Hui'er peeked into the eastern room several times before tiptoeing back to the western chamber. In a hushed voice, she said to Cao Lihuan, "Still embroidering flowers, didn't even lift her head. Seems like a quiet one."
Cao Lihuan sneered, "Just arrived, of course she'll be diligent for a couple days. Who knows how she'll be later."
Hui'er frowned. "But she's far too eye-catching. With that face, I doubt she'll stay grounded. What's her background? Bought or household slave?" Her sallow complexion and plump figure, coupled with her vanity, made her envious of Xianglan's snow-white face and slender figure.
"Ying Shuang told me—a household slave. Her father's a third manager at an antique shop," Cao Lihuan said, sipping her tea. "Such families are neither high nor low, just minor respectability. Easy to handle, no need to worry about unruly servants causing trouble."
Hui'er giggled. "My dear lady, even if she were the ancestor of unruly servants, she'd still bow before you."
Pleased, Cao Lihuan took another sip from her teacup and turned to Huairui. "Keep an eye on her from now on, both of you." Then, with irritation, she added, "That wretched Zhao Yuechan! After I gifted her a pair of fine jade bracelets, she sends me an untrained girl fresh to the household!"
Huairui said, "It took much pleading just to get this one."
Hui'er nibbled on a pastry. "True, but Taitai is the only one we can appeal to. At least one is better than none."
Still scowling, Cao Lihuan sneered, "I'll endure it for now. Once I'm married, I'll have my revenge. The entire Lin household is rotten to the core!"
"Not all of them! Our lady is the finest!" Hui'er refilled Cao Lihuan's cup with a painted floral teapot, shooting Huairui a meaningful glance.
Huairui chimed in, "Indeed, all the young misses in this mansion combined couldn't match our lady's talent, beauty, and sharp wit."
This struck a chord with Cao Lihuan, who couldn't suppress a smile but sighed. "I was just unlucky in birth. When Father fell ill, out of all his children, only I tended to his sickbed. Soon after he passed, Mother took ill and left us not long after. Not only did the family's wealth vanish, but even my marriage prospects suffered."
Hui'er said, "It rankles me too. With your grace and looks, had the master and Taitai still been here, suitors would've worn out the threshold! But now... alas, it's unfair to you."
"The Ren family isn't bad. When they sent carriages recently, I saw Young Master Ren—truly handsome. The Ren household is simple. Once married, you'd only need to attend to the old madam and his sister. In a few years, the sister will marry, and later the old madam passes—then the house will be peaceful. Far better than marrying into a large, complicated family." As Huairui spoke, Cao Lihuan nodded, her expression finally brightening.
For a while, nothing happened.
Before dinner, Xianglan presented an embroidered handkerchief to Cao Lihuan. Surprised by how quickly it was finished, Cao Lihuan examined it closely—the stitches were even and delicate, the colors understated yet vibrant. Though a small piece, it shone brilliantly.She felt satisfied, her earlier dissatisfaction with Xianglan fading slightly. Yet, thinking that pointing out no flaws would fail to showcase her superiority, she deliberately picked a few spots that were "poorly embroidered" and added, "Though you embroider quickly, speed alone isn’t enough—it must also be done well. My needlework was taught by the finest embroideress in Yuzhou. By the age of seven or eight, my work was already better than yours is now."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she sensed they might have been too harsh, so she quickly softened her tone with a smile. "Huairui’s needlework is downright shameful, and Hui’er has too many duties to manage. If you hone your skills, you’ll have your chance to shine. Besides, in a household like this, a maid skilled in needlework always catches the master’s eye. You’re new here and know nothing—it’s only out of kindness that I’m guiding you. Other masters wouldn’t care a whit about a maid’s fate."
Xianglan had already begun to grasp Cao Lihuan’s temperament. She thought to herself, "This Cousin is full of herself, always flattering those above and trampling those below—not someone easy to deal with. I’ll just humor her a little." Feigning deference, she replied, "Thank you for your guidance and concern, miss. I’m truly fortunate to have met a mistress as kind as you."
Cao Lihuan’s smile widened at this. She picked out a pastry from the plate before her—one she didn’t particularly like—and handed it to Xianglan. "You’ve worked hard all afternoon. I saved this especially for you. Have a piece and rest a while."
Xianglan accepted the pastry with a smile. "Thank you for your generosity, miss. I’ll return to my embroidery now."
