Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Update.
After Ji Xu had packed up, he came to the second master's courtyard. He saw bluestone steps, a one-dou-two-sheng-style Luan-shaped bracket on top, a hip roof covered with tubular tiles, and a main door with vermilion lacquer and fine carvings.
The boy opened the door for her. There were winding corridors in the courtyard, crabapple trees, green bamboos wrapped around the steps, and smooth pebbles forming a path along the flower beds. On both sides of the path were planted some flowers that she couldn't name. They must have been taken out of the greenhouse grown by charcoal fire. In the middle of winter, the flowers were blooming yellow all over the ground.
Qingnu was weeding and loosening the soil in the flower garden. When she saw her coming, she turned away. Along the way, she saw two or three maids, some sweeping the yard and some feeding birds in the corridor, but they all ignored her.
Only Yu Ying came out and said, "You're here. Let me show you the house you live in."
"I don't know what to call you sister."
"I'm a few years older than you. You can call me by my nickname, or Sister Yu."
She is the oldest maid in the courtyard and has served the Second Master the longest. It is said that the keys to the boxes in the Second Master's room are all kept by her.
I saw that she was not dressed simply like the other maids. She wore a Qinglian Furu with a wide collar and sleeves, and a silver-red curved hem. This curved hem was a style evolved from a formal dress called a deep-collared gown, which would slightly affect her walking and she could not take too wide steps.
Yu is worthy of being the eldest maid. She moves with light lotus steps and her skirt trails lightly, looking very pretty.
After passing through the back corridor, the outermost room was where the maids lived. Yu led her into one of the rooms.
When I got inside, I only smelled a pleasant warm fragrance, like some kind of scented powder. The people who slept here were not sleeping on the big earthen kang in the servants' quarters, but on a bed.
There were three beds, all carved from lacquered wood. One was in the shape of a lotus flower, with a green oil curtain hanging over it, a large silk quilt, and lacquered pillows. Beside the bed stood a three-legged incense burner. Yu pointed to this spot and said,
"This is He Shui. You should have seen her. She is the daughter of Tsou, the head kitchen manager."
Ji Xu had also heard Qing mention that He was also a maid, serving in the second master's room. Although she had not served as long as Yu, she also did light work such as serving tea and water, and often saw the master. Qing and her did not get along, and they felt a tingle when talking about her.
"This is Qingshuang's."
Yu pointed to a bed opposite.
I saw that the two of them each occupied half of the space, and there seemed to be a Chu River and Han River dividing everything in the middle. In the middle, against the wall, there was a newly added empty bed.
"You sleep here. The bedding, pillows, and incense burner are all newly brought from the warehouse. If you need anything, just tell me."
Ji Xu thanked him and said, "Where am I on duty?"
Yu said, "Second Master hasn't given any instructions yet. You stay here for now and wait. I'll tell you when I find a place to go."
"Well, I'll wait, but how should I calculate the monthly salary?"
"The monthly wages for maids of first to third rank in the Second Master's courtyard are 1.5 taels, 1 tael, and 700 coins respectively. Any additional bonus will be calculated separately. Your future location has not yet been determined, so you will continue to receive your original monthly wage in the small kitchen."
This was a good relationship, equivalent to a paid vacation. Ji Xu sent the person out and made the bed herself. Since she had not been assigned any errands for the time being, she was free. That day, she went to visit Mrs. Lai and heard that she had fallen in the snow.
It is said that Mrs. Lai broke her leg in the snow after coming out of the mine and was recuperating in the house.
That day, she was lying on the couch, ordering the little maid to peel longan for her to eat. The dried longan was produced in Jiaozhou, which was a rare commodity in Yan. It had a lot of flesh and a small core. It tasted sweet and replenished qi and blood. Few housekeepers of her generation were as decent as her.
He ate a bunch of cores in front of him and called the little girl outside:
"Go to the main kitchen and ask them why it hasn't been delivered yet."
When she heard that a cow was going to be slaughtered in the mansion today, she asked the kitchen to send her a bowl of bitter beef soup and make her a roasted beef heart. She loved eating these offal.
The little girl ran over, and after a while, she twisted her body and came in reluctantly, saying:
"Steward Zou said there weren't any cows that big. They were going to make beef bacon and beef jerky for the New Year, and they were going to make soup at the banquet... I said, 'Mrs. Lai doesn't need much from you,' and she refused to give me anything and kicked me out."
Mrs. Lai cursed, "Old bitch, who are you trying to fool with all these words? You just don't want to give it to me. Help me up, I want her to pay!"
The little girl took her crutches, and two of them helped her down to the bed, one on each side.
In Mrs. Lai's opinion, she is in charge of the purchase of the miners, can accompany distinguished guests, and can enter the alchemy building, so why can't she be the manager of a kitchen?
He was about to go and argue with him, but before he could even get out of the door, he saw a group of people coming, led by the still charming Mrs. Qu.
Unlike Mrs. Lai, who was addressed as "Madam" by her servants as a compliment to her because of her age and high position, this Mrs. Qu was a concubine of the county magistrate. Her brother was the steward of the county magistrate and had always wanted to get involved in the mines.
When Madam Qu arrived, she dismissed the attendants and left her alone to speak to Madam Lai:
"At the end of the year, many guests come to ask for elixirs and ask for advice. The master sympathizes with your advanced age and physical limitations, so he has ordered Manager Qu to take your place. I have brought him here specially. Don't worry, old man. Just leave everything to him. He is still young, and I am afraid he will lack experience."
After saying that, he called Manager Qu in to take over the card game.
