At the first glimmer of dawn, Lin Zhijin abruptly opened her eyes.
She had been on edge the entire time, so she had not slept soundly at all last night.
She got up and saw that Master Chen was still asleep. Moving quietly, she folded and put away her bedding, then tugged on the cord beside the bed. The bell rang, and Xiaocui, who could barely hide her sleepiness, gently pushed open the door and came in.
“Ninth Concubine, you’re awake? Would you like to wash up now?” Xiaocui poked her head in to glance at Master Chen and asked in a low voice.
“Mm.” Lin Zhijin followed Xiaocui into the outer room. Looking down at the red undergarments she was wearing, she lowered her voice and asked, “Where are the clothes I brought with me?”
The Chen family had given a generous betrothal gift. Besides money, there was also food and bolts of cloth. To save face, the Lin family had taken out some of the cloth to make her two sets of clothes and two quilts as her dowry. They had also given her two silver dollars to keep at the bottom of her trunk.
The original owner had been deeply moved, thinking that her parents loved her. She had even planned to behave well in the Chen family and send any benefits she received back to her maternal family.
Lin Zhijin, however, could only sneer.
They loved her?
If her memories were correct, the Chen family had given sixty-six silver dollars, six bolts of cloth, as well as tobacco, alcohol, and pastries. Yet the Lin family had given her only this meager dowry while constantly reminding the original owner to be grateful, telling her that if she ever received anything good, she must not forget her maternal family—especially her younger brother.
Tsk. With such a large betrothal gift, the original owner had already repaid them for giving birth to and raising her.
She would not be giving them anything in the future.
“I’ll go ask about them in a moment.” Xiaocui called over two young maids. One carried a toothbrush and cup of water, while the other held a spittoon.
Lin Zhijin was pleasantly surprised when she saw the toothbrush.
Last night, she had only rinsed her mouth, so she had thought the Chen residence did not have toothbrushes!
When the young maid tried to help brush her teeth, Lin Zhijin hurriedly took the toothbrush and did it herself.
She wasn’t a three-year-old child. Having someone else brush her teeth made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Xiaocui and the others did not find it strange. Everyone knew the Ninth Concubine had come from the countryside, so it was perfectly normal that she was not accustomed to being waited on.
What surprised them more was that she actually knew how to use a toothbrush. They had thought she wouldn’t.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, the young maid who had gone to fetch her clothes returned.
Behind her was an older woman whom the original owner had met before.
She was the one who had gone to the countryside to select a girl and had ultimately chosen the original owner. She called herself Mama Sun.
“I heard from Old Woman Li that Master woke up last night?” Mama Sun looked Lin Zhijin up and down.
Her expression remained timid, and she had not become arrogant simply because she was now a concubine.
Mama Sun nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
Her judgment had been correct. Compared to that Lin Xiaoya, Lin Pandi really was much easier to control.
“Yes. Master was awake for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The doctor also came to examine him, and his condition has improved somewhat,” Lin Zhijin replied meekly with her eyes lowered.
Mama Sun was very satisfied with her obedient demeanor.
“First Madam said that the Ninth Concubine worked hard serving Master last night, so you may go over a little later to serve tea.” Mama Sun turned her head and beckoned. “This is Xiaohong. From now on, she’ll be your personal maid.”
Lin Zhijin looked at the young girl, who appeared to be only twelve or thirteen, and obediently agreed.
She knew absolutely nothing about the Chen residence.
In any case, pretending to be obedient could never go wrong.
It was only two months.
They would pass quickly.
Mama Sun nodded, then reminded Old Woman Li and the others to take good care of Master before turning to leave.
There were two sets of clothes in total, one pink and one blue.
Lin Zhijin chose the blue one. After eating a very sumptuous breakfast, she followed Xiaohong’s directions to go serve tea to First Madam.
On the way, Lin Zhijin asked Xiaohong about the Chen family’s situation.
It turned out to be even more complicated than she had imagined.
Including her, there was one First Madam and eight concubines in the residence. There were also nine officially acknowledged bedchamber maids. As for those who had not been formally acknowledged, even Xiaohong did not know how many there were.
In other words, on the surface alone, Master Chen had eighteen women.
And she was the eighteenth concubine.
Lin Zhijin couldn’t help sighing with emotion.
With so many women, could Master Chen even remember all their names?
Aside from her, who had become the Ninth Concubine because she was brought in for chongxi, the other seven had all been promoted to concubine only after giving birth to children.
Bedchamber maids and concubines were both secondary women, but their statuses were worlds apart.
One was considered a mistress of the household and had maids and older female servants waiting on her. The other not only had to accompany Master Chen in bed but also had to perform a maid’s duties.
No wonder that bedchamber maid had drugged Master Chen.
“Who is managing the household now?” Lin Zhijin asked in a lowered voice.
Xiaohong looked around before replying just as quietly, “Third Madam manages the inner residence. As for the front… Second Master is in charge.”
Hm?
Why were different people managing the front and rear courtyards?
“Ninth Concubine, we’re here,” Xiaohong reminded her.
Lin Zhijin looked at the courtyard entrance and took a deep breath before entering with Xiaohong.