The moment she stepped outside, Xianglan’s smile vanished. She walked straight to the bamboo grove beside Gauze Snow Dock, lifted the White Skin Pastry in her hand, and curled her lips in a mocking sneer. "This afternoon, I clearly heard her shouting inside, ‘This White Skin Pastry has too much osmanthus sugar—it’s sickeningly sweet. It makes me want to vomit. Huairui, take the last two pieces and feed them to the dogs. If the dogs won’t eat them, toss them into the pond for the fish.’ I toiled over embroidering a handkerchief, and not a single kind word did I get in return—just a pastry even the dogs wouldn’t eat, and she calls it ‘saved especially for me.’ How ‘generous’ this Cousin truly is." She took a large, angry bite, only for an overpowering sweetness and greasiness to surge to her head, nearly making her retch.
Xianglan chewed forcefully a few times, suppressing the urge to vomit, and forced the pastry down her throat. She told herself, "Chen Xianglan, remember the taste of this pastry. For as long as you serve as someone’s servant, you must endure such humiliation. But this isn’t the fate you deserve. You must steel your heart, cultivate patience, endure disgrace, and quell resentment. Free yourself from bondage as soon as possible, and live with dignity so no one can ever look down on you again!"
She stood in the bamboo grove for a while, watching the orange-red hues of the evening sky, listening quietly to the murmuring stream. She silently recited the Great Compassion Mantra twice. A gentle breeze drifted through the window, brushing her cheeks and dispelling the last traces of agitation from her heart. Only then did she take a deep breath, straighten her clothes, and walk back slowly.
The next morning, Cao Lihuan brought out bright red silk, sketched floral patterns, and instructed Xianglan to embroider a pair of pillowcases with mandarin ducks playing in water. There was also a crimson wedding gown and a Hundred Sons Gown, all with intricate designs that demanded painstaking effort.Xianglan was dumbfounded, thinking to herself, "These are all essential items for marriage, traditionally sewn by the unmarried young lady herself. Only those with poor needlework would have their parents arrange for a few seamstresses to rush the work. How could Cousin dump all these tasks on me alone? When will I ever finish? By myself, I might not complete them even in three years."
Cao Lihuan said, "All the work is here. Get to it quickly." After speaking, she called Hui'er to accompany her to pay respects to the elders.
Left with no choice, Xianglan bent her head and threaded her needle. The workload was heavy, and Cao Lihuan was an exceptionally picky mistress. The slightest imperfection would make her order Xianglan to cut it out and start over, followed by scoldings like, "Clumsy hands! The maid Xiaoyuan who used to handle my needlework was a hundred times more skillful than you," or "You're too slow. Xiaoyuan was much faster—she finished two pillowcases and an entire Magpie on Plum Blossom Quilt Cover in just half a year." After each reprimand, she would soften her tone with a smile and say earnestly, "I'm doing this for your own good. No other master would take such care to train you. You'll understand my kindness later."
Xianglan had to play the part of a dull and obedient girl, responding "sincerely," "I know Miss Huan means well for me," swallowing her grievances and pretending to be docile and simple-minded.
Xianglan had a gentle temperament and a meek, delicate appearance. She never slacked off in her work and was quick with her hands. At Gauze Snow Dock, she spoke little, and within two or three days, people began to see her as easy to bully. No matter the task, they would call for her. "Xianglan, fan the stove quickly." "Xianglan, wipe all the windows with a cloth." "Xianglan, why hasn't the young lady's soup been brought yet?" "Xianglan, the young lady wants to wear her pea-green dress. Go rummage through the wardrobe." "Xianglan, wash the handkerchiefs and sew the pouches." The demands were endless. Being new to the tasks, she inevitably made mistakes and faced more scolding.
Xianglan was as busy as a spinning top all day, often interrupted with new tasks before finishing the previous ones. When assigning work, Cao Lihuan gave the easier and more visible tasks to Hui'er and Huairui, while the tedious and laborious ones fell to Xianglan. She often took Hui'er with her to stroll in the garden, chatting about whose hairpin was prettier, which family's face powder was better, or whose clothes complemented their complexion, laughing and joking all the while. Huairui would frequently disappear, sneaking off to avoid work, and Cao Lihuan turned a blind eye.
Gradually, whenever Xianglan completed a task—whether it was boiling soup in the tea room or finishing needlework—Hui'er would snatch it away and say, "Alright, you can rest now. I'll take it in." Then she would present it to Cao Lihuan, currying favor. Cao Lihuan, pleased, would reward her with small trinkets and assign new tasks, which Hui'er would promptly pass on to Xianglan.
Xianglan endured it all in silence, keeping her head down and saying nothing.
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