“Concubine Hu is really something. She keeps monopolizing Master’s attention, barely giving Ninth Concubine a chance to see him,” a young maid remarked with a sigh.
“She is simply too inexperienced.” Another maid held up nine fingers. “At Master’s age, she should be trying to conceive a child as soon as possible.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl. Only then will she have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.”
“That is true. It’s pitiful, really. She is two years younger than me. A bedchamber attendant can still remarry, but a concubine’s name is recorded in the family genealogy, so she cannot remarry even if she wants to. Without a child, all she can do for the rest of her life is eat vegetarian food and pray to Buddha.” The young maid wore a sympathetic expression.
Meanwhile, the very person they pitied, Lin Zhijin, was enjoying bird’s nest soup. Fresh strawberries and cream cake sat on the table beside her. Best of all, she did not have to attend to the old geezer. Life could hardly get any better.
“Ninth Concubine, Master wants you to come over,” Nanny Zhang announced as she entered.
Just as she had feared, trouble had come knocking. Lin Zhijin unhappily put down the cake in her hand. How annoying! The old geezer was already so sick that he could barely get out of bed, yet he still had charming young concubines attending to him. Why was he still thinking about her?
“Understood. I’ll change my clothes and go.”
Lin Zhijin changed and sat in front of the dressing table, allowing Xiaohong to arrange her hair.
Although Xiaohong was young, she was very skillful with her hands. She knew how to style her hair in many different ways and was also good at needlework. The underwear Lin Zhijin wore had been made by Xiaohong herself.
Speaking of underwear, Lin Zhijin asked Xiaohong as they walked, “Did you find out where I can buy the undergarments I asked you about?”
She really could not get used to wearing a traditional bellyband. As for the underwear Xiaohong had made for her, the fabric was good, but it felt too loose and empty. Nothing compared to the comfort of close fitting cotton underwear.
“I did. They sell them at the department store. Would you like to go and look for yourself, or should I have someone buy them for you?” Xiaohong brought over a coat and helped Lin Zhijin put it on. “It rained a little today, so it’s rather chilly outside.”
“Can I go to the department store myself?” The Chen household was rather old fashioned, so Lin Zhijin had assumed that concubines were not allowed to leave the house.
“You need to ask the principal madam for permission. She usually agrees.” Xiaohong looked at Lin Zhijin in confusion.
Of course, it would be wonderful to go out for a stroll. She could take the opportunity to see what Nancheng looked like in the 1950s.
When Lin Zhijin arrived at Master Chen’s courtyard, she encountered a woman with delicate features and a gentle, refined demeanor coming out of the room. Upon seeing Lin Zhijin, the woman respectfully curtsied.
“Greetings, Ninth Concubine. Master is waiting for you inside.”
Lin Zhijin glanced at her, then turned her head and quietly asked Xiaohong, “Who is she?”
“That is Concubine Wang. She is different from the other bedchamber attendants because she has been pregnant twice, although sadly, neither child survived.”
When Xiaohong noticed Xiaocui inside the room, she immediately fell silent.
Only Master Chen was in the inner room. Lin Zhijin sensibly picked up the bowl and began feeding him his medicine.
She was a caregiver. She was a caregiver. She was a caregiver…
After mentally preparing herself, Lin Zhijin gently coaxed Master Chen.
“Master, you look quite well today. It seems your illness will soon be cured.”
Master Chen smiled as he drank the medicine.
“That’s right. With a lovely little beauty like you around, of course I have to recover quickly. I know I wronged you on our wedding night. Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you later and give you a proper wedding night.”
She couldn’t take it anymore. What on earth was this old geezer talking about? Who wanted him to make up for their wedding night? Somebody save her! The old man was far too confident in himself!
“None of that matters. I only hope you recover from your illness soon, Master.” Lin Zhijin gazed at Master Chen with her large, watery eyes.
Believe me. Everyone else is coveting what you own. I’m the only one who genuinely cares about you, dear brother.
Master Chen was instantly deeply moved. His other eight wives were all hoping he would die sooner rather than later. Only Little Ninth and Xiaoyue wanted him to recover quickly.
