In the blink of an eye, spring arrived in the third month, with flowers blooming in the warmth. The fourth young lady of the third branch of the Yin family, who had quietly gone up the mountain a year ago, returned just as quietly a year later.
Upon entering the estate, she first went to pay respects to her legal mother, Third Madam.
Third Madam looked her up and down. "You've grown quite a bit taller."
Yin Shi put on an honest expression. "I never lacked for food, clothing, or necessities—everything was fine. Mama Gao took good care of me too."
Mama Gao wasn’t anyone particularly important in Third Madam’s eyes; as long as she didn’t neglect her duties or embarrass her, that was enough. Third Madam nodded. "I’ll reward her later."
"Alright. Now that you’re back, settle down and live properly. Rest for a couple of days, then attend classes diligently with your older and younger sisters. If anything comes up in your daily life, let me know." Third Madam then called her trusted confidante, Mama Sun, and rewarded Yin Shi with a pair of pearl hairpins, some food, fragrant herbs, and a few pieces of festive, brightly colored fabric.
Yin Shi curtsied to her legal mother. "Thank you, Mother."
Third Madam suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Qing Yan from your courtyard has climbed to a higher branch."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Third Madam’s tone.
This was truly unexpected. Yin Shi was taken aback. "Ah?"
Mama Sun chimed in from the side. "I always thought that girl had too many ideas. And sure enough, while you were away, she latched onto the eldest branch. They asked for her, and she went."
The eldest branch belonged to Old Madam’s eldest son, and Third Madam was clearly a bit resentful.
Yin Shi grew cautious. "Then…"
Third Madam waved her handkerchief dismissively. "Forget it. We can’t keep someone so precious. I’ll give you another maid."
Though Third Madam was displeased, Yin Shi secretly felt relieved. She comforted her legal mother, saying, "My master said that those without fortune cannot enter a fortunate household. Her leaving us means she lacks fortune. Mother need not be angry with her."
After a year apart, the fourth young lady had learned to speak more tactfully. Third Madam’s expression softened slightly as she nodded. "You’ve grown up."
Yin Shi invoked the chief monk of Donglin Temple. "My master taught me many principles."
From now on, any differences from before could be attributed to "growing up" or "my master taught me."
Third Madam grew interested and leaned forward. "How is your relationship with your master? Could he help us reserve a courtyard for the Buddha’s Birthday?"
Truly the daughter-in-law of a merchant family—so practical and down-to-earth.
Yin Shi replied seriously, "I’ll try when the time comes."
The little concubine-born daughter’s attitude was quite proper, and Third Madam’s irritation over the eldest branch taking her maid eased considerably. She discussed with Mama Sun, "Who do you think would be suitable to place in the fourth young lady’s courtyard?"
"Xia Tao?"
"Xia Tao won’t do. Her needlework is excellent—I rely on her for all the embroidery I present to the old lady."
"Ling Dang?"
"Ling Dang knows my tastes best. I can’t do without her."
Mama Sun suggested two more names, but both were rejected. In short, all of Third Madam’s maids had their uses, and she couldn’t part with any of them.
Yin Shi understood the situation.
Since Qing Yan had been the head maid in charge of Yin Shi’s affairs, both Third Madam and Mama Sun believed she should be given another capable maid to manage things.
But capable head maids took years to train, and Third Madam was accustomed to and comfortable with hers, unwilling to give them away. Likely, she didn’t want to inconvenience or discomfort herself over a concubine-born daughter.
Yin Shi, perceptive as ever, spoke up. "It doesn’t necessarily have to be an older sister. Although Qiao Que is only four years older than me, she managed my clothing and finances while I was on the mountain and is quite capable. I never felt inconvenienced. Why not promote her?"
She was sensible, and Third Madam's expression softened further. "Still, your courtyard shouldn't be short of people."
Yin Shi had her own plans and suggested, "How about giving me a younger one?"
Third Madam thought it acceptable.
"Raised from a young age by your side, she can serve you for many years." She said to Mama Sun, "Go and find a clever one for her."
Yin Shi seized the opportunity: "Mother dotes on me, would you let me choose one with a compatible temperament to keep me company?"
Third Madam scolded, "You little imp."
Though she chided, the concubine-born daughter had returned after a year away, and her words and attitude were quite pleasing, so she agreed, instructing Mama Sun, "Select a few and take them for her to choose herself."
Mama Sun complied.
Yin Shi beamed with joy and curtsied again: "Thank you, Mother!"
