Chapter 4: The Drug

Chapter 4: The Medicine

"Concubine Hu really knows how to work it, always keeping the Master to herself, so the Ninth Concubine hardly ever gets to see him." A young maid remarked with a sigh.

"She's still too young." Another maid gestured with her fingers forming a nine. "At the Master's age, she ought to be focusing on getting pregnant ASAP, whether it's a boy or girl, so she'll have someone to lean on for the rest of her life."

"Poor thing. She's two years younger than me. A chamber maid can still remarry, but a concubine is recorded in the family genealogy—she can't remarry even if she wants to. Without a kid, her future is just eating vegetarian and chanting sutras." The young maid said sympathetically.

The girl they were feeling sorry for, Lin Zhijin, was sipping bird's nest soup, with her favorite strawberry cream cake on the table. Best of all, she didn't have to attend to the old geezer—this was practically heaven.

"Ninth Concubine, the Master requests your presence." Old Lady Zhang announced as she entered.

Just what she was afraid of. Lin Zhijin set down her cake, annoyed. God, he was already too sick to get out of bed, had a bunch of pretty concubines waiting on him hand and foot—why was he still thinking about her?

"Got it. I'll change and be right there." Lin Zhijin changed her clothes and sat at the dressing table, letting Xiaohong help her with her hair.

Xiaohong might be young, but she was handy. She could style hair in many ways and was good at needlework—the undergarments Lin Zhijin wore were made by her.

Speaking of undergarments, Lin Zhijin asked Xiaohong as they walked, "Did you look into that underwear I asked about?"

She really couldn't get used to those old-school belly wraps, and the homemade underwear, while made of good fabric, felt baggy—nothing compared to the comfort of pure cotton fitted underwear.

"I checked. They have them at the department store. Do you want to go check them out yourself, or should I send someone to pick them up?" Xiaohong brought over a coat to help Lin Zhijin put it on. "It drizzled today, so it's chilly outside."

"Can I go to the department store on my own?" The Chen family was old-school, so Lin Zhijin assumed concubines weren't allowed to leave.

"You need to ask the First Madam's permission, but she usually agrees." Xiaohong looked at Lin Zhijin with slight confusion.

Being able to get out and about sounded great—she could also check out 1950s Nancheng while she was at it.

Arriving at Master Chen's courtyard, Lin Zhijin encountered a woman who was pretty in a delicate way with a gentle air about her coming out of the room. The woman gave a respectful bow. "Greetings, Ninth Concubine. The Master is waiting for you inside."

Lin Zhijin glanced at her, then whispered to Xiaohong, "Who is this?"

"This is Concubine Wang. She's different from the other chamber maids—she got pregnant twice, but unfortunately lost both children." Seeing Xiaocui inside the room, Xiaohong immediately clammed up.

Only Master Chen was in the inner room. Lin Zhijin knew what to do and picked up the bowl to feed him his medicine.

I'm a caregiver, I'm a caregiver, I'm a caregiver...

After psyching herself up, Lin Zhijin coaxed gently, "Master, you look much better today. Looks like you're about to get over this sickness."

Master Chen smiled as he drank his medicine. "Right, with a little darling like you, of course I want to get better quickly. I know I did you wrong on our wedding night. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you with a proper wedding night."

Oh my god, what was this old coot saying? Who asked him to make up a wedding night? Help! This stinky old man was way too full of himself!

"None of that matters. I just hope your illness gets better soon." Lin Zhijin looked at Master Chen with wide, watery eyes. Trust me, everyone else is after your stuff, only I'm the one who actually cares about you, big bro.

Master Chen was instantly moved. His other eight wives were all hoping he'd die soon—only Xiaojiu and Xiaoyue wished for his speedy recovery.

The old geezer, touched by her words, waved his hand and hooked her up with another pile of goodies.

Lin Zhijin seized the opportunity to ask about visiting the department store. "The farthest I've ever been is the town. I've often heard people say the department store has everything, including many foreign goods. I... I want to go see what it's all about."

"You're young, so it's natural to like shopping. Go ahead, just be back before dark." Master Chen was in a good mood and easy to please.

Even though Master Chen had already agreed, Lin Zhijin still went to ask the First Madam for permission.

"She's a sensible one. Let her go." The First Madam said with a smile.

Since she was doing a favor anyway, she might as well go all the way. The First Madam had someone send Lin Zhijin twenty silver dollars.

Don't underestimate twenty silver dollars—for ordinary people, earning even one silver dollar a month was already considered decent.

Lin Zhijin gratefully had Xiaohong accept the silver dollars. She returned to the Bamboo Courtyard, changed her shoes, and prepared to head to the department store.

"Ninth Concubine, the Master sent me to deliver this." An unremarkable male servant stood waiting outside the ornamental gate.

Lin Zhijin had Xiaohong take it, saying gratefully, "Thank the Master for me."

The servant bowed and left. Lin Zhijin followed Xiaohong out through the side gate, where a rickshaw was already waiting.

"Is this the family's?" Lin Zhijin asked quietly.

"Yes. There's also a carriage and an automobile. Next time you go somewhere far, you can take the car." Xiaohong said proudly.

Lin Zhijin nodded and opened the pouch Master Chen had sent over, nearly blinded by the gold inside.

The old geezer might be a bit old, but he was truly generous. Within just a few days, he'd given her silks and satins, various precious jewelry and tonics, and now a pouch full of gold ingots. Each one was small, with pretty fine craftsmanship, and mainly that shiny golden look made it hard to put down.

She hefted it in her hand—about the same as the gold bracelet she'd had in her previous life, roughly thirty-six or thirty-seven grams.

"Is this half a tael?" Lin Zhijin wasn't sure about the current measurement system.