Overcome with emotion, the old geezer waved his hand and bestowed another pile of valuable gifts upon her.
Taking advantage of his good mood, Lin Zhijin asked for permission to visit the department store.
“The farthest place I’ve ever been to is the town. I’ve often heard people say that the department store has everything, including all kinds of foreign goods. I… I would like to see it for myself.”
“You’re young, so it’s only natural that you enjoy shopping. Go ahead. Just make sure you return before dark.” Master Chen was in such a good mood that he was unusually easy to talk to.
Although Master Chen had agreed, Lin Zhijin still went to seek the principal madam’s permission.
“She is a sensible girl. Let her go,” the principal said with a smile.
Since she had decided to show kindness, she might as well go all the way. The principal madam then instructed someone to give Lin Zhijin another twenty silver dollars.
Do not underestimate twenty silver dollars. An ordinary person earning one silver dollar a month was already considered to have a fairly good income.
Lin Zhijin gratefully accepted the silver dollars and asked Xiaohong to put them away. Then she returned to Wenzhu Courtyard, changed her shoes, and prepared to visit the department store.
“Ninth Concubine, Master asked me to bring this to you.”
An inconspicuous male servant was waiting outside the moon gate.
Lin Zhijin signaled Xiaohong to accept the gift and thanked him.
“Please thank the Master on my behalf.”
The male servant bowed and left. Lin Zhijin followed Xiaohong out through the side gate, where a rickshaw was already waiting.
“Does this belong to our household?” Lin Zhijin asked quietly.
“Yes. We also have horse carriages and motorcars. Next time you need to travel somewhere farther away, you can take a motorcar.” Xiaohong answered proudly.
Lin Zhijin nodded and opened the purse Master Chen had sent over. The sight nearly blinded her with its golden brilliance.
The old geezer might have been a little old, but he was certainly generous.
In just a few days, she had received luxurious fabrics, all kinds of expensive jewelry, nourishing supplements, and now an entire purse filled with gold scenes.
Each one was small and exquisitely crafted. Most importantly, their brilliant golden color made them irresistible.
She weighed one in her hand. It felt about as heavy as the gold bracelet she had owned in her previous life, perhaps thirty six or thirty seven grams.
“Is this half a liang?” Lin Zhijin was not familiar with the units of measurement used at the time.
Xiaohong glanced at it and smiled.
“This is one liang. The master treats you so well. With all this money, you are sure to return with a full haul today.”
Looking at the adorable little gold syces, Lin Zhijin almost did not want to spend them. Their small size made them easy to carry around. Once Master Chen died and she was thrown out of the household, she could hide them on her person and take them with her.
Lin Zhijin tucked them into an inner pocket.
“Let’s look around first. I’ll decide what to buy when I see something I like.”
Xiaohong smiled and nodded without saying anything else.
This Ninth Concubine was different from the country girl Xiaohong had imagined. She appeared timid but clearly had ideas of her own. Although she claimed never to have attended school, she spoke and acted logically and was not crude in the slightest. Yet she genuinely seemed unfamiliar with many things. She was quite a contradiction.
In fact, Lin Zhijin had been very careful to disguise herself. However, to someone like Xiaohong, who had learned from childhood to read people’s expressions and gauge their intentions, even the slightest inconsistency could be noticed.
There was nothing she could do about it. As Lin Zhijin’s personal maid, Xiaohong was practically by her side twenty four hours a day. Lin Zhijin was only an ordinary person, not a professional actress. Even a professional actress would struggle to conceal every single flaw.
The department store was not particularly large by Lin Zhijin’s standards. It was about the size of a supermarket in a small town.
The selection was indeed extensive. The first floor sold all kinds of daily necessities, while expensive goods were on the second floor, including underwear.
Lin Zhijin had not forgotten the main purpose of her visit. She went with Xiaohong to look at the underwear first and was surprised once again.
She had expected the designs to be rather plain, but the undergarments available at the time were surprisingly beautiful. There were especially lovely brocade patterned pieces, Suzhou embroidered designs, and lace styles that combined Chinese and Western influences. They were both comfortable and attractive.