But Third Madam added, "A maid is easy enough, but your courtyard can't be without an adult…"
Yin Shi's heart skipped a beat.
Her wet nurse had died early, but since she had previously lived with her concubine mother, there were no other adults in her courtyard.
Although Mama Gao had been subdued by her over the past year, Yin Shi gradually learned from her probing that it was because Mama Gao knew this was only a temporary assignment, not a permanent one, so her attitude wasn't as rigid.
But if any mama were truly assigned to her as a permanent fixture, it would be a different story.
Adults naturally had the ability and authority to control children, especially one sent by the legal mother to manage her on her behalf.
Yin Shi absolutely did not want such a person in her courtyard.
Fortunately, Yin Shi had already learned from Mama Gao that Third Madam, as a daughter-in-law of a concubine-born son, was constantly embroiled in household strife at home. Life never ceased, nor did the strife.
She cherished—or rather, was somewhat stingy with—the human resources she brought as dowry and was reluctant to give any to a concubine-born daughter. If she did, they would eventually follow her to another family.
Take Mama Gao, for example. Although Mama Gao herself had no specific duties, her husband was one of Third Madam's dowry servants and had successfully become a trusted aide to Third Master. Servants could be separated from their parents or children, but rarely from their spouses. How could Mama Gao follow Yin Shi when she married? She couldn't very well take her husband along. That would be a significant loss for Third Madam.
But due to the complex household strife—Mama Gao had shared some gossip during idle chatter, giving Yin Shi a headache—in short, the relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sisters-in-law, and the distinctions between legitimate and concubine-born were all very complicated. Because of these intricate dynamics, Third Madam was particularly wary of servants who didn't belong to her faction and disliked others inserting personnel into the third branch.
Yin Shi skillfully leveraged this point and immediately said, "I'm already this grown up. Besides, I have you, Mother. For anything, I can just seek out Mama Sun."
Third Madam's superficial courtesy toward her concubine-born daughter was now fully displayed as she smoothly went along: "That's true, it's just a few steps away. If anything comes up, feel free to report to my room."
She then said to Mama Sun, "You'll have to bear a bit more burden."
Mama Sun smiled kindly, "What burden is there?"
After paying respects to her legal mother, she still had to visit Old Madam.
Old Madam showed little enthusiasm for this granddaughter with no blood relation to her but did not mistreat her either. She praised her twice for being filial and said, "Continue to treat your mother this way in the future."
"Mother" here referred to her legal mother, Third Madam.
These words… you couldn't say they weren't meant as encouragement, but something about them felt off.
Yin Shi's lips twitched.
The Old Madam also rewarded her with two bolts of vibrant fabric: "A young lady should dress more festively."
Her ladyship was still alive and well, after all, and she didn’t want the ill luck of a deceased concubine to taint her presence.
Yin Shi deeply understood the underlying message.
Having spent a year adjusting on the mountain, she was no longer in the anxious, nervous state she had been in during her first few days after transmigrating.
Besides, after a year apart from her family, any changes in a young child wouldn’t seem unusual—simply saying "she’s grown up" would suffice.
Yin Shi also curtsied to thank her grandmother: "Thank you for your generosity, Grandmother. May you remain healthy and blessed with endless fortune."
It truly was wonderful to be born into a wealthy family as a minor daughter of a concubine. Yin Shi appreciated the Yin family’s attitude—they weren’t affectionate toward her, nor did they go out of their way to care for her, but they didn’t mistreat her either. The food, drink, clothing, and daily necessities were all quite good.
If only this state could last forever.
The rewards were naturally received by the maids. Yin Shi had sent Qiao Que back to the courtyard earlier to tidy up, so she had brought Yunjuan with her, and it was Yunjuan who accepted the gifts.
The two of them returned to the courtyard they had left a year ago, carrying the elders’ rewards. Qiao Que was busy working and, upon seeing them return, stepped forward to voice her grievance: "Sister Qing Yan has been taken by the eldest branch and won’t be coming back."
"Did you see her?"
"She knew we were returning and specially came to hand over all the courtyard keys to me. I asked her to wait for the young lady to return, but she said she was busy and rushed off like a chicken being chased."
Third Madam was right—she really had climbed to a higher branch and now looked down on the daughter of a Son of a Concubine.
But Yin Shi not only didn’t mind, she was secretly delighted. With Qing Yan gone, one layer of restraint had been lifted, and life would be much more comfortable from now on.
She told Qiao Que: "The Madam has already agreed to promote you. From now on, you’ll take Qing Yan’s place, and we’ll add another young maid to our courtyard."
