☆, Choosing a Master
As for Ouyang Hongcan’s son, Ouyang Que, Xiao Banli’s impression of him was very vague. The children of the Ouyang family were all outstanding, and from the moment she became aware of the world, the news and magazines were always filled with reports about the Ouyang family, especially the children of the six masters, which made people sigh in admiration. It truly was a flourishing family.
However, Ouyang Hongcan’s son, Ouyang Que, was different from his siblings. She rarely saw his name in the reports, and even his academic achievements and appearance were very unclear.
There were rumors that Ouyang Que was an unattractive person, and because his mother was not favored in the Ouyang family, she was confined to the inner quarters, leading to him being a mute, unable to care for himself, and thought to be mentally impaired. While this speculation was exaggerated, and perhaps completely untrue, it became a fixed perception in Y City, turning him into a subject of ridicule for everyone.
Every door in the Ouyang house was heavy and luxurious. After turning the corner of the corridor, the first room quickly came into view. Xiao Banli lowered her head and knocked on the door with her curled fingers.
“Come in,” a muffled voice came through the door.
With the sound, the door opened, and Xiao Banli, not daring to look up, walked in, her feet sinking into the thick carpet.
“Young master, your soup.”
Ouyang Que, sitting in front of the computer, gave a faint hum. He briefly glanced at the maid who had entered before turning back to focus on the screen. The quiet room was filled with the sound of keyboard tapping.
Xiao Banli felt she didn’t dare to look up, but as she was about to leave, she couldn’t help but feel a bit curious about Ouyang Que’s appearance. Taking advantage of the fact that he was deeply focused on his typing, she quickly raised her eyes for two seconds, then immediately lowered her head again and hurriedly rushed out of the room.
“Hey, why are you running so fast?” As soon as she exited the room, Ouyang Que, who had left his seat, called out to her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Xiao Banli stopped just in time, lowering her head and apologizing softly.
“What’s the use of apologizing after you’ve already seen? Lift your head. Let me think of how to erase the evidence.” A pair of shiny leather shoes appeared before her, and Ouyang Que had already reached her side.
Xiao Banli suddenly regretted being curious. Even though Ouyang Que was not favored, he was still a member of the Ouyang family. She had accidentally seen what he was doing, and the man in that scene, even if she was confused, she could still recognize that the man in the picture was Ouyang Honghui.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Xiao Banli could only lift her head. Half of her pockmarked, acne-covered face met Ouyang Que’s gaze. The rumors were indeed false. Ouyang Que was not only not ugly, but actually very handsome, even more so than her first husband, Lin Yujia. However, handsome men are always dangerous.
When Ouyang Que saw the face of the maid in front of him, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed. ‘How ugly,’ he thought. He, Ouyang Que, had fallen so low that he could only have such an ugly maid serving him.
“Kneel down and beg me, and I’ll let you go,” Ouyang Que said, his lips parted.
Xiao Banli looked at him. Although she knew that in the Ouyang family, she would encounter many situations that would damage her self-esteem, she didn’t expect the very first task to be kneeling in front of Ouyang Que.
“Young Master, if you want to destroy me, even if I kneel, you still won’t let me go,” Xiao Banli took a deep breath and said. Seeing something she shouldn’t have was enough for her to be dealt with.
Ouyang Que paused for a moment, his malicious expression fading slightly as he looked Xiao Banli up and down with a look of disgust. “You just arrived? I’ve never seen you before,” he said, his eyes scanning her. He had never seen such an ugly maid, usually, the maids of the Ouyang family were at least somewhat attractive, always ready to meet the needs of the men in the family.
Xiao Banli nodded. “Yes, Young Master. I just arrived, and I came back from training in Europe today.”
“Oh? Just back? No wonder I haven’t seen you.” Ouyang Que crossed his arms. A mere maid wouldn’t cause much of a stir, especially a brand new one without a master yet.
Xiao Banli remained silent, maintaining an unassuming but confident attitude, which piqued Ouyang Que’s interest. “So, you haven’t found a master yet?”
Xiao Banli nodded. She had just arrived—how could she have a master yet?
“Good,” Ouyang Que said with approval. “The second master’s wife is a reasonable woman. She likes to spend time in the Buddhist hall, praying and reading scriptures. When you’re chosen by a master, consider her as a candidate.”
Xiao Banli nodded. “Thank you, Young Master.”
“Alright, you can go now.” Ouyang Que saw that she was obedient, and having said what he needed to, he waved for her to leave.
Back in the noisy kitchen, Xiao Banli continued washing the dishes in the sink. The entire evening was spent in the kitchen, moving from washing dishes to washing vegetables, then peeling and cutting them, and passing plates.
