Chapter 14: Under the Lamp

Mrs. Zhao, having chosen them herself even if just for temporary work, still made sure to instruct: "Keep your heads down, don't look around! The lady of the house hates it when rules aren't followed!"

They took her word for everything, keenly remembering her advice. Mrs. Zhao, pleased with their understanding, took them to meet the magistrate's wife, reminding them one last time: "Temporary workers aren't usually of concern to the lady of the house. It's just because she keeps a tight ship that she's making time to see you. You both look fair-skinned; just make sure to keep to your place."

Upon reaching the main house in the back yard, Mrs. Zhao went ahead to announce their arrival before calling them in.

As she entered, Zhu San whispered to Zhang Xianmu, "Mom, this is the yamen. Mr. Huang and the others have seen us before. We need to be cautious, speak less, show ourselves less, and plan to leave in a couple of days."

Zhang Xianmu retorted, "Do I need you to tell me that?"

Mrs. Zhao quickly returned and summoned them inside. The mother and daughter had never seen such a fine house with such exquisite furnishings; compared to Yu Miaomiao's home, this place seemed much more luxurious. Mrs. Zhao coughed, "What are you staring at? This is the lady of the house!"

Zhu San was about to perform a formal bow but was stopped by Zhang Xianmu, who tugged at her robe and prompted her to kneel instead. The lady of the house said, "Raise your heads." When Zhu San looked up, she saw the lady adorned in gold and silver, with a dignified appearance but an anxious and fierce demeanor, somewhat reminiscent of Yu Miaomiao's look at the time.

After scrutinizing their appearances, the lady's expression grew colder, casting a reproachful glance at Mrs. Zhao. Mrs. Zhao stepped forward, "Our servants can't be too shabby, can they? Whatever you wish them to do, it's just a word from you. I was thinking of assigning them to help in the kitchen; what do you think?"

The lady nodded, her smile shallow, "That's fine. What are their names?"

Zhang Xianmu blurted out, "We're from the Yu family."

The lady dismissed them, "Go on."

Mrs. Zhao then led the mother and daughter to the kitchen, explaining along the way, "Just so you know, someone fell ill upstairs, and we had to reassign someone to take care of her, leaving us short-staffed. Once she recovers, she'll return, and whether you can stay depends on how well you serve. If the lady is pleased, you might stay; if not, you'll have to leave. Besides the cook, it's just the two of you now, so listen to her."

The kitchen was manned by another mother and daughter duo, dressed no worse than Zhang Xianmu and her daughter, even wearing gold hairpins and silver bracelets, which amazed Zhang Xianmu. Mrs. Zhao referred to the cook's mother as Mrs. Xu and her daughter as Big Sister, introducing the newcomers as temporary workers and another mother-daughter pair from the Yu family.

Big Sister jokingly said, "You're giving us a hard time again, just trained two competent helpers, and now they're being reassigned to serve upfront."

Mrs. Zhao laughed back, "Always so sharp-tongued, be careful or you'll never get married! Look at how refined these sisters are!"

Big Sister said, "Alright, I'll take the refined ones to get settled."

Zhang Xianmu glanced at Mrs. Xu, who smiled and said, "Hurry back once you've put down your luggage, it's almost time for dinner. You can't work dressed like that; find a couple of aprons!"

Big Sister led them to a room next to the kitchen, pointing to a more spacious room opposite, "We live over there; this room was theirs, but they've moved up front to serve, so now it's yours."

Zhang Xianmu seized the opportunity to ask, "What tasks will we be assigned? Can the few of us handle the kitchen workload?" Big Sister replied, "People from the front office aren't our concern, don't pry. In our household, including you two, we now have fourteen servants serving the master, the lady, and their son on duty."

They arrived at a room furnished with only a large bed along the wall, a table, a basin stand, and two stools. Big Sister asked, "Don't you have a vanity case?"

They didn't have one.

Scrounging around, Big Sister brought over one of her old ones. Zhang Xianmu had a comb and a hand towel, adding a basin made it sufficient. Suddenly remembering, "Oh, and bedding," she found them two sets of used bedding.

