“The Princess Royal’s Lotus Appreciation Banquet?”
Dressed in coarse working clothes and still perspiring from exercise, Song Zhiwei calmly accepted the invitation card under Liu’er’s astonished, somewhat dazed gaze.
Hearing Song Zhiwei’s voice, Liu’er quickly snapped back to attention and nodded. “Our Second Madam’s health improved yesterday, so she went to Yuqing Temple to fulfill a vow of thanksgiving. There she happened to encounter the Princess Royal’s carriage procession. The Princess Royal invited our Second Madam to visit her residence. Madam accepted and sent me to ask whether you would like to go as well.”
To Song Zhiwei, this sounded like an excellent opportunity to expand her clientele. Without thinking much, she nodded immediately. “I’m going! When is it?”
Liu’er was not surprised at all. In her view, no young woman didn’t care about her marriage prospects. The Princess Royal’s lotus banquet wasn’t an event just anyone could attend. If some noble lady happened to take a liking to her there, or even simply remembered her favorably, her future marriage prospects would become much more secure.
“It will be held in ten days. During this time, you’ll need to prepare your clothes and jewelry. You should also learn some proper etiquette for social occasions. Madam’s intention is for you to begin studying with Miss Ran this very afternoon.”
Gu Chunran certainly didn’t need any more etiquette lessons. The instruction was clearly meant specifically for Song Zhiwei. It was a considerate way to preserve her dignity.
Song Zhiwei was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness. Accepting the gesture, she nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll go over after lunch.”
Liu’er responded with a cheerful smile, but she did not leave right away.
Throughout the entire manor, any maid whose name was known among the household generally lived a fairly comfortable life.
Curious, Liu’er looked around Song Zhiwei’s courtyard. Unlike the small yet elegant courtyards occupied by Second Madam and Gu Chunran, Miss Song’s courtyard was remarkably practical. It did not resemble the boudoir of a young lady from an official family at all. Instead, it looked more like a rustic country homestead, with a simple, approachable charm.
Over the past few days, whenever Song Zhiwei went to pay her respects, Madam Xu had rewarded her with various small gifts and spending money. She had even instructed Song Zhiwei’s eldest aunt to help her select a better courtyard. However, because her current courtyard bordered a bamboo grove and caught the cool evening breeze, Song Zhiwei was already quite satisfied with it. Moreover, it was relatively close to the rear gate, making future trips outside the manor more convenient. So she politely declined the offer to move to a different courtyard.
Since she expected to live here for at least a year or two, Song Zhiwei had already begun her plans to renovate the little courtyard.
At present, only three people lived there regularly. Aside from the two old women who came daily to sweep and clean, they rarely had visitors to disturb them.
As a result, Song Zhiwei removed all the withered flowers and plants and replaced them with vegetables and medicinal herbs. She even spent some of her own money to have two small stoves built in the courtyard. She also asked people to purchase grain and dried food supplies for her. That way, if she returned late, she could simply light a fire and cook for herself.
Of the three rooms, the main room naturally remained Song Zhiwei’s bedroom. However, she had divided off a section with a screen and placed a daybed there, where the two young maids slept at night.
The east room had been transformed into her study. She had bought her own brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, along with commonly used medicinal herbs. She had even drawn a chart of the human body’s acupuncture points herself. Through the physician she had met earlier, she had also acquired several sets of acupuncture needles.
For the past two days, she had been experimenting with making medicinal pills. As a result, several bamboo trays filled with herbs awaiting processing and drying had been laid out in the courtyard.
Although Song Zhiwei wore only a simple, coarse-cloth outfit suitable for physical work, the plain hairpin and modest skirt complemented her calm, understated temperament. She had grown a little taller, and her features had become more open and relaxed. She looked very different from the frail, timid girl who had first entered the manor. Her childishness had largely faded.
At this point, if someone unfamiliar with her circumstances judged only by her appearance, they might think she was already twenty years old. Only the soft baby hairs still growing along her forehead reminded others that she was only fifteen.
“Miss Song is truly someone who knows how to run a household,” Liu’er said sincerely.
The Gu family had many masters and mistresses, and naturally many relatives connected to them as well. Setting aside other examples, even a cousin from Eldest Madam’s maiden family had once lived in the manor. When that young lady first arrived, she had conducted herself very well. She was generous in her dealings with others, and with Eldest Madam’s support, her food, clothing, and daily treatment were no different from those of the manor’s own daughters. She had certainly carried herself with considerable elegance and style. Later on, however, for reasons no one quite understood, she developed conflicts with the other young ladies of the household. After that, her temperament changed. She became quieter and quieter, more timid with each passing day. Eventually, she even grew despondent and nearly hanged herself within the manor. Fortunately, her maid discovered her in time and saved her. But once someone had shown signs of wanting to take their own life, the household could no longer risk keeping them there. In the end, they could only arrange a carriage to send her home. A perfectly good opportunity had been wasted.
As for Miss Song, when she first arrived, she, too, seemed frail and delicate. Everyone had assumed she would not last long. Yet after she fell into the water, her true abilities emerged. She carried herself with the air of someone steadily building a life for herself. Although she did not socialize with the other young ladies of the manor, she still seemed quite content.
From the bottom of her heart, Liu’er felt Miss Song could keep a clear head even amid wealth and privilege.
Unaware of all the thoughts running through Liu’er’s mind, Song Zhiwei merely nodded in agreement and said, “When managing a household, it’s important to keep some commonly used medicines on hand. People inevitably suffer bumps and bruises, headaches, fevers, stomach bloating, or diarrhea from time to time. If you have to wait for medicine to be prepared every single time, it’s manageable during the day. But if you fall ill after going to bed at night, how could treatment possibly come quickly enough?”
Liu’er paused. She immediately recalled countless occasions when she had felt unwell during the night and could do nothing except endure the discomfort until morning before finally getting medicine. At once, she began taking Song Zhiwei’s words seriously.
Watching Song Zhiwei put away the invitation and return to processing her medicinal herbs, Liu’er couldn’t help but feel a touch envious. Having real skills was truly wonderful. If a headache, fever, or minor illness arose, one could simply deal with it oneself.
“If you ever need any medicine in the future, you can come to me. I make all of mine into small pills, so they’re easy to swallow. A few mouthfuls of water and they’re down.”
Song Zhiwei said this with a smile, then added jokingly, “Though I do charge for the medicine.”
Liu’er had already been tempted. Hearing that, she didn’t hesitate and nodded quickly. “I’ll remember that. Thank you, Miss Song.”
Song Zhiwei smiled unconcernedly and took a small porcelain bottle down from the shelf beside her. “This is Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill. The weather is hot these days, and it’s easy to suffer from heatstroke. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, start breaking out in a cold sweat, or feel unwell, take a few of these pills immediately. They’re meant to be chewed.”
Liu’er carefully accepted the medicine. She was Madam Wang’s trusted maid and often ran errands between various courtyards. During holidays and festivals, she had even received little silver ingots as rewards. Yet at this moment, holding the small bottle of medicine in her hands, she felt happier and more excited than she ever had when she received silver.
This was medicine. For maids like them, who could summon a physician and receive medicine the moment they felt unwell? Most simply endured their ailments if they could. If they could not endure them, they often had no choice but to wait for death. Just last year, two people in the manor had died from the summer heat alone.