Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 123 Preserving Oneself is Paramount

Unexpectedly, Donggua scratched her head in a panic. Huayan had only instructed her to stay on the lake shore in case something happened to the second young lady and Miss Su. Who knew that the one who fell into the water was the young lady of the Earl's Mansion? Moreover, she had heard Ruizhu mention the bad deeds of the Rongxing Earl's Mansion several times. She was hesitating whether to save her or not.

Seeing Zou Xiuer struggling wildly in the water, quickly choking on several mouthfuls of lake water, the maid on the shore turned pale and could only shout loudly without taking any other remedial measures.

It was a human life, Donggua sighed, and jumped into the water with a splash. Thankfully, she remembered to remove her hair ornaments, including the pearl hairpins, and leave them on the shore...

Fortunately, Zou Xiuer wasn't far from the water, and Donggua easily grabbed her arm. However, this pampered young lady was truly foolish and vicious; only her head remained above water, and she was still shouting, "You...save me! If you can't save me, my mother will..."

She was already exhausted, and when Donggua reached her and grabbed her, she pressed her whole body against him. Her survival instinct made her wrap her arms tightly around Donggua's neck.

Hua Yan and the others hadn't gone far when they heard the cries for help and immediately surrounded them.

Hua Yan saw Dong Gua being held back by Zou Xiuer, and a chill spread through her body. Ming Wu wasn't there, and neither she nor Ming Yue and the others could swim. If Dong Gua was held back for too long, he would definitely be in danger.

Mengzhu and Mingyue were instructed to take good care of the Second Miss and Miss Su, while Huayan anxiously sent people to find wood, branches, and other materials to help them.

Donggua felt as if he weighed more than a thousand pounds. He secretly circulated his inner energy and really wanted to abandon this stupid girl. However, as his strength was gradually depleted, even the burly Donggua was starting to feel the strain.

Hearing the commotion, some of the young masters from the Waterside Pavilion on the opposite bank of the lake had already rushed onto the bridge to cross. Mengzhu made a quick decision and, together with Mingyue, pulled the second young lady and the others to hide inside the pavilion.

The young ladies, including Lu and Jiang, naturally kept their distance, and Hua Yan took advantage of the chaos to pass the bamboo pole towards Dong Gua.

"Winter melon!"

Donggua splashed around in the water with one hand. When he heard Huayan's voice and looked over, Huayan quickly made a scattering motion, avoiding the others.

Hua Yan's body was tense, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. In her heart, Donggua was just as important as the Second Miss. Silly Donggua, it wasn't the Second Miss who fell; your own safety is more important than saving someone unrelated!

Hua Yan calmed down a bit when she caught a glimpse of a servant stopping people on the bridge. Looking at the lake, she saw Dong Gua crash headfirst into Zou Xiu'er's head. Zou Xiu'er was already disoriented, and the impact knocked her unconscious. Her hands lost their grip. Dong Gua spat out a mouthful of water, turned around, and vigorously paddled with his right hand while slightly twisting his left hand to pull half of Zou Xiu'er's body under his arm.

Seeing this, Hua Yan relaxed, and Rui Zhu quickly supported her arm and comforted her, "Don't worry, Dong Gua will be fine."

Mr. Lin had already ordered someone to fetch blankets and towels. Once Donggua climbed ashore, Huayan and Ruizhu immediately wrapped her up. As for Zou Xiuer, they naturally wouldn't bother with her.

Cao Xinglin clapped his hands and praised, "Wan'er, the maid you brought is so strong! You know, rescuing a drowning person is extremely dangerous. Luckily, she's alright."

Su Wanwan had been wondering for half an hour why the second young lady was missing a chubby maid, and now she realized that the maid had been sent to guard the shore early in the morning.

Upon further reflection, it wasn't just surprise.

Today was merely a banquet, yet the arrangements, both overt and covert, were so meticulous and thorough. Madam Yun and the Second Miss's cunning was undeniable. Even the unexpected turn of events before she changed clothes was averted thanks to the Tang family's careful planning. Although she didn't know why the Minister's Mansion had schemed against her, she felt both resentment and gratitude towards the Tang family.

