Xu Yinyin was well-liked in the village.
Unlike the mean and stingy Butcher Xu and Li Xiuniang, Xu Yinyin had always been obedient and sensible. People have hearts—seeing a young girl living such a hard life, the villagers naturally treated her with more kindness.
Xu Yinyin also knew how to be grateful. If she ate a meal at someone’s house, she’d feed their pigs. If she drank a bowl of water, she’d chop firewood for them.
So now, when the village chief looked at her, it was as if he were looking at his own junior.
And now the servants from the marquis’s household wanted to kill her even before she returned? What kind of life would she have once she did?
He immediately declared, “Alright! Don’t be afraid, girl. I’ll go report this to the Patrol Division right now!”
Seeing that the village chief was really going to report to the authorities, the servants of Yongping Marquis’s residence started to panic.
Especially that overly dolled-up maid—she knew full well that Hua Momo had deliberately lured Xu Yinyin to the lake to drown her.
If this really got reported to the authorities, the loss of face for the household was one thing, but more importantly, she wouldn’t be able to bear the punishments that came with it. And if she ended up revealing things she shouldn’t… the young master and second miss would tear her to pieces!
She panicked and immediately turned to another older maid in charge: “Zhang Mama, look at our miss. She’s completely out of line. Is this really something worth reporting to the authorities?”
Zhang Mama kept a stern face. She was an experienced woman—how could she not see that there was something fishy about all this?
She could guess who was behind Hua Momo. And that made her head throb.
Still, she could only steel herself and try to reason with Xu Yinyin. “Young miss, you haven’t returned to the capital yet, so perhaps you’re unfamiliar with the household rules…”
Before they came, no one really took Xu Yinyin seriously. Everyone assumed she’d be an easy-to-handle country girl.
But now, it was clear she wouldn’t be easily dealt with.
So Zhang Mama tried to use the marquis residence’s “rules” to pressure her and then sighed, saying, “Our masters are people of status. There’s no need to escalate a mere servant’s issue to the authorities.”
She continued to say kind, considerate words, all seemingly for Xu Yinyin’s benefit.
If Xu Yinyin were “sensible,” she’d have taken the cue and dropped it.
Zhang Mama smiled, “The masters are all waiting for you to return. Why don’t we just let this matter go and move on?”
Her words sounded warm and reasonable, as if every thought was for Xu Yinyin’s sake.
Even the village chief looked at Xu Yinyin with concern, clearly hoping she’d agree.
Enough was enough, right? Rich and powerful families valued face more than anything. If Xu Yinyin caused a legal stir before even returning home, how could they possibly accept her?
If this had been the Xu Yinyin of her past life, she would’ve been grateful just to get this far.
But she was no longer the timid butcher’s daughter. Backing down would only invite more oppression.
She looked calmly at Zhang Mama, ignoring everyone’s gaze, wrung out her soaked clothes, and sat casually on a nearby rock: “Go get someone who actually has authority to speak with me.”
Everyone was stunned.
Even Zhang Mama was annoyed—how could this country girl be so ill-mannered?
She forced a smile. “Young miss, look how late it’s getting. Even if we leave now, we won’t get to the capital until dusk. Let’s not cause any more trouble. Besides, your elders are waiting to meet you. Don’t you want to see them sooner?”
Xu Yinyin was unmoved. She was clearly in a sorry state—soaked and pale from the wind—but she stood tall and steady, her back straight. “I’ve already said it. Either someone with real authority comes to talk, or you report to the authorities.”
The dolled-up maid finally lost her patience and screeched, “Miss, what do you want?!”
Xu Yinyin gave a cold laugh, then slowly turned around and asked, “And who the h*ll are you?”
“You—” the maid was indignant. “I’m Yunque, the second miss’s personal maid!”
Xu Yinyin lowered her head, calmly twisting the water out of her sleeves, and sneered: “Just a maid, huh. I thought you were the second miss herself.”
Yunque puffed up like a proud rooster. “What are you saying? Our second miss is a noble young lady! How could a servant like me compare?”
“A noble young lady?” Xu Yinyin locked eyes with her. “So the butcher’s daughter who was switched at birth is the noble one, and I—the real eldest daughter—am just some countryside stray? Is that it?”
Yunque was speechless.
This country girl was sharp. Every question hit like a hammer—impossible to deflect.
Xu Yinyin slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping across the servants from Yongping Marquis’s residence, her face turning ice cold. “I haven’t even returned yet, and your servants already tried to kill me! Failed to kill me and then tried to frame me for it?”
Zhang Mama and Yunque both turned pale.
Xu Yinyin’s words were cutting and clear—she was not one to be trifled with.
“If this is how the ‘reunion’ goes, then I, Xu Yinyin, would rather not acknowledge this family!”
Word had already spread that Yongping Marquis’s household had lost their eldest daughter. If she refused to return, the gossip alone would destroy their reputation.
And the household heads wouldn’t be able to show their faces, either.
Yunque, still seething, snapped, “You were raised in the countryside—how could you possibly compare to our second miss? You’re so ungrateful, acting all high and mighty when you’re clearly beneath her. You should look in a mirror and see if you’re even worthy!”
Before she could finish, Zhang Mama suddenly turned around and slapped her hard across the face.
Yunque’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “Mama!”
She was Second Miss Qi Jin’s personal maid! Was Zhang Mama insane?
Zhang Mama gritted her teeth and pointed at her: “Useless thing, always ruining everything! Get out of my sight!”
Though Yunque was still indignant, she knew better than to argue now. Holding her cheek, she retreated.
The other servants huddled around Zhang Mama: “Mama, what now? This young miss… she’s clearly not easy to deal with.”
Difficult, sharp, not easily fooled—they could all tell.
Zhang Mama snapped, “What choice do we have now? We can’t actually let her go to the authorities! You stay here and watch her. I’ll go report to the madam!”
The servants were shocked. “Zhang Mama, you’re really going to follow her demand and go back?”
It was obvious the marquis’s household hadn’t valued this long-lost eldest daughter much—they hadn’t even sent a proper master to receive her, just a group of servants.
Zhang Mama was furious. “Or do you want this scandal to end up in court?”
She shot a warning glare at the crowd: “Watch her well! If anything else happens, I won’t be able to protect any of you!”
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