Jin Chao simply wanted to know exactly what she possessed, to have a clear understanding so she could pay more attention to these matters in daily life. In her previous life, she had neglected such things, even entrusting her mother’s dowry completely to the stewards below her. As a result, the shops suffered serious losses, and the harvests from the manor farms worsened year by year. Only after Jin Chao later married into the Chen family and took charge of household affairs did she start to care about the dowry her mother had left her. While her possessions gradually diminished, those stewards grew increasingly fat with wealth, one outdoing the other.
Seeing Madam Tong’s fearful demeanor, she could tell how she normally treated these servants.
During her many years in the small courtyard, Jin Chao gained much insight. Servants didn’t have easy lives either. When she had been treated as less than a servant, that feeling was something others could never comprehend. After rising to her feet, she gently helped Madam Tong up and said with a smile, “Madam Tong, you’re exaggerating. I was just asking casually. Since it hasn’t been cleared out for a long time, let’s open the storeroom and tidy things up. Just show me after the cleaning is done.”
Upon hearing these words, Madam Tong couldn’t hide her delight. The Young Miss was letting her open the storeroom for cleaning—did that mean she was to return to her position? Still uncertain, she asked, “Then what about this servant’s duties at Yi Zhu Tower…”
Jin Chao replied, “You are my managing mama. Naturally, someone else will handle the duties at Yi Zhu Tower.”
Madam Tong looked at the Young Miss and kowtowed several more times to thank her, thinking to herself how rarely the Young Miss was so accommodating.
At noon, Liu Xiang returned with Qing Pu. Qing Pu wore her hair in a simple maid’s bun without any ornaments. She was dressed in a thin cyan-colored padded jacket and a brown skirt. She was quite tall, about two inches taller than Liu Xiang, with a demure, downcast gaze and delicate features. She had grown much thinner than a year ago, her cheeks somewhat sunken.
Seeing that she wore no ornaments, Liu Xiang removed her gilt bracelet and offered it to her. Qing Pu hastily refused, but Liu Xiang smiled and said, “You look so shabby, people might think our Young Miss isn’t doing well either!” Qing Pu blushed and finally accepted the gift.
Liu Xiang felt somewhat emotional—when she first arrived at Qing Tong Courtyard, Qing Pu had still been a senior maid, but now their positions were reversed.
Liu Xiang first directed Qing Pu to find Old Woman Chang for a servant’s quarters assignment. Just as she was heading there, she happened to see Yu Tong carrying a familiar rose porcelain vase with fish and water plant patterns.
Yu Tong curtseyed and said, “Miss Liu Xiang, you’ve returned.”
Liu Xiang asked her, “I’ve brought Qing Pu back. Where are you taking that vase?”
Yu Tong replied cheerfully, “The Young Miss asked Sister Cai Fu to prepare a servant’s quarters for the newly arrived Qing Pu. She also said to use silver spoons with carved begonia patterns to hang the bed curtains and wanted a vase for decoration… Madam Tong is currently cleaning out the Young Miss’s storeroom, and seeing this vase was both beautiful and lightweight, Sister Cai Fu decided to use it. Sister Cai Fu also added several pots of begonias and narcissus to the room, making it look very nice.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiang’s expression changed dramatically.
Her thoughts became chaotic, and seeing Yu Tong still staring at her with wide eyes, she asked, “Madam Tong has returned?” Her voice sounded almost like a murmur.
Yu Tong nodded and said, “Madam Tong has returned from Yi Zhu Tower and is very happy. The Young Miss asked her to clean the storeroom, and she’s working with great enthusiasm.”
Liu Xiang’s expression darkened further. She sent the little maid away and returned to her quarters alone.
Servants’ quarters also followed a hierarchy: senior maids had individual rooms, while second and third-class maids shared rooms in pairs. This Qing Pu had just returned, yet she was given an individual room. Moreover, the Young Miss had specifically instructed Cai Fu to arrange it, even specifying what to place inside. All this might have been tolerable, but somehow Madam Tong had returned from Yi Zhu Tower as the managing mama—what would happen to her now?
With Madam Tong gone, she had been the highest authority in the courtyard. But with Madam Tong back?
Liu Xiang felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
…
Jin Chao went to accompany her mother again in the afternoon. She returned at dusk, ate some light stewed dishes prepared by the small kitchen, and retired early.
However, she didn’t sleep well that night. A heavy snowfall came, and she could hear the sound of snow breaking dry branches and the howling wind. Tossing and turning without a hint of drowsiness, she became sweaty from the warmth of her blanket. She lay with open eyes staring at the bed canopy, feeling that she had many things on her mind, many tasks she should accomplish, but these matters couldn’t be rushed—they needed to be done gradually.
She managed to fall asleep in the latter half of the night, only to dream of many years ago during another heavy snowfall. She stood alone in the corridor watching the snow and saw Chen Xuanqing helping Yu Wanxue pick plum blossoms—transparent, jade-like flowers the size of fingernails.
Yu Wanxue, who should have been a lady of the inner courtyard, had gathered up her skirt to pick plum blossoms. Chen Xuanqing, worried she might fall, watched her from below.
Yu Wanxue, holding onto a branch, smiled and asked him, “Xu Ruo, does this one look nice?” This usually dignified and elegant person suddenly became as lively as a child, her smiling face showing a hint of anticipation.
