Yi Qing pretended to smile modestly. "As long as the elder sisters don't mind, it's no big deal."
She made several more servings and shared them with everyone present.
But when it was time to distribute them, she pretended to be in a dilemma. "We've made so many snacks. It's understandable that the madam is a vegetarian and devout Buddhist. But what about the eldest young mistress? Shouldn't we show our respect to her? Although she may not think much of these snacks, it's still my heartfelt gesture, right?"
In this situation, no one could say it was a bad idea.
Just like that, Yi Qing carried two plates of orange-stuffed crabs and left. She first headed to Lin's courtyard.
Lin's courtyard was completely silent. The rough maids and old women sweeping the yard were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make a sound.
Judging from their expressions, Yi Qing guessed that Lin must have vented her anger after returning.
She smiled brightly and said loudly, "I've been sent by the second young mistress to bring crabs to the eldest young mistress. I wonder which sister could help me announce my arrival?"
The others were all curious about this outsider. Moreover, since she refused to call herself a maid, it made people even more curious and they started speculating about her identity.
Just then, the curtain was lifted and a maid beside Lin came out. Seeing Yi Qing, she clearly had some misgivings.
But after all, she was a well-trained maid beside Lin. She said indifferently, "Give them to me then."
Yi Qing hadn't achieved her goal yet. How could she let go so easily?
She calmly said, "The second young mistress said there's a message for the eldest young mistress."
"Just say it," the maid said impatiently.
Yi Qing sneered. "This message is for the eldest young mistress. I can't tell it to others. Even in the mountains, we never act on our own without asking the master first. Is it different here?"
The maid blushed with anger after being rebuked. She glared at Yi Qing fiercely but didn't dare to act on her own. She turned around and went inside.
She complained to Lin, who was lying listlessly on the couch. "Eldest young mistress, the second young mistress sent a rude maid. She said..."
She was going to exaggerate and complain about Yi Qing, but unexpectedly, Lin interrupted her.
"I heard everything just now. Let her in."
Yi Qing had said that Lin was weak in qi and blood and even mentioned pregnancy.
Lin was panicked at that time because she suddenly remembered that her period was overdue this month.
But the panic was only momentary. After returning for so long, she had sorted things out and thought about all the consequences. Now she wasn't afraid.
She even knew that Yi Qing must have heard something and come to probe.
How daring!
Lin was once a proud girl. Now there was a fire burning in her heart.
Yi Qing carried the food box in, took out the crabs and handed them to the maid beside Lin. She said indifferently, "The second young mistress said that everyone in the mansion knows that the eldest young master hasn't been back for a long time. My speculation about your pregnancy was disrespectful. She sent me to apologize. To avoid affecting your reputation, I need to tell you this privately."
As she spoke, she sized Lin up and down, trying to find more clues.
Unexpectedly, Lin just lay on the couch and let her look. She wasn't the least bit flustered. There was even a faint smile on her lips, completely different from her panicked look before.
Yi Qing fell into deep thought.
Lin said, "I noticed that you keep referring to yourself as 'I'. Are you not a bonded maid?"
"No," Yi Qing replied. "I'm a free person. I was saved by the second young mistress. Out of gratitude for her life-saving grace, I've been staying by her side."
"No wonder," Lin said with a half-smile. "Qu'er, reward her two taels of silver."
Yi Qing cursed silently in her heart. She had just said that she was a free person, and Lin immediately used silver to show her superiority. It was as if to tell her that she was still a servant at the mercy of the master. Disgusting!
Yi Qing took the two taels of silver, felt it in her hand, and then casually put it back on the tray. She said, "I can't accept this without doing anything. Keep it for yourself to replenish your body."
Having an abortion is very harmful to the body, elder sister.
After this confrontation, both sides had their own gains and losses. Only then did Yi Qing leave.
"Why did you come back so late? I was almost worried that something had happened to you and was about to go out and save you!" Xue Miao'er complained.
Yi Qing took out the orange-stuffed crabs and introduced this dish to the curious Xue Miao'er.
Xue Miao'er mumbled, "What's so good about crabs? They're all shells." But her hand had already reached out involuntarily.
After taking a bite, she was completely hooked and buried her head in eating.
Yi Qing sat opposite her, propping her chin up. She ate slowly and said, "Lin's reaction just now was strange."
"How so?" Xue Miao'er asked while chewing the crab roe.
"She was too calm. There was no trace of guilt of someone who had done something wrong."
"Then..." Xue Miao'er licked the crab roe off her finger and blinked her eyes. "Could it be that she's not pregnant at all?"
"I didn't take her pulse, so I can't be completely sure. But when I went just now, I noticed that she unconsciously protected her stomach."
"Is she that stupid?" Xue Miao'er asked. "From what you said, I feel like she's setting a trap for us!"
Yi Qing said, "Maybe. But I always feel that she's not really targeting us. At most, she's just using us."
"What do you mean?"
Yi Qing shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a hunch."
Because she thought that they were new here and didn't have any deep grudges with Lin. Even if Lin wanted to show them who was in charge, there was no need to make such a big fuss.
Moreover, she always felt that there was a malicious calculation in Lin's eyes just now. That kind of look was usually reserved for enemies.
Yi Qing even faintly felt that Lin was targeting Madam Meng.
But even the cooks in the mansion knew that Meng Qinghai didn't come home. If Lin was really pregnant, wasn't it a crisis?
Yi Qing added, "Let's just wait and see. It would be great if we could reap the benefits."
After finishing the crabs, Xue Miao'er leaned back against the chair contentedly. "I don't know. It's too complicated. You decide. I'll follow your lead."
She was very clear about her own role. She had married into the family just as a cover. In fact, she was cooperating with Yi Qing to find evidence of the Meng family's rebellion. She was just a supporting role.
Yi Qing was a bit speechless. "Just eat your crabs."
She had deliberately stirred things up. Now it was up to Xiao Tian.
She believed that Lin would definitely take action, and in the process, she would expose her intentions to some extent. She believed that Xiao Tian should be closely monitoring Lin now. She was just waiting for Xiao Tian's feedback.
But plans never kept up with changes. Just as Xue Miao'er had finished eating the crabs and washed her hands, and was praising Yi Qing's cooking skills in various ways, a servant rushed in.
"Something bad has happened! The eldest young mistress ate the crabs sent by the second young mistress and is now bleeding heavily. It seems she had a miscarriage!"
Xue Miao'er instinctively looked at Yi Qing. "Did you put drugs in them?"
Yi Qing: "… Shut up."