In recent days, Lu Ershenzi had been leaving early and returning late, sneaking around without anyone knowing what she was busy with. Since she hadn't come to the Chen Family to cause trouble, Xianglan had been exceptionally cheerful, throwing herself wholeheartedly into painting. Her quarrel with Lu Ershenzi had indeed made her "famous overnight," causing many families to abandon any thoughts of forming marriage alliances with their household. Xue Shi grew increasingly worried and displeased.
One day, upon returning home, Xue Shi saw Xianglan painting peonies and inscribing characters on the artwork. Her displeasure deepened, and she said with a dark expression, "A proper young lady should focus on respectable tasks instead of these frivolities. Your father indulges you too much—what use is writing and painting these worthless things? And reading all those nonsensical books has addled your mind! You should be learning embroidery and needlework—that's what truly matters! Our family doesn't need you to earn these meager coins!"
Xianglan retorted, "Though my skills may not match the nuns at the convent, the painting I completed recently sold for two qian of silver—equivalent to the monthly wages of a third-rank maid in the mansion. How can that be called 'meager coins'? Moreover, how can the classics of sages be dismissed as nonsensical books? Studying them brings wisdom and clarity, preventing one from drifting through life in confusion."
Xing Shi frowned and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? All that scholarly talk is useless—you can't even take the imperial exams. Mastering needlework will help you secure a good marriage—can't you tell what's more important? If you were a young lady from a wealthy family, you could dabble in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting as you please. But do you not understand your own status? You'd better rein in these ambitions quickly!"
Xianglan sneered, "Why must Mother be so short-sighted? Should our entire family remain servants forever with no hope of advancement?"
Chen Wanquan, who had been eating in the inner room, came out holding his rice bowl and said, "What do you want? To rebel? With the life we have and the family you're born into, you should be grateful—many outsiders would envy your circumstances! How dare a mere child speak so arrogantly? Focus on your needlework instead. You'll be married in a couple of years, and despite your fierce reputation, Manager Liu from the silk shop has taken an interest in you. He recently took the pouch you embroidered to examine, and in a few days, he'll send a matchmaker. When Manager Liu seeks permission from the Old Master and Madam to arrange the marriage, we'll hold the ceremony next year. Then your mother and I can finally rest easy!"
Xue Shi exclaimed joyfully, "Really? Did the Liu Family truly say that?"
But Xianglan was shocked: "Manager Liu? I don't want his son! I heard he suffered a severe illness as a child that left him slow-witted, and he still appears rather foolish."
Chen Wanquan glared at Xianglan: "What kind of husband do you expect? Do you think you're worthy of marrying a scholar or official?" Then he relaxed, adding, "You've met Manager Liu's boy before—you played together as children. He's two years older than you. He's not foolish, just honest and simple. That's the kind of husband you should want—no cunning schemes! His father plans to secure him a position at the estate eventually, so you won't suffer. Besides, Manager Liu has favor with the Old Master, his family is prosperous, and they even keep maidservants—almost like minor landowners. He only has one son, treasured like the apple of his eye. Many families have their eyes on this match—consider yourself fortunate to be chosen!"
Xianglan puffed her cheeks in anger: "If you force me to marry someone like that, I'd rather shave my head and become a nun right now!"Chen Wanquan said angrily, "Listen to yourself! What kind of talk is this? What kind of life do you want? The lives of the Madams and ladies in the mansion are good, but you weren’t born into that! Always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Now you have enough food and clothing, and there’s even a good marriage prospect—yet you’re still unsatisfied!"
Xianglan replied, "I don’t envy the lives of the Madams and ladies in the mansion. I’m thinking about my own future. Father, have you ever considered redeeming our freedom and leaving the mansion? Over the years, our family has saved a little money. You could open an antique shop outside, or I could sell my paintings. We have some silver saved up—wouldn’t it be better to live freely than to remain servants?"
Chen Wanquan said, "Do you think opening an antique shop is easy? Do you have the capital for it?" He sighed. "I also want to leave the Lin family sooner. The two shopkeepers in the store are difficult to work with, and it’s frustrating. But redeeming our freedom requires a sum of silver. When I first came to the Lin family, I was sold for only five taels, but after all these years of living and eating here, the cost to leave would be many times that amount."
