Lin Mansion
As the sun rose in the early morning, its rays bathed the Lin residence, bringing warmth to the mansion.
Suddenly, a crisp knock on the door broke the morning's tranquility.
Hearing the knock, the gatekeeper quickly opened the small door and asked what was wrong. Then he ran to the east room to report, "Madam, a broker has arrived with servants."
Madam Xu was doing her hair and makeup inside when she heard the servant's words. She stopped what she was doing, tidied her hair in front of the mirror, then stood up and said, "Let her bring the people in."
Lin Daoyan, who was practicing kung fu in the main courtyard, stopped and turned to go inside.
Lin Songhao also sheathed his short sword and stood curiously to the side watching, with Zhao Canchen beside him.
Zhao Canchen held a book in his hand, sitting quietly on the balustrade. When he saw someone coming, he raised his head and looked into the courtyard, but did not leave.
A short while later, a robust woman dressed in blue cloth led several middle-aged women and young maids into the courtyard. These women all looked somewhat reserved, keeping their heads down and avoiding eye contact.
Madam Xu smiled and said to the matchmaker, "Come closer."
Ya Zi quickly thanked them and led everyone forward a few steps to a stop. She then explained to Madam Xu with a smile, "I came a little early because I thought your household might be in a hurry to use people. I hope Madam Xu will understand."
"It would be better if you brought people here sooner," Madam Xu nodded, and then quickly walked into the west wing at the back.
Standing outside, Madam Xu called softly inside, "Jun'er, come out and choose two servants."
A clear voice came from inside the house: "You're here, Mother."
A moment later, a girl wearing a light purple short jacket and a purplish-red long skirt came out of the west wing of the backyard.
Bathed in the morning sunlight, a graceful young woman with a flowing dress slowly appeared before the crowd, as if she had stepped out of a painting, a sight to behold.
Her oval-shaped, delicate face was like that of a fairy descended from heaven, her eyebrows and eyes exquisitely beautiful, like a meticulously crafted work of art. Her fair, snow-white skin was as smooth and lustrous as white jade, radiating a faint glow.
Everyone looked at her with surprise. She was beautiful, but her hairstyle was messy. Her hair looked loose and seemed to have been done in a hurry.
Lin Yajun slowly walked out, her heart filled with unease.
She learned from the original owner's memories that people in ancient times paid great attention to their attire when they were out in public, and their hair was especially important. There were only a few situations in which it was considered normal to have one's hair down: first, the death of an elder; second, imprisonment, where all those being beheaded had their hair down; third, being executed by caning; and fourth, doing something wrong, removing one's hairpins, letting one's hair down, and kneeling to beg for forgiveness.
These reasons make it extremely taboo to have disheveled hair in front of others.
To avoid this situation, Lin Yajun would occasionally reach out her right hand to carefully support her hair bun. Her movements were gentle and cautious, as if afraid that the bun would suddenly come loose and expose her embarrassment.
It was obvious that the hair bun was not secure and could collapse at any moment. Lin Yajun was doing her best to protect it.
Zhao Canchen's bright eyes flickered as he looked at her, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.
Lin Yajun was afraid of losing her courage, so she didn't dare to walk too fast. She could only walk with small, quick steps. Her skirt would open and close with her slow movements, as if she were walking on lotus flowers.
After getting up in the morning, Lin Yajun washed her face as usual, and then sat in front of the bronze mirror to comb her hair.
She initially thought it would be a simple task, since she had never worried about combing her hair in modern society. However, when she actually faced the intricate hairstyles of ancient ladies, she found herself completely at a loss.
She stood in front of the bronze mirror, frantically fiddling with her hair, trying to put it into a bun.
She tried various methods, but no matter what she did, she couldn't get her hair into a satisfactory bun.
Looking at her messy hair in the bronze mirror, Lin Yajun couldn't help but sigh, helplessly admitting her defeat.
"Styling a bun looks simple, but it's actually quite difficult," Lin Yajun muttered to herself.
She had always thought that as a modern woman, she could handle anything and didn't need the help of maids or servants. But who would have thought that even something as simple as combing her hair would leave her helpless?
Lacking experience and skill, her efforts all morning only made her hair more loose and messy. At her mother's urging, she could only hastily put together a bun and insert a hairpin, hoping to hold the precarious bun in place.
Lin Yajun walked slowly to Xu's side, a faint smile on her lips. Her gaze first swept over the people, as if scrutinizing the character of each one.
After a while, Lin Yajun reached out and adjusted her hair, then said to the people who had sold themselves into slavery, "I only want honest, loyal servants." Her words were concise and clear, without the slightest hesitation.
She paused briefly, as if giving everyone time to process her words, before continuing, "My former maid betrayed me, and yesterday I broke her legs and kicked her out without hesitation." Her tone was calm, but the meaning behind her words sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Lin Yajun's statement surprised everyone; they had never seen such a frank and direct person. Behind this surprise lay even greater respect for her.
Zhao Canchen looked at Lin Yajun, his smile growing even deeper. He quite admired her personality; revealing her cards directly for elimination and selection saved her a lot of trouble.
At this moment, the broker, eager to close the deal, quickly stepped forward, bowed to Lin Yajun, and said with a fawning smile, "Miss Lin, how about I recommend someone for you?"
Lin Yajun nodded slightly in agreement.
After receiving permission, the broker pointed to an old woman and a maid and introduced them, saying, "This mother and daughter were slaves in the household of a fourth-rank civil official for three years. Later, because the head of that household was dismissed from his post, they had to sell some of their servants."
She continued, "Both mother and daughter are honest and law-abiding people, and they know all the rules." After saying that, the broker took a special look at Lin Yajun's slightly disheveled hair and emphasized, "This maid is particularly skillful. We can put her to use immediately after we buy her."
Lin Yajun carefully observed the mother and daughter. They were both robust, and although their clothes were simple, they were very neat and clean. When they stood, both mother and daughter kept their eyes down, unlike the others who were curiously looking around.
Lin Yajun had a pretty good first impression of the mother and daughter, and nodded to herself, finding them quite pleasing to the eye.
So she said, "How about this, let's try them out for a month first."
"Trial period?" The maid standing nearby looked surprised upon hearing this. In her understanding, once a servant was bought, they could be resold if they were dissatisfied; she had never heard of the concept of a trial period.
Seeing this, Lin Yajun smiled slightly and explained, "I think this mother and daughter are quite pleasing to the eye. Let's give them a one-month trial period and see how they perform. If they perform well, they will naturally stay on; if they are not suitable, we can make other arrangements later."
She smiled and said to Ya Zi, "Why don't you try this method? It might even make your business better."
Ya Zi realized what was happening and respectfully bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Lin." She continued to praise, "Miss Lin is both talented and beautiful..." Before she could finish her compliment...
"Ah..." With this soft cry, Lin Yajun's hair bun instantly collapsed.
She reached out her right hand and gripped the hairpin tightly, as if it were her last lifeline. However, it was no use; her hair still cascaded down like a waterfall, covering most of her face.
Standing there, Lin Yajun stood disheveled, looking embarrassed and at a loss. Her cheeks instantly flushed red, like a ripe apple.
"Mother, just buy them." Lin Yajun hurriedly said this, then turned and ran back like a startled rabbit. Her steps were flustered, and she didn't want anyone to see her in such a disheveled state.
Zhao Canchen hid behind Lin Songhao, leaning forward slightly, covering his face with a book, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He thought to himself, this girl is really special. She is so clever and quirky, yet lively and lovely, completely different from the proper and dignified young ladies he usually meets.
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