"By the way, if you're still cleaning, you should hurry up. The housekeeper, your mother, she'll be here to visit us in half an hour." The other servant said to her before walking away in a nonchalant manner.
"Mother, huh…" Meixiu mumbled in a low voice.
Indeed, visiting Yu Rou wasn't the only reason she returned today, as her mother, the head of the servants, was visiting today as well.
Ten minutes later, after cleaning up the area outside of Yu Rou's room, Meixiu went to the courtyard where many other servants were already gathered.
There were about a dozen servants working at the house, and all of them were already standing in an orderly fashion in a straight line.
"It's been a while since the Housekeeper visited us, and whenever she does, it's because something bad has happened."
"Not always. Sometimes she visits us to make sure things are in an orderly fashion. Of course, if she finds even the slightest mistakes, we'll get yelled at— and that happens every single time she visits."
Even though the Housekeeper had yet to arrive, these maids didn't dare to speak loudly, and they all mumbled to each other.
Meixiu ignored them and went to stand in the formation.
The other servants went silent for a moment when they noticed Meixiu. Out of all of the servants there, she was the youngest and most definitely the prettiest. Furthermore, Meixiu worked directly with Yu Rou, the Young Lady, making her position above theirs automatically. This would, of course, cause some people to be jealous of her. However, knowing who Meixiu's mother was, they didn't dare to badmouth her, as they feared the Housekeeper more than the Masters themselves.
A few minutes later, much earlier than expected, a figure could be seen approaching them from a distance; it was a tall and pretty woman with black hair tied into a large bun behind her head, and she had a cold and serious expression on her face.
At glance, one could see similarities between her and Meixiu, such as their naturally nonchalant facial features and their somewhat distant aura.
When the servants saw this woman's figure, they immediately straightened their bodies and faces.
Once the Housekeeper stopped walking and stood a few meters in front of the formation, the servants all bowed and greeted her simultaneously, "Good morning, Senior Housekeeper!"
The Housekeeper didn't respond to their greetings and proceeded to walk and stand in front of the servant that was to the very right of the formation.
Once the Housekeeper stopped walking, the servant lifted her head and stood there like a statue.
The Housekeeper proceeded to inspect the servant's uniform and her appearance overall.
"Turn."
The servant turned her body around at the Housekeeper's command.
"Turn."
A few moments later, the servant turned around, facing the Housekeeper again.
"Your collar is crooked, there's a strand of hair on your shoulder, and your shoes are dusty. Since when did we hire monkeys to work for the Yu Family? Get out of my sight and fix yourself right now." The Housekeeper said to the servant in a cold voice.
"Yes, Housekeeper!" The servant didn't dare to complain despite being called a monkey, and she quickly left the scene.
Once she finished inspecting the first servant, the Housekeeper went to stand in front of the next servant and began inspecting her as well.
The Housekeeper continued to inspect the servants until all of them were checked.
"Turn."
Meixiu turned around in a smooth and graceful movement.
"Turn."
Meixiu turned around again.
"..."
The Housekeeper silently stared at Meixiu for a moment before turning around and walking back to her original spot without saying a word.
By the time the Housekeeper finished her inspection, the servants that were told to leave have returned with their appearances corrected.
Once everyone was back, the Housekeeper said, "It appears that most of you have gotten complacent since my last visit, hence your disgraceful appearances. If I spot even a single mistake during my next visit which will be unannounced, I will have everyone here retake their maid training. Of course, you can refuse, but that will be the end of your career in the Yu Family."
The servants there trembled after hearing the Housekeeper's words.
A few moments later, the Housekeeper continued, "I will walk around the house in a moment to make sure you're not slacking on cleaning the household, either."
The Housekeeper dismissed the servants a moment later, telling them to go back to work.
However, just as Meixiu began walking, she was stopped.
"You stay right here, Meixiu."
"Yes, Housekeeper," Meixiu responded before standing there in silence.
Once all of the other servants disappeared, the Housekeeper approached Meixiu and said, "You don't seem any different than usual despite the situation."
"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me, Housekeeper," Meixiu said.
"You can drop the act with me, little girl. The Young Master was disowned and you're telling me that you don't feel anything?" The Housekeeper said to her.
"Is that why you visited today… Mother?" Meixiu asked her.
"Yes, because I wanted to see your crying face, but it appears to me that you're not the least worried or saddened that he is no longer in your life. And to think that you used to motivate yourself using the Young Master whenever you were having difficulties during training."
Meixiu's eyebrows twitched upon hearing her mother's words.
And her mother continued, "Or did you forget about it? If you forgot your purpose— why you became a servant in the first place, allow me to help you remember. You were originally trained to become the Young Master's personal servant and more. The reason you even managed to endure the hellish training at such a young age was because you wanted to be with him— by the Young Master's side."
"You don't have to remind me because I remember it very well, mother," Meixiu said after a moment of silence.
"Really? Because it doesn't look that way." Her mother stared at her with a mysterious glint in her eyes.