Chapter 62
After all, the Cen family was wealthy and kind-hearted. Even if they could only sign a temporary contract, there was a chance to gain the favor of immortals and learn some immortal techniques. Even if luck was not on their side, the wages would still be generous.
Upon entering Qizawa Province, Qiao Wan and Jia Yin separated without saying much. Qiao Wan glanced at Jia Yin with affectionate eyes and without further ado, she took out the remaining Face Changing Pill and used it to change her appearance, heading directly to the Cen family.
Qiao Wan thought that coming from Kunshan, she should at least be able to compete with other mortals. But when she arrived at the gates of the Cen family, she realized she had been wrong.
The gates were crowded with people, both men and women. The men were strong and imposing, while the women were meticulously dressed. Among them were not only mortals but also many wandering cultivators.
Qiao Wan noticed a naive girl standing next to her, and the woman in front of her coolly said, "Stand at the back."
Quietly, Qiao Wan moved to the back of the line.
The three prominent families in Qizawa Province were the Xiao, Cen, and Lu families. Although the Cen family in Qizawa Province was a branch family, they still held great power. When the news came out, many people were eager to join.
The line moved very slowly, and when it was finally Qiao Wan's turn, it was almost noon.
The person in charge of recruitment lifted their eyelids and quickly assessed Qiao Wan. "Name."
"Lu Wan."
"What are you here for?"
"To apply for the position of a maid."
The person in charge paused their pen. "I'm asking what position you want to apply for."
After thinking for a moment, Qiao Wan replied, "A maid for cleaning and sweeping."
In these large clans, personal maids were usually their own children. Since she couldn't become a personal maid, Qiao Wan chose a less competitive position as a cleaning and sweeping maid.
The cleaning maidservant had to go to different places every day to clean, and she often had the chance to meet Mrs. Cen. As for what happened later, she had to wait until she met Mrs. Cen.
The manager didn't say yes, but he didn't say no right away either. "Why do you want to come to the Cen family?"
Qiao Wan thought for a moment and said, "The Cen family is big and prosperous, who wouldn't want to come? I am a wandering cultivator, and my talent is limited. No matter how hard I try, I can only reach this level. It's better to retire early and avoid the violence and dangers of the cultivation world. I'd rather pursue the elusive dream of becoming a celestial being."
There were many wandering cultivators like Qiao Wan, so the manager wasn't surprised. He asked a few more questions, checked Qiao Wan's background, and then pointed in a direction, telling her to wait in the third house on the left.
When Qiao Wan entered the house, it was already crowded with many girls sitting or standing.
She thought that the competition among the cleaning maidservants would be small, but she underestimated everyone's determination.
Qiao Wan found a corner of a bench and closed her eyes, quietly waiting for news from the manager.
In the evening, a maid walked in from the door and pointed at Qiao Wan and more than ten other girls, signaling that they had been chosen to stay.
The girls who were called looked delighted, while those who weren't selected felt disappointed. Some even cried by covering their faces and squatting on the ground.
As for Qiao Wan and the other selected girls, the maid led them and took them to another courtyard.
The maid who was in charge of them was surnamed Chen, and Qiao Wan roughly estimated that she was also at the Qi Cultivation stage.
The group of girls stood in a line, obediently lowering their heads, listening to Grandma Chen's instructions.
The woman in front of them looked a bit older, with fine wrinkles on her face and a stern gaze.
Cultivators at the Qi Cultivation stage had short lifespans, and even longevity pills couldn't withstand the erosion of time.
"The master and the lady are kind-hearted. As long as you work well and don't have any crooked thoughts, you will benefit from working in the Cen family," Grandma Chen stood in front of the young girls, her voice calm. "Especially the two young masters in the family. If anyone dares to have ill intentions towards them, I will show you the power of an immortal."
It was well known that the current master of the Cen family, Cen Xiangnan, and his wife, Jiang Rou, only had two sons, the eldest son Cen Qingjia, and the youngest son Cen Qingyou.
Both sons were talented. The eldest son helped Cen Xiangnan manage the family business, while the youngest son, at a young age, was accepted as a disciple by the renowned Venerable One Miaofa and currently lived in the family.
