A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 19

A’Zhi gave Chao Mu’s goose-yellow dress a serious look and replied in a formal tone, “Naturally, the yellower it is, the more beautiful it looks.”

It never hurts to say something nice.

Chao Mu slowly straightened up and softly hummed, “A’Zhi ate some sweet pastries, and now her words are sweet, too.”

A’Zhi’s words weren’t entirely polite flattery. The goose-yellow dress truly did look good on the little princess. A’Zhi also genuinely liked the color yellow, as one type of gardenia flower was yellow. She had survived under a yellow gardenia tree and felt a strange sense of familiarity with both the color and the flower. However, she didn’t say any of those words to the little princess.

Chao Mu smoothly changed the topic. “Here’s another one for you, secretly. We’ll need the rest later.” She wiped her fingers and pinched another pastry for A’Zhi.

After the mistress and maid finished their pastries, they rinsed their mouths and went to the warm room.

A long table was set up in the room. Everyone politely deferred to each other for seating, but after all the courtesies, Chen Yue was seated on the left of the main seat, and Liang Youyun was on the right. The others were seated in order of their family’s rank.

As Chao Mu took her seat, A’Zhi brought the food box to the table, took out the pastries, and arranged them on the surface.

Chao Mu spoke in a soft, gentle voice. “Miss Liang and Miss Chu waited in line to buy these pastries from the Fuyu restaurant. I just tried one, and they’re so delicious, different from the pastries I ate in the south.” Chao Mu gave a bashful smile. “Although I know you may have all tasted them before, since I’m hosting a banquet today, I wanted to share these good things with all of you. Please, have a taste.”

“Oh, so they’re from Fuyu,” someone whispered. “Miss Liang must have been so thoughtful to wait in line herself. No wonder they were a bit late.”

“I think I heard that the little princess and Liang Youyun knew each other from childhood. They’ve probably kept in touch all these years, so it’s natural their relationship is so close.”

They had misunderstood Liang Youyun and Chu Qingqiu. They thought the two were just putting on airs, but it turned out they were buying pastries for the little princess. And besides, it was Liang Youyun. How could she ever be on bad terms with anyone? She was a gentle and generous mistress who wouldn’t even speak harshly to a servant, a “living bodhisattva.”

A single plate of pastries had elevated Liang Youyun’s reputation among the noblewomen even further. Liang Youyun blushed but didn’t stop the whispering. She just said softly to Chao Mu, “I’m glad you like them, little sister.”

Chao Mu’s eyes curved into crescents. “I like them very much.”

My A’Zhi really likes them, she thought. Even though A’Zhi was “angry” with her for secretly letting Xiao Que out, she still ate two pastries with a blank expression.

The two women leaned their heads together, their faces wreathed in smiles, a clear sign of their close relationship. Even though Chen Yue and Liang Youyun were both seated closest to Chao Mu, with Chao Mu speaking only to Liang Youyun, it highlighted how the other person was being ignored.

Chen Yue quietly took a bite of the so-called “sisterly pastries” and felt a pang of sadness. Mumu and Youyun are already calling each other ‘sisters.’ It seems everyone likes Youyun. She puffed her cheeks and pouted. I’m not so bad, either. Why won’t they talk to me?

Not only did others not dare to speak to Chen Yue, but even Miss Chen, who was trying to curry favor with the Chen family, didn’t dare to speak to her. This was because Chen Yue’s pouting face made her look like a difficult, pampered young lady, and no one wanted to risk offending her.

At this moment, Liang Youyun suddenly looked up at Chen Yue and asked with concern, “A’yue, are the pastries not good? You don’t seem to like them very much.”

Chen Yue had been quietly sulking, but now that Liang Youyun had asked, everyone at the table looked at her. Their gaze naturally fell on her unhappy face. Chen Yue was now eating the pastries the little princess had just praised, a look of distaste on her face. Was Chen Yue, relying on her status as the Prime Minister’s daughter, openly challenging the little princess? Was she mocking the little princess for her limited experience in the capital and saying the pastries were only “good” because she hadn’t tasted many?

A single sentence and a single glance were enough to make everyone’s imaginations run wild. Liang Youyun had effortlessly drawn Chen Yue from the corner and placed her under the scrutiny of the crowd. Then, she gracefully withdrew, allowing others to speculate about Chen Yue.

“I didn’t say they were bad,” Chen Yue said, her face forcing a smile. She looked at Chao Mu. “They’re very delicious. I like them a lot.”

Chao Mu nodded. Before she could speak, Liang Youyun let out a sigh of relief and said softly, “I thought you were just used to eating these kinds of things, so you didn’t like them anymore.”

