Chapter 2: Offering Tea

Chapter 2: Offering Tea

At the crack of dawn, Lin Zhijin's eyes snapped open. She'd been on edge all night, so she hadn't slept well.

She got up and saw that Master Chen was still asleep. She carefully straightened the bedding, then pulled the rope by the bed. A bell rang, and Xiaocui, who was still half-asleep, quietly pushed the door open.

"Ninth Concubine, you're awake? Do you want to wash up now?" Xiaocui peeked at Master Chen and asked in a low voice.

"Mm." Lin Zhijin went to the outer room with Xiaocui. Looking down at her red inner clothes, she asked in a hushed tone, "Where are the clothes I brought with me?"

The Chen family's betrothal gift had been generous—money, food, and bolts of cloth. To save face, the Lin family had used some of that cloth to make her two outfits and two quilts for her dowry, and had thrown in two silver dollars to tuck at the bottom of her trunk.

The original Lin Zhijin had been deeply moved, believing her parents truly cared for her. She'd planned to behave well in the Chen household and send any perks back to her birth family.

But Lin Zhijin scoffed to herself. Cared for her? If she remembered correctly, the Chen family had given sixty-six silver dollars, six bolts of cloth, plus tobacco, liquor, and snacks. And this was all the Lin family gave her as a dowry? They kept telling the original owner to be grateful and never forget her family—especially her younger brother.

Tsk, tsk. With such a hefty betrothal gift, the original owner had already paid back her debt for being raised. She wasn't going to give them another cent.

"I'll go ask in a bit." Xiaocui called over two young maids—one holding a toothbrush and cup, the other carrying a spittoon.

Lin Zhijin was pleasantly surprised to see a toothbrush. Last night she'd only rinsed her mouth, figuring the Chen residence didn't have toothbrushes!

When the young maid moved to brush her teeth, Lin Zhijin quickly took the toothbrush and did it herself. She wasn't a three-year-old; having someone brush her teeth for her felt way too weird.

Xiaocui and the others didn't think anything of it. They all knew the Ninth Concubine was from the countryside and wasn't used to being waited on hand and foot. What surprised them more was that she even knew how to use a toothbrush—they'd assumed she wouldn't.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, the maid sent to fetch her clothes came back, followed by an older woman. The original owner had seen her before—she was the one who'd gone to the countryside to select candidates and had chosen the original owner. She went by Mother Sun.

"I heard from Old Lady Li that the master woke up in the night?" Mother Sun looked Lin Zhijin up and down. Seeing her timid demeanor, with none of the arrogance that came with becoming a concubine, she nodded in satisfaction. Her judgment had been right—compared to that Lin Xiaoya, Lin Pandi was much easier to control.

"Yes, the master woke for about the time it takes to burn one stick of incense. The doctor also came by to check on him, and his condition has improved a bit." Lin Zhijin replied, keeping her eyes lowered.

Mother Sun was pleased with how obedient she looked.

"The Mistress said that since the Ninth Concubine worked hard looking after the master last night, you can go a bit later to offer tea." Mother Sun turned and waved her over. "This is Xiaohong. She'll be your personal maid from now on."

Lin Zhijin looked at the girl, who was only twelve or thirteen, and nodded obediently.

She knew nothing about how the Chen household operated. Playing meek and agreeable couldn't hurt—just two months, and it'd be over.

Mother Sun nodded, told Old Lady Li and the others to take good care of the master, and then left.

She had two outfits total—one pink, one blue. Lin Zhijin chose the blue one, ate a big, hearty breakfast, and with Xiaohong guiding her, went to offer tea to the First Mistress.

On the way, Lin Zhijin asked Xiaohong about the Chen household. It was even more complicated than she'd thought.

Counting her, there was one First Mistress and eight concubines in total. There were also nine chamber maids who'd been officially recognized. As for the ones who hadn't been officially acknowledged, even Xiaohong didn't know the exact number.

In other words, on paper, Master Chen had eighteen wives—and she was the eighteenth concubine.

Lin Zhijin couldn't help but wonder. With this many women, could Master Chen even remember all their names?

Aside from her, who'd become the Ninth Concubine through a fortune-bridging marriage, the other seven had all been promoted to concubine after having kids. Both chamber maids and concubines were technically concubines, but their status was night and day. One counted as a mistress with maids and servants waiting on her; the other had to do maid work on top of sharing the master's bed. No wonder that chamber maid had slipped Master Chen something.

"Who's in charge now?" Lin Zhijin asked in a hushed voice.