Chen Xuanqing smiled helplessly and placated her, “They all look good, they all look good. Come down quickly now. If a passing maid sees you, there will be gossip.”
Yu Wanxue said, “Since you think they all look good, I’ll pick them all for you and put them in your study. The fragrance is most elegant.”
Yu Wanxue finally came down, and Chen Xuanqing held her hand to warm it, saying, “Your hands are so cold, yet you still insisted on…”
But he carefully took the flowering branches from her hands and held them for her, using his other hand to lead her back.
Her skirt was a light crimson color. Through the hazy light of the snowy day, the sight made Gu Jin Chao’s eyes ache painfully.
This night of many deep dreams left Jin Chao unrested.
The snow stopped at a quarter past five in the morning. The sky was still dark, but Jin Chao couldn’t sleep anymore. Through the bed curtains, she saw that two lamp globes in the room were still lit. She rose and called out, “Where is Liu Xiang?”
Today’s night duty was assigned to Cai Fu, who had been sleeping behind the screen. She awoke drowsily and began fastening the buttons on her padded jacket. “Young Miss is awake so early today. Let me call Liu Xiang for you.” The early morning was still quiet. Liu Xiang, who had been tossing and turning without sleeping well, heard the faint sound of the Young Miss’s voice and immediately got up. She was quick with her hands and feet, dressing in a few movements and bringing over a copper basin of water, which was steaming hot.
When Cai Fu saw Liu Xiang enter the door, she curtseyed and said, “What a coincidence, Miss Liu Xiang. The Young Miss was just calling for you.”
Liu Xiang gave a slight “mm” and said coolly, “Help me carry the basin.”
Cai Fu reached out to hold the rim of the basin, but Liu Xiang smiled and said, “What are you afraid of? Just hold it from underneath.”
The bottom of the copper basin was scalding hot from the hot water. Even placing fingers near the side of the basin, one could feel the heat. Holding the bottom would surely burn off a layer of skin from her hands! Cai Fu’s hand instinctively drew back.
Liu Xiang said with a faint smile, “If you delay the Young Miss’s needs, you’ll suffer.”
Liu Xiang’s gaze was ice-cold.
Cai Fu fell silent for a moment. She certainly knew why Liu Xiang was treating her this way—she had helped arrange Qing Pu’s quarters, and the Young Miss had praised her for doing a good job. Liu Xiang happened to hear it, and along with the previous incident where she had lost face in front of the Young Miss while Cai Fu was present, Liu Xiang had likely been holding a grudge against her. If not this, it would have been something else… Cai Fu finally bit her lip and reached out to take the copper basin.
Inside, Jin Chao suddenly heard a clang. She recognized it as the sound of a copper basin falling to the floor. She frowned slightly—which maid was this, being so careless in her duties?
Liu Xiang and Cai Fu immediately entered and knelt before her bed. Cai Fu kept her head down without looking at her, while Liu Xiang kowtowed and said, “We’ve disturbed the Young Miss. I asked Sister Cai Fu to take the basin, but she momentarily slipped and couldn’t hold it. Please don’t blame her.”
Slipped? Jin Chao saw Cai Fu lowering her head without making a sound and asked her, “Is that really what happened?”
Cai Fu felt so wronged that her nose stung with emotion. She hadn’t been able to hold the scalding copper basin at all, and the splashing hot water had even raised several blisters on the back of her hand. Liu Xiang’s words were not pleading for leniency on her behalf; they were subtly shifting all responsibility onto her. But the Young Miss disliked people making excuses to blame others, and besides, the water spilled on the floor had already cooled—she had no way to defend herself.
She kowtowed and calmly said, “This servant admits her mistake and requests punishment from the Young Miss.”
Jin Chao could hear something off in her voice and felt puzzled. Cai Fu had always been steady and reliable—how had she dropped the copper basin? And why was Liu Xiang so quick to push the responsibility onto her?
She said softly, “Raise your head so I can see you.”
Cai Fu was already crying, tears falling onto the oak floorboards, but she still didn’t raise her head. Jin Chao saw that her hands were red and blistered from burns, which aroused some anger within her. However, she showed no outward sign of it and merely said, “Let it go. It’s just a small matter. Since it was unintentional, you may withdraw now.”
The Young Miss didn’t punish her… Cai Fu had thought that, given the Young Miss’s temperament, she would likely be forced to kneel in the snow for half a day.
For a moment, she felt that the Young Miss was truly kind to her, but then she also felt that she had disappointed the Young Miss. With a pale face, she thanked her and withdrew to clean up the water spilled all over the floor. Jin Chao continued speaking with Liu Xiang: “Has Qing Pu arrived yet?”
Liu Xiang watched Cai Fu retreat beyond the curtains and felt relieved—Cai Fu indeed dared not speak the truth. Hearing Gu Jin Chao’s question, she quickly replied, “She arrived yesterday. I first took her to the outer courtyard to get two new sets of clothes. She only finished organizing her things in the evening and didn’t have time to pay respects to the Young Miss.”
Jin Chao thought for a moment after hearing her words, then said, “Madam Tong has returned now. She is the managing mama, and you should assist her in managing all matters in Qing Tong Courtyard from now on. They’re currently cleaning the storeroom—you’re more familiar with it than she is, so help her out a bit…”
After finishing, Jin Chao instructed her to leave first: “…Go and find Qing Pu.”