Chapter 17 - 9: Idle Chatter
Sang Wan saw that the matter had evidently been resolved by Mrs. Jiang, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Noticing Mrs. Jiang's slight unease, Sang Wan tactfully did not ask about it directly. She smiled, lifted her hand, and said to Mrs. Jiang, "Thank you for your help!" Then, she glanced at Liu Ya and joked, "This is the first time this maid has been out on her own, and I came over to check on her because I was worried she might be causing trouble without knowing any better! Don't you, Mrs. Jiang?"
After saying that, Sang Wan looked at Mrs. Jiang with curiosity.
"Ah, this servant just happened to pass by. I saw that they had a small misunderstanding, so I said a few words and now everything's fine. I have to go and serve Madame now. You should go back too, Miss!" Mrs. Jiang hurriedly explained.
"I see. If it's just a small misunderstanding, let's forget about it and go back to our work," Sang Wan nodded gently and sighed at Liu Ya, "You're really quite a handful! Our Shi family is a place with rules and regulations. Even if it's a real problem, the ladies in charge will handle it! Look at you; you even had to trouble Mrs. Jiang for such a little misunderstanding! Luckily, she's kind and warm-hearted, so she doesn't mind!"
No matter what had occurred, since Mrs. Jiang insisted that it was a "small misunderstanding," then that's all it was! Sang Wan didn't really believe that Mrs. Jiang had just been passing by – Mrs. Wang, her mother-in-law, was likely involved in the matter somehow! Mrs. Jiang's intentions were likely Mrs. Wang's as well!
Sang Wan decided not to press the matter further. After all, wouldn't openly questioning it amount to defying her mother-in-law?
Getting the message, Liu Ya didn't try to explain either. She lowered her head and admitted her fault, "It's all this slave's mistake. I'm sorry for troubling Mrs. Jiang. Please forgive me!"
"Ah, how could I take it to heart? I'm not worthy of such consideration!" Mrs. Jiang hurriedly laughed, finally at ease.
With a smile, Sang Wan said, "Since that's the case, I won't waste any more of your time, Mrs. Jiang. Please carry on!"