Not minding the bedding's condition and finding it clean enough, Zhang Xianmu and her daughter aired it out, locked the door, and went down to the kitchen to start the fire and wash vegetables. Once busy, they had no time to talk.

Zhu San and Zhang Xianmu were relegated to basic tasks like tending the fire. Zhu San learned for the first time that in some households, eggplants were peeled entirely, unlike in her home where they were so impoverished they would gladly eat the stems. Watching Mrs. Xu and her daughter's seamless coordination, preparing dishes with finely chopped fish and pork fat, even using white rice for cooking, was a revelation – even Yu Miaomiao's level of wealth couldn't afford such luxuries.

Yet, for the Prefect's household, this was the norm.

Preparing meals for over a dozen people, with the master's family requiring more elaborate dishes, left Zhu San drenched in sweat. The servants' meals were much simpler: one starch, one dish, one soup, all from a large communal pot.

That evening, the four women shared a table, supplementing the simple servant meals with some delicacies Mrs. Xu had set aside, "Here, a warm welcome for you two."

After preparing the meal, Mrs. Xu, observing the newcomers, noted their capable work ethic and warmed slightly towards them. Zhu San and Zhang Xianmu, famished, ate quickly. The food at the Prefect's residence was delicious, prompting Zhang Xianmu to compliment, "Excellent cooking."

Mrs. Xu subtly moved the dishes aside and chuckled, "Take your time, no one's competing with you. Here, manners matter." Big Sister noted Zhu San's silence and inquired, "Is the food to your liking?" Zhu San nodded, prompting a smile from Big Sister.

Zhang Xianmu's cheeks flushed as she carefully swallowed her food and cautiously asked, "How demanding are the masters? If they're easy to serve, we might stay longer; if not, we'll leave after three days' wages."

Mrs. Xu responded, "Just don't run up front; there's nothing difficult about serving here, I'm in charge of cooking."

"Ah~"

Separated from Yu Miaomiao and the others, with her daughter remaining silent, Zhang Xianmu felt compelled to speak up, mentioning, "Passing through, I noticed the people on the streets seemed odd, hurried and noisy, as if something was happening."

Big Sister explained, "It's all because of the Imperial Envoy. His arrival has left us short-staffed."

Zhang Xianmu remarked, "What business do women have with the affairs of officials?"

Mrs. Xu scolded her daughter, "Even food won't keep your mouth shut!"

With a sheepish smile, Zhang Xianmu listened as Mrs. Xu explained, "Don't pry into things; it's nothing serious. Our master sent one of his clever maids to serve the Imperial Envoy, but she misbehaved and got sent back with twenty lashes. Another was sent to care for her. With fewer hands to serve directly, kitchen maids were reassigned to sweep the front courtyards, leading you two to help in the kitchen."

Mrs. Xu sighed, "We're all unfortunate souls. I'm telling you this so you won't make trouble for yourselves."

Zhang Xianmu promptly agreed.

Big Sister urged, "Mother, you've started lecturing without even drinking. Let's finish eating so we can rest, we have to rise early for breakfast preparation."

The meal concluded swiftly, and Zhang Xianmu and Zhu San washed the family's pots and pans, with Big Sister advising, "Hey, for greasy dishes, use hot water to make cleaning easier." At Zhang Xianmu's home, they'd lick the bowls clean of any meat residue, never needing such tips, but they learned diligently.

………………

The day was filled with tension; only upon lying in bed did Zhang Xianmu reflect, "Who would have thought we'd end up in the prefectural yamen?"

Zhu San was genuinely exhausted from the day's activities, murmuring a tired "Hmm!"

Zhang Xianmu flipped over, facing Zhu San, and remarked, "However, you need to start acting more ladylike, can't be striding around so boldly! And also…"

Zhang Xianmu switched topics to Zhu Shenhan, grumbling, "That damn man, if not for him, we wouldn't have to come here! Living here is expensive, both renting and eating cost more, the county town was somewhat better..."

While she rambled on, Zhu San was lost in her thoughts, pondering, "Now that we're in the prefectural city, why should I go back to the county town?"

