Chapter Nineteenth: Idle Chats and Rewards in Zhao Family Village

  At the crack of dawn, the west corner gate of the Lin family's house opened, and a group of young maidservants and menservants came out one after another, each with an air of excitement, heading out to meet their waiting parents and brothers outside the Lin family compound.

  The two groups of people inside and outside the house formed a sharp contrast. Those who came out were dressed in new clothes, with heavy bags hanging from their waists and packages in their hands; those waiting were mostly wearing tattered clothes, with sunburns on their faces accumulated from years of hard work.

  Old Mrs. Luo personally instructed the crowd at the corner gate: "Today is the kindness of the young master and the young lady, asking you to spend a reunion year at home, and before the door closes at 5 o'clock tomorrow evening, you must return. If you miss the master's family affairs due to greed for play, be careful with your skin."

  The little maids and menservants nodded in agreement, and the family members waiting outside also came forward to flatter Luo Daigne, saying: "Don't worry, madam, we'll take care of them and make sure they're back by tomorrow at the latest." Others kept saying that Lin's young master and daughter were living Buddhas, chanting Amitabha Buddha repeatedly.

  This time, there were twenty-six people who went back home for the New Year. They were not very old and most of them came from farming families with many sisters. It was said that Lin Shao Ye's family treated their servants well, never beating or scolding them, and gave generous rewards during festivals. When a girl reached marriageable age, they would let her go for just a few taels of silver as a ransom, without making things difficult. These families in difficulty saw this as a good opportunity, so they hurriedly asked the housekeeper's mother or the matchmaker who often came and went from Lin's family to find a way out for their children.

  The children went home happily, and the Lin family's corner door was tightly closed again.

  Among these twenty or so people, there was a girl named Xiang Hui who was only thirteen years old. Although she was young, it could be seen that she was a beautiful girl. Today, the one who came to pick her up was Xiang Hui's older brother. He had received this good news two days ago and was sent out by his mother before dawn today to pick up his younger sister. Xiang Hui's family lived in Zhaojiazhuang, south of Suzhou City, and her original name was Zhao Dimei. Because the housekeeper mother thought this name was too common, she changed it to Xiang Hui. This little girl was quite happy and felt that it sounded much better than the name given by her own father.

  There are about 600 people in Zhaojiazhuang, all of whom make a living by farming. Occasionally, some go to the city to do small business. Xianghui's family is located in the middle of the village, with a large courtyard and five main rooms. From afar, you can see two big red lanterns hanging in front of the yard.

  It doesn't seem like they're struggling to make ends meet, but actually, Xiang Hua's aunt is a cook in the Lin household and has a good relationship with Luo Da Niang. When she found out that the Lin family was looking for a new maid, she thought of her own niece and quickly sent her son to fetch Xiang Hua. Xiang Hua's parents were overjoyed. The contract was for five years, until Xiang Hua turned 17, and if she caught the eye of the young master or mistress, it would be a good opportunity for her to follow them as a maid in the future. The Lin family gave them 10 taels of silver and 500 coins per month, which was more than they could have ever hoped for at home. Xiang Hua's family was grateful for her aunt's kindness.

  As soon as she entered the house, Xiang Hui's parents and several sisters surrounded her. "Sister, your clothes are really beautiful." "Sister, is this hairpin made of silver?" "Sister, what's in your bundle?" The three sisters swarmed around her, chattering noisily, making Xiang Hui feel dizzy.

  Her mother saw the look on her daughter's face and scolded a few of the younger ones: "You useless things, can't you see your sister is tired? Go stand over there and let your sister rest."

  Xiang Wei let out a breath and smiled as she looked at her three younger sisters who were standing in the corner of the wall, afraid of their mother.

  "Girls, it's the holiday season, what are you all doing? Come here, I've got something good for you." She said, picking up a large package from the bed.

  "Mother, this is the osmanthus sugar given to me by the young lady, let's give it to my sisters!" Xiang Hua gave the candy to her three younger sisters. These little girls were so happy that they ran out to show off to their neighbors. Her mother was angry and shouted from behind: "You little rascals, such good sugar should be kept for guests."

  Xiang Wei hastily pulled her mother back: "Mother, what's going on? My sisters can't even have this good candy a few times a year, why save it for guests?"

  Xiang Hui's mother saw that there were only her husband and son left in the house, so she touched Xiang Hui's forehead and scolded with a smile: "You silly girl, you haven't learned anything good, just entering the mansion for a few days and you've already become so extravagant!"

  Xiang Wei didn't respond to her mother, but just chuckled and said: "Father and Mother, look at this, it's the monthly allowance issued by the government." As she spoke, she took out a large string of copper coins, worth about 1,000, which made Xiang Wei's mother's eyes widen in surprise.

  "My goodness, how much money is this? It's probably worth one or two silver coins, right?"

  "Good, it's exactly one thousand wen, I'll ask Father to exchange it for silver when he goes into town."

  Copper coins are not as valuable as silver ones, and sometimes they even depreciate. Of course, exchanging them makes one feel more at ease psychologically. Don't look down on Xiang Wei's young age, but she has long understood these things.

  Xiang Wei's father asked in surprise: "Didn't you bring back 400 yuan last month? How did you save so much in just one month?"

