Chapter 7: Qingpu
Jinchao merely wanted to know exactly how much she had in her possession. Having a clear idea would help her stay vigilant. In her past life, she had paid no attention to such matters, even entrusting her mother’s dowry entirely to the stewards below her. As a result, the shops suffered severe losses, and the harvests from the Villa grew worse year after year. It wasn’t until after she married into the Chen Family and took power over household affairs that she began to care about the dowry her mother had left her. By then, her own possessions had dwindled, while those stewards grew fatter and richer by the day.
The way Mama Tong trembled with fear told her all she needed to know about how she had treated her servants in the past.
Having spent so many years in that small courtyard, Jinchao had gained many insights. Servants had it hard too. And when she had fallen to a state worse than a servant, the bitterness of that experience was something no one else could truly understand. She stood up and gently helped Mama Tong to her feet, smiling as she said, “You exaggerate, Mama Tong. I was merely asking casually. Since it hasn’t been inventoried in a while, let’s open the storeroom and take stock. Just show me the results afterward.”
Yet, upon hearing this, Mama Tong couldn’t hide a flicker of joy. The Eldest Miss was asking her to open the storeroom for inventory—did that mean she was being reinstated? Still uncertain, she asked, “But what about my duties at Yizhu Tower…?”
Jinchao replied, “You are my stewardess. Naturally, someone else will take over at Yizhu Tower.”
Mama Tong gazed at her young mistress, kowtowing several more times in gratitude, thinking to herself how rare it was for the young lady to be so accommodating.
At noon, Liu Xiang returned with Qingpu in tow. Qingpu wore her hair in a simple maid’s bun, devoid of any ornaments. Her attire consisted of a thin green-lined jacket and a brown pleated skirt. Tall and slender, she stood a couple of inches taller than Liu Xiang, her demeanor meek and her features delicate. She had grown much thinner compared to a year ago, her cheeks slightly sunken.
Noticing she wore no jewelry, Liu Xiang took off her own gilded bracelet and offered it to her. Qingpu hastily declined, but Liu Xiang laughed and said, “If you dress so shabbily, people might think our Eldest Miss is living in hardship too!” Blushing, Qingpu finally accepted the gift.
Liu Xiang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. When she had first arrived at Paulownia Courtyard, Qingpu had been the head maid. Now, the tables had turned.
Liu Xiang first instructed Qingpu to find Granny Chang to be assigned a servant’s quarters. Just as Qingpu was about to head there, she happened to see Yutong walking over, carrying an enamel vase painted with fish and algae patterns.
Yutong curtsied and said, “Miss Liu Xiang, you’re back.”
Liu Xiang asked, “I’ve brought Qingpu back. Where are you taking that vase?”
Yutong grinned and replied, “The young lady asked Sister Caifu to prepare a servant’s room for the newly arrived Qingpu. She even specified using a silver spoon carved with crabapple blossoms to scoop the bed curtains and picked out this vase for decoration… Mama Tong has opened the young lady’s storeroom for inventory, and since this vase looked pretty and was light, Sister Caifu suggested using it. Sister Caifu also added a few pots of crabapple and narcissus to the room—it’s all arranged so beautifully.”
Liu Xiang’s expression darkened upon hearing this.
Her thoughts were in turmoil. Seeing Yutong still staring at her wide-eyed, she asked again, “Mama Tong is back?” Her voice sounded almost dazed.
Yutong nodded. “Mama Tong has returned from Yizhu Tower, and she’s overjoyed. The young lady asked her to take inventory of the storeroom, and she’s working with great enthusiasm.”
Liu Xiang’s face grew even grimmer. Dismissing the little maid, she returned to the servant’s quarters alone.The servants' quarters also followed certain rules. Senior maids naturally had their own rooms, while second and third-tier maids shared rooms in pairs. Qingpu had just returned—how could she have a room to herself already? Moreover, the young mistress had specifically instructed Caifu to arrange it, even detailing what items should be placed inside. These matters aside, Mama Tong had somehow returned from the Bamboo Pavilion and resumed her position as the head maid. What was to become of her now?
With Mama Tong gone, she had been the highest authority in the courtyard. But now that Mama Tong was back?
Liu Xiang felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
...
In the afternoon, Jinchao went to accompany her mother again and returned at dusk. The small kitchen prepared some light stew for her, and she retired early.
Yet she slept poorly that night. A heavy snowfall came, and she heard the sound of snow snapping dead branches and the howling wind. Tossing and turning without sleep, she grew sweaty under the too-warm blankets. Staring at the canopy above her bed, she felt her mind crowded with thoughts—there were many things she ought to do, but none could be rushed. They had to be done slowly.
She managed to fall asleep in the early hours but dreamed of a snowy day many years ago. She stood alone on the veranda, watching as Chen Xuanqing accompanied Yu Wanxue to pick wintersweet blossoms—tiny, jade-like flowers no larger than fingernails.
Yu Wanxue, who should have been a proper lady of the inner chambers, had gathered her skirts to climb for the blossoms while Chen Xuanqing watched anxiously from below, worried she might fall.
