“Now all of you have the Zhao surname. This is your home, and Sir is your family.”
“If I discover that any of you break the rules I just mentioned, I’ll throw you and your entire family out of here.”
“Have you understood everything I just said?”
Jinyi sat on a chair while the three girls stood straight and obediently in front of her.
She was laying down the rules for the three of them.
She wanted to prevent any problems from arising once their families arrived.
“Yes, Big Sister.”
“Good. Then let’s go. Let’s go meet your families.”
Jinyi stood up and led the girls toward the front courtyard.
Originally, Zhao Baihui had wanted to receive them personally and even prepare a good meal for everyone.
After all, these were the families of the three girls.
But Jinyi stopped him.
She had even firmly demanded that he not get too close to the other people.
Otherwise, she would leave the household.
And she would stop recognizing him as her master and older brother.
Well, Zhao Baihui accepted the threat.
After living with them for so long, he had already grown accustomed to the three girls.
He even felt that he could no longer live without them.
After all, with them around the house, everything was perfectly organized, and all he had to do was stay there and be completely useless.
How comfortable.
In the front courtyard of the three-courtyard residence, the three families, fourteen people in total, were gathered together.
The men and women in charge of each family, along with the eldest children, stood there obediently.
Only the youngest children dared to look around and observe their surroundings.
These were the families of Jinxiu, Jinwen, and Jinyuan.
Jinxiu’s family originally had the surname Sun.
Her name was Sun Chunhua; her father was Sun Tiezhu, and her mother was Madam Shen.
Her eldest brother was named Sun Dazhu.
Her father was Tiezhu and her eldest son was Dazhu.
They really couldn’t have been more creative.
Her second younger sister was named Xia Hua, and the third was Qiu Hua.
It was a shame Dong Hua hadn’t been born yet.
If she had been, the family would have had flowers for all four seasons.
How beautiful that would have been!
The five members of Jinwen’s family had also all come.
Her real name was Wang Xiaoni.
Besides her parents, she had three younger brothers.
Jinyuan’s real name was Li Daya.
Besides her parents, she had two younger brothers.
The previous day, the three girls had returned to their respective families to tell them what had happened.
The next day, all three families had come with every member.
They had already been waiting for quite some time, yet the legendary scoundrel still hadn’t appeared…
The great benefactor.
The rumor that Zhao Baihui had no interest in beautiful women and preferred young girls had already spread throughout the area, but these families knew the truth of the situation.
Everyone was beginning to grow impatient from waiting.
However, they were simple, honest peasants and didn’t dare move around on their own, so they continued standing there obediently.
The door connecting the front courtyard to the central courtyard suddenly swung open.
Jinyuan came out first, followed by Jinyi, who walked with her head held high, with the other three girls behind her.
All four girls were dressed in new clothes of the same color and style.
It really gave them an air of authority.
Seeing that, despite having waited so long, the three families were still standing there obediently, Jinyi was quite satisfied.
They seemed like honest people.
“Uncles and elders, my name is Zhao Jinyi. On behalf of Sir, I welcome you all.”
“Good morning, Miss Jinyi!”
The men hurriedly greeted her, visibly nervous.
So this was the famous head maid who managed the household.
What presence!
And what a way of speaking!
Their own daughters would probably only ever be junior maids and wouldn’t even dare speak while standing behind her.
If their own daughters could one day become head maids, that would be wonderful.
“You are all relatives of Jinxiu, Jinwen, and Jinyuan, so there’s no need to be so tense. But you must also respect the rules of this household. Sir isn’t a demanding person. As long as you follow the rules, he naturally won’t treat you badly.”
“We’ll follow the rules. Of course we’ll follow the rules.”
Jinyi spoke somewhat sharply, which gave her a rather imposing air.
That speech was the result of her questioning Zhao Baihui at length the previous day and then spending quite some time practicing it on her own until she could deliver it fluently.
“The household rules aren’t complicated. To begin with, remember this: unless you have been summoned, you are strictly forbidden from entering the rear courtyard.”
