Chapter 8
In the Kitchen
Chu De was arranging tasks for Li An’an to do. The Chu family’s standards for hiring maids this time were so harsh because it was Madam’s idea. Chu Yichen was the heir of the Chu family. He was very outstanding, but rather slow when it came to women.
All these years, the maids hired for Young Master’s house had mostly been beautiful. However, these beautiful women usually could not do housework, let alone be skilled at it. Hence, the maids hired in the past two years had not been very satisfactory. However, Li An’an was an exception this year.
The gray and white uniform looked different on her, like it was being modeled on a catwalk, but her proficiency at housework came as the actual surprise.
She had completed many chores in one morning, and there was not a hint of impatience on her face. This made him deeply suspect her family background in the past.
However, since her attractiveness was unquestionable, and she was earning an honest living through her own labor without other undue intentions, he was beginning to look at her in a new light.
He recorded her performance in preparation for her assessment at the end of the month.
At noon, Li An’an sat outside to rest.
Auntie Zhang, the cook, came over with a plate of fruits.
“Come have some fruits, An’an. They’re going to spoil if we don’t eat them now! Don’t worry, they’re being discarded, so we’re allowed to take them.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Li An’an picked a grape and ate it. It burst open and its sweetness spread in her mouth. Expensive fruits were delicious indeed.
Auntie Zhang chatted with her for a while before returning to the kitchen. Li An’an thought for a moment and found an opportunity to put the fruits into her bag. She’d let her three babies have a taste of it.
After that, she carefully sized up the massive villa. The interior decoration probably cost in the region of eight figures, and that was not even including the famous paintings on the walls, branded furniture, and so on. The owner was wealthier than her adoptive parents, the Li family.
She looked up at the second floor. It was probably even more luxurious up there, but the butler had said not to walk around upstairs without permission.
On the Main Road Outside the Villa
The black Rolls-Royce Phantom drove through the gate behind several cars. When the convoy came to a stop, the bodyguards got out and stood in a line next to the car. Chu De opened the door.
Chu Yichen stepped out in his shiny leather shoes and walked into the villa.
As soon as he entered, he slipped and almost fell. The documents in his hand dropped to the ground and got wet.
A cold light flashed in his eyes. “Is this what you call mopping?”
Chu De frowned. “Young Master, the new maid must have presumptuously mopped the floor again. I’ll dismiss her immediately.”
Chu Yichen was silent. His assistant, Li Cheng, hurriedly picked up the documents behind him and requested the office to send another copy over.
In less than a minute, Li An’an, who was washing the mop, was brought to the butler.
“Dismissed?”
Li An’an felt like she had been struck by lightning.
“Why?”
She couldn’t understand why she was being fired on her first day. She had worked hard today.
Chu De looked regretful.
“Li An’an, we have rules here about the number of times you can mop the floor. You’re very diligent, but we only need obedient servants here. Do you understand? I’d thought highly of you, but you have angered the young master. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Li An’an was a maid that he had been most satisfied with so far. She was diligent and sensible, but perhaps too diligent.
Li An’an understood that she had broken the rules. She had asked for it.
She was fine with being dismissed, but she might not be able to pay back the money. “Butler Chu, I’ve already spent the advance! If you fire me now, I might not be able to return the money to you immediately. But rest assured, I’ll pay you back slowly in the future. I just have to find another job first!”
They had advanced her 30,000 yuan for her living expenses, but she had signed her children up for kindergarten. Totaling everything, she had already spent 9,000 yuan and was only left with 20,000 yuan.