“Concubine Hu is really impressive. She keeps monopolizing Master, so the Ninth Concubine barely gets to see him,” a young maid said with a sigh.
“She’s still too inexperienced.” Another maid held up nine fingers. “At Master’s age, she should be thinking of a way to get pregnant as soon as possible. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. Only then will she have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.”
“She’s pitiful too. She’s two years younger than me. A bedchamber maid can still remarry, but a concubine is entered into the family genealogy. She can’t remarry even if she wants to. Without a child, she’ll only be able to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for the rest of her life.” The young maid looked sympathetic.
The Lin Zhijin who was being pitied was currently drinking bird’s nest.
On the table were strawberries and cream cake, both of which she loved. Most importantly, she did not have to serve that old geezer.
This was practically an immortal’s life.
“Ninth Concubine, Master wants you to go over,” Old Woman Zhang came in and said.
What she feared had come true.
Lin Zhijin unhappily put down the cake in her hand.
How annoying.
He was already so sick that he couldn’t even get out of bed, and he had a delicate, beautiful concubine serving him. Why was he still thinking about her?
“I understand. I’ll change my clothes and go.”
Lin Zhijin changed her clothes, then sat in front of the dressing table and let Xiaohong arrange her hair.
Although Xiaohong was young, she was very skillful with her hands. She knew how to style hair in many different ways and was also good at needlework. The undergarment Lin Zhijin was wearing had been made by Xiaohong.
Speaking of undergarments, Lin Zhijin asked Xiaohong as they walked, “Did you ask about the underwear I told you to inquire about?”
She really could not get used to wearing a dudou, nor the underpants she had made herself.
The fabric was good, but she felt too empty in them. They were not as comfortable as close-fitting cotton underwear.
“I asked. The department store has them. Would you like to go take a look yourself, or should we have someone buy them and bring them back?” Xiaohong brought over a coat and helped Lin Zhijin put it on. “It rained a little today, so it’s rather cold outside.”
“I can go to the department store myself?”
The Chen residence was old-fashioned, so Lin Zhijin had assumed concubines were not allowed to leave the house.
“You have to ask First Madam for permission. Usually, First Madam will agree.” Xiaohong looked at Lin Zhijin in confusion.
Of course it would be nice if she could go out and look around.
She could also take the opportunity to see what Nancheng was like in the 1950s.
When they arrived at Master Chen’s courtyard, Lin Zhijin encountered a delicate-looking woman with a gentle temperament coming out of the room.
Upon seeing her, the woman respectfully curtsied.
“Greetings, Ninth Concubine. Master is waiting for you inside.”
Lin Zhijin glanced at her, then turned her head and quietly asked Xiaohong, “Who is she?”
“That’s Concubine Wang. She’s different from the other bedchamber maids. She’s been pregnant twice, but unfortunately, neither child was born.”
When Xiaohong spotted Xiaocui inside the room, she immediately shut her mouth.
Only Master Chen was in the inner room.
Lin Zhijin tactfully picked up the bowl and fed him his medicine.
She was a caregiver.
She was a caregiver.
She was a caregiver…
After mentally preparing herself, Lin Zhijin coaxed Master Chen gently, “Master, your complexion looks good today. It seems your illness will be cured soon.”
Master Chen drank the medicine with a smile.
“That’s right. With such a delicate little beauty like you around, of course Master has to recover quickly. Master knows you were wronged on our wedding night. Don’t worry. Later, Master will make up for it with another wedding night.”
She couldn’t take it anymore.
What was this old geezer saying?
Who wanted him to make up the wedding night?
Help!
How could this stinky old man be so confident?
“None of that is important. I only hope Master’s illness gets better soon.”
Lin Zhijin stared at Master Chen with her watery eyes.
Believe me. Everyone else only has their eyes on your possessions. I’m the only one who feels sorry for you, Brother.
Master Chen was instantly deeply moved.
His other eight wives were all hoping he would die sooner. Only Little Nine and Xiaoyue hoped he would recover as quickly as possible.
Once the old geezer was moved, he waved his hand and gave her another pile of good things.