Xiaohong looked around left and right, then replied just as quietly, "In the inner quarters, the Third Mistress is in charge. Out front... it's the Second Master."

Huh? Why were the front and back courtyards run differently?

"Ninth Concubine, we've arrived." Xiaohong reminded her.

Lin Zhijin looked at the courtyard gate, took a deep breath, and entered with Xiaohong. No rush—she'd ask more questions after the tea ceremony.

As soon as she stepped inside, everyone's eyes turned to her, sizing her up without the slightest restraint. Even the servants in the room didn't take this country-bought fortune-bridging concubine seriously.

Lin Zhijin had been mentally prepared. She deliberately kept her head down, pretending to be frightened, her hands twisting the hem of her clothes. Under Mother Sun's direction, she offered tea to the First Mistress.

"I heard from Old Lady Li that the master is very pleased with you. Good. Keep serving him well from now on, and neither I nor the master will treat you poorly." The First Mistress, Chen Lishi, glanced to the side, and a maid handed her a wooden box. "The other concubines also received one when they offered tea. This one is yours."

Given Master Chen's current condition, Chen Lishi didn't say anything about bearing children—she only told Lin Zhijin to take good care of him.

"Thank you, Mistress. I'll serve the master well." Lin Zhijin glanced at the box. It was an entire set of jade jewelry—good water quality, exquisite craftsmanship, clearly valuable.

The First Mistress was both generous and wealthy. She liked that.

Next, she met the Second through Eighth Concubines. Each one smiled and gave her a gift—the Second Concubine gave gold bangles, the Third a gold hairpin, the Fourth a jade bracelet. All quite lavish.

Lin Zhijin also met several of Master Chen's children and grandchildren. As a senior member of the household, she was supposed to give gifts to the younger generation, but she was strapped for cash and couldn't afford it. Fortunately, the First Mistress was thorough and had prepared gifts on her behalf.

"Alright, everyone can go back to their own quarters. Ninth Concubine, stay a moment." Chen Lishi waved her hand. She was only a year younger than Master Chen—already sixty-seven—and had no energy to deal with the old man's harem.

After the concubines filed out one by one, Chen Lishi gestured for her to sit. "The master's health is poor, so I've arranged for you to stay in Wenzhu Courtyard, the closest to him. Besides Xiaohong as your personal maid, you'll also have one older woman and two young maids. As for everything else—Xiaohong has been with the household a long time; let her fill you in."

Seeing Chen Lishi raise her teacup, Lin Zhijin pretended not to understand the dismissal. Only after Xiaohong prompted her did she hurriedly stand up. "I'll follow whatever the Mistress arranges. I'll head back now. If you need anything, just send word."

Watching Lin Zhijin's retreating figure, Chen Lishi curved her lips into a smile. "Timid and obedient. Mother Sun, you chose well."

A flicker of pride passed through Mother Sun's eyes. She'd known from the start that Lin Xiaoya wasn't honest—daring to play tricks in front of her. Overestimating herself.

"Mistress, the Ninth Concubine is just a fortune-bridging bride. Why treat her so well?" Xia Lan entered carrying a food box and took out a bowl of bird's nest soup. "You didn't eat much this morning. Have some bird's nest."

"She's just a seventeen-year-old girl, a year younger than Wan'er. Consider it accumulating merit." Chen Lishi showed a kind smile. "Pick out some things and send them to the Ninth Concubine. A concubine of the Chen family looking too shabby would embarrass the Chen name."

The Chen family didn't lack for such things. As long as Lin Shi behaved obediently, they might as well keep her like a cat or a dog.

Lin Zhijin followed Xiaohong to Wenzhu Courtyard. She hadn't expected the tea ceremony to be over so quickly—she'd thought there might be some drama to witness!

Then she reconsidered. Who was she in the grand scheme of things? A seventeen-year-old country girl who couldn't read and had no family backing. They simply couldn't be bothered with her.

Lin Zhijin curved her lips into a smile. Good, very good. Let them ignore her, let her lie low in the Chen household for two months.

"Greetings, Ninth Concubine. The room has been prepared. Would you like to take a look? The Mistress said if you need anything, just ask Mother Sun." Old Lady Zhang's attitude wasn't particularly deferential, but neither was it contemptuous.

"You're Old Lady Zhang?" Lin Zhijin also met the other two maids—a few years older than Xiaohong, looking honest and simple. She hoped they truly were.