“Do they even have separate everyday and sports styles?” Lin Zhijin touched the fabric. The everyday style had no underwire, while the sports style did. “And what is this? A bellyband style?”
“Yes. If you don’t like the patterns, you can choose a design and have one custom made.” Seeing Lin Zhijin’s clothes and the maid accompanying her, the saleswoman immediately approached with a welcoming smile.
“Can I try them on?”
Lin Zhijin had spotted a piece decorated with a kitten. The embroidery was entirely handmade, and the little cat looked incredibly lifelike.
Good heavens! Even in the future, this would qualify as a collectible. Yet here it was, embroidered on a piece of underwear.
“Of course. We have a fitting room specifically for customers.” The saleswoman led Lin Zhijin to the fitting room.
The underwear was beautiful and comfortable to wear. Its only drawback was the price. Ordinary people could not afford it.
Fortunately, both the principal madam and Master Chen had given her money. Otherwise, Lin Zhijin would not have been able to buy more than a few pieces.
She liked this one and that one as well. In the end, she selected more than ten pieces and over twenty pairs of underwear.
Xiaohong opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something about how Lin Zhijin could never wear so many, but after seeing how excited she was, Xiaohong silently closed it again.
Besides the underwear, Lin Zhijin bought various other odds and ends. On the way back to the Chen residence, they passed the City God Temple.
She asked the rickshaw puller to stop and reluctantly donated one gold sycee before purchasing two protective amulets.
The principal madam and Master Chen had both been generous to her.
She could not keep accepting gifts without giving them anything in return. They certainly would not care for the things sold at the department store, so a pair of protective amulets seemed like a better choice. They conveyed her good intentions and carried a pleasant meaning.
As expected, both Master Chen and the principal madam were pleased when they received their amulets. Master Chen sent her another purse of gold sycees, while the principal madam had someone deliver half a basket of apples.
Fruit was expensive at the time. She had heard that the apples had come from the principal madam’s own family, and there were only a few baskets in total. Yet the principal madam had given her half a basket.
Lin Zhijin was deeply touched. She would continue to play the role of the timid Ninth Concubine and make absolutely sure she did not cause the principal madam any trouble.
Several more days passed, and Master Chen’s health gradually improved.
As his body recovered, his desires began to stir as well.
Lin Zhijin trembled with dread. Please, no! Was the old geezer really planning to consummate their marriage?
“Ninth Concubine, Master has asked you to have dinner with him,” Li Pozi announced with a cheerful smile.
“Can Master get out of bed now?” Lin Zhijin had seen Master Chen only the previous day, and he had not looked capable of getting out of bed.
“Not yet. You can help him eat.” Li Pozi wore an expression that clearly suggested Lin Zhijin should consider it a great blessing to be allowed to feed Master Chen.
Lin Zhijin gritted her teeth and smiled as she agreed. After changing her clothes, she went with Xiaohong to Master Chen’s room.
Before she even entered the courtyard, Hu Xiaoyue hurried out, nearly colliding with her.
“What are you doing in such a hurry? What if you bump into the Ninth Concubine?” Li Pozi glared at Hu Xiaoyue.
Although Hu Xiaoyue was one of Master Chen’s women, her status was even lower than Li Pozi’s.
“I need to use the latrine.” Hu Xiaoyue glanced at Lin Zhijin and reluctantly curtsied. “Greetings, Ninth Concubine. The master is waiting for you inside. I’ll take my leave.”
Seeing the guilty look in her eyes, Lin Zhijin immediately remembered the drugging incident in the original story.
Could today be the day Hu Xiaoyue planned to drug Master Chen?
No. She could not let Hu Xiaoyue leave. She had absolutely no desire to do anything intimate with the old man.
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Concubine Hu? There is a latrine in the Master’s courtyard too. Besides, I think you were right the last time when you said that I don’t know much about serving people. I was hoping you could teach me more. Why don’t you stay and teach me today?” Lin Zhijin grabbed Hu Xiaoyue’s hand and refused to let her leave.
Hu Xiaoyue tried to wrench her hand free, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free.
Smiling sweetly, Lin Zhijin dragged Hu Xiaoyue inside. The original owner had grown up in the countryside and was accustomed to hard farm labor.