There was no rush.
She could slowly ask around after the tea-serving ceremony.
The moment she entered the room, everyone’s gaze turned toward Lin Zhijin, openly sizing her up without restraint.
Even the servants in the room did not take this little country concubine who had been bought for chongxi seriously.
Lin Zhijin had already expected this.
She deliberately lowered her head fearfully and clutched the hem of her clothes with both hands. Under Mama Sun’s instructions, she served tea to First Madam.
“I heard what Old Woman Li said. Master is very satisfied with you. Very good. Continue serving Master properly in the future, and neither Master nor I will treat you poorly.”
First Madam, Madam Chen née Li, turned her head and gave a meaningful glance. A maid immediately handed her a wooden box.
“The other concubines received one when they served tea as well. This is yours.”
With Master Chen in his current condition, Madam Chen née Li naturally said nothing about producing more descendants. She merely instructed Lin Zhijin to take good care of him.
“Thank you, First Madam. I’ll serve Master properly.”
Lin Zhijin sneaked a glance.
It was actually an entire set of jadeite jewelry.
The jade had excellent translucency, and the designs were exquisite. One look was enough to know that it was valuable.
First Madam was truly wealthy and generous.
She liked her.
Next, Lin Zhijin met the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Concubines.
Each of them smiled as they gave her a greeting gift.
The Second Concubine gave her a gold bracelet, the Third Concubine gave her a gold hairpin, and the Fourth Concubine gave her a jade bracelet.
In short, they were all extremely generous.
Lin Zhijin also met several of Master Chen’s children, grandsons, and granddaughters.
Strictly speaking, she was their elder, so she should have given the younger generation greeting gifts. But she was short on money and could not afford anything at all.
Fortunately, First Madam had thought everything through and had someone prepare the gifts on her behalf.
“All right. If there’s nothing else, everyone may return. Ninth Concubine, stay for a moment.” Madam Chen née Li waved her hand.
She was only one year younger than Master Chen and was already sixty-seven this year. She simply did not have the energy to deal with all the old man’s many women.
After the concubines left one after another, Madam Chen née Li gestured for Lin Zhijin to sit.
“Master’s health is poor, so I’ve arranged for you to stay in Wenzhu Courtyard, the courtyard closest to Master. Aside from Xiaohong, your personal maid, you’ll also have one older female servant and two young maids. As for everything else, Xiaohong has been in the residence for a long time. Let her explain it to you.”
When Lin Zhijin saw Madam Chen née Li lift her teacup, she pretended not to understand what it meant. Only after Xiaohong reminded her did she hurriedly stand up.
“I’ll follow First Madam’s arrangements. Then I’ll head back first. If First Madam has any instructions, just have someone come tell me.”
Watching Lin Zhijin’s retreating figure, Madam Chen née Li curled her lips into a smile.
“Timid and obedient. Mama Sun, you chose well.”
A trace of smugness flashed through Mama Sun’s eyes.
From the moment she saw Lin Xiaoya, she had known that girl was not an honest one.
She had even dared to play tricks right in front of her.
She really did not know her own limits.
“First Madam, the Ninth Concubine is only a chongxi bride. Why are you treating her so well?” Xialan entered carrying a food box and took out a bowl of bird’s nest. “You barely ate anything this morning. Have some more bird’s nest.”
“She’s only seventeen, a year younger than Wan’er. I’ll just consider it accumulating some virtue.” Madam Chen née Li revealed a kindly smile. “Go choose some things and send them to the Ninth Concubine. A concubine of the Chen family looking too shabby would only embarrass the Chen family.”
The Chen family did not lack those few things.
As long as Madam Lin remained obedient and well-behaved, they could simply treat it as keeping a cat or dog.
Lin Zhijin followed Xiaohong to Wenzhu Courtyard.
She hadn’t expected the tea-serving ceremony to go so smoothly.
She had thought she would get to witness some grand inner-household scheming!
But after thinking about it, what kind of important figure was she?
She was merely a seventeen-year-old country girl who could not read and had no maternal family she could rely on.
They simply could not be bothered with her.
The corners of Lin Zhijin’s lips curled upward.
Very good.
Extremely good.
Just keep ignoring her like this and let her quietly lay low in the Chen family for two months.
“Greetings, Ninth Concubine. The room has already been prepared. Would you like to take a look? First Madam said that if you’re missing anything, you can go to Mama Sun.” Old Woman Zhang’s attitude could not exactly be called respectful, but neither did she look down on Lin Zhijin.
“You’re Old Woman Zhang?”
Lin Zhijin also met the other two maids. They were a few years older than Xiaohong and looked simple and honest.
Hopefully, they really were honest.
“Yes, I’m Old Woman Zhang. If you need anything done outside in the future, just tell me to handle it.” Old Woman Zhang led Lin Zhijin around the courtyard, inside and out. “Ninth Concubine, are you satisfied with this room?”
The room had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained.
The bedsheets, quilts, and bed curtains were all new. The furniture, the folding screen—even the tea set on the table—exuded luxury everywhere one looked.
A mere concubine’s room was already this lavish.
