☆ The Third Madam’s Household
What’s going on this year? At Xiao Banli’s action, every madam seated in the room straightened their posture. When they saw Xiao Banli’s face, they all seemed to relax.
A face like hers, they wouldn’t even want it if it was sent to them to clean up trash. It seems Xiao Banli understands her place and knows that only the third madam is her rightful master.
The first madam lazily shifted her sitting position, looking at Xiao Banli with a smile in her eyes, her gaze turning to the third madam, whose face had gone from pale to downright unpleasant.
“I think this girl is quite clever. It might be time for a change at Xiao Fen’s place. The maids you have are getting on in age, and at the family banquet, they were clearly not as quick on their feet. A new maid would be better.”
The third madam’s face darkened further, her round eyes glaring at Xiao Banli, gritting her teeth. Once the person in the main seat spoke, even if she wanted to reject it, she had to think twice.
But Xiao Fen, even though her husband didn’t love her and her son was mediocre, still couldn’t allow herself to be served by a maid whose face was even imperfect—this was nothing short of humiliation.
The other five orphans with good luck had already found their future masters, and gradually, the people in the hall started to leave, leaving only Xiao Banli, who remained standing, and the third madam, who remained seated, watching her.
The hall fell into complete silence.
“Remember, once you enter the gates of my third family, you must follow our rules. From now on, stay in the backyard and behave.” Xiao Fen stood up, coldly snorted, and walked toward the main door.
Xiao Banli half-raised her eyes and followed her footsteps, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips. The side of her face without acne scars looked stunningly beautiful.
Xiao Banli officially became a maid in this house, which was lacking a husband and only had widows and orphans. The Ouyang family lived in this large villa that covered 65 hectares, with the heads of the family mostly traveling by car. The residence assigned to Ouyang Hongcan was considered very small.
The house originally had four maids, all of whom had entered five years ago. They were now all around 25 years old. Xiao Banli thought about their ages and compared them to hers before she died. One evening, while resting in her room, she took the small gifts she bought in Europe and went to give them to the maids.
The four of them looked at her with disdain, but they didn’t reject her. Even though they were older, at least they still looked presentable, unlike Xiao Banli, whose appearance made it hard to look at her. She couldn’t even go to the living room to work. Thus, they didn’t refuse Xiao Banli’s goodwill and quietly accepted the gifts she brought.
“Xiao Banli, stop.” Three days after entering the third madam’s household, Xiao Banli, carrying a stack of clothes, was heading toward the laundry room when someone called her. She turned around and came face-to-face with Ouyang Que, who had been missing for three days.
“Hello, Young Master.”
“What’s so good about it? Didn’t I tell you to choose the second madam? What are you doing in my house?” Ouyang Que shouted in frustration, his eyes filled with even more disdain. The family needed to replace a maid, but it wasn’t for someone like this ugly freak. The people in the villa were all laughing hysterically.
Xiao Banli silently held the clothes, not speaking.
“I told you to speak!” Ouyang Que shouted angrily.
“Young Master, Young Master, another maid from the second master’s household has died. You should come with me to see!” At this moment, a security guard rushed in from the door, shouting for Ouyang Que.
Xiao Banli lifted her eyes, her clear gaze meeting Ouyang Que’s. His long, narrow eyes flickered, and he muttered under his breath, “Damn it.”
“Young Master…”
“Let’s go, let’s go.” Ouyang Que turned and pushed the security guard’s shoulder, striding out swiftly.
Xiao Banli stood in place until she could no longer see them. Then, she turned and headed toward the laundry room. The second madam indeed spent her days in devotion to Buddha, a woman with a heart seeking peace, but one who couldn’t escape the turmoil of life. She was incredibly jealous, and though Ouyang Hongli had power and influence, he wasn’t shy about finding women outside. Most of the maids had already been involved with him, and the ones who were particularly favored would be kept around. As a result, it was not uncommon for maids to die in the second madam’s household. In fact, it was considered the most dangerous place in the Ouyang family.
Ouyang Que went to check on the commotion and returned to find Xiao Banli. At this moment, she was mopping the backyard floor, her half-exposed face slightly lifted by the wind, the pale skin that was usually hidden by her hair now faintly visible. Ouyang Que’s steps slowed, and he studied her skin, then slowly walked toward her.