After setting the rules, the maidservants led the newcomers to get their clothes and assign rooms.
Qiao Wan and two other girls were assigned to the same room. One had a round face, and the other had a long face.
Both girls curiously stole glances at their new roommates.
Finally, the girl with the round face spoke first, "My surname is Zhou, and my name is Zhou Lan."
The girl with the long face smiled and said, "My name is Jiang Yuwen."
Qiao Wan said simply, "Lu Wan."
That way, this considered that they had known each other.
But these names are only useful for tonight. The next day, the Cen family changed the names of all the new servants.
Zhou Lan became Gui Qi, Jiang Yuwen became Du Heng, and Qiao Wan became Xin Yi.
For the first few days, everyone was not very familiar with each other and there were no problems.
But as the days went on, Gui Qi and Du Heng formed a close bond, and Qiao Wan was left out.
Qiao Wan had actually expected this day to come. She came to the Cen family to seek Mrs. Cen's help with her injuries, not to climb the career ladder or improve her relationships with her colleagues.
However, it has been almost five or six days since she arrived at the Cen family, and she has not seen Mrs. Cen. Not only has she not seen Mrs. Cen, but she has also not seen Jia Yin.
Qiao Wan guessed that at this time, Jia Yin might be busy seeking revenge and doesn't have time to show up.
However, she did bump into the young master Cen Qingjia midway.
Cen Qingjia, who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, broke through the Golden Core stage during this period. He had handsome features and when he saw Qiao Wan sweeping the floor clean, he casually complimented her.
Someone overheard this compliment and it quickly spread to Gui Qi's ears, causing trouble.
When Qiao Wan returned after sweeping the floor, she saw Gui Qi and Du Heng sitting together by the bed, whispering to each other. As soon as they saw Qiao Wan enter, they quickly shut their mouths, their eyes flickering, and looking somewhat uneasy.
Actually, even before she entered the room, Qiao Wan had already heard their complaints in her ears.
"She rarely speaks, but who would have thought she would be so scheming and have secretly gotten close to the young master."
"She keeps such a cold expression, I wonder who she's trying to impress."
"She really thinks that by getting close to the young master, she can rise to the top? If Grandma Chen finds out, she'll skin her alive."
Qiao Wan's mouth twitched, but she didn't feel particularly angry.
Teenage feelings are always poetic. Previously, after being scolded by Grandma Chen, no one dared to have any crooked thoughts about the two young masters of the Cen family. But as time went on and people saw the two young masters' handsome appearances, it was inevitable that they would become a little attracted.
Qiao Wan guessed that Gui Qi seemed to like Cen Qingjia.
Everyone has their own way of living their lives. At the same time, while the cultivation world was still witnessing bloody battles for treasures, there were people in the Cen family of Qizawa Province who were busy with internal conflicts.
The next morning, Gui Qi suddenly rushed into the room and her eyes fell on Qiao Wan. She pressed her lips together and whispered, "Xin Yi, Grandma Chen is calling for you."
"Me?"
Qiao Wan was a little surprised.
Gui Qi avoided her gaze and hesitated, "I noticed that Grandma Chen's expression wasn't very good. Be careful."
Qiao Wan straightened her clothes and entered the room where Grandma Chen lived.
The woman was sitting upright in her chair, with a stern expression on her face.
"You swept the corridor in the southern study yesterday, right?"
Qiao Wan respectfully asked, "Is there a problem?"
The woman's face did not soften because of Qiao Wan's respectful attitude. She slapped the table and sternly asked, "Why is everything so dirty?! The corridor is covered in ice this early in the morning! If someone slipped and got hurt, what would you do then?"
It was indeed Qiao Wan who cleaned the corridor yesterday.
Hearing that Mrs. Cen likes to go there to read, Qiao Wan specifically took on the task of cleaning that area. However, she hadn't seen Mrs. Cen there in over ten days.
But she remembered that she cleaned it thoroughly last night, using a cloth to wipe every inch, so it couldn't have frozen over.
"Go, go and kneel over there in the corridor," Grandma Chen said coldly. "Don't get up until tonight."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Before Qiao Wan left, Grandma Chen stopped her again and slowly glanced at her face.