Xianglan said, "Father, you’re just too timid. If you quietly collected antiques to sell, who knows how much you could earn?" As they were speaking, someone outside the door called out loudly, "Is Sister Chen at home?"
Xue Shi quickly got off the kang and said, "I’m here. Who is it?"
The person replied, "It’s me." A woman in her mid-thirties entered. She had thick eyebrows and a square face, a tall figure, and wore a dark green jacket. Her hair was sleek and shiny, tied up with just two silver hairpins. Her makeup was applied meticulously, giving off an air of sharp competence. Her surname was Yang, and her given name was Hongying. She was the daughter of Yang Shun, the Lin family’s steward, and had married a prominent steward in the Lin household. Because she was eloquent and capable, she was highly regarded among the women servants in the mansion.
When Xue Shi saw her, she hurriedly invited her inside and told Xianglan to bring tea. Chen Wanquan quickly retreated to the inner room. Yang Hongying smiled and said, "No need to trouble yourself, Sister." She sat down on the kang. Xue Shi smiled and asked, "What brings you here today?"
Yang Hongying said, "I came specifically to see you. Last time, you took on some needlework from the mansion, but I haven’t seen you for months. There’s some new work in the mansion, and the pay is generous. Later, you can go see Mama Cui at the inner gate." She then glanced at the kang table, picked up a piece of paper, and exclaimed in admiration, "What elegant handwriting! Even better than the young masters in the mansion. Who wrote this?"
Xue Shi gestured toward the inner room and said, "My daughter wrote it. She’s just idling her time away with these trivial things. I just scolded her for it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xianglan came out of the inner room with tea and placed it on the kang table. Yang Hongying took Xianglan’s hand and said with a smile, "Oh, my dear! I remember when you were only this tall, and now you’ve grown so much!" She examined her closely. The girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a slender figure and a face like a peach blossom. Her long eyebrows arched gracefully, her lips were red, and her teeth were white. Her eyes were bright and clear, truly a stunning beauty—fresh, elegant, and refined, with an air of purity that made one forget worldly cares.
Yang Hongying exclaimed delightedly, "What a lovely girl! And she can read and write so well. No wonder she was raised in a Buddhist temple—she’s different from the others." She then asked Xue Shi, "Has she been betrothed yet?"
Xue Shi replied, "Not yet. She’s still young, so there’s no hurry."Yang Hongying nodded silently and scrutinized Xianglan closely, asking about her daily activities and pastimes. Xue Shi, assuming Yang Hongying intended to propose a match for Xianglan, felt a surge of delight, thinking to herself: "This Madam Yang holds status before the household's Da Nǎinai and Madams—who among the lower ranks doesn't greet her with deference? She mingles only with the respectable faces of the estate. If we could entrust her to find a match surpassing even Manager Liu's family, it might be possible. Though the Lius are wealthy, their son is rather simple-minded and unworthy of my daughter." She then sent Xianglan inside, hoping to engage Yang Hongying in further conversation.
Yang Hongying lifted her bowl and took a sip of tea, glancing at Xue Shi. "Ah, I've been terribly busy these past few days," she said. "Old Madam Zeng is fading fast—it's only a matter of days before the household dons mourning clothes. By then, the Eldest Master, First Madam, the two young misses, and the illegitimate son and daughter will all return to the capital to observe the mourning period."
Xue Shi started. "But isn't the Eldest Master an official in the capital?"
"Even officials must return to mourn their grandmother—it's called 'observing mourning'," Yang Hongying explained. "With this, the household is short of maids. I've been so occupied with this matter, I've barely slept for two days."
Xue Shi had already guessed eighty to ninety percent of it, her heart pounding nervously. Forcing a smile, she said, "Just buy a few maids through a broker then."
Yang Hongying sighed. "It's not that simple. New purchases need training and discipline—how can they compare to those raised within the family who are well-known to us?" Lowering her voice, she added, "These past few years, Da Nǎinai has managed the household accounts into deficit, leaving little silver to buy maids. Now that the Eldest Master is pressing urgently, we've been hastily sent to select a few family-raised servants for duty. I think your Xianglan is quite suitable—pretty, with a gentle temperament, sure to please the masters and madams. Why not let her serve in the estate for a couple of years? She'll learn decorum and may secure a future. As the saying goes, 'Better a maid from a great house than a daughter from a small one.' Respectable maids can indeed achieve remarkable fates."