"Yes, I'm Old Lady Zhang. If there's anything that needs handling outside, just tell me and I'll take care of it." Old Lady Zhang led Lin Zhijin on a tour of the entire courtyard. "Ninth Concubine, are you satisfied with the room?"

The room was spotless. The sheets, quilts, and bed curtains were all new. The furniture, the folding screen, even the tea set on the table—everything exuded luxury.

A concubine's room, this lavish? No wonder they called the Chens a wealthy clan.

"Satisfied, very satisfied. Did the Mistress arrange all this? I'll go thank her later." Lin Zhijin probed cautiously.

"That's right. Our First Mistress has always been a bodhisattva at heart. You'll see that in time." Old Lady Zhang took the opportunity to sing the First Mistress's praises.

Lin Zhijin nodded repeatedly, "The Mistress has such a kind face. I just got here, and she's already done so much for me. I... I don't even know how to thank her."

Just as she was about to rest, Mother Sun arrived with a maid carrying things—fine fabrics, exquisite jewelry, and nourishing goodies like bird's nest and cordyceps.

"Are all these for me?" Lin Zhijin acted like she'd never seen such things.

She truly had never witnessed such a spectacle before; you'd think she'd time-traveled to ancient times.

"Yes, these are all bestowed by the Mistress." Mother Sun put extra weight on the word "bestowed."

Lin Zhijin didn't care—bestowed or not, these were fine things. She even hoped the Mistress would shower her with stuff like this every day.

"The Mistress is so good to me. Mother Sun, you must thank her on my behalf." Lin Zhijin said, all teary-eyed and grateful.

"I'll let the Mistress know. If the Ninth Concubine doesn't need anything else, we'll be going now." Mother Sun gave a slight nod.

Lin Zhijin saw Mother Sun to the door before returning to admire the day's loot.

So this is what silk and satin feel like?

Lin Zhijin gently ran her fingers over the fabric. In her last life, she'd bought a silk blouse for two thousand-plus yuan. Who'd have thought she'd end up a concubine in the 1950s and get to wear silk and satin.

Beyond the fabric, she couldn't get enough of the jewelry from the welcome gifts and what the Mistress had sent over later—especially the jade pieces from the tea ceremony. The more she looked at them, the more she loved them.

"Ninth Concubine, the Mistress is truly kind to you, sending all these things. Want me to call the seamstress to take your measurements for some new clothes?" Xiaohong asked cheerfully.

"Old Lady Zhang, go get the seamstress to measure me." Lin Zhijin sent Old Lady Zhang off and shooed the two young maids out too, keeping only Xiaohong so she could pump her for info about the Chen household—like why the Second Master ran things, but the Third Mistress was the one managing the household.

After Xiaohong explained it all, Lin Zhijin finally got the whole story.

The Mistress had given birth to the eldest son and second daughter. The eldest son's family had moved to America, and the second daughter had gone to Hong Kong with her husband. Other than her granddaughter Chen Waner, she didn't have any other descendants around.

The Second Concubine had been the Mistress's dowry maid and had given birth to the eldest daughter and third son. She was utterly devoted to the Mistress, so her children enjoyed deep trust—if the Second Concubine's son had been more capable, he'd have been the one running things.

The Third Concubine had only borne Master Chen's second son, but that one son was accomplished enough to make him the current head of the Chen household.

The Fourth Concubine had two daughters and a son, the Fifth Concubine two sons, the Sixth Concubine four daughters, the Seventh Concubine a pair of twins, and the Eighth Concubine had once had a son who tragically died at age three.

Lin Zhijin counted on her fingers—Master Chen had fourteen children!!!

Then again, with that many wives, fourteen wasn't excessive; surely some had been lost along the way.

Good heavens, a real-life household drama. The thought alone was thrilling.

"Ninth Concubine, don't worry. From what I can see, the Mistress seems inclined to protect you." Xiaohong offered quiet reassurance, noticing Lin Zhijin's pensive look.

"Mmm, as long as we're cautious and mind our place, we should be fine." Lin Zhijin nodded with feigned fear.

No worries—just survive two months, and once the People's Liberation Army arrived, not just her, but even Xiaohong and the other servants would regain their freedom.

Just as she was about to rest, Xiaocui arrived, saying Master Chen had woken up and wanted to see her.

The old man woke up—why summon her?

Before she even entered, a sultry voice drifted from the room, "Master, you're finally awake. You have no idea how worried I was about you."

Lin Zhijin's eyes lit up—could the one who drugged him be this chamber maid? She had to get inside and see for herself.

Author's note: