A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 10

Chao Mu had washed her hands before applying the rouge (lipstick). The cool pads of her fingers gently tapped A’Zhi’s warm lips.

A’Zhi’s normally calm, placid gaze rippled with Chao Mu’s every touch. Her breath caught in her throat. She had entered the palace at a young age. The elderly matron who took care of her was over fifty, and the maids she trained with were all much older. By the time she became a matron herself, the maids under her were much younger. A’Zhi had never really spent time with people her own age. The palace was a place that strictly forbade emotional attachments, so A’Zhi had no friends and was unfamiliar with such intimate contact.

She didn’t feel offended by the county princess applying rouge to her lips; it was simply strange and disorienting. Her face flushed, and she looked away from the county princess’s bright, sparkling eyes, lowering her gaze. “Thank you for your kindness, county princess.”

Compared to A’Zhi’s awkwardness and restraint, Chao Mu was open and naturally curious. “A’Zhi.” The little county princess slowly wiped the rouge from her fingers with a handkerchief, her beautiful eyes roaming over A’Zhi’s face. She pursed her lips but couldn’t help but smile. “Are you embarrassed?”

A’Zhi became instantly serious, her flushed face unmoving. “This servant is not.”

“Well, that’s true. A’Zhi, you’re quiet and reserved. It’s normal for someone who isn’t lively to not be so close to others,” Chao Mu said, deftly “rescuing” A’Zhi from her awkwardness. Her voice was slow and gentle. “But don’t worry, A’Zhi. I’m not a frivolous person. My actions just now might have been abrupt, but they weren’t disrespectful. They were a sign of closeness.”

It wasn’t abrupt, let alone disrespectful. A’Zhi thought about it and concluded that she was just unaccustomed to it. When she was a palace maid, no one was idle enough to put rouge on her lips. When she was a matron, no one would have dared to. Favors from subordinates and rewards from superiors all came in the form of material things, not intimate gestures.

A’Zhi hesitated, a hint of curiosity in her voice. “Are girls always this close to each other?”

“Of course,” Chao Mu said, blinking her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “There are even more intimate gestures than this.”

More intimate gestures?

A’Zhi was enlightened. It seemed she simply didn’t understand how girls interacted. She couldn’t be blamed for that; she had no friends. How could she know that one girl putting rouge on another’s lips was a sign of affection and closeness?

Chao Mu picked up the bronze mirror from behind her, its polished surface reflecting A’Zhi. “See? Don’t you look much more lively now?”

Indeed. With the plum blossom and the rouge, plus her blush from a moment ago, A’Zhi’s face had some color.

“Since you look so lively now,” Chao Mu said, her eyebrows curved. A hint of mischief appeared on her sweet, little-sweet-bun face. She blinked her eyes. “Why don’t you go see Butler Qi?” Chao Mu, still holding the mirror, continued, “Now that you’re my head maid, it’s only right that you meet with the butler.”

A’Zhi. “…”

I knew it!

No wonder the county princess wanted her to look more lively. It was so she would be ready for the “hard battle” of meeting the butler. She had almost been swayed by her sweetness and forgotten that the little county princess was a black-sesame-filled bun.

“It’s been almost ten days since I returned to the capital,” Chao Mu said, putting down the mirror and counting on her fingers. “I should invite my friends to the manor to visit, or it will seem like I’m keeping my distance.” Chao Mu lowered her hands. “When you see Butler Qi, tell him that I will be hosting a banquet at the manor in five days. I will write the invitations beforehand, and I’ll ask him to have someone deliver them.”

A’Zhi replied, “Yes.”

Chao Mu was about to have her meal, so A’Zhi didn’t need to stay and wait on her. She left to meet the butler and eat.

Leaving the main house, she walked along the wide stone path. The smaller side paths were paved with gravel. As she passed the corner of the main house, A’Zhi stopped and looked at the plum tree the county princess had mentioned. The lingering snow from yesterday was still on its branches. The white snow and red blossoms at the foot of the wall, tucked away in a quiet corner, were a beautiful sight. If you didn’t pass by slowly and with an appreciative eye, you would likely miss the poetic beauty of this little nook.

