The ox cart swayed along for two days. Along the way, several more girls were added, and at last they arrived at a large estate in Tongyu Lane on the western outskirts of the capital.
As soon as the gate was pushed open, they saw a spacious courtyard filled with all kinds of people. Some, even, were locked inside cages.
There were many people, but no one dared to speak.
Chen Shiyi kept her head lowered, not daring to look around, and obediently followed the steward inside.
All seven girls were shoved into a gloomy woodshed. Straw mats woven from wheat stalks had been laid haphazardly along both walls, leaving only a narrow passage in the middle. The withered yellow straw was scattered everywhere, and a tiny window in the wall let in a sliver of cold light.
There were already many people in the woodshed. Their expressions were utterly numb. None of them found the arrival of Chen Shiyi and the others unusual; they merely raised their eyes slightly before turning around and lying back down.
Chen Shiyi remained in that room for three days.
In those three days, many people were taken away, while many others were brought in.
One girl who had been there even longer than Chen Shiyi spoke to her in a low voice.
“If you get the chance, you must make sure you’re sold during this time. Once eight days have passed, wherever you’re sent will be no different from being sent to your death.”
“How do you know so much?”
“Oh, I’ve been sold twice. Naturally, I know.”
On the fourth day, Chen Shiyi and four other girls were called outside.
In the courtyard, Broker Cai wore an ingratiating expression. Beside her stood an old man with a goatee. His eyes were shrewd, and he carried himself with an air of importance.
“Steward Xu, how could we trouble you to come in person? If you needed anyone, you only had to send someone to call for me.”
Steward Xu seemed to hold Broker Cai’s fawning in contempt. His sharp eyes were filled with disdain.
“Only these few?”
Broker Cai immediately stepped forward to explain.
“These girls all come from simple farming families. I guarantee they’re honest and obedient.”
She pointed to them one by one.
“This girl is pretty. The one in blue is quite capable—she knows how to read. The one beside her is good at embroidery. And that fair-skinned one is quick-witted…”
When it came to Chen Shiyi, Broker Cai paused for a while. She opened her mouth several times, but seemed unable to think of anything to say.
“As for this one… she’s honest…”
Steward Xu glanced over the girls and slowly shook his head.
“You don’t like any of them? Wait a moment. I’ll bring another group over right away.”
Seeing this, Chen Shiyi cast aside her fear and hurriedly knelt before Steward Xu, knocking her head against the ground several times.
“Uncle Xu, please buy me! I can work. I can do any dirty or tiring task, and I don’t eat much, either. I only need one meal a day…”
Broker Cai was startled by Chen Shiyi’s actions and hurriedly tried to smooth things over with Steward Xu.
“Another group will be here shortly.”
Then she glared fiercely at Chen Shiyi, signaling for her to get up, keep quiet, and return to the woodshed. She also gave a look to the burly guards beside them, motioning for them to take Chen Shiyi away.
No one knew which of her words had moved Steward Xu. He began examining Chen Shiyi carefully once more. Other, unreadable emotions rippled through his shrewd eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
He raised a hand and pried open Chen Shiyi’s jaw, inspecting her teeth.
“Hmm. Her bone structure is decent. She’s merely been underfed and undernourished for a long time. Very well, we’ll take her.”
Broker Cai froze for a while before quickly piling on a smile.
“Excellent! Steward Xu certainly has a keen eye—and such a kind heart…”
Chen Shiyi sat sideways on the shaft of the carriage as she followed Steward Xu from the western outskirts of the capital into the inner city.
Chen Shiyi had lived in Xiangyang Village all her life. The farthest place she had ever been was Qingliu Town, and even then, she had gone there carrying two bundles of firewood to sell.
Now, elaborately carved shops stood in rows along both sides of the street. On the bustling road, the passing carriages were more luxurious than the last. A bell hanging beneath each carriage’s eaves bounced lightly, ringing with a pleasant chime…
The dazzling prosperity beneath the imperial city nearly blinded her.
But when she lowered her head, she saw the many patches covering her clothes, and the excitement in her heart gradually dimmed.
This prosperity had nothing to do with her.
The carriage turned through one winding lane after another before stopping in a deep alley surrounded by high walls.
The walls were so tall that she could not see the sun. A thin ray of light seeped down from above, and fresh green moss grew along the base of the walls. At the end of the moss-covered path, on the blue-brick pavement, stood a matron dressed in a brand-new blue robe, whispering with Steward Xu.
Before long, the old woman beckoned to Chen Shiyi and gave her a sharp once-over, seemingly very dissatisfied.
“Steward Xu’s eyesight gets worse every year. He brings anything and everything into the household…”
Though she grumbled, her movements were extremely efficient.
