According to Eleventh Lady's observation, Luo Mansion covers an area of ​​about thirty mu. To the east is Zhiyun Pavilion, in the middle is Sizhi Hall, and to the west is Shuangxing Courtyard. There is a gate at the back door of Shuangxing Courtyard that leads to the outer river to form a lake. After passing the gate, there is a small courtyard with more than ten rooms, called Linfangzhai. To the east of Linfangzhai is the back garden of Luo Mansion.

The Lujun Tower is located in the northwest corner of the back garden.

Eleventh Lady brought Binju and followed Mother Yao out of the Lujun Tower, passed through the corridor connecting the Lujun Tower and Zhiyun Pavilion, and soon arrived at Zhiyun Pavilion.

When they entered the house, they met Mother Xu walking out with four or five maids and old women.

Madam Xu was the most capable person around the first wife, and assisted the first wife in managing the money, property and personnel of the inner house. Madam Yao assisted the first wife in managing the daily affairs of the inner house.

Eleventh Lady respectfully called out "Mom".

Mother Yao and Bin Ju stepped forward to greet Mother Xu and said warmly, "What are you busy with?"

Mother Xu is in her forties, white and plump. Although she is the most capable person around the eldest wife, she always smiles when she sees people, and everyone in the Luo family is willing to be close to her.

She smiled and bowed to Shiyi Niang, and returned the greetings to Yao Mama and Bin Ju, then said, "The eldest lady sent me to Ci'an Temple to deliver the incense money."

Mother Yao was stunned and asked, "Wasn't it the abbot of Ci'an Temple who came to take it?"

Mother Xu smiled and said, "The eldest wife wants to light another ever-burning lamp."

Mother Yao found it even more strange.

The Ci'an Temple is more than 20 miles away from here, and it takes a day to go back and forth. If you want to go there, why are you leaving now?

She wanted to ask more, but Mother Xu had already started chatting with Shiyi Niang: "...I still remember you, so I asked Dongqing to bring me some soybean sauce."

Eleventh Lady smiled politely: "It's not a good thing either, don't be polite, mom!"

"You are too polite." Mother Xu said with a smile, "Last time it was Dongqing's sister-in-law who came, right? You also asked Dongqing to bring me two jars. I said at the time, who made this, how could it be so delicious. I have grown up to be over 40 years old, and I have never eaten such delicious pickles..."

One of them was ordered to see the eldest wife, and the other was ordered to do an errand by the eldest wife. Neither of them dared to stay for long. After exchanging a few words of greeting, they went their separate ways.

Mother Yao led Eleventh Lady to the east room on the first floor where the eldest wife usually lived and rested: "Miss Eleven, please come and sit down. I'm going to report to the eldest wife!"

She left Shiyi Niang and Binju and went upstairs, where the maids served them tea and snacks.

Bin Ju couldn't help but look around the furnishings in the room.

The black lacquer swastika on the front is covered with a tiger skin saddle, and the small table in the middle is decorated with a cloisonné enamel Wen Wang Ding and an incense box. On the high tables on both sides are bonsai made of jadeite leaves and jade branches made of evergreen stone. The armchair in front of the glass lattice is covered with a chair cover with a stone blue bottom and a golden python. The floor tiles underfoot are as bright as a mirror, reflecting the shadows of people...

Usually Dongqing accompanies Eleventh Lady to Zhiyun Pavilion, but this time Eleventh Lady brought her along.

The furnishings of the room were very different from the last time she was here.

The last time she came, it was still the mourning period, and everything was white, which made people feel uneasy. This time, there was a kind of cold splendor, which made her feel ashamed and uneasy.

Thinking of what she had not had the chance to say in front of Eleventh Lady just now, and seeing that the maids had all retreated outside the door, leaving only Eleventh Lady and herself in the room, Bin Ju could not help but step forward a few steps and whispered, "Eleventh Lady, if by any chance... Sister Dongqing's request cannot be turned down... just accept it!" As she spoke, tears could not help but well up in her eyes, and her eyes were sparkling with tears, "This is also what Sister Dongqing asked me to say to you when we came here. She also said that we will have many requests for help in the future, and there is no need to upset the first lady for such a small matter..."

Eleventh Lady looked at the enamel teacup presented by Magu as a birthday gift and said nothing.

Bin Ju had been with her for three years and knew that although she looked easygoing, she was determined and could not be changed. She could not help but whisper to her: "If you feel sorry for Sister Dongqing, when you get married, ask her and her husband to be your companions. With someone to support you, and with Sister Dongqing's talent, you can still live a good life..."

"Be careful, there may be ears next door." Eleventh Lady said softly, but Bin Ju's face turned red.

She knew she was too impatient, so she just said "hmm" and stood behind Eleventh Lady, not daring to say anything else.

Be a companion!

The two girls wanted to do well, but even if they wanted to take this path when things were at their wit's end, it was not up to them to decide. I'm afraid they would need to put in a lot of effort to negotiate.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Zhiyun Pavilion had many servants, and several concubines were trying to please the eldest lady, so the atmosphere was always lively. But today, as she walked along, she only saw a few maids, and they all looked cautious... It felt like a storm was about to come.

Could it be that Mother Yao said something in front of the First Wife?

Just like last time when she misled the eldest wife, saying that Yao Mama's nephew relied on Yao Mama's service to the eldest wife to spy on the inner courtyard... Did the eldest wife send away the people around her in order to teach her a lesson?

Eleventh Lady’s mind was racing.