“Xiao Banli…”
Xiao Banli was startled by the sudden voice, her mop trembling slightly. She glanced at Ouyang Que, her eyes showing a flicker of anger, but it quickly dissipated, and she remained calm and still.
Ouyang Que was highly sensitive, and he immediately caught the brief flash of anger in her eyes.
“You dare get angry?” he asked, testing her.
Xiao Banli pressed her lips together and said nothing.
“I suggested you go to the second madam’s house. Why do you insist on coming to mine?” Ouyang Que was still fixated on this matter, though his words were questions, his gaze remained focused on the half-visible skin on Xiao Banli’s face.
“The second madam doesn’t want me. The third madam is kind and willing to take me in. I have a good connection with the third madam,” Xiao Banli said, partly true and partly a lie.
“You have a good connection with my mom? After she brought you back, she was so furious in her room, and you still think there’s a good connection?” Ouyang Que, facing Xiao Banli, who only answered one out of three questions, unconsciously lost his composure.
“Sorry.” Xiao Banli could only apologize.
“Lift your hair on the left side of your face so I can see.” This was Ouyang Que’s true intention.
Xiao Banli stepped back, holding the mop, her water-like eyes looking at Ouyang Que. “Young master, I’m very ugly.”
“Nonsense, of course, I already know you’re ugly. Lift your hair on the left side of your face so I can see. Otherwise, I’ll find a way to throw you out of my house tomorrow. Heh, since you’re so smart, you know coming to my house means there will be no man here to warm your bed, and you also know that our maids at the Ouyang family live the longest. You know it’s dangerous to go anywhere else. So, do you want me to see you, or do you want me to throw you out?”
After throwing out the question, Ouyang Que stared directly at Xiao Banli.
This Ouyang Que had such a clear understanding of her thoughts and intentions. Xiao Banli believed he had the ability to make her leave the courtyard, even though she was deeply unwilling.
Xiao Banli slowly brushed aside the hair that had been deliberately covering the left side of her face.
The skin, completely different from the right side, slowly revealed itself under the sunlight. The soft, pink skin shimmered in the light, and just from half of her face, it was astonishingly beautiful.
Ouyang Que’s eyes narrowed as he watched her movements. “Skin like snow, half a face like a beauty. If you keep the other half of your face hidden, with just this side, you could still climb into my uncle’s bed.”
Xiao Banli quickly let her hair fall back down, holding the mop, and said to Ouyang Que, who had been examining her, “Young master, the men in your Ouyang family are never lacking women. I’m just a maid, coming from the orphanage to the Ouyang family to make a living. In this life, I don’t ask for anything—only a peaceful life. I’m willing to stay in the third house for the rest of my life, serve the third madam well, and not want anything else.”
Her righteous attitude left Ouyang Que stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter and pointed at Xiao Banli, saying, “So, you want to live alone and stay by my mom’s side?”
Xiao Banli remained silent, speechless at Ouyang Que, whose emotions were clearly unstable.
“Xiao Banli, remember this: our family doesn’t keep useless people!”
After saying that, Ouyang Que tossed the words over his shoulder and left the backyard.
Xiao Banli was left standing in the sunlight, like a willow.
At night, the moonlight outside the window cast inside, and sitting by the vanity table was a person. Slowly, they peeled off the right side of their face, which, even in the moonlight, was pockmarked and unbearably ugly.
A flawless and beautiful face appeared in the mirror, stunningly beautiful, so captivating that it made one’s heart tremble.
In her previous life, this face was treated as a gift, passed around and sent away. Dowries were carried into her house in boxes, and her family moved from a small house to a larger one, and then from the large house to a villa.
Under the intense pressures of both love and family, she feels trapped, unable to escape. Ending one marriage only to enter another, she is mentally and physically exhausted, yet encounters a deranged partner. Every night, he subjects her to endless torment, inserting strange objects into her, and even during meals, he places vibrating devices inside her, leaving her lifeless as she eats.
During that time, she couldn’t see the sunlight outside, spending day and night in fear, and yet she and that twisted person were legally married.
The beauty in the mirror shed tears, looking so desolate in the darkness.
In her previous life, she was so useful.