"But first, I need to get my real father out. Wait, if the Imperial Envoy is still investigating, means the case isn't closed yet. If I could just figure out the case... How those petty officials like Yu Ping manage to deceive their superiors, with the Imperial Envoy relying on people like him, it would take ages to resolve."

"I should find a way to visit the Chen residence, see if I can learn anything from the neighbors."

She happily made up her mind!

Zhu San commented, "Right now, we're living and eating for free, not yet caught. This is what you call 'darkness under the lamp,' which I think is quite good."

Zhang Xianmu chuckled, "True." After much chatter, she too drifted off to sleep.

The next day, before dawn, people in the mansion began to stir, with Mrs. Xu and her daughter waking up even earlier than Zhang Xianmu and her daughter. Zhu San, accustomed to waking early for training, felt like she had just closed her eyes when Big Sister came knocking.

Zhang Xianmu quickly apologized, "We were just too happy last night for finding a place to stay, couldn't sleep. It won't happen again tomorrow."

Big Sister urged, "Hurry up, get the water boiling. The madam will need it to wash her face after she gets up."

Another busy routine ensued. Zhu San was smart, not shadowing Mrs. Xu too closely but focused on her tasks. Zhang Xianmu spent her time chatting with Mrs. Xu in the kitchen, showing off her palm-reading skills, and became fast friends. Both mother and daughter stayed nervously in the kitchen, daring not to step outside for fear of bumping into the likes of Mr. Huang and ending up imprisoned with no one to claim their bodies.

After two days in the kitchen, they understood the mansion's rules clearly: front office people never entered the back, so their worries about Mr. Huang and the like were unfounded. Not only outsiders, but even the master's family rarely visited the kitchen, and the prefect had no time to inquire about kitchen staff additions as long as the meals were to his taste.

For the mother and daughter, the kitchen was an extremely safe haven.

Three days later, Mrs. Zhao came again, stating, "The lady of the house says you're to stay on in the kitchen for a few more days, will you?"

Zhang Xianmu thought three days were too short, fearing the external search was still ongoing, and replied, "Yes, we will!"

Mrs. Zhao chuckled, "Right, that's the spirit. Keep it up just like that. Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong, and don't run around the mansion trying to catch a glimpse of the master or the young lord. Staying on longer isn't guaranteed. It's getting colder, I'll speak to the lady for you, maybe she'll reward you with a couple of padded jackets."

Zhang Xianmu hurriedly expressed her gratitude. Thus, mother and daughter found a temporary haven in the prefectural yamen, safely out of reach from those searching for them outside.

However, there was one issue: while safe in the back office, venturing out to attend to personal matters was nearly impossible.

Firstly, there was too much work, especially for newcomers. Secondly, Zhu San started learning knife skills under Mrs. Xu's guidance.

For Mrs. Xu, having a skilled helper for tasks like chopping vegetables was essential. Zhu San, young, earnest, and willing to work, didn't need to learn any secret techniques. Just getting the hang of preparing vegetables for cooking was enough. Well-chopped veggies went to the master's table, and the rest ended up in the pot for the staff's meal.

This arrangement saved Mrs. Xu a great deal of trouble.

Zhu San, quick to learn and quiet, was the kind of apprentice every teacher dreams of.

Mrs. Xu, pleased with Zhu San's work and wanting her to settle down and help out, suggested to Zhang Xianmu, "As a mother, you should think about your daughter's future. Why not let her stay here long-term and learn? Don't underestimate kitchen work; mastering a skill is a lifelong support, more reliable than any man. With a skill, even if she's not the prettiest, being hired by a wealthy household to manage their kitchen means a secure life. Why would I let my own daughter learn if it wasn't valuable? Don't be like those aiming to please by flirting with the master, only to be dismissed by the lady. Tragic!"

Zhang Xianmu was convinced. Better than following her and her husband in their shamanic endeavors! Eagerly, she said, "Please, teach her."

Mrs. Xu smiled warmly, "Hmm."

Thus, Mrs. Xu and Zhang Xianmu got along well, each with their plans, while Zhu San pondered how to slip out unnoticed to gather information near the Chen residence...