Chapter 9 "If you want to take it off, I won't stop you."...
Chapter Nine
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the festive atmosphere faded, and the number of stalls selling New Year's goods that had crossed the river to do so gradually decreased.
The Pei family took down the colorful oil-paper lanterns depicting good fortune and removed the red silk lanterns hanging above the door.
The stewards also presented last year's accounts to Madam Shen for her review. The accounts were largely accurate, so Madam Shen handled them leniently and did not criticize them harshly.
The year-end reconciliation is the most difficult hurdle for those living in grand mansions, but now that it has been passed smoothly, the managers of each courtyard are all beaming with joy.
Old Madam Pei was a philanthropist. Knowing that everything was going smoothly, she specially sent the uneaten candies, dates, and chestnuts to the Kitchen God Festival, and then distributed them to the maids and servants in each courtyard, so that all the servants in the mansion could share in the joy.
Even Lin Rong received two brown sugar rice cakes and a bag of roasted melon seeds.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. While Chunhua was hanging out the laundry, she chatted with Granny Zhao. She mentioned that Lin Rong had been talking in her sleep and not sleeping well for several nights in a row. Granny Zhao was reluctant to talk about it, but quickly gave Lin Rong two sesame stalks to put on the windowsill, hoping to ward off the plague demons that were running rampant during the year of disaster.
Two days later, the Pei family prepared the trunks for the next day's departure.
This pilgrimage to Putuo Temple is truly an excellent mission.
Whenever Madam Pei went to the temple to worship Buddha, the maids in the inner courtyard would give the servants a sum of money as a reward. Therefore, all the servants of the Pei family wanted to go out with the old lady to offer incense.
However, the number of people traveling was limited, and if Lin Rong and Granny Zhao hadn't been so close, she probably wouldn't have had such an opportunity.
Lin Rong knew that Granny Zhao had done a great deal of work, and she was grateful.
At night, she specially steamed glutinous rice, pounded it into sweet rice cakes, fried them until fragrant, drizzled them with cliff honey, and sent them to Granny Zhao to have with her wine.
Granny Zhao loved this soft and chewy fried cake. She was overjoyed to receive Lin Rong's gift and kept praising her for being so well-behaved.
After helping Granny Zhao to sleep, Lin Rong turned and went out the door.
Before Lin Rong could take two steps, Liu Qingshan, the son of Steward Liu, came running up breathlessly and blocked her way.
Liu Qingshan is the only son of Steward Liu, and he is twenty years old this year. Although he is not ugly, he is short and greedy for money and lustful.
A few days ago, Liu Qingshan stole shark fin and bird's nest from the kitchen and resold them to a wine shop, causing Old Madam Pei to not be able to gather more than ten bowls of shark fin soup for her New Year's banquet, almost making her lose face.
When Liu Qingshan's evil deeds were exposed, Shen was so angry that she punished him severely and almost broke both of his legs.
It was only through Steward Liu's desperate cries and desperate efforts to save his son that Liu Qingshan's life was spared.
Liu Qingshan, lusting after Lin Rong's beauty, had been embroiled in legal troubles and had been quiet for a while. Now, after serving his sentence, he's back to his old ways.
Lin Rong ignored him and turned to leave.
Seeing her cold heart, Liu Qingshan rushed forward and tried to pull her away, saying, "Rong'er! Rong'er! Wait for me!"
Lin Rong was so angry that her chest heaved as he tugged at her sleeve. She yelled, "What are you doing?! I'll tell Grandma!"
Liu Qingshan knew that Lin Rong was under Zhao Pozi's protection, so he didn't dare to confront her directly. He just said, "Rong'er, you are really ungrateful. I specially asked my father for your opportunity to go to Putuo Temple to worship Buddha. If I hadn't insisted on taking you, you probably wouldn't have received the old lady's reward."
Lin Rong knew Liu Qingshan was talking nonsense, so she ignored him and made a move to leave.
Seeing that Lin Rong was unmoved, Liu Qingshan hurriedly chased after her again: "I've already made an agreement with my father. If you marry me, the dowry will be twenty taels of silver, and he will also go to the old lady to ask for your favor of working in the inner courtyard!"
Liu Qingshan felt that this arrangement, which combined wealth and power, was truly the most respectable thing imaginable.
Unfortunately, Lin Rong had no intention of staying at the Pei residence for long.
Putting aside the fact that she was almost beaten to death by Steward Liu in the snow when she was young, and was only saved by Pei Zan passing by; furthermore, the children born to the two servants are, at best, born into the household, and she finally had hope of redeeming herself, so how could she be willing for her descendants to continue to be slaves and maids?
Lin Rong had had enough of that hopeless life of being at the mercy of her master, and she wanted to leave the mansion and live freely like a human being.
Moreover, Liu Qingshan is a cunning man. This is not the first time he has harassed the maids in the mansion. He says he likes Lin Rong, but in private he seduces young girls. There are also young girls in the outer courtyard who are naive and have been deceived by him, almost getting pregnant.
Lin Rong isn't stupid; how could she possibly get entangled with him?
But Liu Qingshan was, after all, the son of the steward, so Lin Rong didn't dare to really break ties with him. She quickened her pace and ran back to the back room where the servants rested, and locked the door.
-
The following day, the masters and servants of each household, amidst a noisy commotion, boarded their carriages and set off for Putuo Temple.
Lin Rong also squeezed into the oxcart piled with goods, where the servants sat, and they made their way up the mountain in a grand procession.
During this year's Lunar New Year worship ceremony, Grandma Pei specially brought cooked meats, preserved duck, and seasonal vegetables, and also asked the monks to bring lotus lanterns to offer at Putuo Temple for blessings.
After listening to the Buddhist sermon, Prefect Xie, along with his wife and daughter, personally came to invite the Pei family to stay at a secluded villa in the mountains.
Of all the men in the Pei family who hold official positions, only Pei Zan is one.
Since Prefect Xie's rank was so much lower than Governor Pei's, he naturally had to pay his respects with utmost courtesy and dared not act like a distant relative or uncle.
With Grand Commander Pei Zan in charge of the plum blossom appreciation banquet, the officials of Jiangzhou couldn't cause any trouble. Everyone present was on tenterhooks, shamelessly stepping forward to curry favor with Pei Zan.
Even when they met the servants of the Pei family, the officials in the government offices had to greet them with smiles and wish them a Happy New Year, and dared not show the slightest disrespect.
Pei Zan cut off the few proud tail feathers of the officials' wives, and the servants were extremely comfortable and satisfied when serving the guests, without suffering any hardship.
However, Lin Rong was really unlucky and was targeted by Xie Yitang, the daughter of the host.
Last time, Xie Yitang lost face at the New Year's Eve banquet. When he got home, he was punished by Prefect Xie to kneel for a night and even confined to his home for half a month.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Xie Yitang dared not blame Pei Zan, so she naturally tried every means to torment the little maid who had embarrassed her in public.
If Lin Rong hadn't been so scheming and insisted on spilling a cup of tea on her skirt, how could Xie Yitang have punished someone in public and been caught red-handed by Pei Zan?
Therefore, Xie Yitang deliberately stopped Lin Rong halfway, tapped her forehead, and ordered: "You... come and serve this young lady!"
Xie Yitang is the niece of the second wife of the Pei family, so only she has the audacity to order around the servants of the Pei household.
Having learned her lesson, Lin Rong knew that this arrogant Miss Xie was not someone to be trifled with. Although she was panicked, she forced herself to calm down and followed Xie Yitang to the roast meat banquet in the distant courtyard.
Lin Rong knew perfectly well that even if Xie Yitang was dull-witted, she would know that the plum blossom appreciation banquet was crowded and noisy.
Even if Xie Yitang harbored resentment, she would at most harass Lin Rong a bit, but she wouldn't dare to take Lin Rong's life.
To avoid Xie Yitang publicly beating and killing Pei family servants, and then falling out with Pei Zan and being scolded by her father.
However, the little mishap Xie Yitang made was enough to make Lin Rong suffer a lot.
Xie Yitang wanted to eat mutton fat skewers, but after Lin Rong finished grilling them, she threw the skewers into the snow and angrily said, "This is so greasy, are you trying to choke me to death?! You're such a shrew, so calculating, I hate you just looking at you! Go kneel in the snow!"
Lin Rong dared not resist. She stood up nimbly, knelt down in the snowdrift with her head down, and didn't even raise her head.
Such a submissive and wooden person left Xie Yitang with nowhere to vent her anger, as if she had punched a piece of cotton.
Xie Yitang was in a bad mood, but when she looked at the little girl shivering in the wind and snow, she felt that Lin Rong was nothing more than a servant.
Servants are supposed to be so lowly, how dare she show disrespect to her master?
Xie Yitang ignored Lin Rong.
She had to play cards with her mother, so she hurriedly lifted her skirt and left, leaving Lin Rong to be swallowed up by the wind and snow.
Lin Rong was freezing in the snow, her shoulders covered with snowflakes.
Without her master's orders, she dared not get up and could only hope that the outer courtyard was short of manpower and that Granny Zhao could be ordered by the old lady to come and summon the servants to deliver vegetables to the various courtyards.
Perhaps Lin Rong's prayers truly moved the heavens, for when Uncle Feng passed by the roast meat shop's courtyard, he happened to see Lin Rong huddled in a corner, shivering like a frostbitten sparrow.
"What's going on?" Uncle Feng took a closer look, and soon a servant explained the whole story to him.
So it turns out that Miss Xie is putting on airs and coming to suppress the servants of the Pei family.
Uncle Feng had followed Pei Zan all over the country and was the only old steward in the governor's mansion. Naturally, he was arrogant and didn't even care about these daughters of officials.
He snorted coldly, thinking that the servants who had been delivering meals recently were not doing their job well, always shirking their duties, and even stealing food while cleaning up the dishes... It would be better to promote Lin Rong this time and accumulate some good karma.
So, Uncle Feng beckoned to Lin Rong: "Rong girl, the young master is coming back on horseback soon. Go to the courtyard and serve him his meal."
Lin Rong understood, of course, that Manager Feng had simply come up with a pretext to save her from her predicament.
Lin Rong nodded gratefully: "Yes, Steward Feng, I'll go deliver the meal right away."
After saying that, Lin Rong, supporting her frostbitten knees, stood up shakily.
Uncle Feng saw her limping away, her gait stiff, clearly indicating that her legs were frostbitten.
There was no one watching her kneel in the corner of the courtyard, so why should she obediently accept the punishment... This girl is truly honest and kind.
-
Lin Rong had been kneeling in the snow for half a day, her clothes covered in snowflakes. The fire inside the house warmed her, and the wet clothes soaked all the way down to her calves, making her calves both itchy and cold.
However, delivering meals to the Pei family master was a major task, and Lin Rong dared not neglect it in the slightest.
I had no choice but to endure this and go back to my room to change my clothes.
When Lin Rong arrived at the flower hall where Pei Zan had prepared the meal, carrying the food box, she was stunned to see that the entire hall was covered with expensive Persian carpets.
Noble masters dared to wear shoes inside, but she was just a lowly servant. If she were to dirty the carpet, she didn't know if she would be punished by her master.
Lin Rong hesitated.
I was worried that taking off my shoes before going inside would be unseemly, and I was also afraid of lingering too long and getting my food cold...
Before she could come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside.
Outside the moon gate, a secluded path was filled with flying snow and mud. A white, wide-sleeved robe fluttered in the wind.
Before long, a handsome and refined man rode up on horseback.
The visitor was none other than Pei Zan, the head of the Pei family.
Lin Rong was startled and dared not touch Qiao'er. She hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects: "This servant Lin Rong greets the young master... This servant is here on the orders of Steward Feng to deliver meals to the young master."
Pei Zan dismounted and loosened the reins.
Pei Zan did not respond to Lin Rong's words. He was so indifferent that he only glanced at Lin Rong.
Afterwards, Pei Zan stroked the horse's mane, letting the warhorse named "Mo Yu" return to the stable to eat and drink on its own. He then passed by Lin Rong, entered the flower hall to undress, washed his hands, and said nothing.
Lin Rong was used to the disrespectful attitudes of various noble families, so she naturally understood that Pei Zan's behavior meant he tacitly allowed her to enter and serve the meal.
However, staring at her dirty embroidered shoes, she still cautiously asked, "Young Master..."
Pei Zan slightly lifted his eyelids. "What is it?"
Lin Rong bit her lip. "My shoes are muddy, and I'm afraid they'll stain the carpet... Would you like me to take off my shoes before coming in?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Zan paused in his action of wiping his hands with a handkerchief.
The man's cold gaze toward Lin Rong carried a subtle, inexplicable scrutiny.
"If you want to take it off, I won't stop you."
Pei Zan's voice was cold and solemn, neither accepting nor rejecting anything.
Upon hearing this, Lin Rong was slightly taken aback.
Soon, Lin Rong's face turned pale as she realized what was happening... She deliberately exposed a woman's most precious bare feet and ankles right under Pei Zan's nose.
This behavior is nothing like that of a maidservant who wholeheartedly serves her master during meals; rather, it seems more like that of a concubine who deliberately seduces Pei Zan.
No wonder Pei Zan's glance at her just now was somewhat meaningful.
He assumed Lin Rong had ill intentions and looked down on her.
A note from the author:
Red gems drop every day, no further explanation needed~
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