A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 12

After finishing her meal, A’Zhi stopped by the back kitchen to pick up the lychees.

Of course, lychees in winter couldn’t compare to those in season—smaller, less juicy, and likely not very sweet. But no one ate winter lychees for the taste. They ate them for the novelty. In this season, those who could enjoy lychees weren’t eating fruit; they were savoring the privilege their status afforded them.

A dozen or so red-skinned lychees were carefully arranged on a white jade plate. A’Zhi placed them in a food box, carrying it with one hand as she made her way back.

Along the way, she kept glancing back over her shoulder.

The palace had sent over so many fruits and vegetables, but the young mistress could only eat so much. What happened to the rest?

She had a feeling it all quietly turned into silver and gold… lining Steward Qi’s pockets.

Lowering her eyes, A’Zhi felt a stirring in her heart.

The profits were simply too rich to ignore.

Even if not for her dear little Sweetcake, she thought, just for that lucrative margin alone—it was worth trying to bring down the steward.

When A’Zhi returned to Xiangyang Court, the young mistress had already finished eating. She was standing under the eaves, cradling a book as she stared into a large water jar.

In large households, it was common practice to place two waist-high water jars beneath the eaves of each courtyard, one on either side. They were filled every morning as a precaution against unexpected fires.

These massive black jars were so wide it took two people to wrap their arms around them, and they held enough water to deal with a small blaze.

Chao Mu seemed curious, leaning forward with her book—The Admonitions for Women—as she peered into the bottom of the jar.

It was still early in the morning. The warm winter sunlight had just crept over the rooftops, reaching the eaves. The courtyard remained mostly shaded, especially around the water jar, which cast a deeper chill in its shadow.

Chao Mu stood just outside the sunlight, her slender figure draped in a faint gray cast. Even her bright red pomegranate skirt seemed dulled by the gloom, losing its usual vibrancy.

No one could tell what she was looking at inside the jar.

Some more refined families liked to keep lotus flowers or ornamental fish in these jars, turning them into miniature water gardens. But the Qi residence hadn’t housed its master for a long time—no one had maintained anything like that. This jar held nothing but still, dead water.

A’Zhi walked over and stood beside her, still holding the food box. She leaned in slightly and asked, “What are you looking at, my lady?”

“The water,” Chao Mu replied, catching A’Zhi’s reflection on the surface. She straightened up and tilted her head, blinking curiously. “So, how’d it go? Total victory?”

A’Zhi stood straight and corrected her with a serious face, “My lady, I went to deliver a message, not to pick a fight.”

Chao Mu pressed her lips together, trying to hold back a smile. A’Zhi couldn’t resist her bright, innocent eyes and played along with a mockingly modest tone, “I wouldn’t call it a total victory. At best, a verbal sparring match with the household staff.”

“This means you won,” Chao Mu beamed, her dimples faintly appearing as her eyes lit up. “A’Zhi you are amazing.”

When she smiled like that, it felt as if the world grew a little warmer.

Feeling both amused and affected, A’Zhi smiled and raised the food box. “I brought back our spoils of war.”

Inside, a plate of lychees.

Chao Mu opened the lid and casually tossed her book into the food box. She took two lychees, handing one to A’Zhi while keeping the other for herself.

A’Zhi held the box with one hand and reached out with the other to accept the fruit.

As Chao Mu peeled her lychee, she kept gazing into the jar. “A’Zhi, how do you think we could break the surface of such still water?”

She seemed genuinely troubled by the question. Her rosy lips pressed together, and even her hands paused mid-peel.

A’Zhi glanced down at the water.

There were no fish, no movement at all—just stagnant water. Breaking the surface from within was impossible.

“How about this,” she murmured, looking around for a moment. Not finding a stone, she simply dropped her lychee into the jar.

With a soft splash, the surface broke into ripples, spreading outward in rings from the point of impact until they touched the edge of the jar.

If you couldn’t stir change from within, then perhaps it had to come from the outside.

Chao Mu slowly turned her gaze from the rippling water to A’Zhi.

Light slanted down from the eaves, brushing over A’Zhi’s shoulder. Her pale blue robe caught the sunlight and seemed to glow faintly, a gentle radiance that made her look vibrant and full of life.

Chao Mu’s eyes brightened. She lifted her hand and held the peeled lychee up to A’Zhi’s lips, clearly delighted. “You really are clever.”

That kind of praise was a bit much.

She’d get a big head if this kept up.

A’Zhi leaned forward, took the lychee, and pressed the translucent flesh out from the shell before popping it into her mouth.

She’d assumed lychees in this season would be bland, but to her surprise, the fruit was quite good—sweet and juicy, hardly any different from the summer harvest.

Except it was cold enough to make her teeth ache.

Chao Mu took her book from the box again. “Come on. I still have verses to memorize.”

“Wait for me, my lady,” A’Zhi said, setting the food box down.

Chao Mu looked at her in confusion. “What are you doing?”

She added, “There aren’t any fish in there.”

A’Zhi sighed. “I’m retrieving the lychee.”

She knew there were no fish. But there was one lychee—one she’d tossed in herself.

It had been given to her by the young mistress. It was delicious and expensive, and she couldn’t bear to waste it.

“Why not use a net?” Chao Mu tilted her head, puzzled. “Aren’t your hands cold?”

A’Zhi hesitated.

Then silently rolled her sleeves back down.

Her instincts had betrayed her—she’d fallen right back into old habits from her days as a lowly servant.

Chao Mu let out a small sigh and came back to pick up the food box. She looked at A’Zhi with a knowing smile, drawing out her words slowly.

“I get it now. That lychee was from me, so you wanted to fish it out with your own hands.”

A’Zhi blinked. “What?”

Chao Mu’s grin deepened, dimples sparkling. “I know you’re loyal, A’Zhi. You don’t have to prove it again.”

She gave her a look full of teasing affection, as if saying, You adore me, don’t you?

A’Zhi’s expression twisted.

That wasn’t it. She just hated wasting such an expensive lychee, that’s all.

But the young mistress wasn’t listening anymore. She’d already turned to leave, food box in hand.

A’Zhi sighed deeply.

She had served many masters before, but none quite like this sweet little one.

Little Sweetcake was definitely doing it on purpose. She’d made the comment just to embarrass her—because even A’Zhi had to admit that reaching into the jar had been a bit silly.

Compared to palace maids, at least she still had her dignity.

She’d let her guard down.

“A’Zhi,” Chao Mu called when she noticed she hadn’t followed, “come help me grind ink. I need to write invitations today.”

A’Zhi blinked and looked up.

Somehow, sunlight had spilled across the courtyard while she wasn’t paying attention. The young mistress stood there in her bright red skirt, full of life and light.

A’Zhi quickly caught up and reached out to take the food box from her hands.

She’d go retrieve that lychee at noon, then.

She smiled faintly to herself.

After all, she was loyal.