A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 42

“Countess.”

As soon as Chao Mu called out, A’Zhi moved forward to meet her. Just as she was about to curtsy, the little sweetheart fell into her shoulder, saying softly, “A’Zhi, why did you take so long?”

A’Zhi was taken aback. The little sweetheart’s face was pressed against her shoulder, her voice low and soft, barely a whisper. “I’ve been missing you all day.”

A’Zhi’s heart melted. A smile appeared in her eyes, and she struggled to keep her lips from curling up. “I haven’t been idle,” she said. “I was managing the manor for you.” And now that she finally had a moment, she had come to pick her up from school.

“I know,” Chao Mu said, lifting her hand to pat A’Zhi’s head, her voice sweet. “A’Zhi, you worked so hard.”

A’Zhi hadn’t actually worked that hard. She handled these matters with ease. But seeing the exhaustion on Chao Mu’s face, she felt a pang of regret for not having accompanied her to the Imperial Academy today.

Cui Cui quietly chimed in. “The little countess is exhausted. She was in a horse stance for almost two hours.”

A’Zhi turned her head to look. The little sweetheart was indeed almost a little pancake. “Then let’s hurry back and rest.” A’Zhi didn’t ask what happened. Instead, she gently patted Chao Mu’s back.

Chao Mu straightened up and held out her hands to A’Zhi. “When we get back, I want to take a bath.”

“Okay, a bath it is.” A’Zhi held Chao Mu’s forearms, allowing her to lean her entire weight on her.

Cui Cui lowered the footrest, and A’Zhi helped Chao Mu get into the carriage. A’Zhi sat next to Chao Mu, whose head was resting on her shoulder.

“If I didn’t know my aunt better, I would think she hates me for putting me through all that,” Chao Mu’s mouth, which didn’t seem to be tired at all, complained to A’Zhi. She pointed to her legs. “They’re as brittle as lotus root. How can I possibly lift a large bow, let alone Chen Yue’s bow?”

Chen Yue’s bow was crafted by Prime Minister Chen with a great deal of money. Chao Mu thought it would be light, but it was incredibly heavy! Chen Yue had insisted, “The heavy ones have a better feel. If they’re light, they have no power!”

Chao Mu sat up straight, fuming at A’Zhi. “I told her I wanted to use a practice bow, but she insisted I use hers. Chen Yue also said, ‘The heavy bow feels so solid, and the sound of the arrow flying out after you draw it back is so nice,’ but she didn’t realize I couldn’t even draw it!” And she never got to hear that “swoosh” sound.

A’Zhi wanted to laugh, but she held it in. Otherwise, the sad little sweetheart would get so angry she might just jump up.

“So many people were watching me,” Chao Mu said, her head drooping. “…It was a little embarrassing.” 

So, to show that she wasn’t defeated, she stubbornly held her horse stance.

“My aunt said that to draw a bow, your hands must be steady, and your legs must be steady.” A horse stance was meant to build a solid foundation.

“They’re so sore now,” Chao Mu said, rubbing her thighs.

******

There were two small oil lamps hanging in the carriage, so it wasn’t too dark. A’Zhi used the lamplight to look at Chao Mu and said softly to soothe her, “I’ve learned some massage techniques. Would you like me to try them on you tonight, Countess?”

Chao Mu’s head perked up immediately. “Yes!”

“I wish you had been there,” Chao Mu said. “That way, when I got tired, I could have used you as an excuse to stop.”

“I didn’t know you would have to learn archery on your first day,” A’Zhi said. She had assumed that on her first day, Chao Mu would just get to know the academy. At most, she would have to read and write, which were easy subjects that only strained the voice a little. So, when she came, she had asked the kitchen to prepare rock sugar and pear soup.

“Would the countess like some warm water?”

Chao Mu nodded. “Just a little.”

A’Zhi pulled out a new teacup from a hidden compartment in the carriage and poured a cup of pear soup for Chao Mu from the insulated kettle. As she handed it to her, the little countess took the teacup with both hands and took a small sip.

