Zhong Youyou returned to the room, filled the bathtub with water and comfortably soaked in the hot water, her gaze full of content settling on the frosted glass in the bathroom. Speaking of, the Zhong family is seriously filthy rich. Even the guest room was large. That's right, the original owner has always lived in the guest room ever since she came to the Zhong family.
It was ironic. This one word "guest" was enough to imply "unfamiliar", "late comer", "out-of-place".
And Meng Shixuan’s room was the best in the whole villa. The original text described that it was a large bedroom on the southernmost part of the second floor. The layout was very dreamy and it had floor-to-ceiling windows. When looking out of it in winter, one could also see the snowy scenery that stretched into the horizon.
It was also written in the original text that the original owner was very envious of that room. She snuck in once but was caught by Housekeeper Zhang, and was then regarded as a thief who wanted to steal Meng Shixuan's jewelry.
But the current Zhong Youyou was not interested in Meng Shixuan's luxurious suite at all. She didn't even want to continue living in the Zhong house at all. Although it was really comfortable to live in the house, if she had to see the annoying faces of Housekeeper Zhang and Meng Shixuan every day, as well as Father Zhong and Mother Zhong who were about to come home, then that would be yet another pile of problems. She would die from irritation!
How about moving out?
Zhong Youyou pondered over this question. She put on her pajamas and went downstairs indolently, planning to pour herself a glass of water.
*
Housekeeper Zhang was just preparing for dinner in the kitchen. Seeing her downstairs, she gave her a weird stare, looking at her as if she was looking at a mistress. She couldn't figure out why the little young master suddenly changed his attitude. He even closely followed and waited upon her.
Zhong Youyou glanced at her, rolled her eyes and didn't bother to get close to her to get the kettle. She opened the refrigerator and placed her fair fingers on the cold can of coke and bottle of orange juice, wanting to pour a glass.
Housekeeper Zhang happened to look over right at that moment.
Zhong Youyou suddenly had a wicked idea. With the corner of her lips raised, she closed the refrigerator and then took two bottles of red wine from the shelf beside her. She didn't know the price, but the older the year, the more expensive it should be. So she picked two bottles labeled ‘82. Housekeeper Zhang was infuriated!
Housekeeper Zhang’s eyebrows jumped. This wild girl is really good at picking! She picked such an expensive red wine! She felt so distressed that she muttered: "Just picked the expensive ones, as if she’s never seen the world."
This wild girl was usually bullied. She usually didn't dare to say anything at all even if you whispered loudly, so Housekeeper Zhang and the other servants dared to be this impertinent.
Unexpectedly, she forgot that Zhong Youyou seemed to be a different person and her bad temper was not to be trifled with!
"What are you whispering about behind my back?" Zhong Youyou walked over with the red wine, her delicate eyebrows raised, and she had an extremely arrogant expression: "My parents have only been on a business trip for a few days and entrusted the management of the villa to you. You think of yourself as the owner of this house? I’m just having a drink. The Emperor is not distressed, while the eunuch is distressed to death!"
The Emperor is not distressed, while the eunuch is distressed to death - the person himself is not distressed/ worried to deal with something, but the people around him are anxious and think of ways to do it. The sentence is slightly derogatory.
Zhang Ma's heart jumped. She lost in terms of momentum, but she was still considered half a steward. Usually, after the owner of this villa leaves, she becomes the head of a group of servants, since there were two other servants watching at the side, how could she dare to shrink away. Gritting her teeth, she turned her head bitterly and continued cutting vegetables.
Seeing her withdraw, Zhong Youyou sneered and walked out with the red wine.
The muscles on Housekeeper Zhang's face were twitching, and she was so angry that she couldn't hold back and whispered: "You really think of yourself as a young lady? What are you acting so haughty for? You drinking this wine is a waste."
Unexpectedly, Zhong Youyou turned around immediately and walked over quickly. Then she uncorked the red wine bottles, poured their contents into the sink right in front of Housekeeper Zhang’s face. Zhong Youyou raised her lips and chuckled, but it was a laugh that made people's spine go cold: "I really wasted it now. What did you mean by that just now, say it again!"
"I—— " Housekeeper Zhang was livid. Both her hands were shaking and she was about to scold her, but unexpectedly, there was the sound of rapid footsteps in the living room.
