And after lying in bed for two days without eating properly, Ruan Susu completely exasperated her loyal personal maid.
"My dear lady, the sky hasn't fallen, and the earth hasn't sunk. It's just that Miss Ten fell into the water, and it scared you so. Besides, Miss Ten is fine. Honestly, even if something did happen, you wouldn't be able to do much like this. Yesterday, the Sixth Young Master came to visit you, but you weren't in the mood to respond, leaving him worried. What are you up to?"
To be honest, if a maid spoke to her master like this in other parts of the Duke Mansion, she'd have been kicked out long ago. But Thirteenth Lady just needs someone like this.
Cui Jin was born into service, but her parents passed away early, so she grew up with her aunt.
Her aunt was originally the Old Madam's maid, but she married into a landlord's family as the main wife long ago and has long wanted to ransom Cui Jin out. But Cui Jin couldn't bear to leave the girl she watched grow up, and with Aunt Su's passing, she felt even more uneasy.
Hearing these words, the pent-up frustration in Susu's heart over the past two days finally eased.
Indeed, the sky hasn't fallen, and the earth hasn't sunk. No matter how bad it is, it's better than being dead.
Susu turned over and got out of bed, "Good sister, from now on I'll listen to you, please stop scolding me."
Cui Jin looked at the girl who was acting a bit cheeky, different from usual, and couldn't help but smile, "I dare not scold you, the Sixth Young Master says the books call this persuasion!"
In Jingchen Residence, there was no housekeeper, so Cui Jin had to oversee everything large and small. Seeing her girl leaning against the southern window seat reading a book, she quietly closed the door and left.
But Susu wasn't really reading; she was thinking of a way out, because she truly didn't have much time left.
Half a month after the protagonist fell into the water and traveled through time, the Duke Mansion had their title stripped. It's already been two days now.
Truth be told, Susu isn't someone who gives up easily or lacks resilience. It's just that a sequence of events, from the car accident to time traveling into this book, were too much for a normal person to handle—it was too overwhelming.
After regaining her indomitable spirit, Susu quickly set a few plans in motion.
First, escaping was out of the question. A refugee without registration is worse off than a slave, so there's no way to change her official slave status. Despite her decent looks, being sold to some sordid place would leave her without any means of help. Also, being an official slave makes buying her freedom difficult, so she has to seize the right opportunity.
Second, being sold with the protagonist to Prince Ke's Mansion isn't a good idea either. As the saying goes, "When you meet the protagonist, everyone becomes brainless." With the protagonist's knack for causing trouble and inciting hatred, as her sister, she'd be nothing more than cannon fodder to shield the protagonist. Hence, she'd be better off staying away from the protagonist to cherish her own life.
Third, Ruan Susu has a conveniently cheap brother, aged twelve, who wasn't beheaded but is set to be exiled to the Northwest.
This brother truly cares for his sister; he gave her everything left by their aunt, and every rest day he brings little gifts to cheer up his sister. For Susu, an ordinary person with historical anxieties, anyone willing to spend money on her must genuinely care. Failing to appreciate this brother would feel unjust.
However, she can't outright tell the young boy, "Your family will be raided, and you'll be exiled to the Northwest, so start preparing early."
Regardless of whether he believes it, Susu can't explain where she got the information from. If word got out, she'd surely be burned as a monster before the family raid. So, she can only prepare in secret.
Fourth, and most importantly, money speaks everywhere. During a raid, everything except one set of clothes gets confiscated, and no one would think to search a little girl's body. Thus, she must discreetly have some hidden silver notes.
After roughly figuring out the situation, Ruan Susu decided to eat and drink as needed—if she didn't enjoy it now, it would be too late, "Someone, bring the blood swallows mother left and cook two bowls, send one to brother!"
Who knows who might benefit in the future, she might as well enjoy it herself. Her body isn't severely ill; it's just weak from being prematurely born. Proper nourishment is the best strategy.
On the surface, Ruan Susu returned to greeting her Legitimate Mother and grandmother, then went back to her little courtyard to read and practice embroidery.
But only Cui Jin knew that her mistress was secretly organizing the private possessions left by her aunt and her own, making lots of strange undershirts, belts, and sleeve pockets. She even crafted a tacky belt for the Sixth Young Master—threaded with eight gold lucky money and six large East Pearls—and had Cui Jin send it to him for safety's sake.