“I didn’t think you would be this tired today, first because it’s the beginning of the term, and second because Miss Chen Yue was with you,” A’Zhi said to herself. She thought that Chen Yue would at least take care of the little countess. Who would have thought she would take care of her like this? The person who was so full of energy this morning had returned as if her life force had been drained.

Chao Mu let out a loud “Mm,” and looked at A’Zhi with a long, drawn-out tone. “Now you know they’re unreliable, don’t you? Will you ever leave me to someone else again?” She held the empty teacup out. “If it happens again, I’ll be carried back lying down.”

A’Zhi looked at her. “Bah, bah, bah. That’s a bad omen.” A’Zhi, seeing that she was done drinking, put the teacup aside and said softly, “Actually, the Grand Princess likes you. Making you hold a horse stance might be her way of showing her affection.” She could tell from the gift she sent to the manor banquet that among the royals, only the Grand Princess truly cared for the little countess.

“I know,” Chao Mu said, suddenly remembering something. She held up her left hand for A’Zhi to see. A slender, delicate finger like a green onion was extended to A’Zhi. The thumb, which was bare this morning, now had a thumb ring on it. The color was beautiful. Under the lamplight, it looked like it was coated in oil, white and moist. “Mutton fat jade?” A’Zhi had seen many good things.

“A’Zhi has a good eye,” Chao Mu said, her eyes curving into a smile. She pulled her hand back and took off the thumb ring. “My aunt gave it to me.” She said that she had prepared it for her on a whim, but the size was perfect, and it was made of mutton fat jade, which showed she had put a lot of thought into it.

A’Zhi was happy for her. “That’s great.” But with a size that fit so perfectly, either the Grand Princess had people investigate the little countess’s measurements, or she had prepared many rings and chose the most suitable one after seeing the little countess’s finger. Either way, it showed that the Grand Princess cared a great deal about the little sweetheart. 

A’Zhi looked at Chao Mu. In the capital, where the royals’ attitudes were ambiguous, having a caring relative like the Grand Princess meant the little sweetheart wouldn’t feel so anxious.

A’Zhi was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly felt someone pulling her left hand. A’Zhi immediately straightened her back and looked down her left arm to Chao Mu. “What?”

“For A’Zhi,” Chao Mu said, looking down. Using the lamplight, she put the ring on A’Zhi’s thumb. Chao Mu then held A’Zhi’s hand up to the light. “Look, A’Zhi, the size is perfect for you, too.” A’Zhi and Chao Mu were similar in height and weight, and they were almost the same age, so it was normal for Chao Mu’s thumb ring to fit A’Zhi.

Chao Mu looked at A’Zhi, and A’Zhi looked at the mutton fat jade thumb ring. “You’re giving it to me?”

“Mm.” Chao Mu tilted her head, her hands resting obediently on her lap, the lamplight reflected in her dewy eyes like tiny stars.

A’Zhi pursed her lips and, as she took off the thumb ring and put it in her pocket, said with a polite reserve, “Oh, that’s so embarrassing. It looks very expensive.”

Chao Mu was speechless. She knew it was expensive! She moved away from A’Zhi, and huddled against the other side of the carriage wall, picking at the window.

“I’m just teasing you,” A’Zhi said, pulling out the thumb ring. “After all, it was a gift from the Grand Princess. The countess can’t just give it away to anyone.”

“A’Zhi isn’t just anyone,” Chao Mu insisted.

“Even so, you can’t just give it away. The Grand Princess would be sad if she found out,” A’Zhi said, holding her hand out to the little countess. “Here, let me put it back on for you.”

Chao Mu’s dimples were shallow, and she placed her finger in A’Zhi’s palm. After A’Zhi put the ring back on, Chao Mu stuck to her again, sitting right next to her.

By the time the carriage rumbled back to the manor, it was already dark, and Chao Mu was so tired she had fallen asleep. Cui Cui held a lantern and a book bag, and lifted the curtain to look inside. A’Zhi didn’t move. She put a finger to her mouth and motioned for her to be quiet. Cui Cui understood. She held the lantern up to her face and whispered with her lips, “Then I’ll have someone heat up water. When she wakes up, I’ll call her to take a bath?”