Qiao Que was both surprised and overjoyed, eagerly asking: "Will my monthly allowance increase too? Will it be the same as Sister Qing Yan’s?"
Yin Shi had forgotten about this detail. After thinking for a moment, she said: "I’ll confirm it with Mama Sun later. Since you’ll be doing the work of a senior maid, you should receive the pay of a senior maid."
Over the past year on the mountain, Qiao Que had been able to sense the changes in her young lady.
In the past, the Fourth Young Lady had often listened to her concubine mother and Qing Yan, but during the year on the mountain, she had made her own decisions. The senior monks had even praised her for her wisdom.
Qiao Que was originally older than Yin Shi and had often coaxed her in the past. Now, however, she felt that "the young lady has grown up and become decisive," and she had begun to listen to Yin Shi instead.
She was, after all, a servant, and unlike Qing Yan, who was older and had a rough grasp of a few characters, coupled with Yin Shi’s intentional training, hints, and guidance over the past year, she had grown quite accustomed to following Yin Shi’s lead.
Yin Shi said: "Keep the keys safe. From now on, they’ll all be under your care."
She also instructed her to inventory and store the items rewarded by the elders.
Looking at the clothing fabrics, Qiao Que cheered up: "The weather is warming up, just in time to make the young lady a few new outfits."
Now that the mourning period was over, it was only fitting to dress in fresh, bright clothes.
Yin Shi smiled and said: "You’re the senior maid now. You can take care of these matters."
Greatly encouraged, Qiao Que hugged the fabrics and went to organize them.
Yunjuan joined the work, and Yin Shi didn’t idle either. With Qing Yan gone, she now had only three people around her. Aside from Granny Li, the other two were practically still children.
Only she was truly an adult.
She also rolled up her sleeves.
Granny Li swept the courtyard, Qiao Que tidied the bedding, clothes, and the Money Chest, Yunjuan wiped the tables and dusted the furniture, while Yin Shi herself organized some personal, delicate items.
Raising her head for a moment, she saw that beyond the window, spring was in full bloom—the branches hung low with emerald green, and sunlight filled the courtyard.
Yin Shi paused, her gaze passing through the window to survey the yard.
After a year of adjustment, she had calmed and settled, no longer as tense and anxious as she had been a year before. With Qing Yan’s suppression and interference gone, she finally felt a genuine sense of “I am the mistress here” and “this courtyard will be mine from now on.”
Yin Shi smiled faintly, then sighed softly.
From now on, she would live well here.
In the afternoon, her sisters arrived, chattering noisily.
Third Master Yin had three sons and five daughters. Among the five daughters, Yin Shi ranked fourth.
People of the time typically counted a new year as adding another year to one’s age. By this reckoning, Eldest Daughter was twelve this year, Second Daughter was ten, San Niang and Yin Shi were both nine, and Fifth Daughter was only six, still a little sprout.
San Niang tugged at Yin Shi’s sleeve and said, “If you had returned a few days earlier, you could have made it for my birthday. What a shame.”
Third Madam had no daughters of her own; all the daughters were born to concubines. San Niang’s birthday was in March, while Yin Shi’s was in May. Yin Shi had returned just after San Niang’s birthday, missing it by a hair.
Her sisters also told her, “Eldest Brother went to the capital with Aunt.”
The old woman who had been delivering things to her was a lowly laborer who did rough work and knew little of the household affairs. Neither her grandmother nor her legal mother thought this was something that needed to be relayed to this little concubine-born daughter. Or perhaps it was because he had left last year, and by the time they saw Yin Shi this year, it no longer felt like “new news” worth mentioning.
If her sisters hadn’t told her, Yin Shi would have had no idea.
Yes, that was how marginal she was.
Yin Shi asked, “Why did he go to the capital?”
“To study with the Shen family.”
“Fourth Brother from the main branch went too.”
“And Second Brother from the second branch.”
Her sisters chattered away, all at the age where they loved to talk. They rarely saw their father and didn’t feel entirely at ease in their legal mother’s presence, but when they were together like this, they were quite relaxed.
They were all lovely, pretty little girls, competing to tell her what had happened in the household during the year she was away. Yin Shi’s heart melted. She turned and called to Yunjuan, “See what snacks are in the cabinet and bring them all.”
Eldest Daughter laughed at her, “A year apart, and you’ve actually become generous.”
Second Daughter also laughed, “You were never stingy with fabrics or jewelry before, but getting a bite of food from you was hard.”
Ah, memories resurfaced—it turned out the original owner had been a food-loving, possessive eater. How nice, she could just act naturally.