She opened an exceedingly narrow door. Inside, seven or eight people stood quietly and properly along both sides. Two matrons searched Chen Shiyi from head to toe, then nodded and handed her over to another matron, who led her inside.
Chen Shiyi followed behind the matron with her eyes lowered and her manner submissive. She did not know how long they walked before they finally stopped.
“A new arrival. Steward Xu said the Main Kitchen is short-handed, so he found someone dependable and hardworking.”
A pair of warm hands took Chen Shiyi’s.
“Her hands are covered in calluses. She’s a worker.”
“All right, I’ve delivered her. I’ll be leaving now…”
“Child, lift your head.”
Chen Shiyi raised her head and found herself facing a smiling woman.
The woman was very kind. She patted Chen Shiyi on the shoulder.
“Come, I’ll take you to get settled first. After that, I’ll assign you some work.”
Inside a square, orderly room, many beds were arranged in rows. Opposite them stood numerous dark-colored trunks.
The room was bright and clean, and a faint fragrance drifted through the air.
“Will I be living here from now on?”
Seeing the wonder on Chen Shiyi’s face, the woman smiled with her lips pressed together.
She pointed to a bed against the wall.
“You’ll sleep there. The pale green trunk is empty; it will be yours. Put your personal belongings, clothes, shoes, and socks inside. Change into this set of clothes, tie your hair into a bun, and fasten it with the blue ribbon. That way, people can tell which courtyard you belong to. Be very careful not to lose it.”
Chen Shiyi felt somewhat dazed.
In the space of a single moment, she had moved into a proper brick-and-tile house, received a trunk like the ones used by brides when they married, put on new clothes, and even been given a silk hair ornament…
For so many years, she had begged her father to buy her a single hair tie, but he had died before her wish could ever be fulfilled. And now, all the things she had dreamed of were suddenly within her grasp.
It was as if she were dreaming.
“What’s your name?”
“Chen Shiyi.”
“You were bought as a maid, so you can’t keep your surname. From now on, you’ll be called Shiyi. I manage the Main Kitchen. Everyone calls me Auntie Shi.”
Under Auntie Shi’s arrangements, Chen Shiyi became a fire-tending maid in the Main Kitchen.
The work was incredibly easy for her.
Besides, everyone here treated her kindly.
Nanny Lin, who specialized in making soup for the masters, called Chen Shiyi over at one point to help lift a clay pot from the coals. Chen Shiyi could not find a damp cloth, so she picked it up with her bare hands and scalded her left hand.
Nanny Lin hurriedly muttered prayers, then placed Chen Shiyi’s left hand in cool water and soaked it for quite a while. After applying a cooling medicinal ointment, she wrapped the hand in white gauze.
“What a foolish girl. You didn’t even know enough to cry out in pain.”
Lunch was exceptionally sumptuous: snowy white rice, glossy greens, and a golden fried egg covered in a rich sauce. Nanny Lin had even secretly hidden a piece of braised pork beneath the rice in her bowl.
How many years had it been since she had eaten meat?
She nibbled at the pork in tiny bites, afraid that she would finish it all at once. The flavor filled her mouth and lingered deliciously. In the end, she licked the bottom of the bowl completely clean.
She had never imagined that one day she could live a life fit for an immortal.
Not long after the meal, a woman hurried into the Main Kitchen.
Nanny Lin told Chen Shiyi that she was the senior maid from the Second Young Madam’s courtyard.
“Is the Second Young Madam’s beauty-nourishing soup ready?”
“It’s been ready for some time.”
The senior maid flicked the handkerchief tucked against her chest, then pointed at Chen Shiyi.
“You. Carry it and come with me.”
Chen Shiyi had initially thought the place where she lived was heaven. It was only after entering the inner courtyard that she learned what it meant for an immortal residence to descend into the mortal world.
A finely carved miniature mountain poured down a stream of crystal-clear water. Mist rose and spilled into the clusters of shrubs beside the stream. Covered walkways stretched over the water, and the gentle footsteps crossing them rang louder than the tinkling stream—hurried and somewhat intrusive. On both sides of the corridors hung cascades of blue-violet ornaments swaying in the breeze, their tassels dancing. White pear blossoms rippled throughout the courtyard, filling the air with fragrance. When the spring wind swept through, it scattered a carpet of luminous white across the ground.
Living in a place like this must surely add several years to one’s life.
Chen Shiyi lowered her eyes and respectfully held the soup, not daring to slacken for even a moment.
At a moon gate, someone took the soup from her hands and ordered her to leave at once.
She had not yet reached the covered bridge when, all at once, voices erupted within the serene courtyard: sobbing, pleas for mercy, and hurried footsteps, all in utter disarray…
Had something happened?