After giving this instruction, Qiao Lian'er left.
"Gui Lan, Princess Zhenguo hasn't been to the kitchen in a long time. She's come especially to take care of you, so you'd better do your best."
Song Dujuan felt something was amiss. Apart from her, hadn't Qiao Lian'er paid any special attention to anyone else?
Did she discover something?
Impossible. It took a lot of effort to find her face, and her voice was also changed. Even her family members couldn't recognize her at first.
Seeing her confusion, Zhao Ma said, "It means that Princess Zhenguo values you and wants to give you important responsibilities. If you do these jobs well, how far are you from becoming a second-class maid or a first-class maid?"
Song Dujuan then thought that some people do indeed have to go through rigorous tests before they are given important positions, just as jade cannot become a useful object without being carved, and people cannot become talented without being tempered.
Perhaps Qiao Lian'er saw her intelligence and wanted to train her, which is understandable.
So Song Dujuan, enduring her aching back, finally finished washing a large basin of dishes as darkness fell and the food began to be served.
There were many third-class maids, each sleeping in a small cubicle, only about half a meter square. In order to allow the servants to rest early and recuperate, the tung oil lamps were supplied with a fixed amount of tung oil every day. After burning for a while, they struggled a couple of times and then went out.
Song Dujuan lay in bed, her arms almost too heavy to lift. Thinking about the large courtyard she had to sweep tomorrow, she felt a surge of irritation and closed her eyes until midnight before finally falling asleep.
The next day, as soon as she opened the door, the head housekeeper, Granny Zhang, handed her a broom.
"Sweep up the fallen leaves and mud; it should be done in one morning."
As the sun rose higher and higher, the air grew increasingly sultry. Song Dujuan, holding a broom, worked under the blazing sun and soon became drenched in sweat. Moreover, as she swept in front, a gust of wind would blow fallen leaves all over the ground behind her, leaving her utterly exhausted.
But she dared not be negligent. She wiped away her sweat and looked up at the huge Qiao mansion.
Such grandeur and exquisite beauty, and the thought that she would become the mistress of this place filled her with a sense of conviction.
No matter how hard or tiring it was, she endured it all.
After noon, Song Dujuan finally finished cleaning all the courtyards. She was so tired that she sat on the ground, leaning on the broom, panting heavily.
"Not bad," said Granny Zhang. "Go to the kitchen and get busy. Today you only need to wash two hundred dishes, and tomorrow you only need to clean half of the courtyard."
Song Dujuan went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Two days later, the task was reduced again, to only a quarter of the initial amount.
Song Dujuan originally thought that this would give her more free time.
But things didn't go as she expected.
Because when you're a servant, you never really have a moment of leisure.
Various trivial chores filled her entire day, and by evening, she was completely exhausted and could only lie there.
Trapped in chores and unable to escape, Song Dujuan felt her mind beginning to go numb.
She slapped herself hard, determined not to let herself be slowly worn down like a frog in boiling water.
She must always remember her goal.
A month later, Song Dujuan was summoned to Steward Chai's presence.
"Gui Lan, your performance this month has been quite good. I have decided to promote you to second-class maid and assist the personal maid in Princess Zhenguo's room. You will be working with Zhu Xiang."
Qiao Lian'er had four personal maids by her side: Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, each with the character "Xiang" (香) in their names.
The fragrance of plum blossoms is calm and steady, the fragrance of orchids is gentle and tender, the fragrance of bamboo is sharp and keen, and the fragrance of chrysanthemums is fiery and intense.
"Do whatever Zhu Xiang tells you to do. You're her assistant, so don't overstep your bounds," Butler Chai added.
Song Dujuan was overjoyed; she was finally a little closer to Qiao Lian'er.
After enduring humiliation and hardship for a month, she began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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