Holding onto a branch, Yu Wanxue laughed and asked him, "Xu Ruo, isn’t this one lovely?" Usually so dignified and elegant, her playful demeanor made her seem almost childlike, her smile tinged with anticipation.
Chen Xuanqing chuckled helplessly and humored her, "They’re all lovely, all lovely. Come down now—if any passing maids see you, there’ll be gossip."
Yu Wanxue replied, "Since you think they’re all lovely, I’ll pick them all for you. They’ll look most elegant in your study, and their fragrance is exquisite."
Eventually, she climbed down, and Chen Xuanqing took her hands to warm them. "Your hands are freezing, yet you insisted on going up there..."
Still, he carefully took the branches from her and held them in one hand while leading her back with the other.
Her pale crimson skirts, glimpsed through the hazy winter light, made Gu Jinzhao’s eyes sting with pain.
That night was filled with heavy, restless dreams, and Jinchao slept poorly.
The snow only stopped at the break of dawn, the sky still dark, but Jinchao could sleep no longer. Through the bed curtains, she saw the two lanterns in the room still glowing. She sat up and called, "Where’s Liu Xiang?"
Caifu was on night duty, sleeping outside the screen. Stirring awake, she fumbled with the buttons on her cotton-padded jacket. "Young mistress, you’re awake so early today. I’ll fetch Liu Xiang for you." The morning was still quiet. Liu Xiang, who had been tossing and turning all night, heard the faint call and quickly got up. She dressed swiftly, fetched a basin of steaming hot water, and hurried over.
As Liu Xiang stepped into the room, Caifu curtsied and said, "What perfect timing, Miss Liu Xiang. The young mistress was just calling for you."
Liu Xiang gave a faint "Mm" and said coolly, "Help me hold the basin."
Caifu reached out to take the rim, but Liu Xiang smiled. "What are you afraid of? Just hold the bottom."
The copper basin was scalding from the hot water. Even placing a hand near it made the heat palpable—if she were to grip the bottom, the skin on her hands would surely peel! Caifu instinctively flinched back.Liu Xiang said with a faint smile, "You'll be in for it if you delay the young lady's affairs."
Her gaze toward Caifu was icy cold.
Caifu remained silent for a moment. She knew exactly why Liu Xiang was treating her this way. After helping Qingpu arrange the servant's quarters, the young lady had praised her for doing well. Liu Xiang happened to overhear this, and having previously lost face in front of the young lady with Caifu present, she had likely been holding a grudge ever since. If not this incident, it would have been something else... Finally biting her lip, Caifu reached out to take the copper basin.
Inside, Jinchao suddenly heard a loud clang—clearly the sound of a copper basin hitting the floor. She frowned slightly. Which maid was this, being so careless in her duties?
Liu Xiang and Caifu immediately entered, kneeling before her bed. Caifu kept her head lowered without looking up, while Liu Xiang kowtowed and said, "We've disturbed you, young lady. This servant asked Sister Caifu to hold the basin, but her hands slipped and she dropped it. Please don't blame her."
Hands slipped? Jinchao noticed Caifu's bowed head and silence, so she asked, "Is that really what happened?"
Caifu felt so wronged her nose stung. She hadn't even properly grasped the scalding basin, and the splashing hot water had already burned several blisters on the back of her hand. Liu Xiang's words weren't pleading on her behalf at all—they were subtly shifting all blame onto her. But the young lady disliked it most when people shifted responsibility, and with the spilled water already cooled on the floor, she had no way to defend herself.
She kowtowed and said calmly, "This servant admits her mistake. Please punish me, young lady."
Yet Jinchao could hear something off in her voice and felt puzzled. Caifu had always been steady—how could she have dropped the basin? And why was Liu Xiang so quick to push the blame onto her?
Softly, she said, "Lift your head and let me see."
Caifu was already crying, tears dripping onto the oak floorboards, but she still didn't raise her head. Jinchao saw the reddened blisters on her hands and felt a surge of anger, though she showed nothing. She only said, "Never mind, it's just a small matter. Since it was unintentional, you may go for now."
The young lady hadn't punished her... Caifu had expected, given the young lady's temperament, to be made to kneel in the snow for half a day.
For a moment, she felt the young lady had truly been kind to her, and the next, she felt she had disappointed her. Pale-faced, she thanked her and withdrew to clean up the spilled water. Jinchao turned back to Liu Xiang. "Has Qingpu arrived yet?"
Liu Xiang watched Caifu leave the curtains, relieved that she hadn't spoken up. Hearing Gu Jinchao's question, she quickly replied, "She arrived yesterday. This servant first took her to the outer courtyard to fetch two new sets of clothes and didn't finish settling her in until evening, so there was no time to pay respects to you, young lady."
Jinchao considered this before adding, "Mama Tong has returned now. As the head maid, you must assist her in managing all matters in Paulownia Courtyard. The storeroom is being inventoried—since you're more familiar with it, help her where needed..."
After finishing her instructions, Jinchao dismissed her. "...Go and fetch Qingpu for me."
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