*
Zhong Xiyou appeared at the kitchen door with a very ugly expression, and said angrily: "Housekeeper Zhang, what the hell are you doing? What did you say earlier?!"
He didn’t stay at home much and spent most of his time in the room. He rarely sees any interaction between the second sister and the servants. He always knew that servants like Housekeeper Zhang looked down on Zhong Youyou, but he never expected Housekeeper Zhang to be this arrogant! Wasn’t a servant employed and paid a high salary just so that they do their job? Could it be that she was specially invited to chew on her master?
He was so angry and distressed when he heard those two sentences. It was really hard to imagine what second sister had gone through from the emotional abuse by these servants. No, didn't he know it in his last life? He knew what she had gone through! But he has always treated her with such indifference and he didn’t care at all! Zhong Xiyou subconsciously looked at Zhong Youyou, his heart panging with pain.
Housekeeper Zhang was startled, "Little Young Master, why are you...?"
Before she finished speaking, Zhong Xiyou made a decision and called the butler with a blue face: "How much salary does Housekeeper Zhang still have that is yet to be settled?"
The butler said with cold sweat running down his face: "It just happens to be the end of the month and it has all been settled."
"Very good." Zhong Xiyou said: "You’re fired."
Housekeeper Zhang was completely stunned, as if she had lost her voice. All this happened so suddenly, she didn’t dare believe it. Her eyes widened and she was alarmed for half a day.
"Little young master, it can’t be, you must be playing a joke on me, how many years have I been in the Zhong residence? I’ll be dismissed right when you say I’m dismissed? Just for this wild—"
Her throat choked up and she went silent in time. Seeing the look on Zhong Xiyou’s face that grew increasingly colder, she finally realized the seriousness of the situation and gulped. Cold sweat dripped down her back and her voice became hoarse: "I, I will apologise to Second Young Miss. This is my fault, I... I am a person from the countryside, uneducated and short-sighted. I didn’t mean what I said just now!"
Zhong Xiyou only felt that the arrogance of Housekeeper Zhang Ma and her subordinates were the responsibilities of him and his parents. He was ashamed and sad. If he doesn't dismiss Housekeeper Zhang today and kill the chicken to warn the monkey, there might be servants who don’t know how to restrain themselves in the future. But he also wanted to respect Zhong Youyou's opinion, so he looked at Zhong Youyou: "Sister, do you accept the apology?"
kill the chicken to warn the monkey - punish an individual as an example to others
Zhong Youyou was actually stunned by Zhong Xiyou's series of actions. What's going on? Even if it's for the Qin Family's Third Young Master, he wouldn't ingratiate himself with her like this, right? The Zhong Xiyou in the original text has never protected her like this!
But she was not some saint. To be able to drive Housekeeper Zhang Ma away, she didn’t have enough time to clap her hands and cheer, but to save Housekeeper Zhang’s life? No, please forgive her for not being able to be so generous.
Seeing Housekeeper Zhang pale and turning her gaze towards her for help, Zhong Youyou laughed mockingly: "If ‘sorry’ is useful, then what the hell do we have the police for?"
Zhong Xiyou was troublesome and loathsome, but his work on this matter is okay.
"Didn’t you hear?" Zhong Xiyou glanced at Housekeeper Zhang and spoke to the butler: "Send this person out. Give extra salary if needed, but do not let this person reappear here in the future."
Housekeeper Zhang was like a piece of wood, half-standing there using the sink to support her, her mouth open, her face pale, and her philtrum was all stretched out, sweat was dripping down from her like crazy.
The Zhong family is generous. One month of working at the Zhong family can be worth three months elsewhere! Relying on working in Zhong's house for so many years, she built a house for her two sons in the countryside and they each married a wife! Now there is still a third son who hasn't settled down, so how can she be driven out!
Suddenly, when she saw Meng Shixuan walking downstairs, she rushed over as if she saw a life-saving straw: "Eldest Young Miss!"
Meng Shixuan was annoyed, but Housekeeper Zhang had been taking care of her with all her heart for so many years. If she just unfeelingly watched as Housekeeper Zhang was driven away, there would be no one who could help speak up for her in the villa after that.
She came over, sighed, and persuaded Zhong Xiyou: "Housekeeper Zhang has been in our house for so many years and is like a relative to us. Xiyou, you can't just drive her out whenever you want to, okay?"