"Get rid of all those scheming thoughts of yours."
Qiao Wan stepped out of the door and went to kneel in the corridor.
As a disciple, kneeling for a whole day wasn't a big deal. Plus, staying in the corridor all day might give her a chance encounter with Mrs. Cen.
Kneeling in the corridor, Qiao Wan pondered.
There was a bit of trouble with Gui Qi.
She remembered the ambiguous look Gui Qi gave her before she left.
Qiao Wan tightened her lips.
She hadn't planned to engage in any scheming, but since Gui Qi had secretly obstructed her, she couldn't kneel in vain today. She would have to confront her when she got back.
The morning sun slowly rose in the sky, shining brightly.
Qiao Wan knelt in front of the corridor, looking at the plum blossoms planted below, their beauty like ice and jade.
Throughout the morning, countless people passed by in front of her, occasionally stopping to whisper and discuss.
The topic couldn't avoid Cen Qingjia.
"I heard it was because she had inappropriate thoughts."
"She can associate with someone like the Second Young Master?"
Qiao Wan let those words enter one ear and go out the other.
But at that moment, the bustling footsteps suddenly quieted down.
There were successive sounds of people bowing, their voices filled with noticeable panic.
"Second Young Master."
"Greetings, Second Young Master."
Following that was a clear and gentle voice, "Why are you all standing here?"
The surroundings became quiet, and no one dared to make a sound.
The person turned their gaze and landed on the corridor.
Qiao Wan looked up.
She happened to see a young man through the plum blossoms.
He wore white clothes with a pattern of plum blossoms, his dark hair gathered on his right shoulder, and a bodhi seed ornament hanging from his forehead. His eyes were as black as lacquer, his lips were red and his teeth were white. He had delicate and gentle features. Beside him was a young book boy.
This was the Second Young Master of the Cen family, Cen Qingyou, Venerable One Miaofa's direct disciple. Unlike his notorious temperamental master, the young man in front of her seemed very gentle.
Qiao Wan paid close attention to Cen Qingyou. The young man walked over in cloth shoes and stood in front of Qiao Wan.
"Why are you kneeling here?"
Qiao Wan quickly got up and bowed, "I've seen Second Young Master."
"In response to Second Young Master, I was punished to kneel here because I didn't clean yesterday."
The young man smiled, and the bodhi seed on his forehead reflected a warm light. "Get up and talk."
Qiao Wan stood with her hands down.
The young man's gaze fell on her and asked, "How long have you been kneeling?"
Qiao Wan replied, "About a little over two hours."
"Go back then."
Qiao Wan was hesitant.
She thought that Mrs. Cen might pass by here, and felt a little reluctant to leave. "But Grandma Chen asked me to kneel until evening."
Cen Qingyou shook his head with a gentle voice, like a spring breeze. "Go back and tell her that I asked you to get up."
"And also..."
The young man suddenly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve. "Wipe off the sweat."
Cen Qingyou smiled, his eyes softening, and pointed to the sweat drops on Qiao Wan's forehead. "For a girl like you."
"You have knelt long enough."
Qiao Wan was surprised.
Although she had stronger stamina than others, she still sweated and needed to use the restroom like everyone else.
The young man's gaze was gentle and calm, his tone polite as if he wasn't talking to his servant. His gaze glanced at her face briefly and then politely lowered his gaze, as if looking at her too much would be offensive.
Qiao Wan pursed her lips and took the handkerchief.
The handkerchief had a faint scent of sandalwood and the lingering fragrance of plum in the air, intertwining delicately.
For some reason, Qiao Wan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
She held the handkerchief neither tightly nor loosely, stood in place, and felt the sun outside the corridor making her face hot. She felt uncomfortable all over.
After wiping the sweat from her face, Qiao Wan walked away from the corridor and went back to find Gui Qi.
Turning the corner of the long corridor, Cen Qingyou asked gently, "Has Taoist Qingya brought any news?"
The young pageboy looked innocent, "I heard that they will arrive in two days. The Taoist also brought some important guests from Kunshan, seems like they have something to discuss with Madam."