Yin Shi’s eyes curved into a smile. “I just returned and missed you all, so I’ll be generous for once.”
The girls giggled.
They also told her, “Concubine Zhou, whom Father recently took in, is pregnant now. We don’t know if it’ll be a younger brother or a younger sister.”
Yin Shi felt a strong sense that “time was moving forward.”
Probably no one cared about the deceased Concubine Yan anymore. After all, even her own child had followed her in death, and Yin Shi was merely an imposter.
Her husband, Third Master Yin, would naturally have new concubines and new children.
That was how this era was.
Dried fruits and pastries were brought out, and no one stood on ceremony with Yin Shi. They ate and chatted as they pleased.
Eldest Daughter said with hope, “The Shen family is a scholarly family. Studying with them is much better than studying at home. If our brothers could pass the xiucai exam, that would be wonderful.”
But San Niang said, “Eldest Brother and Second Brother aren’t as good at studying as the people from the main branch. It’ll probably be difficult.”
Second Daughter retorted, “Say something nice for once.”
The girls were all quite young, yet they understood that if their brothers achieved scholarly honors, their own status would rise accordingly.
Yin Shi instinctively asked, "Is it appropriate for so many people to go to someone else's home?"
In her original world, if relatives wanted to stay at your house for a couple of days during their travels, it would be considered a lack of boundaries and criticized online.
But Eldest Daughter replied matter-of-factly, "Between families connected by marriage, what could be inappropriate?"
Only then did Yin Shi realize this world was different.
Here, the concept of "clan" far outweighed that of "family." It was perfectly normal for relatives to lodge, study, or even visit seeking assistance.
The Yin family was wealthy. Even if several children went to stay, they certainly wouldn't spend the Shen family's money—they would use their own. They were merely going to share educational resources.
But this was precisely the purpose of forming marital alliances. In this world, "marriage" was defined as "uniting two families in goodwill." The Shen family marrying the Yin family's fourth daughter wasn't for Madam Shen herself, but rather to repay past kindness by forming a marital alliance with the Yin family and willingly sharing some of their resources.
Yin Shi looked at the lovely young girls and thought of how all their future marriages, including her own, would be beyond their control. She sighed softly.
In the evening, Third Master Yin returned home and remembered his wife had mentioned sending someone to fetch their fourth daughter from the mountain. While changing clothes, he asked, "Has Little Fourth been brought back?"
Third Madam handed him a comfortable robe. "She's back. The food on the mountain was quite good—she's grown a lot taller."
"At this age, it's the time for growing," Third Master said, pointing to a maid. "Go tell Fourth Daughter I've returned. Have her come to the study to see me."
Yin Shi had been waiting for him all afternoon. Upon receiving the message, she hurried to the study, appearing especially respectful. "Greetings, Father."
The provider of food and clothing was also a parent!
Her future livelihood depended on this man. She couldn't afford to offend Third Madam, and she had to handle Third Master Yin even more carefully.
"It's been a year since we last met. Your daughter has missed you constantly."
A sweet tongue never suffered losses. Besides, she truly had often thought over the past year about how to deal with this "biological father" after descending the mountain—it wasn't an empty sentiment.
Men didn't give birth themselves and often didn't raise children personally either. Especially in wealthy households where each had their own courtyard, they might not even see each other daily. Once separated or after long absences, emotions easily grew distant.
But now that she stood before him—a fair, clean daughter with picturesque features, proper manners, and an adorable demeanor—Third Master Yin's paternal affection surged like a rising tide.
The father sighed contentedly. "You've grown taller."
Yin Shi said, "It's all thanks to Mother's care and meticulous arrangements. On the mountain, I lacked nothing in food or clothing and lived very peacefully."
What did men most desire at home? For all the women to live in harmony—including mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, mothers and daughters, and especially wives and concubines.
Third Madam had never shortchanged her. Praising this legal mother wouldn't cost her anything. Mutual praise benefited everyone—why not do it?
Sure enough, Third Master Yin stroked his beard and nodded upon hearing this. After asking a few questions about her daily life, health, and the mountain conditions, he turned and called out, "Fetch five taels of silver for Fourth Daughter."
He also said to her, "You have done your filial duty to your concubine, and from now on, be dutiful to your mother. You’ve been away for a year, not even returning for the New Year, and have grown distant from your siblings. Take this silver to host a feast and enjoy yourselves together. From now on, stay at home and behave properly."
See, once you figure it out and hit the right note, the benefits come rolling in.