In the midst of a chaotic party outside…
Suddenly, there was an uproar, causing delays in the delivery of dishes from the kitchen. The head chef yelled angrily, while others asked, “What’s going on? What’s happening?”
“The video of Ouyang Que growing up was apparently swapped with one of the eldest master and that young star in a scandalous bedroom scene. This young star was actually the gift the eldest master had planned to give Ouyang Que for his coming-of-age.”
“Damn, Ouyang Que’s coming-of-age gift was from the eldest master, the one he’s already been with. Isn’t that just a way of checking the goods first? As expected, he’s not favored—he’s getting the gifts that the eldest master has already grown bored of.”
“The problem isn’t here. The problem is that the eldest master just said he’d give the popular young star Guoguo to Ouyang Que as a gift, and the next moment, the video shown was of the eldest master and Guoguo in bed.”
The kitchen, like outside, was in chaos. The woman the uncle had slept with was now being sent to his nephew. At a party attended by all the influential figures in Y City, many were trying to get close to the Ouyang family, while there were also those waiting for the family to fall.
Xiao Banli continued cutting the radishes on the chopping board, slicing them into thin pieces. This skill was something she had learned in her past life. It was also why the head chef had asked her to cut the onions earlier when someone was missing, and upon seeing her skill, he let her stay in the kitchen cutting vegetables.
Ouyang Que is definitely not a fool.
This was the thought that flashed through Xiao Banli’s mind as she lay in bed that night. When she looked up, she realized that the video shown in the hall must have been the one from earlier.
The nephew exposed the uncle’s dirty secrets, and this secret was something the uncle had intended to give him. How old is Ouyang Que this year? Eighteen. At just eighteen, he already had this level of insight.
The children of wealthy families are not easy to deal with.
Three days later
Having gotten familiar with the rules of the Ouyang family, Xiao Banli and the other six children were taken to the hall in the backyard. The hall was already filled with six madams.
“Yuanbin, I really need a smart girl in my room. The last time that silly girl washed my skirt, she ruined it. If it wasn’t a gift from my husband, I wouldn’t wear it again.” The eldest madam, sitting at the head of the table, lazily adjusted her sleeve, her eyes half-lidded, exuding an air of authority.
Zhu Yuanbin smiled, “Eldest madam, this is certain. These children are clean and hardworking, and they will definitely get the job done. You can choose whichever one you like.”
The head of the household always gets to choose first, and only then do the others get to pick.
“Yuanbin, you’ve forgotten my rule again. When it comes to people, even if it’s just a maid, it’s about the right vibe. It was like that before, and it should be like that now.” The eldest madam leaned back in her chair, not even glancing at the girls standing in front of her.
Zhu Yuanbin gave a slight exclamation, bent over, and said, “The eldest madam is absolutely right. In Y City, only you, eldest madam, are so understanding, letting the girls choose their masters themselves.”
With that, he finished speaking.
Zhu Yuanbin turned to look at Xiao Banli and the others. “Alright, kids, you can choose for yourselves. Pick which madam you want to serve. Of course, if one of you already has a companion who has chosen their madam, don’t fight over it.”
Seven people, six madams.
Xiao Banli didn’t understand his meaning. It was either that or she was very likely to be eliminated. She was so ugly, and the other five had already started quietly glancing at the madams sitting in their seats. Only she and Yuan Muxiao hadn’t moved.
Yuan Muxiao kept following Zhu Yuanbin with a playful smile, looking like an assistant to Zhu Yuanbin. Xiao Banli narrowed her eyes. She and Yuan Muxiao never got along, rarely even speaking to each other. They lived in different quarters, but with Yuan Muxiao’s ambition, it wouldn’t be surprising if she really had become Zhu Yuanbin’s assistant.
“Xiao Banli, are you not going to choose?” Zhu Yuanbin turned around and glared at Xiao Banli.
Xiao Banli hurried forward in response. Clearly, since returning to the Ouyang family, Zhu Yuanbin’s patience with her ugly face had been wearing thin day by day.
The six madams each had different postures, and the order they were seated in clearly indicated their rank, from highest to lowest.
The other five children were still lingering around the various madams, but no one looked at the third madam.
Xiao Banli clenched her fists and, without hesitation, walked toward the third madam, whose face was pale.
At the same time, she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and felt the gazes of the other madams on her.
The third madam hadn’t changed her maid in five years. Every year, the maids selected didn’t want to serve her and preferred to clean in the main house rather than be the third madam’s maid.
The rule set by the first madam, that the maids choose their masters, subconsciously mocked the third madam, as even the maids despised her.