After a moment of silence, everyone erupted and it became noisy once again. So much so that the voices were getting louder and the courtyard seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Bai Luochu felt that these people were like the frogs in the fields and just didn’t know when to keep quiet. Just as Bai Luochu was preparing to say something to shut them up, someone in the courtyard actually spoke first.
“How can a labor servant like her be promoted to the chief servant? Young Lady has never looked highly upon us. How are we going to continue living here in the future?!”
The servant girl who spoke up had a rather good looking face and she was also standing at the front row of the servant girls. It seemed like she was the chief of these servant girls. When she asked the question, her forehead was raised and she looked extremely arrogant.
“I presume you aren’t convinced...” Bai Luochu raised her brows and asked in return. She was fed up from talking to all these brainless fools and her impatience was evident on her face.
In fact, Bai Luochu had already expected that this would happen. It was also one of the reasons why she sent Cai Ling to be a labor servant from the start. Without this scene playing out today, how was she going to beat some sense into these people and establish her footing in the residence?
What Bai Luochu made use of was the desire and unwillingness in the servants’ hearts. Only the personal servants of the mistress could receive a waist token and leave the residence as they please. Just this point was enough for them to be jealous and envious. Furthermore, the chief servant signed the life deed and it meant that she didn’t need to serve in this residence for her entire life. She could even look for a good clan to marry into. She wasn’t going to be like the other slave servants who signed the death deed. If they wanted to get married, they only had one method and that was to climb into the bed of the young masters or the lords. Moreover, the increase in salary was rather significant and it was reasonable for them to be dissatisfied.
The unconvinced servant girl maintained her haughty expression as she stood tall.
When Bai Luochu saw her response, a smile appeared on her face. “Alright, since all of you are unconvinced, I will tell you the reason and let you accept it wholeheartedly.”
When everyone heard Bai Luochu, all of them quietened down to wait for her response.
“Since I came back to the residence, none of you treated me like your mistress. Putting aside the fact that you were crafty and evaded work, you would head over to my uncle and his family’s residence when you had nothing to do. After so much treacherous work, why should I trust you and think highly of you?”
“I, Luo Chu, am a person who is very fair when giving out rewards and punishments. Since Cai Ling has her merits, she will naturally be rewarded! As for all of you, you should be clear about your behaviour. Especially after my return to the residence. As your mistress, I don’t need to list out all the things one by one. I am already showing you the greatest mercy by not selling all of you to the human traffickers. Who gave you the guts to show off your attitude to me?”
When Bai Luochu spoke up to this point, her brows were raised high and she was staring at all of them angrily. Her tone was vicious and severe and she scared all of them so much that none of them dared to let out a peep.
The servant girl who spoke out first was already on her knees as she was the one who was secretly communicating with her lover. That wasn’t all. She was also secretly fooling around with the lord uncle and was waiting for the day to climb into the lord’s bed. She was waiting for the opportunity to say goodbye to her lowly status.
When Bai Luochu saw everyone in this state, she felt that she had already achieved the result that she wanted. She no longer stayed around anymore. After leaving her instruction, she left. “Everyone is dismissed for today. Go back and reflect about your actions. Cai Ling, come over here. From today onwards, without my instructions, you will be by my side. I have already asked someone to prepare clothes for you. You are my chief servant and must not dress shabbily.”
“Yes, this servant shall do as you command.” Cai Ling emerged from the rest and followed behind Bai Luochu, leaving behind an entire courtyard full of dumbstruck servants who were reflecting on their actions.
The show at Bai Luochu’s side had just ended, but the show at her cousin’s side never stopped.
Since the day her cousin had been inflicted with poison, she had never left her room. The poison that Bai Luochu made wasn’t fatal but it was really ruthless.
The poison would cause the entire body to produce a rash for the first two days. The rash had an unbearable itch and would be accompanied by alternating hot and cold sensations. On the third day, the blisters on the surface of the rash would burst and pus with a horrendous smell would be discharged. If they didn’t immediately clean the pus up, new rashes would be produced. After two days, the scabs would fall off but during the last three days, the areas with the scabs would itch once again and must not be scratched. Once the victim scratched, a scar would be left on their skin.
Bai Luochu might not have left any traces, but all of them placed the blame on her anyway. After all, apart from Luo Chu, no one else was present on the day of the incident.
Bai Luochu wasn’t afraid of the repercussions. Since she dared to make the move, she would have already made her preparations. Furthermore, their intelligence wasn’t enough for her to place them in her eyes.
“Mother, quickly fan me! It is so itchy!” Her cousin had no choice but to quietly recuperate on the bed. She was especially worried about having scars, thus, she couldn’t scratch herself. The only way to ease the itch was to let her mother fan and cool her body.
“I know I know. You have been wailing nonstop every day. Look at your current appearance!” Her mother was truly frustrated and she snapped.
There was a saying that goes, ‘There is no such thing as filial children after a period of long illness’ But right now, the mother and daughter had swapped roles. ‘There is no such thing as a caring mother after a period of long illness’ would be much more appropriate to describe the situation. Bai Luochu’s aunt was a person who was lazy and loved to enjoy life. Now that her daughter had been plagued with this strange illness, she wasn’t able to enjoy her life anymore. It caused the already indifferent mother and daughter relationship to dissipate.
The daughter was extremely angry. Wasn’t she the one taking care of her mother in the past? Now that the roles had been exchanged, her mother had a sudden change in attitude was truly disappointing.