Chapter 553 People from the Lin Residence
For more than a decade, Lin Shusheng still couldn't forget his childhood sweetheart. When the two got married, he often mentioned his beloved to Chen Shi, but fate played a cruel trick on them.
Now, when Chen thinks back on it, she doesn't know how to evaluate Lin Shusheng—whether he was heartless or affectionate.
Lin Yuesha pursed her lips. A scumbag's scumbag nature isn't innate, and of course, he's not a scumbag to all women. He's always different when it comes to the white moonlight he can't have.
The scumbags are all in the same family, and there's bound to be some excitement to watch. Lin Yuesha is starting to look forward to going to the Lin residence.
Back at the mansion, Liu Quan's wife came to report that a woman had come to the door with her two children, claiming to be a servant of the mansion.
“It’s Mrs. Song with her children. I reckon her recovery period is almost over.”
Lin Yuesha instructed Liu Quan's wife to arrange work for Song Shi. Her daughter was already ten years old and could work as a maid in the inner quarters. As for her son, no arrangements would be made for him for the time being. Later, the mansion would hire a tutor to teach them to read.
"They...they are just servants."
Liu Quan's wife was very frightened. In those days, only scholars could read and write. They were superior people, and servants like them never received such treatment.
Moreover, hiring a tutor in the capital would cost a considerable sum of money for tuition.
Do you think only girls and boys are learning to read?
Lin Yuesha held up one finger and shook it. When she said "please, sir," she meant all the servants in the manor.
Putting aside the fact that reading makes one more knowledgeable and reasonable, being literate makes traveling much easier. If there are occasional shortages of manpower at home, anyone can be pulled out to help organize the accounts.
Compared to the conveniences later on, investing now is absolutely worthwhile.
“Miss, this old servant can teach people to read, you don’t need to hire a teacher.”
Granny Kang volunteered, and Granny Fang became Lin Yuesha's tutor. She followed Madam Chen, and the two had already divided their work. However, she didn't have much work and was often idle.
“The servants in our household all have their own jobs and are busy during the day. They need to learn to read and write separately, so it might be inconvenient to find a tutor to come to our house.”
"Alright."
After some consideration, Lin Yuesha decided to entrust the task to Granny Kang, starting with teaching the simplest characters. Every so often, she would conduct a spot check, and if everyone learned the characters without making any mistakes, they would be given a reward to motivate them.
In the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the sun is scorching hot. It hasn't rained for the past few days, and all the flowers and plants in the yard have wilted.
As soon as Madam Song arrived at the mansion, she brought her children to tidy up the garden and courtyard. Lin Yuesha watched as she took a small pair of scissors and, with a few snips, magically made the flower branches neat and much more beautiful.
“Miss, my family is in the cosmetics business. We have to take good care of the flowers and plants, and I have learned a little from them.”
Having changed environments and escaped the den of iniquity, even as a servant, Song was still very happy and full of energy.
For families of modest means, there is hardly any spare money to send their sons to school. So, being a servant did not affect the family of three. On the contrary, coming to the mansion gave her and her children the opportunity to learn. Where can you find such a good master?
Not long after Lin Yuesha returned to the manor, Granny Lin, accompanied by two maids, came to the door demanding to see Madam Chen, saying that her master and mistress had sent someone to fetch her.
From the north to the capital, Granny Lin chased after her all the way, but the little brat arrived in the capital without a word. Because of lax supervision, she was given a beating when she returned home. If it weren't for the master pleading for her, she would have been sent to the estate.
Lin Mama pondered that she couldn't do anything to the dead girl now, but once they arrived at the Lin residence, it would be her territory, and she would be in charge of how the girl was treated.
"Miss, Master specially sent someone back to the manor today to inform Madam that he wants to bring you back. That's why he sent this old servant over."
To avoid gossip, Madam Qin endured her disgust and decorated Lin Yuesha's boudoir with exquisite pieces, all taken from the manor's storeroom, just to show her dedication.
Granny Lin spoke with genuine emotion, saying, "This old servant understands that you are wary of me, but if you had informed me in advance that you were coming to the capital, I would have certainly found a caravan for you for your safety."
The old woman didn't tell the truth at all; you could just listen and let it go. The implication in her words was that she was blaming Lin Yuesha for sneaking away from her and arriving in the capital ahead of her.
"Look at what you're saying. To be honest, I was a little nervous when Father brought me to the manor. The people in the Lin family are all unfamiliar to me, but I'm most familiar with Granny Lin."
Lin Yuesha's words and actions showed an unusual closeness to Granny Lin, which made Granny Lin's eyelids twitch with a bad feeling. Madam Qin was suspicious; if the little maid was so close to her, wouldn't Madam Qin suspect she had been bribed?
Thinking of this, Granny Lin's face fell, and she stopped saying polite words and said directly, "Miss, please tidy yourself up."
The Lin family lacked nothing. To show her magnanimity, Madam Qin had already contacted a famous tailor shop in the capital to come and take Lin Yuesha's measurements for a dress. A clerk from a jewelry store also came with jewelry for her to choose from.
"Granny Lin, please go back and tell my father that it's not that Yue Sha doesn't want to go back, but that she needs to wait two or three days."
Before leaving home, Lin Yuesha needed to make some preparations. More importantly, she wanted to wait for her stepbrother to return from the imperial examination so she could at least tell him.
Although both of them lived in the capital, Xiao Qi would go to Qingzhu Academy after taking the imperial examination and only come down the mountain once a month or so, making it quite difficult for the brother and sister to meet.
Furthermore, Lin Yuesha has just started learning martial arts and still needs to seek guidance from Madam Xu. She cannot delay practicing basic skills like horse stance while at the Lin residence.
"Alright then, this old servant will make the decision on behalf of the master and mistress, and we will come to pick them up in three days."
Lin Mama revealed a cold smile. Since the person couldn't escape, it wouldn't matter if she dealt with Lin Yuesha in a couple of days. Once they arrived at the Lin residence, she would let the little girl know what it meant to wish she were dead.
After the old woman left, Jiang Baozhu came out from the inner room and asked worriedly, "Sister Yue Sha, are you really going back to the Lin residence?"
Knowing full well that the Lin family mansion was a den of dragons and tigers, Jiang Baozhu still insisted on jumping into the pit. She thought this was inappropriate, but Lord Lin took the initiative to pick her up. As a father picking up his daughter, he wouldn't allow anyone to say anything.
"I used to be reluctant to go, but I had no choice. But now it's different."
Lin Yuesha drank a cup of hawthorn water, her eyes crinkling with laughter. How could she miss out on the Lin family's big commotion? She had to see with her own eyes how this scumbag family tormented and locked each other up. If she didn't cause some trouble, she would be letting down Chen Shi, who had been a widow for over ten years.
“Sister Baozhu, I’ve just arrived at the Lin residence and I’m afraid I’m not very free to move around. I’ll have to rely on you to help with the family business.”
Fang Dazhuang was the fastest learner of cooking in the family, so Lin Yuesha planned to send him to the shop to cook first, and then transfer him back to the mansion after finding a suitable chef.
"It's not just Dazhuang who's a good cook, Xiaoni is good too."
When it comes to business, Jiang Baozhu had already found suitable candidates. As for the others who would help with washing and chopping vegetables, she would look for them in the nearby village, where there were many clean and capable women who wanted to supplement their household income.
“You told me before that women will have a higher status at home if they have the ability to earn money, and I’ve thought about that.”
If opening a shop can provide women with an opportunity to earn money without interfering with their own business, that's a good thing. I just hope that those unfortunate women can be more resilient when they are being abused.
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