By the time Lin Zhijin arrived at the front courtyard, everyone in the residence had already gathered there.
She quietly slipped behind the Eighth Concubine and watched Second Master Chen exchange pleasantries with the officer leading the group.
Lin Zhijin had never seen this officer before, but Director Yang and Director Zhang standing behind him were both people she had met that day.
Lin Zhijin had not expected them to come together.
“Director Zhao, rest assured. We understand the national policies. Even if you hadn’t come today, I was planning to report to you. It’s mainly because my father passed away recently, and I only just took over this entire mess of family affairs. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a moment to rest.”
Second Master Chen pointed toward the people in the courtyard.
“Everyone currently in the residence is already here. Please give us your instructions.”
Lin Zhijin had thought there would be a confrontation.
She had not expected Second Master Chen to back down so quickly.
Then again, Second Master Chen was a businessman and was best at judging the situation.
If the Chen family did not have that kind of ability, they would never have survived until now.
Director Zhao smiled and patted Second Master Chen on the arm.
“If every household in the city understood our work as well as Second Master Chen, things would be much easier.”
Hearing this, Second Master Chen hurriedly said, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. My name is Chen Yongsheng. Just call me Xiao Chen.”
Director Zhao smiled at him.
Originally, he had planned to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, but he had not expected the Chen family to be so sensible.
Still, that was fine.
As the largest household in Nancheng, if they took the lead and set an example, dealing with the other families would be much easier.
He turned to face everyone and raised his voice.
“Everyone, I am Zhao Kangping, Director of the Temporary Military Control Office. The reason we gathered everyone here today is to tell you that our country is different from before. It is a communist society and a democratic nation. Everyone is equal…”
“Ninth Concubine, did you hear that? What my father said was true. We really don’t have to be servants anymore.”
Xiaohong tugged excitedly on Lin Zhijin’s arm.
Not far away, Hu Xiaoyue glanced at them and snorted softly.
Idiots.
As servants in the Chen residence, they could eat their fill and dress warmly.
Once they left the Chen residence, sooner or later they would starve to death.
She stroked her still-flat stomach.
Fortunately, she was carrying Master’s posthumous child.
She would still be able to live a life of luxury.
But immediately afterward, Hu Xiaoyue heard Director Zhao say that concubines would also be liberated and that the country would henceforth practice monogamy.
Her face instantly turned pale.
She was pregnant.
Did that mean she had to be “liberated” too?
“Leader, I can’t be liberated. I’m pregnant. Surely you’re not asking me to abort the child?”
Hu Xiaoyue gritted her teeth and gathered the courage to ask.
Second Master Chen’s expression darkened.
Idiot.
If Director Zhao and the others had not been here, he would have wanted to slap her.
Why was she butting in?
Even if she left the Chen residence, would they, as their father’s sons, simply ignore their father’s posthumous child?
Director Zhao looked through the crowd toward Hu Xiaoyue and turned his head.
“This lady is?”
“This is one of my father’s concubines. She is carrying my father’s posthumous child. Director Zhao, how should a situation like hers be handled?”
Second Master Chen kept his posture extremely humble.
“The state is not unreasonable. For concubines who have already given birth, we follow the principle of voluntary choice. Since this female comrade is pregnant, she may remain here if she wishes.”
Director Zhao smiled as he spoke.
After the founding of the country, whenever they arrived in a new place, they would liberate a group of female comrades like this.
They already had a mature procedure for handling such situations.
“All right. We will definitely follow the rules and regulations.”
As he spoke, Second Master Chen took a stack of indenture contracts from inside his clothes.
They were all the contracts of the Chen residence’s servants.
After showing them to Director Zhao and the others, he set them on fire in front of everyone.
Some people were delighted.
They no longer had to be servants or be ordered around by others.
Some were frightened.
Although they were servants in the Chen residence, their lives were more comfortable than those of ordinary people outside.
Most, however, were simply lost.
They had no idea what they would do in the future.
Xiaohong belonged to the delighted group.
Her parents were also servants in the Chen residence, but both of them were minor stewards. They had saved some money over the years and had long wanted to redeem themselves.
