Chapter 12 The New Maid
The new maids that Songhetang bought have entered the mansion. There are twelve in total, all of them are little girls aged eight to fifteen.
The man was brought in personally by Yang An, the head steward of the Marquis's mansion and the husband of Granny Fang.
"This servant greets the Madam."
Yang An is a short old man in his fifties. He is tall and has long legs. He is in good spirits. Although he is old, you can still see that he was handsome when he was young.
"Get up," Madam Min Qiao said with a smile, raising her hand.
“These are the maids we bought according to the Grand Madam’s request.” Yang An stepped aside, revealing the twelve young girls behind him.
"Greetings to the Madam. Wishing her good health and longevity."
The twelve little girls knelt on the ground and greeted each other loudly in unison. They had clearly been instructed beforehand.
Madam Min smiled and looked at the group of young girls in front of her, saying, "Raise your heads, all of you."
The twelve people quickly raised their heads. Those who knew the rules lowered their eyes, while the more lively ones stared directly at Madam Min with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
“Madam, these five are in their prime, all between twelve and fifteen years old. These six are a little younger, only eight to twelve years old. And this one is a little older, sixteen this year.”
"As per the Grand Madam's instructions, some of these young maids are skilled at combing hair, some at needlework, and some at massaging shoulders and legs..."
Madam Min Qiao examined each of the young maids, while Yang An carefully introduced them to each other.
Suddenly, Min Qiao saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face in the crowd.
"You, step forward."
Madam Min pointed to a tall, slender woman kneeling at the very back of the crowd, her posture impeccable, and asked, "What's your name?"
That woman was the sixteen-year-old Yang An had mentioned earlier.
The woman rose and stepped out of the line, kneeling respectfully again outside the queue before answering in a humble voice, "What I was called in the past is not important; what I will be called from now on, please bestow a name upon me by the Madam."
The woman spoke respectfully, but her words were not so respectful.
Look at her straight back, her cold and stern face, and the undisguised arrogance between her brows... Tsk tsk, how can this be a maid? No one would doubt that she is a young lady from some wealthy family.
It is precisely because of this that the woman's current composed and dignified demeanor completely overturns her image in Min Qiao's memory.
In her past life, this woman was the top courtesan at Cuihongxuan, Yimei.
It was also the woman that her eldest grandson, Min Rong's eldest son Min Changzhong, was clamoring to marry and take home as his official wife.
In Min Qiao's memory, Yi Mei was a delicate and aloof woman, like a little white flower. When she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle, seemingly both reproachful and resentful, capable of melting one's heart.
In her previous life, Yi Mei acted exactly like a prostitute in a brothel, which disgusted Min Qiao Shi.
But undeniably, the Yimei in my memory did have a truly memorable face. I only met her once in my past life, yet in this life, Min Qiao recognized her in a crowd at a glance.
For some unknown reason, the woman who appeared in the brothel in her previous life appeared in her own Songhe Hall in this life.
"The Dowager Madam?"
Seeing that Madam Min was staring blankly at the young girl, Granny Fang couldn't help but call out softly.
Pulled back to her senses, Madam Min quickly composed herself and said, "Wei Jia, Yi Mei, Ru Yun, Qiu Shui, choose one as your name."
The woman replied almost without hesitation, "Not good."
A barely perceptible look of surprise flashed across Min Qiao's eyes; she had thought she would choose her name from her previous life.
Are you sure?
"yes."
"What are your skills? What can you do?" Madam Min Qiao scrutinized the woman.
A woman who can become the top courtesan of Cuihong Pavilion must not only be beautiful, but also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Thinking about it this way, Madam Min suddenly realized why Yi Mei was called Wei Jia now.
No wonder Wei Jia was bought back by Yang An.
Before buying the person, she discussed the requirements with Granny Fang.
One was responsible for taking care of her daily life, one for her clothes, one for her jewelry, one for her food, one for her travels, and one for finding her entertainment.
We also need to buy a few children who can read, write, and do arithmetic. One to manage her accounts, one to manage her money, and one to read stories to her…
Wei Jia was clearly the best person Yang An had bought to amuse her.
However, to everyone's surprise, Wei Jia's reply was completely different from what Min Qiao had expected.
"Replying to Madam, this servant is literate and can do arithmetic. I can work as your accountant or read storybooks to you. I also have some knowledge of clothing and jewelry and can take care of your attire. If Madam needs anything, I am also somewhat proficient in playing the guqin, pipa, flute, and xun."
Wei Jia spoke calmly, but her words sent a chill down everyone's spine.
The other maids looked at Wei Jia with a mixture of shock and fear.
This person did everything, so what are they supposed to do? Are they going to be sent back to the childcare center before they even start work?
Min Qiaoshi couldn't help but feel surprised.
She turned to look at Yang An, who quickly explained, "Madam, this girl used to be from an official family. Because her family committed a crime, the men were executed and the women were sold. Her family was originally from another region, and the court stipulated that the families of officials who committed crimes could not be sold in their original place. That's why she was sold to the capital."
“I see.” Madam Min Qiao nodded.
So she's the daughter of a corrupt official. No wonder she knows everything and can do everything.
Just then, Yang An hesitated before continuing, "Madam, please forgive me. This girl is the descendant of a disgraced official. She has been in the brothel for a long time, but no one has dared to buy her."
"This old servant wasn't planning on buying her back. But I heard from the people at the brothel that if no one buys her in a few days, they'll have to sell her to a brothel."
"That's when this old servant took pity on her. Plus, she really does know a lot, so this old servant dared to buy her back."
Yang An's tone carried a hint of unease, fearing that this might cause unnecessary trouble for the household and for the Grand Madam.
Madam Min waved her hand dismissively, "It's alright. Even the descendants of disgraced officials are still human. Besides, those are all things of the past. Who would cause us trouble just because we bought a servant? Moreover, given the Marquis's current status, who would dare to come to the Marquis's residence to cause trouble for no reason?"
“What the Dowager says is true. This old servant was overthinking it.” Yang An quickly bowed and agreed.
Min Qiaoshi ignored Yang An and turned her attention back to Wei Jia.
"Since you're good at everything, you'll be in charge of all the affairs of Songhe Hall from now on. I'll also entrust all these maids to you. I only have one request."
"Please speak, Madam." Wei Jia straightened her back even more.
"Make sure my days at Songhe Hall are pleasant and comfortable." Madam Min Qiao smiled and added, "Apart from matters at Songhe Hall, you don't need to worry about anything else. Can you do that?"
"Please rest assured, Madam, I will certainly live up to your expectations." Wei Jia spoke with conviction, appearing completely confident.
"Then I'll wait and see." Madam Min looked at Wei Jia with great interest.
What surprises will the top courtesan of her past life bring her in this one?
PS:
Min Qiaoshi: Weijia = not good enough.
Wei Jia: My surname is He, so "He Weijia" is the most appropriate name for me.
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