Qinglan was resting on the bed, the carved peony canopy bed draped with light, soft embroidered floral curtains, while lotus-shaped incense burners emitted a calming storax fragrance. Chunling tiptoed to the cabinet, opened the door, and whispered to Xianglan, "From now on, you'll be in charge of the concubine's clothing and needlework. This cabinet holds seasonal clothes—the upper layer for jackets, the middle for overgarments, and the bottom for skirts. Autumn and winter clothes are stored in camphorwood chests." She opened the chests, pointing out each item one by one: which were fur-lined, which were brocade, which were for everyday wear, which for receiving guests, which for paying respects to Madam and the ladies, along with various high-quality fabrics, and so on.
Xianglan nodded, committing each detail to memory.
Chunling took out a large tray from the cabinet, holding two stacks of clothing, and said, "These are clothes bestowed by Concubine Lan, made just last year. Though slightly worn, they've been starched and washed, clean and tidy. Give one set to Xiao Juan and one to Yindie."
Xianglan examined the garments: one set was a silver-white plain satin dress with cold blue trimmings, and the other was a cinnamon-colored overgarment and skirt, both with some embroidery still looking quite new. The fabrics were of high quality, and being plain in color, they were suitable for wearing during Old Madam Zeng's mourning period.
Soon after, Chunling brought out another tray with two porcelain dishes containing several pieces of jewelry, one portion for Juan and one for Die, saying, "These are also bestowed by Concubine Lan. She said the bright-colored flowers and blossoms should be worn only after the mourning period." Xianglan saw that one dish held two red velvet imperial flowers, two blue velvet imperial flowers, a silver-plated hairpin, a silver hairpin inlaid with crystal, a pair of silver bracelets, a pair of jade bracelets, and a pair of jade earrings. The other dish had the same assortment, though the hairpins and earrings differed in style.
Chunling chuckled softly and said, "You're a second-rank maid, so naturally, yours will be different. The concubine ordered me to prepare something special for you." She then brought out an ivory-collared, green winter plum patterned satin front-closing overgarment, a dark blue gold-threaded brocade cross-collar long jacket—almost brand new—along with four piled gauze flowers, two old silver hairpins, a small gold hairpin inlaid with agate, a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of very delicate ivory bracelets, and a pair of coral earrings.
Chunling thought to herself, "I heard Xianglan's family is quite ordinary, and she used to work under Cao Lihuan, so she probably hasn't seen many fine things. Now that she's seen such generous gifts from the concubine, she must be wide-eyed with astonishment." But she noticed that Xianglan merely glanced at the items, touched the fabric of the clothes, and though she smiled, showed no particular surprise. Xianglan said, "The concubine truly knows how to care for people. When she wakes up later, I must go and properly thank her for the gifts."
Chunling was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're clever and kind-hearted too. I'm sixteen this year, probably older than you, so I'll presumptuously call myself your elder sister. From now on, we sisters should get along well."Xianglan smiled in agreement. After exchanging a few lighthearted words, they carried the trays back to their room and handed the items to Xiao Juan and Yindie. Xiao Juan was overjoyed and immediately slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. Xianglan also sat on her bed to examine her share, carefully folding the clothing and inspecting each piece of jewelry. She thought to herself: "Mother has never had much jewelry. If I save these pieces to bring back for her to wear, she’ll surely be delighted. It’s just a pity the clothes are a bit small—otherwise, I could have given them to her too. Ah, since entering the mansion, I’ve only managed to visit home once. I must request leave to go back when I get the chance. When Father and Mother hear I’ve been promoted to second-rank maid, they’ll be so pleased..." As she mused, she remarked aloud, "Concubine Lan is truly generous. To bestow such gifts upon our first meeting shows she must be easy to get along with."
Yindie was also sitting on her bed, examining the newly bestowed items. Seeing that Chunling had left, she sneered, "What’s so special about this? My sister serves in Miss Ling’s quarters, and the rewards she receives are genuine gold, silver, pearls, and jade. The clothes aren’t just made of fine fabric—even the embroidered patterns are exquisite. Don’t be so easily impressed by such trifles. Last time, my sister received a gold ring from Miss Qian, set with a gem as large as a soybean. She barely glanced at it before giving it to me to wear for fun. Compared to that ring, what we got today is practically worthless scrap." She then drifted over to Xiao Juan’s side to inspect her rewards, feeling displeased as she noticed Xianglan’s clothing seemed finer, the Imperial Flower fresher, the crystal on the hairpin more translucent, and the jade earrings more lustrous than her own.
When she wandered over to Xianglan’s bed and saw the hairpins, rings, and bracelets spread out, her eyes widened in shock. "Why were you given so much?" she exclaimed, jealousy flaring. Assuming Xianglan—frail and seemingly defenseless—would be easy to bully, Yindie declared, "I like these coral earrings of yours. Since you don’t have pierced ears anyway, just give them to me."
Xianglan was taken aback, but Xiao Juan hopped off her bed and interjected, "Fine, then trade your silver bracelets and those jade earrings of yours for Xianglan’s."
Yindie retorted irritably, "I was talking to Xianglan. What’s it to you?"
