Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When Yan Hong and Green Tassel entered the main chamber from outside, they saw Jiang Shi resting on a traditional daybed beneath the painting *Spring Slumber under the Crabapple*. They stood at attention, hands folded respectfully, not daring to make a sound.

But Jiang Shi was only pretending to sleep. The moment their footsteps echoed in the room, she knew who had arrived. Though her eyes remained closed, she recognized them instantly: "Have the embroiderers from Jiangling been settled in properly?"

Yan Hong curtsied and replied respectfully, "Yes, Madam. They've all been settled. They're currently arranging their bedding and keep saying how nice our place is."

Jiang Shi smirked. "It's better to hire people from small towns—they’re diligent and hardworking. If we’d hired embroiderers from Bianliang, they'd skimp on work, miss deadlines, charge a fortune, and deliver poor quality."

She shook her head slightly before turning to Yan Hong again. "These embroiderers are outsiders anyway, and they’ll only stay for three years. Don’t be too harsh with them."

Yan Hong smiled and nodded.

Then Jiang Shi’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Forget the embroiderers—whip those new maids into shape. Those serving the young masters and mistresses must be handled with care."

Originally, Jiang Shi had an old stewardess to help manage the household, but in recent years the woman had grown senile, so Jiang Shi sent her home. Now she relied on Yan Hong and Green Tassel, with Yan Hong being the most trusted of the two.

Having received her instructions, Yan Hong excused herself first. Green Tassel then said, "The Second Madam has been rather listless lately and hardly moves about. Today I saw the physician visit her, and Yun Lan and the others looked quite pleased."

"Could she be with child?" Jiang Shi asked.

The Second Master’s first wife, Li Shi, had given birth to the Zhou family’s eldest grandson shortly after joining the household, firmly overshadowing Jiang Shi. Not only that, but Li Shi had also been virtuous and gentle, earning the favor of the matriarch, which made things difficult for Jiang Shi, who disliked concubines. The current Second Madam, Wu Shi, was straightforward by nature and had no interest in squabbles over authority. In fact, due to the incident with Concubine Miao, she even felt somewhat guilty toward Jiang Shi and thus treated her elder sister-in-law with great respect.

But Wu Shi had suffered misfortune as well. After more than a decade in the household, she finally gave birth to a son three years ago, only for the child to die this spring. If she were truly pregnant now, it would be a blessing.

The Zhou family had three branches, and since the family matriarch still ruled, though property had been divided, the family had not separated. They lived within earshot of each other, and nothing could be hidden.

Green Tassel smiled. "That’s what it looked like to me."

"Then prepare some tonics and silk in advance. If she announces it publicly, you can deliver them on my behalf," Jiang Shi instructed.

Just as Green Tassel was about to agree, she noticed that the concubines from the eastern wing had arrived. Glancing at the sky, she noted that dinner time was near, and the two concubines had come to serve at mealtime. She went to assist Jiang Shi in rising.

Meanwhile, Jin Niang had fetched water from the kitchen to wash up and tidy her bedding. When she heard it was time for dinner, she joined Fang Qiaolian and followed Lan Xue and Rui Cao from the tea room.

They were born into service—their ancestors having worked for the Zhou family for generations. Jin Niang followed them out of Jiang Shi’s main chamber and realized how large the eastern courtyard really was. The main house had three rooms, with two-room annexes on either side for trusted servants like Yan Hong and Green Tassel. The east and west wings each had five spacious rooms. According to Lan Xue, the eastern wing housed the two concubines, while the western wing was where the young ladies lived.

Passing through the eastern corridor and a small moon gate brought them to the hustling kitchen. Rui Cao added, "The laundry room is here too. Go further past the kitchen, and you reach the old matriarch’s quarters. She prefers quiet, so don’t wander over there."

Jin Niang laughed. "We’re too lazy to even grab meals—who has time to wander?"

With that, the four of them went to the kitchen to collect their food. Since it was their first day, the kitchen staff didn’t yet recognize the needleworkers, but they still served them. The Zhou family’s food was far better than the lower-grade fare at the He household—each person got two dishes: one of sliced lettuce and another of blood sausage, along with a bowl of mixed-grain noodles.

As they packed their food, Jin Niang noticed a small dish of juicy red cherries and another of green plums. Against the green plums, the cherries looked even more vibrant and tempting.

Fang Qiaolian exclaimed, "Those are preserved cherries! Aren’t cherries only available in spring? How are they here now?"