Unexpectedly, now they did not even have to pay redemption money and had become free people.
It was truly a blessing falling from the sky.
Seeing that Xiaohong was so happy she was almost grinning, Lin Zhijin pinched her hand.
They were still on Chen family grounds.
If she looked this delighted, Second Master Chen and the others certainly would not be pleased.
What if they bore a grudge?
Xiaohong also realized that she had lost control of herself.
She immediately lowered her head and stood close beside Lin Zhijin.
Director Zhao was very satisfied with the Chen family’s cooperation.
He waved his hand and left Director Zhang behind to counsel the concubines and bedchamber maids while he led the group to the next household.
Lin Zhijin exchanged a glance with Director Zhang, then immediately looked away.
Afterward, she walked over to First Madam and asked fearfully, “First Madam, what should I do? Do I have to leave the Chen residence?”
First Madam had been badly shaken by the sight of the troops rushing in, and her face was pale.
When she saw Lin Zhijin come over, she thought of her younger brother back at her maternal family and forced herself to regain her composure.
“You’re only leaving the Chen residence. It doesn’t mean we’ll stop having contact. Your house happens to be finished now, and haven’t you always wanted to stay there for a few days? Just think of it as moving somewhere else. It isn’t very far away. When you have time, come back and visit me often.”
Lin Zhijin timidly nodded.
When she heard a Women’s Federation worker call her name, she answered and walked over, turning back every few steps.
“Lin Pandi, seventeen years old. In February this year, because of a chongxi marriage, you married the late Master Chen and became the Ninth Concubine. Is that correct?”
Director Zhang wrote something down as she asked.
After Lin Zhijin left that day, they immediately sent people to investigate both her and Jinshi Mountain.
Her background had not been difficult to investigate.
She was a very ordinary young girl.
If there was anything different about her, perhaps it was that she was relatively clever and knew how to protect herself.
Director Zhang liked her very much.
She was smart, patriotic, and had ideas of her own.
If properly cultivated, she would definitely be able to contribute to the country in the future.
“Yes.”
Lin Zhijin pursed her lips, looking frightened.
A hint of amusement flashed through Director Zhang’s eyes.
She was quite convincing.
“Mm. Will you return to your family home, or would you like us to make arrangements for you?”
Lin Zhijin looked back at First Madam.
“I’m not going home. I… I’ll live in the city.”
Director Zhang wrote down the words follow organizational arrangements, then continued asking, “Do you have a place to live in the city? Do you need us to arrange a dormitory?”
“I have somewhere to live.”
Lin Zhijin glanced at First Madam again and replied quietly.
“All right. Go back and pack your things, then move out as soon as possible. Come to the Women’s Federation tomorrow morning at nine.”
Director Zhang had Lin Zhijin press her fingerprint onto the document, then began questioning the next person.
Lin Zhijin looked hesitantly at First Madam for a moment before turning around and returning to Wenzhu Courtyard.
On the way, she ran into Hu Xiaoyue and was mocked by her.
“So what if you became a concubine? Without a child, you’re still being thrown out of the household. Hmph. I heard the inheritance Master divided to you is all in First Madam’s hands? You really are an idiot.”
Hu Xiaoyue sneered and turned away.
“Ninth Concubine, don’t listen to her nonsense. You’re still young. Once you leave the Chen residence, you can find someone around your own age who knows how to care for you, marry him, and have children. No matter how you look at it, that’s better than spending your life as a widow in the Chen residence.”
Xiaohong did not leave immediately.
Instead, she followed Lin Zhijin back to Wenzhu Courtyard.
“I’m not angry. Xiaohong, I’m no longer the Ninth Concubine of the Chen residence. Don’t call me that anymore. I’m a few years older than you. If you don’t mind, call me Elder Sister.”
Lin Zhijin held Xiaohong’s hand and smiled.
Xiaohong repeatedly shook her head.
Although she was free now, years of habit remained.
She still could not bring herself to call her former mistress “Elder Sister.”
“I’ll call you Miss Lin. You have quite a lot of things. I’ll help you pack.”