This morning, during the morning and evening visits, the eldest lady was fine. She smiled and said that the yam cakes she made were delicious. She asked her to make a few more tomorrow and gave me a jade hairpin with a longevity character inlaid with gold and bluestone... If there is any change, it will be after I am gone... It's a pity that Mother Yao is following closely and I can't get away. Otherwise, Shanhu, the second-class maid beside the eldest lady, has always been close to Dongqing. If I ask her, she may get some clues...

Thinking of this, she touched the jade hairpin with a gold and bluestone longevity character that she had specially put on before coming here... She hoped that when the eldest lady saw the hairpin, she would remember how well-behaved and gentle she had been in front of her over the years, and would speak and act in a way that would save her some face.

Although Eleventh Lady was secretly planning in her mind, her body was like a taut string, always paying attention to the movements around her.

After a while, she smelled a faint scent of sandalwood and heard light footsteps and the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against the ground.

The eldest wife worships Buddha all year round, and there is always a scent of sandalwood on her body...

Eleventh Lady stood up quickly and saw the curtain sway. A young girl in a scarlet cotton-gauze jacket walked in, supporting a tall and dignified woman.

Behind them were seven or eight maids and old women, and Mother Yao was among them.

"Madam!" Eleventh Lady walked over with a smile and lightly supported the woman's other arm.

"Look at you two!" The eldest wife smiled kindly and gently, "It's as if I'm in my seventies or eighties and can't walk anymore."

"Mother is still young, how could she not be able to walk?" The girl in red flattered her, "We want to take this opportunity to get closer to mother, you can't expose us." Her tone was sweet and innocent, with the innocence of a young girl who was not familiar with the world, making people feel playful and cute. Then, she smiled and asked Eleventh Lady: "Don't you think so? Eleventh Sister!"

"Yes! Fifth sister." Eleventh Lady looked at her with a smile, as if she admired her cheerfulness and liveliness.

This girl is Shiyi Niang’s elder sister, Wu Niang, and Luo Mansion’s fourth master, Luo Zhensheng, is her younger brother from the same mother.

Their biological mother, Ke, was the third among the concubines. She was originally a personal maid who had served the first wife since she came from her mother's family. Although she was later promoted to a concubine and gave birth to a son and a daughter, she still rested on the chaise longue outside the first wife's bedroom and served the first wife wholeheartedly. The first wife treated her very kindly and brought up her five daughters, the fourth master, with her and raised them the same as her own daughters, the first lady and the first master. Their affection was extraordinary.

When the eldest wife saw the sisters being so affectionate, her smile became more satisfied.

She first patted the back of Shiyi Niang's hand in a comforting manner, then stretched out her index finger and tapped Wu Niang's forehead: "You are so capable! How dare you bully your sister in front of me!"

There was a kind of indulgent intimacy in her words. Wu Niang naturally did not take the eldest wife's words seriously. She asked Shiyi Niang with a smile: "Mother said that I excluded you. Tell me, did I exclude you?"

Eleventh Lady did not answer, but just smiled with her sleeves covered.

Wu Niang pulled the eldest wife's sleeve and said coquettishly, "Look, look, the eleventh sister has nothing to say. You are just biased, afraid that the eleventh sister will suffer the slightest grievance. Why don't you pity me? I am the same as the eleventh lady, and I can't stand the slightest grievance!"

The eldest wife was amused by her childishness. She took Wu Niang's hand and sat on the Luohan Palace: "Okay, okay, okay. I have wronged our Wu Niang and made her suffer." She also told the little maid to bring the brocade stool to Shiyi Niang.

"That's right!" Wu Niang pouted as she sat in Luohan Palace. But when she saw the maids bringing in tea, she stood up and handed a cup of tea to the eldest wife: "Mother, have some tea!"

The eldest wife took it with a smile.

Wu Niang brought another cup to Shiyi Niang: "Shiyi sister, have some tea!"

Eleventh Lady quickly stood up and answered it.

Wu Niang brought herself another cup. Then she squeezed in and sat on Shiyi Niang's brocade stool. She whispered to Shiyi Niang in a voice that the eldest wife could hear: "Look at this tea... When I came here just now, it was Longjing, and now it's Wuyi. Mother is really partial!"

These few words made everyone in the room laugh.

The eldest wife pointed at Wu Niang and said to the people behind her: "Look, look, how come I raised a naughty monkey who disturbs me every day."

Wu Niang heard this and went to the first wife's arms: "If the monkey doesn't make trouble for the Queen Mother, who else can he make trouble for?"

The maidservant and the wife next to them also laughed: "That's because the eldest wife spoiled her."

The eldest wife held her forehead and kept saying "ouch, ouch", "ouch", looking helpless.

For a moment, the room was filled with laughter and was very lively.

Eleventh Lady sat aside, covering her sleeves and laughing.

When the eldest wife saw this, she asked her seriously, "I heard from Master Jian that you can embroider double-sided embroidery now?"

The Luo family hired an old teacher to teach their daughter at home, and also invited Master Jian, the most famous embroiderer in Hangzhou, to teach needlework at home, and asked the maid in the kitchen to teach how to cook the Luo family's special dishes.

Eleventh Lady thought for a long time and decided to focus on needlework and cooking.

Dong Qing couldn't help but worry: "There are many women who are good at sewing and cooking, but being able to compose poetry and paint is a real skill..."

"I should do my duty well." Shiyi Niang waved her hand at her, signaling her not to say more. "If I wasn't afraid that the eldest wife would think I was stupid and couldn't learn anything well, and look down on me in the future, I wouldn't even learn needlework and cooking." From then on, she followed Master Jian to learn needlework wholeheartedly. Master Jian saw that she was attentive and was happy to teach her. He even passed on his unique skill "double-sided embroidery" to Shiyi Niang.