The Old Madam seated at the head spoke gently to an elderly lady beside her, "Mother, this is Ninth Master's reading companion girl." Her tone carried particular affection for this youngest son, Ninth Master.
Old Lady Wang smiled and nodded, "This girl is good, looks clean and tidy. What's rare is she doesn't appear coquettish. It seems Yi-ge'er is seriously studying now. Not like those outside who appear flowery and splendid on the surface, but who knows what shady business they're up to inside."
The Old Madam chuckled, "Mother, don't speak in his favor. Where is he the material for studying? I'd be reciting Buddha's name just asking him to recognize a few characters."
Ignoring the Old Madam, Old Lady Wang examined Suian seriously and added, "This girl has pretty eyes and a round face—she has a fortunate appearance."
Upon hearing this, Suian's heart leaped high, swaying like reeds.
Generally, when praising someone reaches "fortunate appearance," eighty percent of the time what follows involves marriage prospects. Maids with fortune, ha, most end up becoming the masters' tongfang.
She truly had no such intention, and judging by Ninth Master's demeanor, he didn't seem to have that intention toward her either. This was precisely where they got along well as master and servant.
But the more one fears something, the more it comes.
"After this New Year passes, Yi-ge'er will be fifteen, right? It's about time to place someone in his chamber. I…"
Before Old Lady Wang could finish her sentence, someone suddenly emerged from behind the green gauze cabinet, "Mother, where did you put my Nine Linked Rings?"
Suian recognized the voice immediately—it was Chu Yi.
As soon as Chu Yi appeared, the previous conversation was interrupted. Clearly, he had long known his maternal grandmother was here. He climbed onto the kang and snuggled into Old Lady Wang's embrace.
The Old Madam said helplessly, "This child, with a whole crowd of nephews and nieces already, still acts spoiled."
Old Lady Wang loved it when her grandson acted spoiled with her. Seeing this, she waved her hand at the Old Madam, "You said it yourself—he's a child. Being a child has nothing to do with seniority. Children should do childish things." She lowered her head to ask Chu Yi what he had eaten for breakfast recently, if there was anything he particularly enjoyed eating lately, anything he wanted to play with…
With Ninth Master's arrival, maids filed in behind him, carrying basins and handing towels, while some deliberately fetched the Nine Linked Rings to present to him.
Suian wished time would hurry past so she could retreat with the flow of people. Unfortunately, the Old Madam hadn't forgotten her and asked seriously, "Mr. Lin has been here for some time now. Do you understand his preferences?"
After Mr. Lin arrived, he lived in a small courtyard next to Ninth Master's study facing the street. He had an aloof temperament and didn't want attendants, so the Old Madam had ordered Suian to keep an eye on things to prevent the rough work women from being negligent and showing disrespect.
Suian had actually only paid a bit more attention to Mr. Lin's clothing and meals. For the rest, since Mr. Lin disliked it, she didn't force her presence.
Responding to the mistress's question, Suian replied respectfully, "Mr. Lin prefers wearing cotton clothes. In food, he leans toward southern cuisine. He is extremely particular about tea drinking and has instructed this servant twice. Mr. Lin doesn't want anyone attending to his living quarters—he tidies everything himself, saying it's the same even in his own home."
Seeing that her points were reasonably accurate, the Old Madam nodded.
Then she turned to explain to Old Lady Wang, "This Mr. Lin—to put it nicely, he's a surrendered general; to put it bluntly, he's utterly useless. Yet your son-in-law, who knows what bewitching potion he drank, not only eagerly sent him here but also found his family from the south. They're said to be on the road now. Now I have to prepare a residence again—I'm simply at a loss."
Old Lady Wang smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'A guest should follow the host's arrangements.' Just make the best arrangements you can—whether they appreciate it or not, what does it matter?"
Her tone carried little respect for Mr. Lin.
Suian thought it was likely because everyone had heard about Mr. Lin raising the white flag in surrender.
People of the time valued integrity. Since Mr. Lin had gone to the battlefield, surrendering without a fight would indeed invite contempt.
Old Madam also nodded and said, "I see that Ninth Brother has been quite settled under his guidance, and I thought it better to avoid unnecessary trouble." She paused for a moment, then turned to Suian. "Since you are familiar with Mr. Lin's habits, when his family arrives, you should handle the arrangements. If anything is needed, ask your elder sister Ziyu."
Before coming, the look in Ziyu's eyes had unsettled Suian. Now, hearing it was this matter, she felt greatly relieved. However, just because Old Madam did not prioritize it didn’t mean she, as a servant, could treat it carelessly. She still responded with a serious expression.
Old Madam then said to Old Lady Wang, "Don’t judge her by her youth—she has a good sense of judgment."
Chu Yi, nestled in Old Lady Wang’s arms, snorted with a laugh and pointed at Suian, saying, "A judgment like hers is either short on weight or ends up losing everything."
It was common for masters to look down on servants; treating a servant as a friend would be strange.
Suian remained unmoved, but inwardly she grumbled, Aren’t you tolerating Mr. Lin because you’re afraid Commander Chu will come back and give you a beating?
Old Lady Wang, seeing that Suian neither spoke nor argued, regarded her more highly. After Suian took her leave, Old Madam quietly asked Old Lady Wang, "What do you think of this girl? I’ve been observing her for some time now and am considering placing her in Ninth Brother’s quarters."
She didn’t avoid saying this in front of Chu Yi, who frowned upon hearing it. "I don’t want any woman in my quarters, and I certainly don’t want that wretched girl."
