Chapter 3: Sending the Child?

Chapter 3 Sending the Girl Off?

"Master." Lin Zhijin followed Xiaocui into the inner room and saw a pretty, flirtatious-looking woman sitting on the edge of the bed, feeding Master Chen his medicine.

"Mm." Master Chen sized her up. Her features were delicate, and although her skin wasn't fair yet, one could tell she had good bone structure—she'd get fairer with some care. What stood out most were those big, doe-eyed, timid eyes that made you want to protect her.

"You've been to see the Mistress?" Master Chen pushed away the flirtatious woman's hand holding the medicine, took the water Xiaocui offered, and swished some in his mouth. "Where did the Mistress put you up?"

"Yes, I have. The Mistress and the other ladies have been very kind. The Mistress has arranged for me to stay in Wenzhu Courtyard, saying it's close to you, Master, so I can easily attend to you." Lin Zhijin cautiously glanced at Master Chen, then immediately lowered her head when he looked her way.

A slight smile tugged at Master Chen's lips as he looked at the flirtatious woman. "Xiaoyue, you should head back now. Xiaojiu can attend to me here."

Xiaoyue pouted sulkily, cooing, "No, Master. The Ninth Concubine is so young and inexperienced—she doesn't know how to serve you like I do. Master, you can't just trade me in for a newer model. Please, Master, let me serve you~"

Lin Zhijin's skin crawled. Jeez, this Xiaoyue was a real piece of work—she could still act coy like that toward Master Chen. She really goes for it.

Master Chen was clearly enjoying Xiaoyue's bickering over him. Thinking that Lin Zhijin was too thin and not his cup of tea, he decided to let her put on some weight first.

"Alright, alright, stop shaking me. You're going to rattle my old bones loose. Xiaojiu was tired from waiting on me last night anyway, so she should rest well today. Xiaocui, have Shi Qing pick out some things to send to the Ninth Concubine." Master Chen waved her off, motioning for Lin Zhijin to leave.

Hearing this, Lin Zhijin nearly cracked up. Thank God for Xiaoyue! She could avoid that old geezer and still score freebies.

She obediently returned to Wenzhu Courtyard with Xiaohong. The moment they got inside, Xiaohong couldn't help but complain, "Hu Xiaoyue did that on purpose. Today is your big day, and she still had to come steal your spotlight. Luckily, Master dotes on you and had Shi Qing bring you gifts, or the whole household would be gossiping about you."

Lin Zhijin gave her a puzzled look. "Is Xiaoyue Master's chamber maid? And who is Shi Qing?"

"Xiaoyue is the chamber maid Master took in last year and she's pretty well-favored. Shi Qing is Master's right-hand man. Having him deliver gifts to you is Master's way of honoring you." Xiaohong said happily.

Lin Zhijin nodded in understanding and faked excitement. "Really? That's wonderful. I must thank Master properly later."

Who knows whose side Xiaohong was on? Whether it was her, Old Lady Zhang, or those two little maids who looked so innocent, Lin Zhijin didn't trust a single one of them.

After a while, Shi Qing didn't arrive, but the seamstress arrived first.

"Ninth Concubine, you're on the skinny side. The Master and Mistress worry about you and want you to eat well and put on some weight. Should I make the clothes a few sizes bigger?" Old Lady Zhang asked tentatively after the tailor finished taking measurements.

Lin Zhijin glanced at her. Yeah right, "the Master and Mistress worry about her." It's just that Master Chen likes his women with some meat on their bones. She'd known that since last night.

If Master Chen were in good health, she definitely wouldn't gain weight. But since he was about to croak, she might as well use this chance to get her health in order. After all, this body belonged to her now, and if she got sick later, she'd be the one paying for it.

"Alright." Lin Zhijin obediently nodded, flipping through the designs. They were all cheongsams, hanfu, or Western-style dresses—pretty, sure, but she wouldn't be able to wear them later. "Are there any other styles?"

"The Ninth Concubine doesn't like these?" The tailor brought out another catalog. "Take a look at this one."

Straight-cut cheongsams, high-collar jackets with wide sleeves and matching skirts, embroidered cheongsams—these were the most plain and simple ones. Lin Zhijin picked those three styles, then asked in a small voice for shirts and coats.

"I saw someone wearing those once, and they looked really good." Lin Zhijin bit her lip, then put on a timid act. "If it can't be done, then never mind."

"The Ninth Concubine doesn't like these?" The tailor brought out yet another catalog. "Take a look at this one—it has shirts, jackets, and pants that are trendy in the West."