Lin Zhijin took the opportunity to mention that she wanted to visit the department store.
“The farthest place I’ve ever been before is the town. I often hear people say the department store has everything, and there are even lots of foreign goods. I… I want to go and broaden my horizons.”
“You’re young. It’s normal to like shopping. Go ahead. Just come back before dark.”
Master Chen was in a good mood at the moment and was especially easy to talk to.
Although Master Chen had agreed, Lin Zhijin still went to ask First Madam for permission.
“She’s sensible. Let her go,” First Madam said with a smile.
Since she had decided to do her a favor, she might as well do it thoroughly.
First Madam had another twenty silver dollars sent to Lin Zhijin.
Don’t think twenty silver dollars was a small amount. Among ordinary people, earning even one silver dollar a month was already considered a decent income.
Lin Zhijin had Xiaohong accept the silver dollars with a grateful expression, then returned to Wenzhu Courtyard, changed into another pair of shoes, and prepared to leave for the department store.
“Ninth Concubine, Master asked me to bring this to you.”
An inconspicuous male servant stood waiting outside the hanging-flower gate.
Lin Zhijin gestured for Xiaohong to take it and said gratefully, “Please thank Master for me.”
The male servant bowed and left.
Lin Zhijin followed Xiaohong out through the side gate, where a rickshaw was already waiting outside.
“Does this belong to our household?” Lin Zhijin asked quietly.
“Yes. We also have carriages and automobiles. Next time you go somewhere farther away, you can take an automobile,” Xiaohong said proudly.
Lin Zhijin nodded and opened the pouch Master Chen had sent over.
The golden gleam inside nearly blinded her.
The old geezer might be a little old, but he truly was generous.
In just a few days, he had given her fine silks and satins, all kinds of expensive jewelry and tonics, and now he had sent her a pouch stuffed full of gold ingots.
Each one was small and exquisitely made.
Most importantly, their glittering golden appearance made them impossible to put down.
She weighed one in her hand.
It was about as heavy as the gold bracelet she had owned in her previous life, probably around thirty-six or thirty-seven grams.
“Is this half a liang?” Lin Zhijin could not figure out the current system of measurements.
Xiaohong glanced at it and smiled.
“That’s one liang. Master treats you so well. With these, you’ll definitely return with a full load today.”
Looking at the adorable little gold ingots, Lin Zhijin could hardly bear to use them.
The main reason was that these ingots were small and easy to carry.
Later, when Master Chen died and she was thrown out of the household, she could hide them on her body and take them with her.
Lin Zhijin tucked them into an inner pocket.
“Let’s look around first. I’ll spend them if I see something I like.”
Xiaohong smiled and nodded without saying anything else.
This Ninth Concubine was different from the country girl she had imagined.
She looked timid, but she actually had her own ideas.
She claimed she had never studied, yet she spoke and handled matters in a very organized way and was not coarse at all.
But if one said she was worldly and knowledgeable, there really were many things she had never seen before.
She was truly contradictory.
In fact, Lin Zhijin had already been extremely careful with her disguise.
But for someone like Xiaohong, who had been learning how to observe people’s expressions and behavior since childhood, even the slightest flaw would be noticed.
There was nothing she could do.
As Lin Zhijin’s personal maid, Xiaohong was by her side practically twenty-four hours a day.
Lin Zhijin was only an ordinary person, not a real actress.
And even an actress probably couldn’t avoid revealing a single flaw, right?
To Lin Zhijin, the department store of this era really was not very big.
It was about the same size as a supermarket in a small town.
It did indeed carry a complete range of goods.
The first floor sold all kinds of daily necessities, while valuable items were on the second floor.
Underwear was there as well.
Lin Zhijin had not forgotten her main purpose today.
She first went with Xiaohong to look at bras and underwear, and once again, she was surprised.
She had thought they would be relatively plain.
She hadn’t expected underwear from this era to be so beautiful.
Especially the brocade-patterned ones, those with Suzhou embroidery, and the lace ones.
They combined Chinese and Western styles and were both comfortable and attractive.
“They even have everyday styles and sports styles?”
Lin Zhijin touched them.
