The trees were lush and green, and the sunlight was just right.
When Lin Mingyan returned to Linfeng Residence, Ling Lan, with Su He’s help, was hanging the clothes she had changed out of on a rope at the edge of the courtyard.
Lin Mingyan found it a bit odd and asked, “Aren’t there maids specifically assigned to wash clothes?”
She only had two young maidservants, and they already had plenty to do. If they had to wash clothes on top of that, wouldn’t it be too much work?
Ling Lan quickly explained, “This gauze is too precious. I was afraid the other maids might be too rough with their hands and ruin it, so I decided to wash it myself.”
Though she said so, Lin Mingyan instantly understood—the hastily made dress was still too bold for this era.
If it had been sent to the laundry courtyard, the entire rear courtyard would have known about it by now.
It seemed that although Ling Lan was young and inexperienced, she was quite sharp-minded.
“Alright, from now on, if there’s anything inconvenient for outsiders to wash, you can handle it as you see fit,” Lin Mingyan said playfully. “There will be rewards.”
Ling Lan and Su He exchanged a glance and happily agreed.
Now that Lin Mingyan had money, she made rewarding her servants a priority.
Originally, she should have given out rewards as soon as she entered the mansion yesterday.
However, the little money she had snatched was almost entirely spent on buying things outside the courtyard.
Later, she found ten taels of silver and a plain silver hairpin in a small bundle, likely placed there secretly by Xilinjuoluo Shi out of pity for her.
At the time, she was too embarrassed and preoccupied with how she would manage her future life to bring up the matter.
Fortunately, luck was on her side last night—she had received a small box of gold and silver ingots from Fourth Master, roughly one or two hundred in total.
This would last her for quite some time.
She had Du Juan bring out the small box and instructed, “Six gold and six silver ingots each. Du Juan, count them out and distribute them. All three of you will receive a share.”
“Thank you, Gege!” Du Juan and the other two beamed with joy.
Before receiving favor last night, Fourth Master had given the order for them to address her as Gege. From today onward, she was officially Lin Gege.
Lin Mingyan had initially felt a bit uneasy, wondering if her promotion from a concubine to Gege was too sudden.
It wasn’t until she asked Du Juan this morning that she learned Gege was the proper title for a concubine.
However, some concubines who performed night duty did not receive their master’s approval and remained as maidservants with the status of a bedchamber attendant.
Lin Mingyan patted her chest in relief: Thankfully, she had been officially recognized.
Giving out rewards upon being officially recognized was perfectly reasonable.
However, she specifically addressed Su He, saying, “Last night, I held you back from receiving a reward. I’m sorry.”
During the five rounds of games yesterday, Su He had performed quite well.
Unfortunately, being on Lin Mingyan’s team meant he didn’t end up receiving a reward.
Su He quickly knelt and said, “Gege, you are too kind. In competitions, there are always wins and losses. I will strive to improve next time.”
Unlike palace maids who could leave to marry, eunuchs had no future to look forward to, so they placed greater importance on money.
Su He had indeed been a little disappointed at not receiving a reward yesterday, but now he felt much more at ease.
He thought to himself: With such a capable master, would opportunities for rewards be scarce in the future?
He could still distinguish between a single full meal and a lifetime of sustenance.
Du Juan and Ling Lan exchanged a glance, understanding Lin Mingyan’s intentions, and remained silent.
Shortly after, the two of them each took out two gold and two silver ingots from yesterday’s rewards and gave them to Su He.
Su He naturally tried his best to decline, but Du Juan said, “We got this by luck yesterday. Since we’re all in the same courtyard, we can’t leave you out when there’s something good.”
“Besides, this was a reward from the master. You should also share in the master’s favor.”
The maidservants saw things differently from the eunuchs. Once they followed a master, they had to be utterly devoted.
But eunuchs were different—they had many places they could go. Whether they remained loyal to their current master depended on how well they were won over.
Lin Mingyan didn’t know what her two devoted maidservants had done while she was catching up on sleep.
When she woke up, she was treated to an elaborate meal of eight dishes and one soup, meticulously prepared by the kitchen.
Sitting at the table, she even felt a bit unreal: Had life… improved this much?
“Just getting a formal position, and the dishes more than doubled?” Lin Mingyan couldn’t help but ask aloud.
Yesterday’s four dishes and one soup had already seemed quite good to her, but compared to today’s eight dishes and one soup, it was like night and day.
Especially the braised beef brisket on the table—its aroma wafted straight into her nostrils.
Du Juan laughed. “It’s not exactly because of that. Everyone in the courtyard heard the commotion yesterday.”
Fourth Master had come, first bringing several large baskets of fruit, then so much fabric and jewelry.
Finally, the courtyard lights had stayed on for nearly two hours, lively and bustling.
Lin Mingyan’s favor was thus laid bare before everyone in the rear courtyard.
Today’s standard meal was the reward for her favor.
Lin Mingyan’s greatest lifelong hobby was eating.
Now, looking at a table full of delicious, aromatic, and beautifully presented food, her eyes sparkled.
Last night’s meal, she had stuffed herself desperately, fearing she might never get to eat like that again.
Who would have thought there would be more now!
After enjoying a delightful meal, she instructed Du Juan, “I used serving chopsticks to take my portions. You three can divide the rest.”
She had seen what the servants ate yesterday—barely enough to fill their stomachs.
Otherwise, masters wouldn’t treat giving leftover food as a great favor to their servants.
“Thank you, mistress. And what about the dishes we saved from yesterday? How should we handle them?” Du Juan asked.
Lin Mingyan also remembered yesterday’s dishes and blushed a little at her own pettiness in front of Fourth Master.
She waved her hand. “You three divide them and handle them as you wish.”
Thinking about it this way, regardless of what later generations might say, Fourth Master was actually quite decent.
Lin Mingyan thanked him over and over in her heart. When the refreshing fruit platter was brought in during the hottest part of the afternoon, she felt utterly grateful.
However, she thought that fruits at this time were picked only when fully ripe and wouldn’t keep for long.
She saved some for tomorrow and told Du Juan to distribute the rest.
In Linfeng Residence, the three servants ate their lunch in the back room as if it were New Year’s, their mouths barely stopping.
Especially Ling Lan, who looked at all the good things and hesitated, “Sister Du Juan, could I ask for leave this afternoon?”
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Du Juan frowned but asked with concern.
Ling Lan swallowed a mouthful of meat and shook her head. “No, it’s just that there’s so much good food, and I can’t finish it all. I was thinking of sending some home.”
Ling Lan was a bonded servant; her whole family served nobles, though she was more capable and worked in the Prince’s Residence.
Her sisters worked in other places, while her parents and brother lived at home.
“Sending something out isn’t a big deal, but you’re the young mistress’s personal maid—is it really appropriate for you to go out?” Du Juan said thoughtfully.
The young mistress only had the two of them as maids now, so weren’t they both personal maids?
Ling Lan also felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this and was about to say she wouldn’t go after all, when Su He stepped forward: “Sister Ling Lan, let me go in your place. I’ve asked around, and many eunuchs in the courtyards are allowed to go outside.”
“But today probably won’t work. Those who go out each day need to register in advance.”
“I’ll go register right away and see if I can go out tomorrow.”