It was said that the little county princess walked on eggshells in the capital, cautious to a fault, lest she tarnish the reputation of the royal family and the Qi manor. But now, it seemed her heart was quite at ease. She had even taken the time to admire the scenery while getting up early to memorize books. Her inner world was like this plum tree, blooming freely and vividly in a corner no one paid attention to.

A’Zhi reached up, plucked the red plum from her hair, and held it in her hand. Looking at the flower, she couldn’t help but think of the little sweet bun’s fate. The book’s fleeting lines and glimpses had given her a brief summary of the county princess’s past and her tragic end. But no matter how clearly she had read it in the book, it couldn’t compare to the real, vibrant person she had just met.

A’Zhi simply couldn’t understand what could have driven a girl with the personality of this black-sesame-filled bun to willingly take her own life. Was it merely for her reputation? Or was it because of the Sixth Prince?

Forget it. She couldn’t figure it out, so she wouldn’t dwell on it.

A’Zhi thought about burying the plum blossom branch under the tree. Who cares what happens to others? It’s enough for me to survive. A’Zhi’s heart was as hard as a stone. Anyone who survived in the palace was not a soft-hearted person. When she had first become a maid, A’Zhi wasn’t as cold and distant, but after years of witnessing people around her come and go, she had learned to let go. Others had their own choices and their own prices to pay. She couldn’t control or dissuade them. She could only observe with indifference and offer them her respect and blessings. The lives of others had nothing to do with her. Only her own survival was real. To protect her own peace of mind, A’Zhi avoided getting too involved with others. If she never gave her heart, she wouldn’t be sad when she lost them.

A’Zhi decided to find a good spot to bury the plum blossom. Her priority now was to be a good head maid, successfully help the county princess take back control of the manor, get her indenture papers from the county princess, and finally, take her freedom and find a quiet mountain village to live out her days gardening and tending to flowers. That’s the ordinary, peaceful life she wanted!

Yes, that’s my version of happiness.

“A’Zhi?” Cui Cui asked as she passed by and saw A’Zhi squatting under the tree, looking hesitant. Cui Cui crouched down with her, her round eyes full of curiosity. “What are you doing?” Cui Cui craned her neck, looking left and right. “What are you hiding?”

A’Zhi was so deep in thought that she hadn’t heard Cui Cui’s footsteps. When she heard a voice beside her, she gasped, gripping the plum branch tightly. “Nothing,” A’Zhi said, defensively shaking the short, slender branch in her hand. “I was just looking at the flower.”

“It is quite beautiful,” Cui Cui nodded, her round eyes showing surprise. “The color is just like the rouge on your lips.”

A’Zhi’s face flushed again for no reason, and her brow furrowed in frustration. That was right. Besides this plum blossom, there was the rouge on her lips, and the cool, soft touch of a finger on her lips. It was so annoying. She couldn’t bury her mouth like she was going to bury the plum blossom!

A’Zhi took a deep breath to calm her emotions. She stood up with the flower still in her hand and began walking toward the back courtyard, listening to Cui Cui talk about the various maids in the manor. She intended to help Cui Cui, and she was proving to be very capable.

A’Zhi placed the plum blossom branch in the small wooden box where she kept her monthly wages. Inside were only a few copper coins and a small silver bracelet. A red string was tied to it. The bracelet was small enough for a child to wear, and it had a worn appearance, suggesting it was old. This was something the original A’Zhi wore as a child, and it was the only valuable thing she owned.

A’Zhi looked at her small savings. This is way too little! Even if she left the Qi manor, this wouldn’t be enough to support her quiet life.

A’Zhi closed the lid and hid the wooden box again, mentally calculating how she could save more money for her retirement. By the time she left their four-person room, the sun was already high in the sky. Butler Qi should have finished his meal by now.