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  Chapter 12: The Cost

  Zhu Yuhuan heard that Chunlan had run away, and after thinking about it for half a day, he couldn't understand it. He could only ask: "Why did she run? I thought... wasn't mother reliable... what's going on here?"

  Lan Zhi hadn't responded yet when a little maid from the other side let out a shrill cry and ran towards them, shouting: "Rat! Rat!"

  Lan Zhi was so frightened that she didn't dare to look back, and she rushed out screaming, directly throwing herself behind Zhu Yuhuan and tugging at his clothes while shrieking.

  "Ah, hurry up and get out of here, there are rats in this alley too!"

  Lan Zhi was so frightened that she jumped up and ran out of the alley, with the maid close behind her. The two of them ran out and stood at the entrance of the alley waiting for him.

  Zhu Yuhuan looked at the house again, dark and seemingly empty. The broken loom that was originally in the courtyard was also gone, revealing the moldy green bricks underneath. He shook his head as he came out, seeing Lan Zixun about to call out to him again, hastily saying: "Get in the carriage first... You haven't even changed into men's clothes, what kind of scene would a young lady cause by shouting loudly at a man on the main street?!"

  Lan Zixu felt that what he said made sense, so she got on the carriage. The little maid also wanted to get on, but was pulled down by Zhu Yuhuan's collar: "Wait below!" He himself got on the carriage, dropped the curtain, and looked at Lan Zixu who was pouting and staring at him: "You have to explain it clearly to me, or else I'll shout loudly and still won't know what's wrong! I did a good deed, but after making a fuss for half a day, I still got it wrong?!"

  Lan Zhi's anger had almost dissipated due to the commotion caused by the mouse and getting on the carriage. He heard him ask, staring at him with wide eyes, but unfortunately, his anger was gone, just like that. Feeling not as angry anymore, he could only question in a slightly louder tone: "I said I'd give 10 taels, why did you give 100 taels?!"

  Zhu Yuhuan said: "I heard that the monthly allowance is not enough, and I have to go out to do needlework, watching her being chased by people. So I took pity on her and gave her 100 taels, thinking that at least for a few years there would be no problem. After a few years, when she gets married, taking care of her mother will not be as difficult as it is now... Am I wrong?"

  Lan Zhi was a bit tongue-tied, wanting to blame him, but couldn't quite do so, as he indeed had good intentions, and the only one to blame was herself for not making things clear...

  She pouted and lowered her head without saying another word.

  Zhu Yuhuan stared at her for half a day, seeing that she still knew she was wrong and blamed herself, only then did he feel a little relieved: "What's going on, tell me the truth, I'll see if I can... help."

  "I told the truth... you can't be angry!"

  "Am I angry? What am I angry about?" Zhu Yuhuan was puzzled again, and suddenly became afraid that he himself would get angry.

  Lan Zhi's hair fell down, and she said dejectedly: "Because Spring Orchid... isn't a good person! I helped her... nobody allowed it!"

  Zhu Yuhuan was shocked when he heard Lan Zixun say that his mother, Chunlan, wasn't a good person. He opened his mouth to ask something but didn't say anything and closed it again.

  Because of his mother Liu Luosu's relationship, he always felt that concubines were pitiful and bullied by their wives. What's more, Lan Zixun's mother was a lower-ranking concubine, so when he saw her, a young lady from a wealthy family, struggling to help her mother, he naturally thought that Chunlan was being bullied and was a poor person who had been driven out of the mansion. He also helped without hesitation, doing as much as he could.

  Now hearing Lan Zixu say this, can you not be surprised!

  Lan Zhi didn't hear him ask for half a day, raised her head to take a look, saw him staring at herself in shock, with a shocked face, and immediately felt guilty and lowered her head again. After half a day, she twisted and turned and said: "I said it, but really don't get angry."

  "Go on, I won't get angry." Zhu Yuhuan's voice was still relatively calm.

  "Spring Orchid... because of a small matter, she had a fight with the madam and was beaten and kicked out of the house. The servant who beat her was too heavy-handed, and even scratched her face... everyone told me to ignore her, even the wet nurse said not to bother with her, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease, so I took a maid and went to see her. She was sleeping alone on the kang, pitifully, no one was taking care of her... she had been kicked out for several days and hadn't eaten anything... I wanted to ask a doctor to come and also give her some silver to keep, so she could buy food... but I couldn't do it, it was my maid's idea, saying that embroidered handkerchiefs and towels could be sold for money, so I made some to sell. It's been like this for half a year... I know I shouldn't give her too much silver, or she'll start thinking about other things..."

  Zhu Yuhuan remained silent for half a day without saying a word.

  Lan Zhi's heart became even more uneasy, she secretly raised her head to glance at him, then quickly lowered it again, twisting her fingers and whispering: "Are you angry?"