Carrying a hundred pounds was no problem for her. Grabbing Hu Xiaoyue was practically like catching a chicken.
“Madam Li, take Concubine Hu to the latrine. Master and I will wait for her so we can have dinner together.” Lin Zhijin rarely showed such firmness.
Seriously, if she kept pretending to be timid and weak, she would lose her chastity.
With Li Pozi keeping an eye on her, Hu Xiaoyue could not leave. Lin Zhijin then stood aside and watched as Hu Xiaoyue helped Master Chen eat, treating the situation as an opportunity to observe and learn.
Everything remained peaceful. Master Chen showed no signs of anything being wrong.
Lin Zhijin glanced at Hu Xiaoyue in confusion. If nothing had happened, why had she looked so guilty earlier?
The following evening, Master Chen asked Lin Zhijin to spend the night with him. She immediately agreed, but on the way there, she deliberately took a small detour and passed Hu Xiaoyue’s room. When she encountered Hu Xiaoyue, she even gave her a smug look.
“Did you see that? Did you see that? That wretched Lin woman did it on purpose!” Hu Xiaoyue pointed at Lin Zhijin’s retreating figure and cursed angrily.
Hu Xiaoyue was favored by Master Chen, so like Wang Xiuzhu, she had her own room and a young maid to attend to her. Ignoring the maid’s attempts to stop her, she hurried after Lin Zhijin.
The result was delightful. Hu Xiaoyue clung to Master Chen so persistently that he had no choice but to send Lin Zhijin back to her own courtyard.
Feeling guilty about the inconvenience, he gave her quite a few gifts.
Lin Zhijin was very satisfied. In her eyes, Hu Xiaoyue had now surpassed even the principal madam to become the greatest benefactor in the household.
Two days later, Master Chen was finally able to get out of bed and walk a few steps. Lin Zhijin grew increasingly anxious.
Why hadn’t Hu Xiaoyue drugged him yet? She was almost tempted to drug Master Chen herself.
That evening, Lin Zhijin had finished dinner and was taking a walk in the courtyard when a young maid from Master Chen’s residence came to summon her.
Normally, Li Pozi or Xiaocui would come to call her. Why had an unfamiliar young maid been sent today?
The original owner would certainly have gone without hesitation, but Lin Zhijin knew the plot. When it came to anything involving Master Chen, she had to be extremely, extremely cautious.
“Nanny Zhang, is this girl one of the servants from the Master’s courtyard?”
Lin Zhijin asked, telling Xiaohong to keep an eye on the girl while she summoned Nanny Zhang to identify her.
The young maid had not expected Lin Zhijin to react this way. The moment she saw Nanny Zhang coming out, she immediately turned and ran.
Nanny Zhang’s expression darkened. Anyone who dared cause trouble right under her nose was clearly tired of living.
“Ninth Concubine, don’t be afraid. I’ll go and see what is happening.” Nanny Zhang chased after the young maid.
Lin Zhijin patted her chest and returned to her room, looking frightened.
“I wonder what she was trying to trick me into doing. Xiaohong, go and inform Nanny Sun.”
Seeing that Lin Zhijin’s face had turned pale with fright, Xiaohong hesitated.
She instructed the two young maids to look after Lin Zhijin before turning and heading to the principal courtyard to find Nanny Sun.
Lin Zhijin pretended to be so frightened that she had to hide in bed.
Curiosity might kill the cat, but no matter what happened, she was absolutely not going to step outside her courtyard today.
In the middle of the night, a commotion erupted outside. Xiaohong shook Lin Zhijin awake and told her that the principal madam had ordered everyone to gather in the principal courtyard. Judging by Nanny Sun’s expression, something serious had happened in the household.
Lin Zhijin’s eyes lit up. It had to be the incident in which Master Chen was drugged. She just did not know who had done it.
Never mind. She would find out once she reached the principal courtyard.
She deliberately chose an inconspicuous outfit. After arriving at the principal courtyard and paying her respects to the principal madam, she quietly slipped behind the Eighth Concubine and watched the commotion unfold.