“I am used to them, but I still really like them!” Chen Yue said this in response to Liang Youyun’s words. Seeing the tense atmosphere at the table, she looked at Chao Mu and nodded emphatically. “Really.” Her expression conveyed a message of “you have to believe me.”

But with Liang Youyun leading her, her words were only making the misunderstanding worse. What did she mean by “used to them”? What was she trying to say to Princess Fu Jia by saying she was “used to them”?

The two women were clearly in a battle of wits, and they were not on the same level. A’Zhi watched the flustered beauty, Chen Yue, and felt a pang of pity for her. The girl had no cunning in her heart and was clearly no match for Liang Youyun. Every word she said fell right into Liang Youyun’s trap. A’Zhi had initially thought that with Chen Yue’s looks, she would be a clever, enchanting fox, but after hearing Liang Youyun’s questions, A’Zhi realized that between beauty and wits, Chen Yue only possessed the beauty. She supposed that being so beautiful came at a price.

Chen Yue seemed to finally realize that Liang Youyun was targeting her. She angrily looked at her. “A’yun, why are you always asking me questions? I never said the pastries were bad.” In addition to the pastries, A’yun had also suggested the color of her dress. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a negative impression on Mumu (Chan Mu).

Liang Youyun gasped in surprise, a hint of hurt on her face. “A’yue, I was just concerned about you… I guess it was my mistake to ask, and now you think I’m making things difficult for you.” She held a handkerchief to her nose, lowering her eyes as if she were about to cry. Chu Qingqiu, who was sitting next to her, gently patted Liang Youyun’s back and comforted her.

Chen Yue was already at a disadvantage, and now everyone’s gaze was filled with a hint of disapproval. The Prime Minister’s daughter, Miss Chen, was indeed difficult to get along with. Liang Youyun’s passive-aggressive move silenced Chen Yue, leading her to question if she was overanalyzing the situation. Maybe A’yun was just genuinely concerned about her; after all, of everyone at the table, only A’yun had noticed her eating the pastries and asked if they were good. Chen Yue twisted the hem of her dress, her face full of regret. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

While the two were talking, Chao Mu sat in the middle like a delicate porcelain doll. She frowned and pursed her lips, looking back and forth but not saying a word. Only after the drama was over and the impression of Chen Yue’s poor relationship with Liang Youyun was firmly in everyone’s minds did Chao Mu speak. “We’re all sisters. Don’t be angry over a few words. It’s time to eat. Let’s not have any more pastries. Let’s eat.”

She turned to A’Zhi, who then had someone bring in the food.

Over the course of the meal, the personalities of the three young women became even clearer to everyone. Chen Yue was as spoiled and prone to moodiness as ever. Liang Youyun was as gentle and kindhearted as usual, a “good person.” As for the new princess in town… was her temper a little too soft? When Chen Yue and Liang Youyun were talking, she seemed flustered, not knowing how to intervene. Her slow, soft voice and gentle nature made her seem like a helpless, squishy sweet pastry. In the end, it was clear she had grown up in a small town. Although she was a princess, it was natural that she hadn’t seen much of the world after spending so many years away from the capital.

After the meal, they chatted for a while, and then Chu Qingqiu announced she had to leave. “My tutor has been hired to teach calligraphy, and this is the first day. I don’t want to be late.”

Liang Youyun also said, “We came in the same carriage, so I’ll send her back. A’mu, next time, I’ll invite you to my home. My chef makes excellent pastries. You will surely like them.”

A’Zhi’s back straightened instantly at these words, her alertness reaching its peak. “?”

Chao Mu, oblivious, held Liang Youyun’s hand. “Then I’ll be waiting for your invitation, big sister.”

The estate had prepared gifts, which were given to the maids of the Liang and Chu families to carry. Chao Mu and the others stepped outside to bid the two farewell. Just as they reached the courtyard, a figure rushed toward them. “My Lady, My Lady!”

Before anyone could react, the figure was already kneeling in front of Liang Youyun, looking up at her. “My Lady, do you still remember me? I’m Xiao Que.”

A’Zhi looked at Xiao Que and finally understood the purpose of her release, as well as the reason the little sweet pastry had been so friendly with Liang Youyun at the dinner table. ‘We’re so close; how could I make things difficult for you?’

A’Zhi instinctively looked at Chao Mu. Chao Mu coincidentally turned her head and noticed that A’Zhi was looking at her. She pursed her lips, her dimples shallow, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes, like a cunning little fox whose plan had succeeded.

Chao Mu mouthed the words, “Enjoy the show.”