Gu Changsheng couldn't bother to warm his hands any longer and hurriedly stepped forward, catching her sinking body and grabbing her hands to check them. Although her palms were covered in calluses, they were still reddened.
"Cui Hua, from now on, don't call me miss anymore. I'm already a mother to a child. If you keep calling me miss, it might not be proper," Gu Changsheng said as he warmed her hands, adding a crucial point, "Every time you call me miss, it reminds me of a certain modern-day profession."
"Yes, madam," this time Cui Hua was smart, her hand still held by her madam. She struggled a bit but couldn't pull away and eventually submitted, bending her body as a form of etiquette.
"Cui Hua, may I call you Xiao Cui from now on?" The name Cui Hua was really too catchy, giving her a confused feeling each time.
"Maid Xiao Cui, thank you Madam for the name."
Seeing her about to kneel by lifting her skirt, Gu Changsheng quickly supported her again, seriously advising, "Xiao Cui, since you weren't serving by my side before, you might not know, but your madam here has absolutely no sense of proper decorum. Even though I've forgotten everything about the past, don't bother me with all these trivial etiquettes anymore. We're already so down on our luck, you still kneel at every turn. I'm telling you, even if you wear through the floor with your kneeling, people won't regard me as a legitimate noble."
Finally, Gu Changsheng also summed up, "Doing something so strenuous and getting nothing good out of it, do less of that in the future; no more kneeling."
Xiao Cui nodded, took a step back not allowing Gu Changsheng to come any closer, "Everything Madam says is correct."
"Madam, please drink the porridge quickly, or it'll get cold."
Gu Changsheng frowned at the porridge brought in front of her, a bowl of something gray and mushy that was hard to identify, and she truly hesitated to taste it.
Then seeing Xiao Cui eagerly watching, she took a breath and downed it in one go.
Damn, it's awful!
Life really couldn't get any worse!
"Xiao Cui, what should we plan to do from now on?" When clueless, one must ask; she desperately needed to see a glimmer of hope for life.
"Madam's dowry wasn't much and has all been left at Li Mansion. We could go back to our hometown in Liuzhou," Xiao Cui thought and answered honestly.
"Is there still a place in Liuzhou where we can live and stand firm?" Gu Changsheng became interested.
"There is, Liuzhou has a medical hall, it's the foundation of Madam Gu's family. Madam didn't bring it as part of her dowry, she only left Old Man Song to take care of it, and the deed is with him too," Xiao Cui thought and continued, "Old Man Song has been with the Old Grand Master, watching madam grow up since she was young, his loyalty is beyond question."
"Haha... I haven't lost my mind completely, I still knew to keep a backup!" Gu Changsheng laughed, speaking more carelessly.
Xiao Cui was stunned, her madam...
"Cough, cough..." Gu Changsheng hurriedly covered up with a few coughs. Ancient people's way of speaking was too pretentious! "Xiao Cui, let's not be so formal when we speak from now on. Given our current status, let's just be like ordinary folks. Don't let people think we're putting on airs and acting noble."
"Madam was always noble," Xiao Cui rarely retorted, her face serious, "Madam will always be my madam."
"Xiao Cui, a phoenix that loses feathers is worse off than a chicken, get it?" If she keeps pretending to be Shuixian, she's going to hurt herself internally sooner or later.
Xiao Cui: "..."
Seeing such a smart and lovely maid bewildered by his antics, Gu Changsheng was delighted, grinning as he patted her face, "Xiao Cui, you have great facial features. With more nourishment, you could definitely be considered a beauty, better than I am."
Gu Changsheng sighed. As for his current appearance, how to describe it? Ah, right, two words: eco-friendly!
Plain looks, the only remarkable feature being a pair of large Red Phoenix Eyes, not very tall, with everything that should grow well developed, going out was utterly safe, definitely conducive to environmental harmony.
Xiao Cui blushed from Gu Changsheng's teasing, hurriedly taking a step back.
"Aiya! No, wait, Xiao Cui, did you just say 'Medical hall'? We have one of our medical halls in Liuzhou, did you not make a mistake?" Gu Changsheng finally realized what he had overlooked, excitedly asking.
"Yes, Madam's ancestors were doctors, and Li Mansion took her in because the Old Grand Master once owed them a favor," Xiao Cui confirmed, thinking it was better she forgot the past, so Madam wouldn't be sad anymore.
"Ha ha..." What's this, if not a case of 'no kin, no entry'? Her last name was still Gu Changsheng, and her ancestors were doctors! Thinking about the modern times, she started with Chinese medicine, studied under Yhan's, then advanced her studies in Western medicine overseas at the Imperial Medical College, earning the title of a genius doctor. With such a family background, she needn't worry about explaining her medical skills; life surely had hope!
Xiao Cui looked at the very unreservedly laughing Madam and lowered her head without speaking. This was actually quite nice, wasn't it?
"By the way, Xiao Cui, didn't you say I also have a son? Where is he? How come I've never seen him?" Gu Changsheng suddenly remembered something and looked at Xiao Cui.
Xiao Cui's eyes darted around, avoiding hers, and stuttered, "Madam usually doesn't… doesn't like the Young Master to be close, the maid… the maid placed him in my room."
"Me? Dislike my son?" Gu Changsheng was in disbelief. Isn't it unusual for a mother not to like her own son? She herself was very fond of children!
"Yes, people at Li Mansion say the Young Master is an evildoer causing trouble, and even you, too..." Xiao Cui didn't know how to continue, just looked at Gu Changsheng, "Madam, do you really remember nothing at all? Not even a little bit?"
"I don't remember." Could her son be deformed? This was a bit troublesome, but after all, she was his biological mother; she had to see him no matter what.
"Madam, the Young Master isn't an evildoer; he's very obedient, smart, and sensible. The maid couldn't serve close to Madam before, otherwise, I would have told Madam this long ago." Xiao Cui suddenly knelt down again, her face full of anxious explanation.
"Get up, get up, quickly go and bring my son to me. Having walked a circle in Yama Raja's Palace and earned such a son, I simply must see what he's like, or I won't be content." She yanked Xiao Cui up and pushed her towards the door, signaling her to hurry.
Her heart was still apprehensive; what exactly was going on, and how had she been labeled as an evildoer?