This pair of cards is made of bamboo strips, two pieces in a pair, which is equivalent to a master's order. When you go to the storehouse to withdraw money or go out to buy things, you have to show the pair of cards.
This pair of cards had been with Mrs. Lai for decades. Only with them could she be so proud and arrogant. Taking them off her waist would be like cutting off a piece of her flesh. She reasoned:
"My legs are fine. I can still walk with crutches. It won't affect the master's work. Besides, I've been tired for decades. Why should I rest?"
However, the pair of cards was still taken away. Mrs. Lai had a vague guess that her private sale of the mine had been discovered. She was afraid that the higher-ups had been alerted by the audit, and she happened to encounter the slaves escaping, so she was afraid that she would be accused of making money.
But she only dared to mutter in her heart. Since her master hadn't exposed it, she didn't dare to ask.
The news that the pair's card had been taken away spread like wildfire. Not only did the kitchen not have beef bitter soup or roasted beef heart, but the only food for lunch was a very vegetarian bitter vegetable and a bowl of cold wheat rice.
"The head kitchen said we were late and these are all the food left." The little girl came back after hitting a wall.
"I usually pick it up at this time, but she never dares to give me leftovers like this! Old bitch! When I turn over, her daughter will have a hard time!"
Mrs. Lai was so angry that her teeth were itching. She wanted to argue with her, but now that she had lost this pair of cards, how could she maintain her dignity? Manager Zou's daughter He worked in the Second Master's courtyard, and her adopted daughter Qing did not get along with her. In the past, Manager Zou had to be respectful to Mrs. Lai because of her power, but now her true face was revealed.
Mrs. Lai went there but was met with resistance. She then asked to see the county magistrate but was unsuccessful and could only curse in her room.
For several days in a row, the main kitchen only gave them leftovers, and Mrs. Lai had to pay money out of her own pocket to the kitchen to sell them well so that she could eat better.
Or he would give money to the doorman to buy food for her, but most of the money would be embezzled, and the food would taste bitter, and her health would never improve.
When her adopted daughters saw that she had lost power, they all ran away as fast as they could.
Qingnu came to see her once and had a conversation with her. He asked her indirectly if she could still have a say in the Alchemy Building and sent her into the building to serve her. Seeing that Mrs. Lai was no longer able to do so, he sat for a while and then left.
The two little maids who had served her were transferred to work elsewhere that day. The house had never been so deserted. Mrs. Lai lay on the bed sighing and became thinner day by day.
"Is Mrs. Lai in the house? I made some winter melon and green duck soup. Please try it and see if it tastes good."
Ji Xu was shocked when he came in. He had lost a lot of weight in just three or four days.
She also heard Ji Feng talk about Mrs. Lai having her pair of cards taken away, and about her quarrel with Manager Zou over food. Ji Feng saw it and told her everything.
It was a pity that times had changed, so I went to the East Market and bought a green-headed duck, simmered it for a whole morning, and brought it to her to wait for her.
I saw that the original glazed screens, official kiln vases, strange stone couches, crabapple table, incense burner, and other valuable ornaments in this room had all been taken away by the warehouse, and the room suddenly became empty.
People who usually come in and out to seek favors and curry favor would wear the threshold down, but now there is not even a footprint in front of the door.
No one had swept the snow for days, and it had piled up to a foot thick, with sparrows walking on it.
"Are you all right in the Second Master's courtyard? You're so kind of a visitor, but I'm so bitter I can't eat anything. Take it home and eat it, or it'll go bad if I take it."
"You can't not eat. How can your legs grow well and how can you walk in the future?" Ji Xu said.
"Why should I continue on like this? People will talk about me if I go out."
"They have mouths, and they tell the good and the bad. In my opinion, there are many things to do during the New Year, so you should take a break and take some time off. It would be a good thing to get your body in good shape. I brought some pickled plums. Eat them first to whet your appetite, and then you can drink the soup."
This sour plum jerky is made from the sour plums in the small kitchen that no one ate before. She pickled them in malt sugar and dried them into jerky. It tastes sweet and sour and is very appetizing.
Mrs. Lai put one in her mouth. Her teeth chattered with soreness and she kept swallowing her saliva. She could even drink the duck soup with a spoonful.
While she was drinking soup, Ji Xu shoveled the snow in front of the door and swept out a clean path.
"Why are you sweeping it? I hardly go out once a day. Be careful not to get your shoes wet," said Mrs. Lai.
"The snow is so thick it's hard to walk. Even if I can't walk far, it's nice to bask in the sun in front of the door."
After sweeping the area in front of the door, Ji Xu used a whisk to dust the inside of the house, then took the dirty clothes to wash, hung them out to dry in the sun in front of the house, and tidied them up as he went in and out.
The house was becoming lively. Although it didn't look as luxurious as before, it was simple and tidy, and sunlight came in through the door.
Mrs. Lai's depressed heart actually became more cheerful as the sun rose. She held the bowl of soup and even ate two pieces of winter melon.
"Good boy, you are freezing, come sit over here and warm your hands."
As soon as Mrs. Lai entered her room, she felt extremely cold. Ji Xu had just found an old stove in the next room, and some charcoal had not been used before. He lit the stove and brought it to the bedside.
He also put charcoal in the cool handcuffs beside the bed, wrapped it in a cloth, and placed it in Mrs. Lai's arms.
Mrs. Lai took her red, frozen hands and placed them in the handcuffs to warm them. They sat opposite each other and talked about personal matters.
"You serve in the Second Master's courtyard, a place many maids envy. You receive many rewards and are looked upon with respect by outsiders. But remember, ask less and do more. Don't follow them and always want to enter the Alchemy Building. It's not a good place. Don't follow them and take pills to improve your health."
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