Zou Xiuer's forehead was red and swollen. Fortunately, she regained some consciousness after spitting out some water. Before she could react, Mr. Lin ordered the maids to carry her out.

Hua Yan disregarded everything else, apologized to the second young lady, and helped Dong Gua to the carriage to change clothes.

The second young lady instructed with concern, "Don't let Donggua catch a cold. There are cotton blankets and charcoal in the dark of my carriage. Huayan, go and get them. Take good care of Donggua."

The second young lady had no time to process the changes at her aunt's house. Today, accidents happened one after another. First, Liu Yuhe fell into the water, and then Zou Xiuer fell into the water. For a moment, the second young lady's mood was extremely complicated.

On the stone bridge across the river, Chen Lin stared blankly at a familiar figure from a great distance, unconsciously pinching the purse at his waist.

She murmured, "...Hua Yan, the Hua Yan that Senior Sister mentioned, could it be...Meng Shu?"

The first half of the poetry gathering ended with an incident at the Rongxing Earl's mansion, in which Aunt Zou and her daughter both fainted. Madam Yun remained composed, showing no sign of concern whatsoever, an attitude that surprised the ladies present, given that Madam Yun and the Earl's wife were nominally sisters. However, those familiar with the events leading up to the gathering understood that Madam Yun's actions were a prudent defense, and outsiders had no right to question her.

The second half of the event was the banquet, and Hua Yan did not serve any of the attendants.

Donggua was fine; after resting in the carriage, he was back to his energetic self. Huayan was relieved but also secretly blamed herself.

"Donggua, it's all my fault for being arrogant and reckless. I will never put you in danger again next time." Hua Yan lowered her eyes, her voice somewhat low.

Before coming, the only thing she could foresee was that Miss Su might encounter some trouble. It was the second young lady's first appearance in the capital, and the ladies at the banquet might be curious about her appearance and character because of the hot-tempered third-place scholar. She figured she wouldn't encounter any danger.

Therefore, during the deployment, Ruizhu was instructed to follow Caiyue and Caixia, who were by Miss Su's side, so that they could keep an eye on her at all times. As for the Second Miss, she had Mingyue and herself to take care of her closely, and they were also familiar with the layout of the manor. They also asked Madam Yun to have Mingwu at the manor to provide backup and guard against Liu's nephew. In this way, they could eliminate as many unexpected situations as possible.

Only the Nine-Bend Pavilion is located by the lake, so there is a very small chance of falling into the water. And only Donggua in Yunyi Courtyard is a good swimmer, so Huayan sent Donggua to the lakeside just in case.

"What are you saying? If that Miss Zou hadn't been so stupid, how dangerous could it have been to go into the water to save someone?" Donggua took out a piece of mung bean cake from the food box and ate it as he spoke.

Hua Yan didn't speak again. She took Dong Gua's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling inexplicably more at ease and at ease.

Whether it was Donggua taking out his savings to lend to her so she could redeem Huanyun from her servitude, or stopping a car on the street to buy Lvliu all sorts of sweets, or his single-minded dedication to making pastries and drinks, it was Donggua's sincerity that gave her so much strength.

Hua Yan knew she was a cold-hearted person, only becoming soft in front of Dong Gua and the Second Miss.

"Preserving yourself is the priority; it's not worth risking your life for irrelevant people."

Finally, Hua Yan gave Dong Gua these instructions.

Donggua ate a piece of mung bean cake, then broke off a piece and fed it to Huayan. Suddenly, she remembered something and whispered, "I don't know if I saw things wrong, but I was hiding in the flower bushes the whole time. Before Miss Zou fell into the water, there was a maid in a pale yellow dress next to Miss Lu, who seemed to be about to push her..."

"A pale yellow dress?" Hua Yan sat up straight. There were many maids and servants today, but the only maids wearing pale yellow dresses were the servants from the manor and the maids from the Jiang and Zhuang families. Could it be that one of them intended to harm Miss Lu? But how could they dare to choose to do so at the Princess's banquet!?

"This is of great importance. Can you see her face clearly?"

There have long been rumors that the Seventh Prince and his mother intend to marry the eldest daughter of General Lu's family as their concubine. If Miss Lu were to have an accident at this critical juncture, it would be quite intriguing.