Chapter 5: The Gift of the Elder (Part 2)

  As soon as the topic was mentioned, Chen Lan immediately thought of what Zheng Mama had said before, and she couldn't help but take a sneak peek, only to see that she hadn't noticed herself, but her face was slightly frozen, and her eyes were fixed on a maid behind Zhu Shi. It wasn't just Zheng Mama, everyone else in the room was also sizing up that side.

  Only then did Zhen Rong, the maid, reveal her slender face and medium build, with eyebrows and eyes that seemed to be painted on. She wore a green banana-leaf-patterned jacket over a cyan satin blouse, which made her skin look as white as jade, and her eyes shone like morning stars, truly exceptional in appearance. At this moment, seeing everyone staring at her, she couldn't help but feel somewhat unnatural, and hastily lowered her head. Madam Zhu turned her head to gaze at her with interest, then asked: "Since Bing Er wants you, are you willing to go?"

  Upon hearing this, Zhen Rong hastily stepped forward and knelt down, without lifting her head, saying: "Your servant will obey the old lady's orders completely."

  "That's good." Madam Zhu finally turned her head, smiling ambiguously at Chen Bing, "You're lucky! However, I still have a few needlework pieces that she's working on, so you'll have to wait a few more days before you can take her back."

  "Thank you, old lady!"

  Chen Bing thanked her at the same time, and Zhen Rong also hastily kowtowed. Just looking at this filial scene, Chen Lan stood up with the trend: "Old lady, take care of my second sister, I want to bask in your glory. When I was injured before, Zheng Mama and Zhu Ma came to see me, but coincidentally saw that the maids in the yard were not in good shape. Old lady knows me, if there is no suitable person to take care of it, my yard will be even more chaotic. Please old lady, on the basis of my sincerity, casually choose a sister for me in the house!"

  At this moment, Zhu's smile suddenly deepened: "Well, today is the day when everyone has made an appointment to come and plot against me! Listen to what Lan'niang said, randomly pick someone, isn't even a sweeper in my house stronger than you?"

  Chen Lan just smiled: "Second sister is about to leave, and the old lady's beloved person, I'm embarrassed, so I can only ask the old lady to casually point out a sister for me. The old lady won't be partial, will she?"

  Hearing Chen Lan say this, Zheng Mama chimed in with a smile: "This is not wrong, the old lady has been managing the household for decades, even the servants have rules and regulations to follow. It's only natural that she's better than those lazy maids. The third miss really needs someone to keep her in check. Last time when I went to visit her with the Zhous, as soon as she came out, she was so angry that she called all the maids together and scolded them for a good while."

  "Oh?" Zhu's eyebrows rose, and then relaxed, "Forget it, let Hong Luo go instead. She's about the same age as Zhen Rong, and they get along well. When Zhen Rong leaves, she'll be lonely if she stays behind."

  Before the people in the house could react, she pointed at Chen Huan and Chen Yu again: "And you two, both sisters have spoken up, I promised, can't let you down, Qing Xin and Ming Juan will be given to you sisters. Don't let people say I'm biased. Besides, you're all grown up now, with only two second-class and four third-class concubines not being enough. For now, add one first, then after the new year, add another one later. The third-class ones are easy to handle, just slowly add them when it's about right."

  As soon as this was said, everyone in the house except for laughing and thanking, all said that the old lady pitied her granddaughter, and several maids also came up to kowtow. Madam Zhu saw that except for Zhen Rong, the other three people stood beside their new masters, and she said to Zheng Mama beside her: "Lan'er's injury is just healed, and her courtyard is too far away. Only Hong Luo alone may not be able to keep things in order. You also often go there to take a look, and help her pay attention to things, lest someone sees the maids in her courtyard are not behaving properly, and feels unhappy and scolds them."