“If you have something to discuss, you must report it from the doorway.”
“If anyone breaks the rules, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
“We’ll follow the rules. Of course we’ll follow the rules.”
Jinyi’s expression turned cold, and the more than ten adults and children present didn’t even dare breathe too loudly.
Then she softened her tone.
“You can stay in the central courtyard. Each family can first choose two rooms to settle into. If you feel that’s not enough, tell me.”
“Jinxiu, the three of you go with your families and help them settle in.”
“Yes, Big Sister.”
Jinyi turned around and walked toward the rear courtyard.
Once she arrived, she let out a sigh and patted her cheeks.
Just a moment ago, she had been so nervous that she felt as though she were going to die of fright.
Zhao Baihui, who was in the courtyard, gave her a thumbs-up.
“I secretly came over earlier to watch. I heard everything you said. You did very well, even better than I would have. Jinyi, from now on, this household will depend entirely on you.”
Jinyi’s face turned even redder.
“Sir, don’t tease me…”
In the front courtyard, it was only after Jinyi’s figure had completely disappeared that everyone present seemed to come back to life.
Some of the children wanted to move around, but their parents immediately grabbed them.
Although Jinyi had already left, the other three girls were still there, all dressed alike.
But who knew whether the other two would be just as easy to deal with?
They couldn’t allow their own daughters to embarrass them.
The three girls each approached their parents.
Jinwen’s mother asked her quietly,
“Xiaoni, where are we going to live?”
Hearing herself called Xiaoni again, Jinwen felt indescribably uncomfortable.
What an awful name.
“Mother, don’t call me Xiaoni anymore. Call me Jinwen.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve always called you…!”
Wang He, the matriarch of the Wang family, was interrupted when her husband gave her a slight tug.
“Listen to the girl. Jinwen sounds much better. Don’t let her companions make fun of her.”
Wang He was stunned, and her expression became somewhat dull.
It was true.
Wang Xiaoni had already been sold by her.
The girl now standing before her was Zhao Jinwen, a maid in a well-to-do household.
Jinwen still cared about the relationship they had shared and was willing to help them, so they had to respect the rules.
Wang He forced a slightly ingratiating smile.
“Then we’ll have to trouble you, Jinwen. Help us figure out where we’re going to stay.”
Jinwen froze for a moment.
She had sensed the condescension and distance in her mother’s voice.
For a moment, a bitter and indescribable feeling tightened around her heart.
“All right. Follow me. Dalu, Daniu, Dama, you three come too.”
Well.
It seemed that this family no longer had to worry about finding beasts of burden.
They had everything: an ox, a horse, and a donkey.
“Sister, can we really live here from now on?”
Her eldest brother, Wang Dalu, looked incredulously at the spacious room in front of him.
It was far better than the thatched hut they had lived in.
It was a spacious earthen house, with a bed and a table.
And most importantly, the three brothers would be able to sleep together in there without having to squeeze in with their parents.
Jinwen gently patted her younger brother’s head.
“Dalu, work hard from now on, and Sir won’t treat you badly. When you grow up, you’ll probably be able to marry a good wife.”
Dalu vigorously shook his head.
“Sister, I don’t want a wife. If I work hard, could Sir give me a name as nice as yours? Everyone makes fun of me because my name is ‘Donkey.’ I don’t like it.”
Jinwen smiled.
“All right. Work hard, and when the time comes, I’ll ask Sir to give you a good name.”
Daniu and Dama also came running over.
The two of them began shouting that they wanted him to change their names too, and that they didn’t want to get married either.
In Chinese, the names of the three brothers contain words related to animals: 大驴 (Dàlǘ):literally, “Big Donkey” or “Great Donkey.” 大牛 (Dàniú):literally, “Big Ox.” 大马 (Dàmǎ): literally, “Big Horse.” That is why, when Jinwen calls her brothers Dalu, Daniu, and Dama, the narrator jokes that the family “has everything: an ox, a horse, and a donkey.” Later on, Dalu complains that the others make fun of him precisely because his name contains 驴 (lǘ, “donkey”).