Since childhood, he had been surrounded by maidservants, and he could easily tell whether they had any interest in him.
A young master raised in luxury, with his pride and arrogance, would he bother to be gentle with a girl whose heart wasn’t with him?
Old Lady Wang patted Chu Yi’s arm. "I’ve seen even your eldest brother not dare to speak to your mother like that." Old Madam was Commander Chu’s second wife, and the previous wives had left behind several children, who now respectfully addressed Old Madam as mother.
Chu Yi fell silent but continued to fiddle with the Nine Linked Rings in his hands.
Seeing that he had quieted down, Old Madam explained to her mother, "Ninth Brother is fourteen now. At his age, his eldest brother had already been married for two years."
"Before, I worried that his temperament was still unsettled and that marrying too early might harm his health, so I kept putting it off. Whenever matchmakers came, I found excuses to decline."
"But now that the rebellion of the Prince of Ling has been quelled, my husband will return sooner or later. I’m thinking that once he’s back, Ninth Brother’s marriage will have to be discussed openly. If I place someone in his quarters then, it would seem like I’m competing with my husband and would also embarrass the new bride."
Old Lady Wang listened and nodded in agreement. Chu Yi curled his lips, stood up, and took his leave. "Seventh Brother said Prince Ping has found a fine sword. I’d like to go and see it too."
Old Madam sent him away and continued speaking to her mother, "Suian, that girl, is quiet and reserved, but she knows what she's doing. You wouldn't believe it—when she first arrived, Old Ninth was using books as firewood, ranting all day about wanting to be a useless general like the elder master. I couldn't help but lose my temper and beat him several times. But Suian quietly asked his servant whether being a general meant you didn’t need to read or write, and who wrote those military strategies and battle formations… Surprisingly, Old Ninth took it to heart. Since then, although he still muddles through, he’s managed to stumble along and at least hasn’t driven his tutors to despair.
I tested her a few more times in secret, and she didn’t show any greed for money or valuables—it’s rare to see such composure. She’s also literate, so placing her in Old Ninth’s room to manage his belongings seems quite reliable.
Right now, the maids around Old Ninth are either too old or completely illiterate—it’s impossible to promote any of them. If we look for someone from outside now, who knows how long it would take to find someone suitable."
Old Lady Wang nodded slowly, "You make a good point."
Suian was still unaware of these discussions, though the senior maids around Old Madam knew a little. But since their mistress hadn’t made her intentions clear, no one would spread rumors carelessly.
Meanwhile, Suian, having taken on her new task, was busy making lists.
The four essentials of life are clothing, food, shelter, and travel. Now that Mr. Lin’s family was arriving, the first priority was settling them in.
The courtyard had been chosen by Mr. Lin himself—its location was good, and it even had a small gate leading to the outside street, making travel convenient.
However, it wasn’t without its flaws. Because there was a pond behind it, the place tended to be particularly damp and cold in winter.
Mr. Lin was from the south, and his first winter here would be especially harsh. When his family arrived, it would be best to stock up on charcoal all at once to avoid freezing the guests and sparing herself extra trouble later.
Then there was the matter of furnishing the rooms. Mr. Lin was refined, and his own quarters weren’t filled with lavish items, but his family might have different tastes. Suian prepared two lists based on the guest room furniture inventory, adding and subtracting items until she finally settled on one list following the principle of moderation.
For example, she chose a high-quality boxwood bed—boxwood is hard and easy to carve. Painted with a mahogany lacquer, it looked striking and emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The rest of the furnishings appeared simple on the surface, but the details revealed elegance. For instance, the dressing table for the ladies had a mirror that even middle-class families in the capital couldn’t afford, and the cosmetics were naturally purchased from reputable old shops.
In total, about twenty to thirty items needed to be added, such as glass lanterns, a four-season auspicious screen, a red lacquer tray with gold-traced crabapple flowers, and blue-and-white tea sets with a yellow base and blue rim featuring a shepherd boy playing a flute, among others.
Since Mr. Lin had a son and a daughter, and the son was already ten years old and likely studying, Suian also prepared the Four Treasures of the Study. Though not particularly precious, they were of the quality typically used by the gentlemen of the household.
After thinking it through, she felt nothing was missing, so she made a copy of the list and went to find Ziyu.
Unexpectedly, Ziyu greeted her with that meaningful smile again.
The hairs on Suian’s neck, which had just begun to lie flat, instantly stood on end again.
Holding the list, she didn’t rush to hand it over to Ziyu. Instead, she spoke softly, "Dear sister, if there’s anything you know, please give me a hint. Don’t keep me in the dark—if something suddenly falls on my head, I’ll come crying to you."
Ziyu held her hand, smiling as she pinched Suian's cheek. "Little girl, you've learned to tease others now. I'm not afraid, but I'm only worried that when the time comes, you'll be so overjoyed you won't be able to close your mouth and won't dare show your face."
Suian's heart sank. For a young girl to hide out of shyness usually meant a marriage arrangement had been settled. She was still so young, not yet of age to be released from service. Those matchmaking stewardesses wouldn't dare guarantee they could persuade the master to marry her off. So the only thing that could make her hide out of shyness would be catching the eye of some gentleman. She was Ninth Master's maid—if another man took a fancy to her, given Ninth Master's temperament, sparing her life would be an act of mercy.
Her heart felt heavy, but she dared not show it on her face. Instead, she continued pestering Ziyu: "Sister, just give me a hint or two, so I won't go back scratching my head in confusion. In the time I'd spend puzzling over it, I could have drawn several embroidery patterns for you."