Xiao Juan sat down beside Xianglan, swinging her feet, and said, "You’re shameless, demanding things from others as soon as you meet. It rubs me the wrong way, so I’ll speak up. What are you going to do about it?"
"You—"
Xianglan tugged at Xiao Juan’s sleeve, glanced at Yindie, and said calmly, "I plan to give these earrings to my mother. Since your sister receives so much gold and silver jewelry from Miss Ling’s household, why not ask her for something even nicer to wear for fun?" With that, she tidied her clothing and jewelry, pulled a chest from under the bed, locked everything inside, and turned to Xiao Juan. "Didn’t Chunling ask you to embroider handkerchiefs earlier? Would you like me to help you sketch the patterns?"
Yindie stamped her foot in frustration. "Petty and stingy! Keep them if you want—I don’t care." She flounced back to her own bed in a huff.
Just then, Chunling entered. Yindie’s eyes darted craftily, and she complained, "Sister Chunling, what is Xianglan doing? Did you forget to assign her any tasks? And why did she get more things than the rest of us?"Chunling glanced at Yindie and said calmly, "Xianglan is a second-class maid, of course she's different from you two. In the future, she'll be managing Concubine's clothing and needlework. If you make scented sachets, show them to her."
Yindie was dumbfounded, secretly regretting having misjudged the situation. She had thought Xianglan was an easy target, never expecting her to be one rank higher. If Xianglan were to make things difficult for her in the future, it would be troublesome. She resolved to win her over properly from now on. When Xiao Juan heard that Xianglan had been promoted to second-class, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, but ultimately was happy for Xianglan, winking at her. Xianglan curled her lips and secretly winked back at Xiao Juan.
When they were alone, Xiao Juan quietly asked Xianglan, "How did you end up coming to Concubine Lan's place... I heard Miss Huan was driven out by Madam, is that true? Why was Miss Huan driven out?"
Xianglan looked at her wide-eyed "thirst for knowledge" expression and chuckled, tapping her forehead saying, "You're so slow at embroidering handkerchiefs, but so energetic when it comes to gossip."
Xiao Juan grinned cheekily, hugging Xianglan's arm saying, "Good sister, tell me, tell me." Raising three fingers to swear: "I absolutely won't tell anyone else."
Xianglan, unable to resist her pestering, had to say, "I'm not too clear about the exact reason either. Anyway, she offended Old Madam and Madam, so they sent her away. Don't bring up such matters in the future, lest it reaches Madam's ears and causes trouble."
Xiao Juan was quite dissatisfied with this answer, shaking Xianglan's arm wanting to wheedle more, but Xianglan quickly changed the subject: "I came here because Miss Huan left and Concubine Lan was short-handed. What about you? Weren't you originally in Da Nǎinai's room? How did you end up serving here too?"
Xiao Juan counted on her fingers: "Concubine originally had three maids - one caught sick, afraid of spreading illness, so was sent home. One fell down the steps and was injured, went home to recuperate. Another's father died, went home for mourning. Concubine Lan is with child, the masters fear the dead would bring bad luck, so won't let her return. The east wing was short-handed, originally several maids were eyeing the position, it shouldn't have been my turn. Who would have thought Eldest Master would inquire slightly, and in the end actually had me come." She said happily: "This means we're fated. Living together from now on is really wonderful. If only Sister Tinglan could come too." Sighing while looking at Yindie's bed: "Who knew I'd be rooming with this troublemaker."
Xianglan sat at the desk, carefully tracing embroidery patterns for Xiao Juan, saying, "Just ignore her from now on, and don't cause any discord - it would be embarrassing for both sides."
Xiao Juan pouted: "She's the one who keeps provoking, can't even avoid her. Originally she served Miss Chunyan, and her mistress was already difficult, but Yindie is a hundred times worse. Rooming with her will be quite the ordeal."
Just as she spoke, Yindie entered the room, and Xiao Juan immediately fell silent.
In the evening, Xianglan washed up early and let down the bed curtains to rest, while Xiao Juan and Yindie were still washing up and removing makeup. Xianglan took out the pouch Qin Shi had rewarded her with. By the faint candlelight outside the curtains, she poured the contents into her palm and saw there were four gold nuggets, a pair of gold earrings, and a gold-inlaid jade ring.Xianglan handled each item one by one, her heart filled with a sense of reflection. In her previous life at Shen Jia, during every festival, the mistress of the household would take out several packets of loose gold and silver, melt them down, and have craftsmen fashion them into various gold and silver ingots—shaped like Ruyi, peonies, crabapples, or Wenchang brushes, some engraved with auspicious characters like "fortune," "prosperity," "longevity," and "joy." Large and small, they filled several large trays, gleaming in yellow and white, quite a sight to behold. She used them for gifting or as rewards, but in her heart, she had always taken them for granted.
Now, having learned the hardships of life, she understood more than ever the importance of cherishing one's blessings.
Xianglan carefully placed the items back into the pouch and stored it securely. She pulled the soft water chestnut-patterned quilt up higher and suddenly felt that life was brightening again. Breathing in the fresh fragrance from the scented sachet by her pillow, she drifted into a sweet sleep.
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