The everyday style had no underwire, while the sports style did.
“This is… a dudou style?”
“Yes. If you don’t like the patterns on these, you can choose a design and have one custom-made.”
Seeing Lin Zhijin’s clothes and the maid accompanying her, the sales clerk immediately came forward with a smile.
“Can I try it on?”
Lin Zhijin had taken a liking to one with a kitten pattern.
The embroidery was entirely handmade and looked incredibly lifelike.
Oh my god.
In the future, something like this would be collectible quality, yet right now, it was embroidered onto underwear.
“Of course. There’s a fitting room over here.”
The sales clerk led Lin Zhijin to the fitting room.
It looked good and was also comfortable to wear.
Its only drawback was that it was expensive, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.
Fortunately, both First Madam and Master Chen had given her money.
Otherwise, Lin Zhijin would not have been able to afford more than a few pieces.
She liked this one.
She liked that one too.
In the end, she chose more than a dozen bras and over twenty pairs of underwear.
Xiaohong opened her mouth, intending to say she could not possibly wear that many.
But when she saw Lin Zhijin’s excited expression, she silently closed her mouth again.
Aside from bras and underwear, Lin Zhijin bought some other miscellaneous items.
On the way back to the Chen residence, they passed the City God Temple.
She had the rickshaw pull over and painfully donated one gold ingot, then asked for two peace talismans.
First Madam and Master Chen had been generous to her.
She could not give them absolutely nothing in return.
They certainly would not care for anything from the department store, so she might as well ask for two peace talismans.
It showed her sincerity, and the meaning behind them was good too.
Sure enough, Master Chen and First Madam were both fairly pleased when they received the peace talismans.
One sent her another pouch of gold ingots, while the other had half a basket of apples delivered to her.
Fruit was precious at this time.
She heard that these apples had been sent by First Madam’s maternal family, and there were only a few baskets in total.
Yet First Madam had actually given her half a basket.
Lin Zhijin was very touched.
She continued obediently playing the timid Ninth Concubine and absolutely would not cause First Madam any trouble.
Several more days passed.
Master Chen’s health gradually improved, and as his body recovered, certain thoughts began stirring in his mind as well.
Lin Zhijin trembled.
Don’t do this.
Did this old geezer really intend to consummate the marriage with her?
“Ninth Concubine, Master wants you to have dinner with him,” Old Woman Li said cheerfully.
“Master can get out of bed now?”
Lin Zhijin had only seen Master Chen yesterday.
He had not looked capable of getting out of bed.
“Not yet. You can serve Master while he eats.”
Old Woman Li wore an expression that clearly said, Being able to serve Master while he eats is your good fortune.
Lin Zhijin gritted her teeth and agreed with a smile.
She changed her clothes before going with Xiaohong to Master Chen’s room.
Before she even entered the courtyard, she saw Hu Xiaoyue hurriedly coming out.
The two almost collided.
“What are you doing, rushing about like this? What if you bumped into the Ninth Concubine?”
Old Woman Li glared at Hu Xiaoyue.
Although Hu Xiaoyue was Master Chen’s woman, her status was actually lower than Old Woman Li’s.
“I urgently need to use the latrine.”
Hu Xiaoyue glanced at Lin Zhijin and reluctantly curtsied.
“Greetings, Ninth Concubine. Master is waiting for you inside. I’ll head back first.”
When Lin Zhijin saw the guilty look in her eyes, she immediately thought of the drugging plot in the original novel.
Could today be the day she drugged him?
No.
She could not let Hu Xiaoyue leave.
She had absolutely no desire to do that with Old Man Chen.
“Concubine Hu, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Master’s courtyard has a latrine too. Besides, I think what you said last time was quite right. I don’t really know how to serve someone, so I was hoping you could teach me more. Why don’t we do it today?”
Lin Zhijin grabbed Hu Xiaoyue and refused to let her leave.
Hu Xiaoyue tried to pull free, but no matter what she did, she could not break Lin Zhijin’s grip.
Smiling brightly, Lin Zhijin dragged Hu Xiaoyue inside.
The original owner was a country girl who had been accustomed to farm work since childhood.