A cook glanced at her. "Those were specially prepared for the Fourth Young Lady. She took ill right after her foot-binding."

Jin Niang thought to herself how fortunate it was that foot-binding in the Northern Song Dynasty was limited to the upper class, sparing girls like her the agony. Still, she could only feel pity for the Fourth Young Lady—there was nothing else she could do.

Back in their room, even Qin Shuanger seemed satisfied. She remarked, "Yan Hong mentioned that two junior maids will be assigned to us later. Once they arrive, they can grab our meals so we don’t have to run back and forth every day."

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jin Niang replied with a smile, saying no more.

That night, they got hot water from the kitchen to wash up and even soaked their feet comfortably before retiring.

The next morning, they had steamed buns (stuffed buns) and soy milk for breakfast. Jin Niang loved buns, and she couldn’t help thinking: *No wonder Qingwen and the others in* Dream of the Red Chamber *didn’t want to leave.* The Zhou family wasn’t even as grand as the Rongguo Mansion, yet its fifty-odd servants lived much better than the common folk outside.

After breakfast, Mistress Chen assigned the tasks. She would personally handle garments for Old Mistress Zhou, the elder master and his wife, and the young gentlemen, while the four of them were to make garments for the young ladies.

"For the young ladies' garments—each of you will make four sets. Remember, one brocade robe, one long cotton coat with a turned collar, one long coat with a front opening, and one fur-lined cropped jacket. There are four young ladies in their household, so each of you will be responsible for one. As for who gets whom, let’s take turns."

Jin Niang smiled and said, "Mistress Chen, why don’t we draw lots? Whoever we pick is who we get. That way, it’s fair. Later, we can rotate based on today’s order."

Everyone knew the eldest and second young ladies were born of the principal wife, and they all wanted to aim high. If they fought too openly, it wouldn't look good.

Mistress Chen, seeing that Jin Niang wasn’t usually the type to push herself forward, now quickly came up with such a clever idea and agreed with a smile.

"Third Young Lady, then I’ll go to Third Young Lady," Jin Niang drew the third young lady.

Apart from Jin Niang, Qin Shuanger drew the eldest young lady, Fang Qiaolian drew the second young lady, and Jiang Shanjie drew the fourth young lady. Qin Shuanger and Fang Qiaolian couldn’t hide their joy, while Jiang Shanjie whispered to Jin Niang, "You really lost out. If we hadn’t drawn lots, you’d have been making clothes for the eldest young lady."

"Ah, not necessarily," Jin Niang chuckled.

Her way of making garments was different from others. She would first look at the fabrics of different colors, discuss the patterns to be drawn, and then sketch the garment’s design on paper based on the person’s figure. Only if the client was satisfied would she start making it.

The reason she had learned needlework in the first place was that in her past life, she had loved dress-up games—she was practically a big spender. Interest was the best teacher.

Thinking of this, she picked up her measuring tape, paper, and charcoal pencil and went off.

After asking around, she found that Third Young Lady lived in the third room of the western wing. Swishing the curtain aside, she entered and saw a maid about nine years old standing at the inner door. She quickly explained her purpose: "I’m Jin Niang from the sewing room. The eldest madam said to make garments for the young lady, so she sent me here."

The maid, hearing she was from the sewing room, said happily, "Oh, it’s Elder Sister from the sewing room! I’ll go in and announce your arrival."

Jin Niang stood outside and soon heard a clear voice from inside: "Let her in."

The little maid came out again to invite Jin Niang in. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, Jin Niang entered. Third Young Lady’s room was naturally not as large as Jiang Shi’s. A chicken-wing mahogany canopy bed stood against the inner wall, with a low table beside it holding books. In front of the bed was a long desk, on the left side of which stood a lozenge-patterned bronze mirror.

On the other side of the long desk, a young girl in a silvery-pink jacket was practicing her brush strokes, looking utterly focused. Jin Niang didn’t dare disturb her and simply stood waiting.

Suddenly, the girl turned her head. Jin Niang was momentarily stunned—the girl had jet-black hair, a smooth and fair forehead, and an exceptionally delicate and serene beauty. Seeing her, the girl smiled gently: "Are you Jin Niang from the sewing room?"

"Yes. I was thinking of taking your measurements first. After that, I’ll see what kind of patterns you like before I start making the clothes," Jin Niang replied.

Third Young Lady cooperated readily, stretching out her arms to stand. Jin Niang quickly took the measurements, noting them down on paper before asking, "What kind of flowers does Third Young Lady like?"