Xiaohong followed Lin Zhijin into the room.
After making sure no one else was there, she lowered her voice and asked, “Miss Lin, did you also guess that the People’s Liberation Army would liberate us? Is that why you moved your things to the house in the eastern district ahead of time?”
Lin Zhijin had never really hidden much from Xiaohong in the first place.
Mainly because she could not hide it.
Now that Xiaohong had asked, she smiled.
“I actually have Boss Yin from Jinxiu Cloth Shop to thank. She told me that this is New Zhonghua now, and once the People’s Liberation Army arrived, people like us would all be liberated. She even read the newspaper to me. That’s why I made some preparations.”
Xiaohong suddenly understood.
No wonder Boss Yin always pulled the Ninth Concubine aside and whispered mysteriously with her whenever they met.
“Anything I’ve worn or used probably won’t be used by anyone else anyway. Pack it all up and take it with us.”
Lin Zhijin had already planned this out countless times in her mind, so she packed everything in an orderly fashion.
It had not looked like much, but once packed, there were several trunks.
And that did not even include her clothes and bedding.
“Miss Lin, we’ve run out of trunks.”
Xiaohong frowned as she looked at the room full of boxes.
“Don’t call me Miss Lin. Call me Elder Sister Lin.”
Lin Zhijin corrected her again.
Perhaps their earlier conversation had brought them a little closer, or perhaps Xiaohong was beginning to adjust to her new status.
This time, she obediently called her Elder Sister Lin.
“The residence should be in complete chaos right now. Ah, I remember there are still a few bolts of cotton cloth. Let’s use those to bundle up the clothes and bedding.”
Actually, Lin Zhijin had prepared those bolts of cloth for packing from the very beginning.
Sure enough, they came in useful.
After everything had been packed, Lin Zhijin and Xiaohong went outside to take a look.
The household’s cars and rickshaws had long since been taken by the other concubines.
So Lin Zhijin had Xiaohong hire several flatbed cart pullers and another rickshaw.
She had to move everything out in one trip before First Madam and the others had time to react.
“Xiaohong, I can go by myself. You’re no longer a maid of the Chen residence. From now on, we’re the same. We’re both ordinary citizens. Your parents are probably waiting for you to go home, so hurry back.”
Lin Zhijin stopped Xiaohong and smiled faintly.
“Elder Sister Lin.”
Xiaohong’s eyes instantly reddened, tears swirling inside them.
“I’ll still take you over. I won’t feel at ease if you go alone.”
“There really is no need. There are People’s Liberation Army soldiers everywhere in the city now. It’s very safe. You’ve already been more than kind to help me pack for so long. You should go back and pack your own things too. Don’t leave anything behind. When you have time, come visit me in the eastern district. You know where I live.”
Before parting, Lin Zhijin stuffed a small box into Xiaohong’s hands.
Xiaohong opened it and saw twenty silver dollars, a gold bracelet, and a pair of pearl earrings.
“This is too valuable. I can’t take it.”
Xiaohong hurriedly closed the box and tried to return it to Lin Zhijin.
“Keep it. Didn’t you say last time that you liked these earrings? During my time in the Chen residence, I relied on you to take such careful care of me. And you never told anyone about the things I did outside the residence either. Thank you. Consider this the dowry I’m giving you in advance. Don’t tell anyone about it. Keep it hidden away for the future.”
Lin Zhijin hugged Xiaohong and patted her back.
Her own eyes reddened slightly.
“I’m leaving. Come visit me when you have time.”
When Lin Zhijin had first arrived in this world, she truly knew nothing at all.
It was all thanks to Xiaohong telling her everything in meticulous detail and teaching her the rules of the Chen residence, including helping conceal all her unusual behavior.
So Lin Zhijin was genuinely grateful to this young girl who was only thirteen.
After getting into the rickshaw, Lin Zhijin turned back and looked at the gates of the Chen residence.
She took a deep breath and said clearly, “Sir, take me to Fengye Alley in the eastern district.”
“All right! Sit tight. We’re off!”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
None.