Chen Wanquan, overhearing this, hurried out from the inner room, waving his hands dismissively. "No, no, our Xianglan isn't capable of that! She only knows how to write a few characters—can't even handle a needle properly or speak well, utterly unskilled at serving others. She'd only earn beatings in there! Besides, she's already grown; she should be married in a couple of years. She's my only daughter—I beg you, Madam Yang, leave her be. Report her as ill or something else, and I'll surely remember your kindness."
Yang Hongying replied, "Brother Chen, why say such things? I have your daughter's best interests at heart. With Xianglan's looks and demeanor, she might be elevated to Concubine someday, or later freed from servitude to marry into a prosperous family—isn't that better than marrying a house servant?"
Xue Shi, frantic, began to weep. "If she stays with us, we can still arrange a good match for her and seek the masters' and madams' favor for her marriage. But if she enters the estate and ends up paired with some elderly bachelor, our Xianglan's life would be ruined."
Yang Hongying reassured, "In a couple of years, once a match is settled for Xianglan, you can petition the estate for her release to marry. The masters will likely even add to her dowry. There were a few previously dismissed from the estate for marriage, all due to some fault..." She suddenly recalled that Xue Shi herself had been "dismissed for marriage" and trailed off awkwardly, adding sheepishly, "Even so, those ones seem to be doing well enough now."Chen Wanquan said, "The Fourth Miss of the Liu family next door and the Fifth Miss of the Zhang family are both the same age as our Xianglan..."
Yang Hongying interrupted, "And the Second Miss of the Lü family, the Sixth Miss of the Gong family—I've seen them all. They're either too plain or too timid to be presentable. Their families even offered me bribes, desperately trying to push their daughters into the mansion. But it's not that easy! Eldest Master Lou insists on personally screening them and specifically demanded girls with proper looks and gentle temperaments. This isn't something money can solve."
Chen Wanquan and his wife continued pleading earnestly. Xianglan, hiding behind the door curtain, overheard everything clearly. She thought to herself, "My parents are determined to arrange a marriage with the Liu family and have me wed next year. Once they've made up their minds, it'll be hard to change. I might as well enter the Lin mansion first—delaying things day by day. If I can stall for a few years, I'll have saved enough silver to make my own plans. Besides, if the Lin family has decent principles, they might eventually release me from servitude." Having reached this conclusion, she stepped out and asked, "Aunt Yang, if I become a maid in the mansion, can I be released from servitude later?"
Yang Hongying replied, "Not everyone gets that chance, but favored maids serving the young masters, young ladies, or Madam often do. Times are hard now—everyone wants to cling to the Lin family, so few actually request emancipation."
Xianglan said resolutely, "Then I'll enter the mansion." Xue Shi gasped in surprise. Xianglan glanced at her mother and told Yang Hongying, "I'm willing to join."
Yang Hongying nodded with satisfaction and said to Chen Wanquan and his wife, "Your daughter has ambition." She finished the remaining half-cup of tea and added, "I won't trouble you further then," before walking out the door.
Chen Wanquan spun around anxiously and scolded Xianglan, "Why did you agree to this? If I plead with her properly and offer more silver, you won't have to serve others in the mansion! By the time you're released at an advanced age, what respectable family would want you?"
Xianglan said calmly, "If the Liu family's silk shop manager counts as 'respectable,' then I'd rather not have such 'respectability.' Without entering the mansion, I'd only marry into another servant family—my children would remain servants. But if I join the mansion, there's a chance I might be freed later and marry a commoner."
Chen Wanquan grew even angrier. "What good is that? Some commoners live worse than our family!"
Xianglan responded, "Commoners can make their own choices. If I have children later, I can push them to study hard—they might even become the 'scholars or officials' you speak of. At worst, they could own land or businesses. That's still better than being servants for generations."
Chen Wanquan argued, "You've never suffered hardship—you don't understand the stakes! Though our employers are kind, maids have died in that mansion before. Even if you leave after a few years, what if you can't even find a match like Manager Huang? You..."
Xianglan cut him off. "Then that's my fate, and I'll accept it." Her tone was placid, but her eyes shone with unwavering determination.
Xue Shi looked at her husband, then at her daughter, and silently closed her mouth.
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