Carrying around a hundred jin was nothing to her.
Grabbing Hu Xiaoyue was practically as easy as catching a chick.
“Mama Li, take Concubine Hu to the latrine. Master and I will wait for her so we can eat together.”
For once, Lin Zhijin acted forcefully.
What a joke.
If she kept pretending to be timid and weak, her chastity was going to be in danger.
With Old Woman Li watching her, Hu Xiaoyue failed to leave.
After that, Hu Xiaoyue served Master Chen his meal while Lin Zhijin stood nearby observing and learning.
Everything was calm.
Nothing happened to Master Chen.
Lin Zhijin glanced at Hu Xiaoyue in confusion.
Then what had she been looking so guilty about earlier?
The following night, Master Chen summoned Lin Zhijin to spend the night with him.
She immediately nodded and agreed.
However, on her way there, she deliberately took a slight detour and passed by Hu Xiaoyue’s door.
When she happened to encounter her, she even gave her a smug look.
“Did you see that? Did you see that? That bitch Madam Lin did it on purpose!”
Hu Xiaoyue pointed at Lin Zhijin’s back and cursed angrily.
Hu Xiaoyue was favored, so just like Wang Xiuzhu, she had her own private room and a young maid serving her.
At that moment, ignoring the young maid’s attempts to stop her, she chased directly after Lin Zhijin.
The result was extremely gratifying.
Master Chen could not withstand Hu Xiaoyue’s pestering and could only have Lin Zhijin return first.
Out of guilt, he even gave her quite a few things.
Lin Zhijin was very satisfied.
Hu Xiaoyue had successfully surpassed First Madam in her heart and become the number one good person.
Two days later, Master Chen was already able to get out of bed and walk a couple of steps.
Lin Zhijin began to grow anxious.
Why hadn’t anyone drugged him yet?
She was almost tempted to drug Master Chen herself.
That evening, after Lin Zhijin finished dinner and was taking a walk around the courtyard, a young maid from Master Chen’s courtyard came over and told her to go see him.
Usually, Old Woman Li or Xiaocui came to summon her.
Why had an unfamiliar young maid come today?
If it had been the original owner, she definitely would have gone.
But Lin Zhijin knew the plot.
When it came to anything involving Master Chen, she was cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.
“Mama Zhang, is she someone from Master’s courtyard?”
Lin Zhijin had Xiaohong keep an eye on the girl while she called Mama Zhang over to identify her.
The young maid clearly had not expected Lin Zhijin to do something like this.
The moment she saw Old Woman Zhang come out, she immediately turned around and ran.
Old Woman Zhang’s expression darkened.
Someone actually dared to play tricks right under her nose.
They must be tired of living.
“Ninth Concubine, don’t be afraid. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
Old Woman Zhang chased after the young maid.
Lin Zhijin patted her chest and returned to her room with a frightened expression while saying, “I wonder what they were trying to trick me into doing. Xiaohong, go tell Mama Sun.”
Seeing that Lin Zhijin’s face had gone pale from fright, Xiaohong hesitated for a moment.
She instructed the two young maids to take good care of her before turning around and heading to the main courtyard to find Mama Sun.
Lin Zhijin climbed onto the bed as though she were utterly terrified.
People always said curiosity killed the cat.
In any case, she absolutely would not take a single step outside her courtyard today.
In the middle of the night, a burst of commotion erupted outside.
Lin Zhijin, who had already fallen asleep, was shaken awake by Xiaohong.
She said First Madam had ordered everyone to gather in the main courtyard.
Judging from Mama Sun’s expression, something major had happened in the residence.
Lin Zhijin’s eyes lit up.
It definitely had something to do with Master Chen being drugged.
She just did not know who had done it.
Whatever.
She would find out once she reached the main courtyard.
She deliberately chose a low-key outfit.
After arriving at the main courtyard, she first greeted First Madam, then hid behind the Eighth Concubine and quietly watched the excitement.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Sorry, I’m three hours late. Chapter 3 and Chapter 3 still need a bit more revision. It won’t affect reading the story. Love you all, muah muah (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～