  It was almost noon, and after chatting for a while, the maid came forward and asked in a low voice if Zheng's mother had set up lunch. Zhu heard it just right, so she couldn't help but instruct to keep all her granddaughters, which would be lively. Upon hearing this, Chen Lan naturally rubbed his temples and showed some fatigue. Indeed, Zheng's mother glanced at the few ladies and reminded them that Chen Lan was still recovering from his injuries.

  With her mention, Zhu naturally took a closer look at Chen Lan and nodded: "Alright, Lan'er is also tired today, go back and rest well, leave the three sisters to accompany this old lady."

  Chen Lan declined twice, then reluctantly agreed, and after bidding farewell, he took Xinfang and the newly arrived Hongluo out of the house. From the warm room with the burning dragon stove, she suddenly went outside, and despite wearing that cloak, she couldn't help but shiver. From the courtyard gate, walking along the alley to the corner, just as they were about to arrive at Zining's residence in the second house, she suddenly heard a call from behind, turned her head to look, and saw a maid holding a large garment, hastily chasing after them.

  "Third Miss, just now the old lady asked what you wore to keep warm when you came in. The servant answered, but the old lady said it was too thin and immediately told me to rummage through the trunk and find this crane cloak." The maid said with a smile as she shook out the cloak, "This was given by Princess Jin last winter, but since the old lady has many clothes and the color is too bright, it's been put away without being worn. It's made of rose-purple silkworm cocoons on the outside and gray mouse fur inside, which is both light and warm. Third Miss, you have a weak body, so wear it now."

  Today, she just got better and came out for a trip. Chen Lan only did it to avoid being picked on by others, and also to get familiar with the situation. As a result, when she returned, she brought back a box of four golden hairpins, as well as a second-class concubine. Now, she has even gone to great lengths to send over a crane cloak, which makes her feel even more uneasy.

  In her memory, she had only reverence for this old ancestor, Zhu Shi, and no closeness. Zhu Shi was also just ordinary to her as a granddaughter, definitely not comparable to those younger ones from the second and third branches of the family. Today, however, she received extra attention, which couldn't be explained by anything like being injured or pitied. Hearing that maid say that the old lady said there was no need to thank her, she allowed herself to be served by the maid as she put on her clothes. Just as she was tying her sash, she saw two women from the Purple Tranquility Residence peeking out and quickly withdrawing.

  Just as the girl said, this crane cloak was both light and warm. The rose-purple satin surface had peony patterns embroidered with gold thread, while the edges were outlined with cloud patterns in black thread. The silver-gray lining inside was made of soft and thick fur, much warmer than her previous fox-fur cape. As she walked past the entrance of Zining Residence wearing this new crane cloak, she caught a glimpse of several people sneaking glances at her from within the courtyard, and her mind began to piece together the numbers. It wasn't until she returned to Jinxiu Pavilion and entered her own room that she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

  Although Hong Luo was only a second-rate maid in the Zhu family's household, in the Hou estate, apart from a few elderly masters and mistresses, the highest-ranking attendants for the younger generation of young masters and misses were also second-rate. Therefore, they naturally looked at her differently. The people who had been left behind, such as Yun'er, came out to greet her, and upon learning that Hong Luo was personally requested by their master from Old Lady, everyone was somewhat stunned, especially Yun'er, whose eyes flashed with surprise. It wasn't until Chen Lan instructed her to tidy up the place for Hong Luo's accommodation that she snapped back to reality and responded, then led Hong Luo out again.

  Compared to the elegance of Xiangxiangyuan, Chen Lan couldn't help but laugh at herself when she looked at her own Jinxiu Pavilion. She thought that even the charcoal fire here wasn't as bright as theirs. After taking off the crane cloak and putting on a casual large sleeve shirt, she held it in her hand and examined it carefully, finding that it was indeed brand new.

  Qinfang walked over with the jewelry box and asked in a low voice: "Miss, are these two pairs of gold hairpins still kept in their original place?"

  Chen Lan raised her head, seeing that there was only Qin Fang in the room and no movement outside. She looked up at Qin Fang, not responding to what she had just said, and suddenly asked directly: "I spoke to Old Lady about wanting you back, but you seem unhappy?"