“Okay.” She looked at Chao Mu. The little countess was sleeping soundly on A’Zhi’s shoulder. Her long, thick eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks. She was clearly exhausted. Cui Cui felt a pang of sympathy and whispered again, “Or should we have someone carry the countess down and help her take off her clothes and put her in the tub?” That way, the little countess could both sleep and bathe to relieve her fatigue. It was the best of both worlds.

A’Zhi’s face went from a slight nod to a look of hesitation to a wide-eyed shock! It was a good thing Cui Cui wasn’t the head maid. Otherwise, the little countess, who was already a weakling, would be turned into a little pickled vegetable. How could she dare to undress her mistress while she was asleep? Thankfully, the little sweetheart was a woman. If she were a man, wouldn’t she and Cui Cui be seen as maids trying to get into bed with their master? They would be beaten and kicked out of the manor. A’Zhi glared at Cui Cui. Cui Cui shrank her neck and smiled apologetically, her lips pressed together. She didn’t have this kind of experience before. She was just thinking about letting the little countess get some rest, and her good intentions almost led to a disaster.

A’Zhi thought for a moment. Cui Cui had a point. It was uncomfortable to sleep in the carriage, and she could easily get cold. It would be better to carry her to the warm room. A’Zhi motioned for Cui Cui to hold the lantern for her. She put one arm around the little countess’s waist, letting her lean against her, and put her other arm under the little countess’s knees. She held Chao Mu tightly and bent down to get out of the carriage.

Cui Cui held the lantern with both hands and watched in shock. A’Zhi looked so thin, but she picked up the little countess in one go! A’Zhi’s strength was truly amazing! She had originally been thinking of asking Chen Cheng to do it.

Chen Cheng? Hah.

A’Zhi glanced at Cui Cui, her eyes was full of disdain. Chen Cheng wasn’t even as good as her. The first mistress A’Zhi had in the palace was very difficult. When she was in a bad mood, she would make all the maids in the palace stand in the sun with expensive vases on their heads. If a vase fell, they would be beaten with a board, and their skin would be torn. Later, she got bored of having them hold vases and had them hold jade bowls in their outstretched hands. Among all the maids, only A’Zhi held on until the end. The mistress was in a good mood and rewarded her with a piece of gold, saying she would promote her to be the head maid in the palace. Unfortunately, not long after saying that, she was sent to the cold palace for framing a favored consort and causing her to have a miscarriage.

Besides a piece of gold, A’Zhi also gained a solid foundation and strong arms. And the original A’Zhi had come from a hard life, so her strength was not small. And…

“The countess is very light,” A’Zhi whispered to Cui Cui. Chao Mu was not heavy. She was soft and light in her arms, like a well-behaved little cat. This feeling of holding a warm, soft jade made her want to hold her even tighter.

A’Zhi’s hands were already very steady, and now with the little countess in her arms, they were even steadier. But her heart was beating a little fast. Even though they were wearing thick winter clothes, she could still faintly feel the little sweetheart’s breath on her chest. It was a tingling sensation. A’Zhi’s ears felt warm, and she felt like her mind was wandering. She looked away from Chao Mu’s face, but after a moment, she couldn’t help but look down at the little sweetheart again. She was sleeping so well, so sweetly, so soft and fragrant. It made her want to pinch her cheek.

Lost in her thoughts, she finally reached the warm room. A’Zhi bent down and placed her on the couch.

“A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi was startled. She looked down at the little sweetheart. Chao Mu slowly opened her eyes, reached out, and held A’Zhi’s sleeve, whining. “I think what Cui Cui said was a good idea.”

A’Zhi was confused. Which part?

Chao Mu was being a little brat. She curled up on her side, her arms wrapped around A’Zhi’s arm, not letting her straighten up.

 Her soft voice said slowly, “A’Zhi can just help me take off my clothes and bathe me. I don’t mind.”