Next door, besides having spoken with Yang Xiaocui, Alu had only ever talked to Yang Xiaocui’s third sister‑in‑law.

She had just walked to the front gate of Yang Xiaocui’s house when she saw the Yang Family’s third sister‑in‑law in the yard. Anyway, since they’d spoken once, they were considered acquainted, more familiar than with others, so Alu opened her mouth and said, "Third sister‑in‑law of the Yang Family, is your mother‑in‑law at home?"

The Yang Family’s third sister‑in‑law in the yard saw that Alu was looking for her own mother‑in‑law and found it very strange. "You’re looking for my mother‑in‑law?"

"Mm, is she at home?" Alu nodded.

"What business do you have with my mother‑in‑law?" The Yang Family’s third sister‑in‑law thought Alu must have come to borrow something from her mother‑in‑law and figured she’d probably go back empty‑handed. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Alu just pressed her lips into a smile without saying what it was about, and simply went on asking, "Is she at home?"

Before the Yang Family’s third sister‑in‑law could speak, the door of the Main House opened, and along with it came Auntie Lan Hua’s voice, laced with disdain. "Little Maid, what are you looking for me for? Our family’s got nothing you can borrow."

She’d already heard from her daughter‑in‑law yesterday that the little maid next door had come out borrowing things. And now, today, she’d actually run over to their place. Their family had nothing to lend, and even if they did, they wouldn’t lend it.

Besides, a maid like her, sold around from one place to another, was just the lowest of the low. Compared to them she was far beneath. No matter what, she herself still counted as having more status than a maid, so she kept calling her "Little Maid," looking down on Alu anyway.

Alu had seen plenty of people and plenty of situations, of course she knew what Auntie Lan Hua was thinking. She wasn’t angry or upset. She had come with her young lady’s task. She took a few steps forward and said, "Auntie, it’s my young lady who sent me. She asked me to talk with you about hiring your Yang Xiaocui."

At this moment, Auntie Lan Hua had her head tilted up, as if she wished her nostrils could point to the sky, all because her status was higher than this little maid’s. But the moment she heard that, her eyes went round as beans, her head dropped back down, and she hurriedly asked, "What? Hire our Xiaocui? What on earth is this about?"

"Auntie, it’s like this. Our young lady wants to open a School in the courtyard to teach children to read and recognize characters, and she’s short of a pair of hands to do the cleaning and cooking. Since our two families live close by, she thought of your girl. So my young lady sent me over today to ask your opinion. After all, you’re the elder—this matter has to have your consent."

When Alu came over, everyone in the Yang Family who was at home had come out; there were several Yang Family members in the yard.

Once they heard this, everyone was stunned. The young lady of the wealthy family next door was actually going to open a School and teach children to read and write?

The sons and daughters‑in‑law all began calculating their own little schemes in their hearts. They wondered whether the School next door would charge tuition, and if so, how much. They wondered if they could send their own children there too.

But then, thinking of what their mother / mother‑in‑law was like, they figured getting the children into the School would probably be a bit difficult.

The only one who wasn’t surprised was Yang Xiaocui, who was working inside the house. She’d already learned the news last night. As soon as she saw Alu come, she knew she must be here to talk to her mother about this. She just stayed in the room and obediently listened, not knowing whether Alu could talk her mother around.

The thing Auntie Lan Hua cared about wasn’t the opening of the School at all; all her attention was on hiring her Xiaocui to work. If someone was hiring help, they had to pay Silver, so she hastily asked, "Then did your young lady say how much Silver she’ll pay to hire our Xiaocui?"