As expected of a wealthy and powerful clan.
“I’m satisfied. Very satisfied. Was all of this arranged by First Madam? I’ll go thank her later,” Lin Zhijin carefully probed.
“Of course. Our First Madam has always had the heart of a Bodhisattva. You’ll understand once you’ve been here longer.” Old Woman Zhang seized the opportunity to praise First Madam.
Lin Zhijin nodded repeatedly.
“First Madam looks so kind and benevolent. I’ve only just entered the household, yet she’s already helped me so much. I… I don’t even know how to thank her.”
She was just about to rest for a while when Mama Sun arrived with several maids carrying things.
There were expensive bolts of fabric, exquisite and beautiful jewelry, as well as nourishing treasures such as bird’s nest and cordyceps.
“These are all for me?” Lin Zhijin asked with the expression of someone who had never seen such things before.
It really was her first time seeing such a scene.
Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought she had transmigrated into ancient times.
“Yes. They were all bestowed upon you by First Madam.”
Mama Sun deliberately emphasized the word “bestowed.”
Lin Zhijin did not care at all.
Bestowed was bestowed.
These were all good things.
She even wished First Madam would bestow things on her every day.
“First Madam is so good to me. Mama Sun, you must thank First Madam on my behalf,” Lin Zhijin said with overwhelming gratitude.
“I’ll tell First Madam. If the Ninth Concubine has no other instructions, we’ll take our leave.” Mama Sun inclined her head slightly.
Lin Zhijin escorted Mama Sun to the door before returning inside to admire everything she had received today.
So these were the fine silks and satins people talked about?
Lin Zhijin gently stroked the fabric.
In her previous life, she had once bought a real silk blouse that cost more than two thousand yuan.
Who would have thought that after transmigrating into a concubine in the 1950s, she would actually get to wear fine silks and satins?
Aside from the fabric, Lin Zhijin could hardly bear to put down the greeting gifts she had received and the jewelry First Madam had later sent over.
She especially loved the jadeite jewelry First Madam had given her during the tea-serving ceremony.
The more Lin Zhijin looked at it, the more she liked it.
“Ninth Concubine, First Madam treats you so well. She gave you so many things. Should we call someone from the sewing room to come take your measurements and make you some clothes?” Xiaohong asked happily.
“Old Woman Zhang, go call someone from the sewing room to come take my measurements.”
Lin Zhijin sent Old Woman Zhang away and had the two young maids go busy themselves outside as well, leaving only Xiaohong behind.
She was preparing to ask Xiaohong about certain matters in the Chen residence.
For example, why Second Master was managing the household while Third Madam managed the inner residence.
After Xiaohong explained everything, Lin Zhijin finally understood the whole story.
First Madam had given birth to the eldest son and second daughter.
The eldest son’s entire family had settled in Chou Country, while the second daughter had followed her husband’s family to Hong Kong. Aside from her granddaughter Chen Wan’er, none of her other descendants were by her side.
The Second Concubine had originally been First Madam’s dowry maid. She had given birth to the eldest daughter and third son and obeyed First Madam in everything.
Because of this, her children were also deeply trusted by First Madam.
If the Second Concubine’s son had not been merely average in ability, he would have been the one managing the household.
The Third Concubine had only given birth to Master Chen’s second son.
Although she had only one child, that child had turned out capable.
The person currently managing the Chen residence was precisely this Second Master.
The Fourth Concubine had two daughters and one son, the Fifth Concubine had two sons, the Sixth Concubine had four daughters, and the Seventh Concubine had given birth to a pair of boy-girl twins.
The Eighth Concubine had originally had a son, but unfortunately, he had died at the age of three.
Lin Zhijin counted on her fingers.
Master Chen actually had fourteen children!!!
Then again, with so many wives, fourteen children was not actually that many.
Quite a few must have died along the way.
Oh my god.
A real-life version of inner-household scheming.
Just thinking about it was exciting.
“Ninth Concubine, you don’t need to worry. From the way First Madam acted, I think she intends to protect you,” Xiaohong quietly comforted her when she saw Lin Zhijin looking thoughtful.
“Mm. As long as we remain cautious and know our place, we should be fine.” Lin Zhijin deliberately nodded fearfully.
It was fine.
She only needed to lay low for two months.
Once the People’s Liberation Army arrived, not only would she regain her freedom, but servants like Xiaohong would also be free again.
Just as she was preparing to rest for a while, Xiaocui came over.
She said Master Chen had woken up and wanted Lin Zhijin to go see him.
That old geezer was awake, so what?
Why did she have to go over?
Before she even entered the room, she heard a coquettish voice drifting out from inside.
“Master, you’re finally awake. You have no idea how worried I’ve been about you.”
Lin Zhijin’s eyes lit up.
Could this be the bedchamber maid who drugged him?
She had to hurry inside and take a look.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Chapter 1 was revised several times. Friend A said the first version was good, Friend B said the second version, and Friend C said the third version. In the end, I settled on the third version, and then all the chapters I had saved became useless. Useless… But everything has been straightened out now. From here on, there will be daily updates. Love you all, muah muah (づ￣3￣)づ╭??～