overthinking.

If she were to encounter any more trouble...

Wei Pozi glanced at Shuanglian and readily agreed without hesitation. "Your wife can’t be left alone. Just call Shuangyun over directly."

Yu Sanbao was overjoyed. "Mother, I knew you would agree!"

With that, he hurried out to call Shuangyun.

Shuanglian stood there, looking miserable.

Seeing Shuanglian’s expression, Wei Pozi felt a headache coming on and told her to hurry back and fetch her bedding for the main courtyard.

Shuanglian bit her lower lip and left reluctantly.

So, the main courtyard and the third room swapped maids for the time being.

Nanny Xia came by and, upon hearing about the situation, knew there had to be a reason for swapping maids.

She asked Wei Pozi, who only had a vague idea. Nanny Xia then went straight to Yu Sanbao and finally got a clearer picture of what had happened.

Others might not know what Shuanglian was aiming for, but Nanny Xia, having come from the Liu family as a stewardess, immediately recognized that Shuanglian was ambitious, aiming to climb up and become a concubine.

Nanny Xia didn’t hide this from Wei Pozi and explained the situation in detail.

It took Wei Pozi, a simple countrywoman, a while to grasp the situation.

A concubine?

She was at a loss for words about Shuanglian.

"Then, should I call her over and talk to her? Our Yujia would never allow such a thing as a concubine," Wei Pozi discussed with Nanny Xia.

Nanny Xia shook her head. "Madam, a maid with such ambitions should not be kept. If she wants to be a concubine this time, what might she want to do next time?... It’s not a good sign."

Wei Pozi understood Nanny Xia’s implication but hesitated unusually. "...It’s almost the New Year."

Nanny Xia smiled. "Madam is kind, that’s fine, then wait until after the New Year... It’s a good time for Madam to observe Shuanglian."

Nanny Xia meant for Wei Pozi to observe what an ambitious maid looked like, so she would know in the future.

But Wei Pozi misunderstood and quickly agreed with a smile. "Yes, I’ll observe her. If she improves, can she stay?"

Nanny Xia paused, then went along with Wei Pozi’s words. "Yes, Madam is right. If she improves and works diligently and wholeheartedly, she can certainly stay."

What Nanny Xia didn’t say was that once a maid had such ambitions and acted on them, it was nearly impossible for her to "improve."

She thought, the old lady is still kind-hearted enough, letting her experience it firsthand; then she'll understand.

Shuangyun originally served in the main courtyard, and Shuanglian served in the third room. Now, the two have swapped places, with Shuanglian serving in the main courtyard and Shuangyun serving in the third room.

Shuangyun still got along with maids from other rooms as usual, but Shuanglian felt as if she had been driven out of the third room, always feeling like others were looking at her strangely.

As if they could read her mind.

Shuanglian broke down, locked herself in her room, and refused to come out.

Xingxing wanted some hot water, but all the grown-ups in the house were busy, and she couldn't find Shuanglian anywhere, so she went to the kitchen to pour herself a bowl.

Being little, she wasn't steady with the kettle, and it fell to the ground, almost scalding her.