  Young masters and ladies, after watching the festival, each received an additional month's worth of pocket money, which added up to exactly one tael.

  Actually, Lin Fu had received two months' worth of silver, but Xiang Hui wanted to buy some embroidery and pouches, so she didn't tell her parents the truth.

  "This is a silver ingot given by Young Master to each of us, Mother you keep it well."

  Xiang Hui's mother had never seen such luxurious things before, carefully weighing them, afraid they might be worth one or two liang, and thinking of that one tael of silver, her face broke into a smile. "Xiang Hui, was this silver given only to you? Or do all the people in the mansion have it?"

  "Girl, what are you thinking about? What is this silver thing? One or two silvers each, even the princes' mansions may not have them for everyone. This is just the young master giving us a few third-class maids who serve the young lady."

  Xiang Wei's mother couldn't help but exclaim: "Goodness gracious, you have four third-rate ones! Are the first and second-rate maidservants also like this?"

  "Of course not, in our house there are four elder sisters, including Zi Juan and Xue Yan who followed Lin's daughter from the capital, as well as Yan Rong and Bi Die given by the young master to his daughter. Each of them received a set of silver-gilt headdress, the most valuable part being a pearl on the hairpin, which made me and Xiang Xue extremely envious."

  Xiang Wei said with a radiant expression, her father felt that his daughter was no longer the silly girl who didn't understand anything from a year ago.

  Xiang Wei's mother listened and thought it was only natural: "You don't have to envy her, that's because a first-class girl has done more and also gained the favor of the young master. You should work hard and who knows, maybe you'll get a similar honor in the future. Even if you get married in the future, you'll still be a respectable person."

  Xiang Wei's face turned bright red after hearing this, and she hastily changed the subject: "The second sister only has Chun Xian and Chun Lai. The young master gave each of them a golden hairpin and a jade hair clip. Oh right, Father and Mother, this time only I and Xiang Xue returned home for New Year's in our courtyard. When Zi Juan and her sisters found out, they gave us lots of food to bring back."

  Xiang Hui took out another paper-wrapped box, "This is the lotus seed cake and egg yolk pastry that the young lady gave us. This morning, the cook's mother came to deliver some auspicious fruit, and the young lady also asked us to bring back a few. Tonight, we'll eat this, it's a hundred times better than what we make at home."

  Xiang Wei's mother took it over and examined it carefully. Each of these small fruits had auspicious patterns carved on them, the scenery was lovely, and it really made people reluctant to eat them.

  "Besides, these are the leftover clothes from previous years that the young ladies wore. Our four third-rate maids all got seven or eight pieces each, and I brought back three of them. Mother had them altered to fit my sisters, so they can wear them when going out too."

  Xiang Wei's mother had already seen the clothes in the package, all of which were made of high-quality silk and satin, with excellent embroidery and tailoring. She thought they were just for Xiang Wei to change into when she visited home, but didn't expect them to be for her three mischievous younger siblings. So she scolded: "What are you thinking? These clothes are all good, you should keep them for yourself, Lin girl would like them too! Don't give them away to your sisters for nothing!"

  Xiang Wei's father was a honest man, and when he saw her, he also advised: "Your mother is right, if among the three maidservants only you dress poorly, others will gossip about it, so take her back."

  "Father and mother, you can rest assured. I've already picked out the good ones. Sister Zi Juan said that every season, the young lady gets twenty pieces of clothing as a rule, and Master always gives us satin and silk fabrics, making many clothes that are still not enough to wear. In the future, there will be even more rewards for us. Plus, Lin's maid in the house and others elsewhere make new clothes every year, so you don't have to worry about me. Anyway, I have enough clothes, it's better to give my younger sisters some new ones too."

  Xiang Hui's father saw that his daughter had really grown up, not only did she receive the master's reward, but also remembered her family. Originally, Xiang Hui's aunt came to visit, he was not very willing for his daughter to go to the mansion to work, after all, it was selling his daughter, and it didn't sound good in the village, besides, their family hadn't reached that point yet, he and Xiang Hui's mother had good skills, the crops they planted were also good, and Xiang Hui's brother was learning accounting at a shop in the city. It was just that his daughter was a bit more, wanting to save for her dowry was still a bit difficult. As soon as he heard that Xiang Hui's cousin said Lin Fu wanted to recruit workers, with very good conditions, if they could get the girl's approval, in the future, they would have to send a generous dowry. Xiang Hui's mother moved her heart, thinking that after all, she wanted her daughter to marry into a good family, and leave home with dignity.

  Now, Xiang Wei has been in the mansion for almost half a year, and counting today, she has only returned twice. However, every time he sees his daughter, it's as if she's become a different person, no longer comparable to the daughters of other families in the village. Xiang Wei's father can't help but think that even the young lady from the Zhao family in their village, who is now similar to Xiang Wei in terms of dress and demeanor, has a certain air about her that is characteristic of girls from wealthy families.

  Zhao's family saw their daughter return once again with big and small bags in hand, everyone was delighted and couldn't help but think of the Lin siblings' kindness.

  PS: A new week has begun, and I will work even harder!! Please support me, I've applied for next month's PK, but my popularity is still too low~~~ When can "Hong Lou Ye Hua" also enter the Qing Yun list? And have a cover recommendation? Sigh~~~~