“Agreed!” Xie Zhinuan nodded her head.
Few were skilled in Martial Arts, with a couple barely knowing a little, not even amounting to an amateur.
They couldn’t even withstand a single move from Aunt Chen.
This made no difference to having no skill at all. Xie Zhinuan asked a few more questions and two of them managed to answer. Although they blushed, they were articulate and spoke clearly.
“What are your names?”
“Please, miss, bestow names upon us!” the two knelt down.
Xie Zhinuan looked at them, pondered for a moment, “Then you will be called Chunyu and Lichun!”
Starting with the names of the twenty-four solar terms.
Xie Zhinuan felt it was a fresh start.
“Yes, miss!” Chunyu and Lichun responded at once.
Though the two maids did not possess exceptional beauty, their faces were clean, and they had an air of elegance, especially the purity in their eyes.
“You two will serve inside the house from now on!”
She picked a few more to serve in the main residence, for serving tea, pouring water, cleaning, laundering; there needed to be people for sewing and needlework as well.
Upon inquiring who could do needlework, it turned out that all maids and matrons were capable.
“Alright, the matter of making clothes will be handed over to you. Since everyone is capable, each will receive an extra piece of brightly colored fabric. As for what to make, it’s up to you to decide. Wear the same clothes in the residence but, when going out, dress brightly!”
Then, she said to Chunyu and Lichun, “Now you two are also considered my chief maids, so you must wear something more presentable!”
Xie Zhinuan picked out several pieces of satin and handed them to the two, “Make clothes for yourselves with these. No matter what they turn out to be, as long as you two have matching outfits, it’s fine!”
These clothes had to be made not only for themselves but for the young male servants as well.
The master’s kindness gave these people who had been drifting from place to place a sense of belonging. Naturally, they hoped their master would fare well. They dreamed of living stable lives, saving money to buy a house, marrying a wife and having children.
They also began to look forward and hope for the future.
Xie Zhinuan had not intended to make any promises, but seeing the hopeful faces gazing at her, she thought for a moment, “Listen, those of you here tell those who are not, do your duties well, and work earnestly for me, and I will not fail to reward you. It will be the same as in Fengping County, in five years, I will return the Indenture Contract to you. Whether to stay or leave will be up to you. But, during this period, those who dare commit acts of betrayal should not blame me for being merciless!”
Her voice was soft,
But it weighed heavily on their hearts.
They would engrave their master’s grace in their hearts.
Freedom, a notion they had not even dared to contemplate since the day they sold themselves, to become free citizens once more, but now their new master had given them this chance, they must seize it well.
They could not afford to betray their master’s trust.
Someone took the lead and knelt down…
Xie Zhinuan looked at the people kneeling in the courtyard, “Alright, everyone get up. Let’s leave it at that for now. In a few days, we will make detailed arrangements!”
One doesn’t become fat with just one bite; having busied themselves for most of the day, they were also tired.
She let them disperse.
Unexpectedly, they were not tired at all, and they went back buzzing with excitement, accomplishing a lot more work. The maids and matrons gathered to measure themselves and planned to work overnight on their new clothes.
They ate a simple lunch on their own, but dinner was to be a communal affair.
Xie Yi had mostly been cared for by Xie Zhinuan, the mute uncle, and Aunt Chen. Now, it was better; Mu Rourou took charge of both children, sitting one on each side, serving one medicinal soup, then another, truly embodying a remarkably competent elder sister.