The two embroidery pieces were not large, but it took Gu Liyue a full five days to complete them to perfection.
The maid who came to collect the embroidery was entranced by the works. After a long while, she couldn't help but smile. "Miss, your embroidery is so lifelike! I thought the mistress's cat Hydrangea had jumped onto your picture."
Gu Liyue asked, "The cat is named Hydrangea?"
The maid nodded and carefully put away the embroidery. "You can wait here for news."
Gu Liyue thought the news would at least come in the late afternoon, or perhaps she'd have to wait for a few days. After all, it took quite some time for a round - trip, and no one knew when the mistress would get to see the embroidery.
However, just as it was time for lunch, the round - faced maid came over with a long - faced mammy.
The mammy asked, "Which embroideress did this?"
The round - faced maid pointed at Gu Liyue. "It's her. The purse sent by the Feng family last time, which was praised by the madam, was also embroidered by her. These two pieces this time are also her work."
The mammy sized up Gu Liyue and asked again, "How old are you?"
Gu Liyue replied, "Fifteen."
The mammy counted on her fingers. A trace of red welled up in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She said excitedly, "Come with me."
Gu Liyue was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Mammy, please wait for me. I'll go back and pack my things."
The mammy laughed. "What do you need to pack? No need. Hurry up and come with me."
The Rui family's woman also nudged Gu Liyue. "The mistress has summoned you. Just go. If you're missing anything, I'll send someone to deliver it to you later."
Gu Liyue then followed the mammy and the maid towards the main courtyard. It took almost half an hour to get there. Gu Liyue secretly wiped the sweat from her forehead and thought that being a servant in a wealthy family was no easy task. Just walking around the house was so tiring.
Standing in the yard, the mammy went in to announce her arrival. Gu Liyue looked up and saw two maids running over nervously. One of them was holding Hydrangea in her arms.
Only then could Gu Liyue take a close look at Hydrangea. The cat was quite large and looked very old, almost on its last legs.
The round - faced maid asked, "Sister Yuan'er, what's wrong with Hydrangea?"
Yuan'er shook her head. "The female doctor said it's not looking good and advised us to call a specialized veterinarian."
The maid who had gone in earlier rushed out again and waved. Yuan'er then carried Hydrangea and ran in.
The round - faced maid explained to Gu Liyue, "Hydrangea is ill. We'll probably have to wait a while. Come on, let's wait in the corridor. It's too sunny here."
Gu Liyue followed the round - faced maid. "I don't know how to address you, sister."
The round - faced maid smiled. "Just call me Tangyuan. I'm a junior maid in the madam's courtyard. I just do odd jobs on a daily basis."
"Sister Tangyuan."
Tangyuan explained to Gu Liyue, "Hydrangea is very old. It was the eldest miss's cat when she was still alive. The eldest miss has been gone for many years. Hydrangea has lived longer than an ordinary cat."
Gu Liyue didn't dare to show too much curiosity and just chatted casually. "The madam must like Hydrangea very much."
Tangyuan nodded. "Yes. Hydrangea used to stay by the madam's side. Later, when Miss Yingyue came, she was afraid of cats, so the madam had to move Hydrangea to another yard and would go to see it every day."
Gu Liyue sensibly didn't ask who Miss Yingyue was. She just sighed. "Now that Hydrangea is ill, the madam must be very sad."
Just then, a plump and exquisitely dressed young girl appeared at the door. The girl walked gracefully, and every move she made exuded charm.
Surrounded by mammy and maids, she looked even more extraordinary.
A maid immediately went over to greet her. "Miss, Hydrangea is here."
The girl frowned slightly. "Hydrangea? Why did you bring it here? Don't you know I'm going to have lunch with auntie?"
The maid quickly replied, "Miss, Hydrangea is sick. The madam has sent for a doctor."
The girl was unhappy and turned to leave. "Xing'er, go and tell auntie that since Hydrangea is here, I won't join her for lunch."
Tangyuan whispered in Gu Liyue's ear, "That's Miss Yingyue, the only young miss in our mansion. You must show respect when you see her in the future. Do you understand?"
Gu Liyue secretly took note. From Miss Yingyue's behavior, she could tell how much the madam doted on her. She came to the mansion to work for money. How could she dare to provoke such a young miss?
Not long after, another maid came out and waved at Tangyuan. "The madam is in no mood today. You can take her back first. Wait until the madam is in a better mood and then bring her here."
Tangyuan obediently agreed and led Gu Liyue out. She whispered words of comfort. "It's just bad luck that we ran into Hydrangea being ill. Hydrangea was the eldest miss's cat. The madam often says that seeing Hydrangea makes her think of the eldest miss. Don't be sad. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Gu Liyue nodded with a smile. Maybe all the maids in the mansion were proud to win the mistress's favor, but she wasn't a maid. All she cared about was money. If she could win the mistress's favor and get a raise in her monthly allowance, she would be even happier.
When she first entered the mansion, she asked the Rui family's woman. The lowest - level embroideress in the sewing room got one and a half taels of silver per month, ordinary ones got two taels, and those who could make clothes for the mammy and maids close to the mistress could get three taels. Gu Liyue had just entered the mansion, and the mistress hadn't seen her work yet, but since she was an embroideress, her monthly allowance was two taels of silver.
Two taels of silver without having to work day and night. Gu Liyue was very satisfied.
However, the Rui family's woman also said that if one could win the mistress's praise, they could get three taels and would also receive rewards from the mistress, but it had to be approved by the higher - ups.
Just as they were walking out of the yard, the maid chased after them. "Hey, Tangyuan, what's that girl's name?"
Tangyuan replied, "Gu Liyue."
The maid waved. "Miss Liyue, come in quickly. The madam wants to see you."
Gu Liyue was a bit dazed. She was dragged into the yard by Tangyuan and then pushed into the room by the two of them.
The room was extremely large. There was a screen at the entrance. Gu Liyue took a deep breath and followed the maid around the screen. There was a beaded curtain ahead, and after passing through the beaded curtain, there was a curtain. Only after going through the curtain did she finally see the mistress.
Madam Jiang was elegant and noble. It was hard to tell her age. She was looking at the cat on the couch with a sorrowful face.
There was also a doctor shaking his head. "Madam, please accept my condolences. It's already seventeen years old. If it were a human, it would be over seventy."
Madam Jiang wiped away her tears. "As long as it's here, it's as if Yue'er is still with me. I'm just deceiving myself."
When the mammy saw Gu Liyue coming, she whispered a reminder. "Madam, Miss Gu, the embroideress, is here."
Madam Jiang looked up, sized up Gu Liyue briefly, and forced a smile. "I'm sorry you had to see this mess."
Adhering to the principle of saying less to avoid mistakes, Gu Liyue didn't respond. She bowed and stood to one side, then slightly raised her head and looked towards Hydrangea.
At that moment, Hydrangea actually moved and let out a weak meow. "Meow..."