"What flowers? In winter, it’s just plum blossoms," the Third Young Lady tilted her head.

There were three people serving Third Young Lady. The two senior maids inside, Qing Xue and Dan Ruo, were constantly busy with their tasks, while outside there was also a maid named Yin Zhu solely responsible for guarding the door. Jin Niang had once wondered why these young ladies needed so many servants, but now she understood—it was due to the low productivity of ancient times. Before the young lady even woke up, the maids had to clean the room inside and out, fetch breakfast from the kitchen, and then help her wash, dress, and comb her hair after she woke. After accompanying her through breakfast, the maids still had to personally sew undergarments, socks, and shoes, not to mention serving tea and running errands.

Even on sunny days, washing and airing bedding and pillowcases was a major task.

Jin Niang smiled. "Plum blossoms are indeed beautiful, but there are also camellias, honeysuckle, interlocking floral vines, peonies, and herbaceous peonies—all with very auspicious meanings."

Hearing this, Third Young Lady seemed indecisive again. Jin Niang suggested, "How about this—I’ll go back and sketch some designs, color them, and bring them for you to see? If you like them, I’ll proceed accordingly."

In this line of work, Jin Niang had realized that if you let clients make too many changes, the final product could end up a mess. It was better to sketch it out first on paper, get approval, and then proceed directly.

So, after returning, she first took the silk threads and fabrics assigned to her and began preparing watercolor pigments.

There was a piece of brocade in bright red with a treasure motif—perfect for a brocade robe, paired with a pink pleated skirt at the bottom. Celadon satin could make a short jacket, matched with a goose-yellow skirt. The collar and front of the jacket, as well as the goose-yellow skirt, could be embroidered with a spray-of-flowers pattern. As for the lilac satin—close to a light purple—she could use the goose-yellow again for trimming, making a long coat with a front opening, paired with a pearl-white pleated skirt. The last piece, lotus-root pink fabric, could be embroidered with butterfly patterns, paired with a sheer silk skirt.

Thinking this way, she spent the whole day sketching while the other needlewomen had already started sewing.

Whispers reached her ears—how the eldest young lady had sent them sweetmeats, how the fourth young lady was of delicate health and had to rely on measurements kept by her nurse, and so on. Jin Niang paid no attention.

By evening, she was still tracing patterns by oil lamp before finally retiring to her pallet. Tomorrow, she would show the sketches to Third Young Lady. With that thought, she promptly shut her eyes.

The moment her eyes closed, Qin Shuanger's flew open. Today, after visiting the eldest young lady’s chambers, she had finally understood what “draped in fine silks” truly meant. No wonder her mother had insisted she marry into an official’s family. Her mother had originally been a concubine of a minor official in Pingjiang Prefecture, but after his death, she and her daughter were driven out by the principal wife.

A young, still-attractive widow with two chests of dowry, she had vowed to become a principal wife and never repeat the past. Yet she regretted it from the very first day of her remarriage. Her mother had often said that it was better to be a rich man’s mistress than a poor man’s wife.

Her stepfather was a man who appeared honest but was actually quite cunning—playing dumb to get by. When her mother was harassed, he dared not confront the offender. Instead, after accepting bribes, he even turned around and scolded her for improper behavior. Her mother often said they were lucky to support themselves through needlework; otherwise, a poor household’s principal wife could be pawned off or sold the moment her husband fell into hardship.

Given such circumstances, it was wiser to seize wealth and comfort where possible. Marrying into an official’s family was the ultimate prize.

Moreover, today she had met Lv Xiaoniang, the birth mother of the third young lady. Though just a concubine, she glittered with jewels and silks. Qin Shuanger had once considered becoming a concubine to Jiang Shi’s own son. But she soon realized that Jiang Shi ruled with an iron fist, and she herself lacked both experience and access—the young master lived in the outer courtyard, and she hadn’t even been able to catch a glimpse of him.

So there was another path: becoming the eldest young lady’s personal maid, which would make her future advancement more legitimate and secure.

But to earn the eldest young lady’s favor, she would have to serve her diligently with needlework over a long period, proving her worth. In the entire sewing chamber, only Wei Jinniang’s skills could rival hers.

She knew Wei Jinniang was clever and hardworking—surpassing her would not be easy. If Wei Jinniang didn’t stand in her way, all would be well. But if she did, Qin Shuanger wouldn’t hesitate.