Lin Zhijin flipped through a few pages and was pretty impressed. You'd never guess these were clothes from her time—no, they were even more stylish and prettier than the clothes from her time.

"I don't know what fabric works for what. Can you help me figure it out? I want a few shirts, both long-sleeve and short-sleeve, plus a few jackets and pants in light and heavy weights. If there's fabric left over, make some skirts, and use the scraps for scrunchies and headbands. Or can I trade some for wool yarn? I want a few sweaters." These clothes fit her taste and were practical—if she was careful, she wouldn't need to buy clothes for the next ten-plus years.

"No need. The Mistress already gave orders that if you need anything, we can go get it from the storeroom." Old Lady Zhang said with a smile.

Lin Zhijin didn't turn it down. Why say no to free stuff?

After seeing the seamstress out, before long Shi Qing showed up at Wenzhu Courtyard with maids and servants carrying a bunch of stuff—fabric, jewelry, tonics, plus a box of silver peanuts and a box of silver melon seeds, saying they were for her to hand out as tips.

Lin Zhijin saw once again just how loaded the Chen household was. No wonder Xiaoyue was all over him—he really gives a lot.

Forget the fabric and jewelry—just those two boxes of silver peanuts and melon seeds were more than a regular family could earn in a lifetime.

"Thanks for coming all the way, Steward Shi. Please tell the Master thank you on behalf of our lady." Old Lady Zhang grabbed a handful of silver peanuts and handed them to Shi Qing. Once they were gone, she turned to Lin Zhijin and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ninth Concubine. I went ahead and gave a handful of silver peanuts to Steward Shi without asking, but..."

Lin Zhijin waved it off. "I understand, Mother Zhang. I don't know about these things, and Xiaohong is still too young. From now on, I'll have to rely on you for all the social stuff around here."

Old Lady Zhang nodded, satisfied. Just like Mother Sun said, she was a good girl. Good, she listens—that saves her the trouble.

After a busy morning of running around, Lin Zhijin was pretty tired. She sent Xiaohong and the others out—she needed a moment to herself.

Once she made sure she was alone in the room, Lin Zhijin's shoulders immediately drooped, and she flopped onto the bed, not caring how she looked.

At this point, no one was paying her any mind, which was a good thing for her. She hoped it would last, so she could get through these two months without any drama.

Wait—there was still the whole thing about Master Chen being drugged and the original body being set up. She couldn't afford to let her guard down, or she'd lose her virginity and end up pregnant. That would be a nightmare.

Half-asleep, Lin Zhijin was woken up by Xiaohong.

"Ninth Concubine, you shouldn't nap too long during the day, or you'll be too wired to sleep tonight." Xiaohong helped her wipe her face and then moved to help her get dressed.

"No, I've got it." Lin Zhijin came out of the bedroom and saw four dishes and a bowl of soup on the table.

"This is your lunch for today. The concubines get a set meal allowance. If you don't like it, you can pay extra to swap it for something else." Seeing that Lin Zhijin showed no dissatisfaction, Xiaohong took out a thermos container with a double-boiled soup. "This is made with top-grade bird's nest. Want a bowl to wet your whistle first?"

Jeez, do rich people use bird's nest just to wet their whistles?

Okay, so Lin Zhijin's salary wasn't bad, but she was saving up to buy a house and a car, so she'd always been frugal. She'd never actually eaten bird's nest. Today she'd finally get to taste it.

She licked her lips. How to put it? It tasted great, but that was because the chef was good. As for the ingredient itself—meh, it was just okay.

The small bowl of bird's nest was gone in a few bites. Lin Zhijin dug into the food, and it was just as good. Especially this braised pork—rich but not greasy, melts in your mouth. It was the best braised pork she'd had in all her thirty years.

After the meal, Lin Zhijin sat on the chaise by the window, admiring the asparagus fern in the courtyard, rubbing her belly. Decadent—this is way too decadent. If she didn't know what was going to happen later, she could happily live out her life as a widow in the Chen house.

Two days went by like this. Just when Lin Zhijin thought Master Chen had forgotten her, he sent someone to fetch her.

Oh no—why did that old geezer suddenly remember her again?

The moment she stepped into Master Chen's courtyard, she heard Hu Xiaoyue whining in that sweet, clingy voice, "Master, I still wanna stay here with you~"

Lin Zhijin got the chills again. Calming herself down, she entered the room with her head down.

"Xiaojiu, you're here? Come over." Master Chen waved Lin Zhijin over. Seeing that she looked better than before, he nodded in approval. "I heard you called a doctor to help with your health?"