  "Is she an idiot?!... Chunlan was a maid, her means of survival were much stronger than mine. At first, I couldn't move after being beaten, so helping her out was fine, but how could I have taken care of her for half a year? And the commotion was so big! She even disguised herself as a man and got chased by bad people! I thought... Chunlan was so pitiful! But it turns out she's actually like this!" Zhu Yuhuan was so angry he really wanted to give her a slap on the head!

  Lan Zhi muttered with her head down: "No matter what... she's still the one who gave birth to me, others may not care about what they should, I don't care either... it's just that my heart won't feel at ease."

  Zhu Yuhuan shook his head: "Forget it, forget it, I won't argue with you, after all, it's just a hundred taels of silver... But that Chunlan, she said she ran away, where can she run to?"

  "Who knows!" Lan Zixun muttered, "Ran away... it's good too, saves me from worrying in the future, wherever she goes, anyway... one hundred and twenty taels saved, can get through the second half of my life."

  "Since you put it that way, don't be too hard on yourself, I'm not angry either. Just go back and treat your wife like your own mother and take good care of her! Don't think about all those messy things!"

  "Got it." Lan Cixi replied dejectedly.

  Zhu Yuhuan ordered the coachman to drive on and send Lan Zixu back. As soon as Lan Zixu's little maid heard this, she climbed onto the carriage door, wanting to get in. Zhu Yuhuan took a cold breath and scolded her: "Follow us! Our young lady is used to being spoiled and has no idea what it means to be a maid! You little thing dare to give our mistress ideas!"

  One shout made the little maid tremble with fear, her puffy face filled with despair, and she trailed behind the carriage with her head hung low. Zhu Yuhuan looked at this maid, who seemed to be a ball of childish energy, and appeared even younger than Lan Cixu. Shaking his head, he lowered the curtain and said to Lan Cixu, "The two of us are lucky! If people knew our identities, kidnappers would come and demand ransom from our families! Even worse, we might be sold by swindlers! These two little maids don't know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is!"

  Lan Zhi pouted and didn't speak for half a day, then explained after a while: "We were very careful, every time we went out, we wore men's clothes..."

  "What's with the men's clothing?!" Zhu Yuhuan cried and laughed: "I thought it was a play? Changing into men's clothing, even my own father can't recognize me?!"

  Lan Zhi had no choice but to remain silent.

  "Just stay at home from now on, be a good girl and don't go out anymore... by the way, in our family, are girls and boys ranked separately or together?"

  "Separated." Lan Zixun didn't know how he would ask that, hastily replied, raised her eyes curiously looking at him, the previous despair, grievance and guilt all disappeared.

  Zhu Yuhuan asked in shock: "So the young lady of the house has nine sisters?! I remember there were... seven or eight, right?"

  Lan Zhi nodded: "I'm the youngest among the girls, but I still have a younger brother."

  Zhu Yuhuan shook his head: "Lan Jueye... cough, cough." He thought to himself, no wonder! It's because there are too many young masters and misses at home that Lan Zhi managed to sneak out without anyone noticing! Maybe except for her nanny who paid a bit more attention to her, others might not have even noticed.

  Lan Zhi didn't make a sound, and there wasn't any sad expression on her face.

  The two of them walked in silence for a while before Lan Zhi said, "Let's call my maid to come and ride with us, it's too tiring to walk such a long way."

  "Let her go, she hasn't learned a lesson yet and still doesn't know what wrongs she has done!" said Zhu Yuhuan.

  "But...the car is so big, how can she get in..."

  "Let's teach her a lesson, and that's it!" Zhu Yuhuan said: "These two naive kids know how many dangers are outside? They dare to come out stupidly? That maid even dares to give advice, she's just young and doesn't understand things. If she were a bit older, I'd beat her out with a board!"

  Lan Zhi Chou, in order to avoid being scolded again, could only shrink her neck and remain silent. Zhu Yi Huan suddenly remembered something and asked with a stern face: "Who was I scolding when I just left?"

  Lan Zhi was taken aback by the sudden question: "When?"

  "Just now! Right at... Chun Lan's gate, scolding something 'self-willed thing'! Are you scolding me?!" Zhu Yuhuan suddenly remembered, gritted his teeth and glared at her: "Little girl has a big nerve, dare to scold me like that?!"

  Lan Zhi hesitated for a moment before explaining hastily: "No, no, I was scolding Chun Lan!"

  "'Arbitrary' isn't that an insult?!" Zhu Yuhuan wouldn't let up.

  "Blue Orchid hastily waved her hands: "It's not, really not! How could I scold you for helping me? The one I scolded was Chunlan, she just ran away after getting some silver, who knows how she'll survive in the future... isn't this being self-willed?" She looked at him seriously: "I'm not someone who doesn't know good from bad, can't distinguish right from wrong. Since you helped me, why would I turn around and scold you?!"

  Zhu Yuhuan listened to her explanation of the past and nodded in satisfaction: "This is more like it!"

  The horse carriage moved at a moderate pace, probably the coachman also knew that the little maid was waiting behind, slowly walking on the street, after two quarters of an hour, the coachman said outside: "Arrived, sir."

  It is by.

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