  Qin Fang was startled and hastily shook her head vigorously, then immediately knelt down on both knees: "Your servant dare not!"

  "What's going on!" Chen Lan pulled Qingfang up abruptly and scolded, "I'm not unaware of you. When Zheng Mama and Zhu Mama came earlier, you were asleep because you hadn't slept for several days in a row, it was inevitable that you'd feel drowsy. But from now on, when you see her, don't be so timid, the more you fear her, the stronger her aura will become. Now we're in my courtyard, would she still dare to punish you like she did when you were a little maid?"

  As soon as she thought of being punished by Mrs. Ma to kneel under the scorching sun with a green brick on her head, which almost made her faint, she shuddered at the memory. Chen Lan's bright eyes made her feel slightly better, but she still shook her head: "Miss doesn't have to be at odds with the second lady, after all, she is the legitimate mistress of this manor."

  In this month, Chen Lan roughly figured out the situation of Hou Fu, and as a result, she thoroughly recognized how difficult her own situation was. From the second- and third-rate maids in the house to the little maids in the courtyard, not one had been assigned to her when her parents were still alive. Even Xianfang had only served her for three years, because of her honesty and integrity, and being loyal every day, she was naturally the most reliable.

  Just because of this, Zheng's mother had hinted at it before, and she immediately followed Chen Bing to Zhu Shi to ask for someone. Unexpectedly, Zhu Shi seemed to have planned ahead of time, not only giving Hong Luo to her, but also giving one servant girl each to Chen Huang and Chen Xi.

  At this time, she waved her hand and said: "Don't say anything, I already know all of this. After lying in bed for a month, I've also figured it out - if others don't bother me, then I naturally won't bother them either. What can be tolerated, I will tolerate; what cannot be tolerated, doesn't mean I won't think of ways to get rid of it."

  She said that, and Qin Fang's eyes turned red. She put the box on the side table and knelt down: "Thank you, Miss, for trusting me. I just think that today, since it's about choosing a maid, Miss should choose one herself, like Second Miss did. Hong Luo is after all someone brought in from outside, without any backing or connections in the household, unlike Zhen Rong. Zhen Rong's father was a trusted manager under the old marquis, and now he's in charge of the two largest silk shops in the estate, handling the most silver money. Her mother is also in charge of sending gifts and paying respects to various households on festivals and holidays, and she has a good reputation. Although Hong Luo gets along with Zhen Rong, because she was brought in from outside, many people are jealous of her in front of Old Madam. What's the use of someone like that following Miss?"

  After hearing this, Chen Lan felt that the girl in front of her was very much to her liking. Being honest meant not taking the initiative, being introverted and not showy, as for being useless, being able to see these things meant not just being loyal. Therefore, she smiled and nodded at Xi Fang: "What you said is all right, indeed a careful person. Don't think too much about these unnecessary things, since Hong Luo has come, you can first take her to get familiar with the situation here, and be more respectful to her. As an outsider, she must have some unfamiliarity."

  Shan couldn't move Chen Lan, so Xiangfang could only sigh and agree to the matter. She then asked again: "As for the household chores, it was originally divided between me and Yuner, what does Miss plan to let Hongluo be in charge of?"

  "Since it's the old lady's affair, let her be in charge of jewelry and silver money."

  Chen Lan finished speaking, and without looking at the astonished Qin Fang, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. For her now, the people in the house had simple backgrounds and nothing special, it was arrogant to ask for talented people by name. Besides, four second-rate maids, three of whom could be taken away by their sisters, but Jinglian still had several needlework tasks that she hadn't finished, so she had to stay with Old Lady for a few more days, what a coincidence?

  It seems that the old grandmother also didn't want the people from the second house to take all the benefits.

  P.S. Still seeking recommendations ^_^. Also, it's not that I don't want to update more, but there have been a lot of things going on these past two days, so the writing has slowed down, and there are still things in January, sigh...