"Yes. Mother Zhang said you like your women plumper, so I... I asked a doctor to help me get healthier. I was also worried the smell of medicine might bother you, so I didn't dare come to see you these past two days." The doctor who treated Master Chen was really good, so she took the chance to mooch off the doctor and the Chen family's medicine stash.

Master Chen was very pleased with her answer. This bought bride for good luck was so perceptive—she must have fallen for his charm. Indeed, his appeal hadn't faded with age.

Delighted, Master Chen waved his hand generously and bestowed another pile of gifts.

"Master, only the Ninth Concubine gets gifts? What about me?" Xiaoyue clung to Master Chen's arm, her chest brushing against him.

Master Chen's desires stirred. "You'll get some too—everyone will."

Lin Zhijin truly admired Hu Xiaoyue. Standing there like a wooden block by comparison, she figured she'd better do something since she'd received so many nice things from Master Chen. She sat down at the foot of the bed and massaged his legs—like a caregiver tending to a patient. And with the blanket in between, it was just for show.

Master Chen was very pleased, but Hu Xiaoyue was furious. She had worked so hard to become Master Chen's chambermaid, and was just figuring out how to conceive a child to become a concubine, when Master Chen fell ill out of nowhere, and then out of the blue a Ninth Concubine appeared—a mere country girl, no less—and jumped ahead of her to become a concubine. It should have been her as the Ninth Concubine.

She had no idea what the head wife was thinking, arranging a ritual to ward off illness—why choose someone this pretty? Before they had even consummated the marriage, she had the master completely wrapped around her finger. No, she had to think of a way to get rid of this Ninth Concubine.

Lin Zhijin looked up and caught Hu Xiaoyue's blazing glare. She feigned fear and lowered her head, but alarm bells went off in her head. This Hu Xiaoyue was definitely going to come after her—could she be the one who had schemed against the original owner of this body?

"Alright, I'm tired. You can all go back now." Master Chen's health hadn't recovered, and after just a short while, he was already running out of steam. He waved them away.

Seeing this, Lin Zhijin left immediately with Xiaohong, not giving Hu Xiaoyue the slightest chance to start trouble.

"Ninth Concubine, there's no need for us to walk so fast. You're a concubine; she's just a chambermaid. If we're being polite, we call her Concubine Hu; if not, we can make her fetch tea and water. You don't need to be afraid of her at all." Xiaohong said with a displeased look.

Lin Zhijin glanced at Xiaohong—was she stirring the pot, or stirring the pot?

"Better to avoid trouble than to look for it. I've only just arrived; it's best not to cause any problems." Lin Zhijin shook her head timidly, looking weak and easy to push around.

Yes, she was the pitiful victim, desperately in need of rescue by the People's Liberation Army.

Meanwhile, Hu Xiaoyue returned to her room and smashed a teacup in anger. "Hmph, that vixen, shameless thing, acting all honest and simple, but she's really a fox spirit."

"Oh my, Sister Hu, who got you all riled up?" A woman with delicate features and a gentle demeanor pushed the door open and came in.

"Wang Xiuzhu, what are you doing here?" Hu Xiaoyue asked irritably upon seeing her.

"I came to give you a child." Wang Xiuzhu sat down across from Hu Xiaoyue and said with a smile.

"What child?" Hu Xiaoyue frowned at her.

"Sister Hu, don't you want to get pregnant with Master's child? I know a way." Wang Xiuzhu leaned close to Hu Xiaoyue's ear and whispered.

Hu Xiaoyue shot her a sidelong glance. "You? If you had a way, why wouldn't you conceive yourself?"

"You should know, I've been pregnant before—twice. If I hadn't messed up my body from a miscarriage with the second one, I could still get pregnant." At the mention of her children, a flash of hatred passed through Wang Xiuzhu's eyes.

Hu Xiaoyue's breathing grew heavier. "You really have a way? But what about Master's health?"

"I said I have a way, so I do. All you have to do is listen to me, and you'll get what you want." Wang Xiuzhu's tone was full of temptation.

Hu Xiaoyue gritted her teeth. "Fine, tell me. I'll do whatever you say."

Author's note:

I went to the hospital today. In my last book, I mentioned I thought I had depression. It turns out today they found it's not depression—it's hypothyroidism. No wonder I've been feeling exhausted every day, too tired to talk, not wanting to do anything, and feeling really down. It turns out it's hypothyroidism. I only knew about hyperthyroidism before; I didn't even know hypothyroidism existed. First time hearing about this disease—it's really something! PS: Update time is set for 6 PM. Love you all, mwah (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～