If it was in the morning, Zhong Xiyou could still have a good face towards Meng Shixuan, but right now, she opened his gift box without his consent, so now his eyes were extremely cold: "How can Housekeeper Zhang be my relative? She can’t be like Second Sister who is related to me by blood, right? Butler, what the hell are you doing?"
Meng Shixuan frowned and said nothing.
Housekeeper Zhang was dragged away by the butler to settle her salary and she almost cried out of anger. She was too old to leave the Zhong residence. Where else could she go after leaving?! She stared at Zhong Youyou, who looked like none of this was her concern. Her eyes were filled with hatred, but also surprise and fear. What exactly did Zhong Youyou do to cause the Little Young Master to be like this?
Right, the Little Young Master is muddle-headed, but there is still the Sir and Madam!
She hurriedly said: "Young Master, wait for Sir and Madam to come back, and then drive me away!"
She was hoping and expecting Meng Shixuan to say something for her, but Meng Shixuan didn't seem to see her distressed gaze. Her gaze seemed to fall on Zhong Xiyou's body, with a scrutinising and pensive look. Zhong Xiyou suddenly changed his attitude and his attitude was completely turned upside down. There must be a reason.
"So noisy! Butler, hurry up!" Zhong Xiyou urged, frowning. He himself was reborned, but his parents must be the same as before. If they were to come back, they might not be on the side of second sister, so he had to drive away Housekeeper Zhang first.
*
At this moment, there was the rumbling sound of a car from outside the villa. That sound was very familiar. It was the one often used by Father Zhong and Mother Zhong. Zhong Youyou was taken aback for a moment. What's going on? In the original text, she remembered that Father Zhong and Mother Zhong would come back by at least tomorrow, so why did they come back early tonight?
Housekeeper Zhang often accompanied Madam Zhong to play mahjong. Their relationship has always been good. At this moment, it's like seeing her last hope. She broke away from the butler and rushed towards the door to greet them: "Sir, Madam!”
Meng Shixuan was also a little surprised. She didn't expect her parents to come back so soon. She greeted them with a smile, with two shallow dimples on her face. She had to say that although her parents are not her biological parents, they have not only loved her very much for the past fifteen years, but also have never diminished their love for her when their biological daughter came back.
Especially Mother Zhong.
It's not that she didn't know that she had seized another person’s home, but she just wanted to plunge herself into the arms of Mother Zhong and act spoiled.
Only Zhong Youyou and Zhong Xiyou are left in the kitchen. Zhong Xiyou glanced at Zhong Youyou a little embarrassedly and apologetically, and whispered very softly: "Sister, sorry, Mom and Dad are back, and Housekeeper Zhang probably can't be fired..."
How could Zhong Youyou still care about Housekeeper Zhang now? She rushed over and turned on the faucet to clean the sink! Mother Zhong had always found her displeasing to the eye and she would definitely nitpick at her again when she came in! After washing away the red wine, she hurriedly wanted to hide the empty wine bottle, but like a headless fly, she couldn't find a place to hide it.
Zhong Xiyou hurriedly helped her: "Give it to me, I'll take it back to my room and say I drank it."
Zhong Youyou glanced at him and gave him the wine bottle.
*
At this time, Housekeeper Zhang pounced onto Madam Zhong's side, sobbing as she recounted in full detail the matter of the little young master suddenly going crazy and firing her. Madam Zhong didn't speak, but her face was a little strange. Then she hurriedly walked into the room with Mr. Zhong next to her, ignoring Meng Shixuan, who was welcoming them.
Housekeeper Zhang didn’t give up and still wanted to speak, but she saw Mr. Zhong suddenly turn towards her and speak with a tone that was colder than Zhong Xiyou’s and filled with uncontrollable anger: "You - a servant - talked behind my daughter’s back, now you are actually telling me not to fire you?"
Housekeeper Zhang: "..."
As if she had been beaten with a stick, her head spun and she didn't understand what was going on.
Meng Shixuan was holding Mother Zhong’s arm affectionately, but Mother Zhong composedly took out her arm. She was also stunned, and before she realized what was going on, she was met with Father Zhong’s eyes.
"……"
Father Zhong’s gaze when he looked at her was very strange. It held scrutiny, resentment, and regret, and there seemed to be some suppressed surging anger. After a long while, Father Zhong turned his gaze away with a cold face, no longer looking at her, he asked in the direction of the room: "Where is your Second Young Miss?"
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