Xiaohong glanced at it and smiled. "It's one tael. The Master treats you very well. With these, you'll definitely come back with plenty of loot today."

Looking at these adorable little gold ingots, Lin Zhijin couldn't bear to spend them. Mainly because they were small and easy to carry—when Master Chen eventually died and she was kicked out, she could stash them on her and take them away.

Lin Zhijin tucked them into her inner pocket. "Let's go take a look first. We'll see if there's anything I like."

Xiaohong smiled and nodded without saying more.

This Ninth Concubine was different from the country girl she'd imagined. She looked timid, but actually had her own ideas. She claimed she hadn't studied, yet she was very logical in how she spoke and acted, nothing crude about her. But if you said she was knowledgeable, she really hadn't seen many things. It didn't add up.

Lin Zhijin had been careful in her disguise, but for someone like Xiaohong, who had been trained since childhood to read people's expressions and tones, even the slightest slip would be noticed.

There was no helping it—Xiaohong, as her personal maid, was practically by Lin Zhijin's side twenty-four hours a day. She was just an ordinary person, not a real actress. And even an actress couldn't pull off not showing a single flaw, right?

To Lin Zhijin, the current department store really wasn't that big—about the size of a supermarket in her hometown.

The selection was indeed complete. The first floor had various daily necessities, while valuables were on the second floor, and underwear too.

Lin Zhijin hadn't forgotten her main purpose today. She first went with Xiaohong to look at underwear, and it surprised her again. She'd thought it would be more plain, but the underwear from this era was quite beautiful—especially the brocade-patterned ones, Suzhou embroidered, lace, a blend of Chinese and Western, both comfortable and attractive.

"They even have daily and sports styles?" Lin Zhijin touched them. The daily style had no underwire, while the sports style did. "Is this... a belly band style?"

"Yes. If you don't like the patterns on these, you can choose a design and have them custom-made." Seeing how Lin Zhijin was dressed and that she had a maid with her, the saleswoman immediately came over with a smile.

"Can I try them on?" Lin Zhijin had her eye on one with a kitten pattern, hand-embroidered so lifelike. Wow, this would be a collector's item in the future, and here it was embroidered on underwear.

"Of course. We have a dedicated fitting room over here." The saleswoman led Lin Zhijin to the fitting room.

Pretty, and comfortable to wear. The only downside was the price—not something ordinary people could afford.

Fortunately, both the First Madam and Master Chen had given her money, or Lin Zhijin couldn't have afforded more than a few.

She liked this one, and that one too. In the end, she picked out over a dozen pieces, and chose more than twenty pairs of underwear.

Xiaohong opened her mouth, wanting to say she couldn't wear that many, but seeing Lin Zhijin's excited expression, she silently closed it again.

Besides the undergarments, Lin Zhijin also picked up some odds and ends. On the way back to the Chen residence, they passed the City God Temple, where she had the driver stop. It pained her to donate a gold ingot, and she asked for two peace amulets.

The First Madam and Master Chen were generous, so she couldn't just give nothing in return. They'd surely look down on anything from the department store, so she decided to get two peace amulets instead—it's the gesture that counts, and the symbolism was auspicious.

Sure enough, both Master Chen and the First Madam were quite pleased with the amulets. One sent her another pouch of gold ingots, and the other sent half a basket of apples.

Fruit was hard to come by this season. She heard the apples came from the First Madam's maiden family, and there were only a few baskets in total. Yet the First Madam gave her half a basket. Lin Zhijin was touched and kept playing her timid Ninth Concubine act, making sure she didn't cause the First Madam any trouble.

A few days later, Master Chen's health was gradually improving, and with it, he started getting ideas.

Lin Zhijin trembled inwardly. Oh no, this old geezer actually wants to sleep with her?

"Ninth Concubine, the Master asks you to dine with him." Old Lady Li said cheerfully.

"Is the Master able to get out of bed now?" Lin Zhijin had seen Master Chen just yesterday, and he didn't seem capable of getting up.

"Not yet, but you can help him eat." Old Lady Li looked like she thought, 'You're lucky to serve the Master his meal.'

Lin Zhijin gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and agreed. She changed and then headed to Master Chen's room with Xiaohong.

Before they even got to the courtyard, Hu Xiaoyue came rushing out and almost ran into them.

"What's the rush? You could've knocked over the Ninth Concubine!" Old Lady Li glared at Hu Xiaoyue.

Even though Hu Xiaoyue was one of Master Chen's women, she ranked lower than Old Lady Li.

"I'm in a hurry to use the outhouse." Hu Xiaoyue glanced at Lin Zhijin, grudgingly gave a little bow, "Ninth Concubine, the Master's waiting for you inside. I'll be off now."

Lin Zhijin caught the guilt in her eyes and instantly thought of the drugging plot from the original story. Could today be the day?

No way—she couldn't let Hu Xiaoyue leave. There was no way she was getting stuck with that old man Chen.

"Concubine Hu, why the hurry? There's a bathroom in the Master's courtyard too. And you were right last time—I'm no good at waiting on people. I'd love for you to show me how. How about today?" Lin Zhijin grabbed Hu Xiaoyue's arm to stop her from leaving.

Hu Xiaoyue tried to pull away, but couldn't.

Lin Zhijin smiled and pulled Hu Xiaoyue along with her. The original body was a country girl who'd done farm work since she was a kid—she could easily carry a hundred jin. Grabbing Hu Xiaoyue was like snatching up a chicken.

"Old Lady Li, take Concubine Hu to the bathroom. I'll wait for her to eat with the Master." Lin Zhijin rarely put her foot down like this.

No way—if she kept playing the scaredy-cat, her virtue was on the line.

With Old Lady Li keeping an eye on her, Hu Xiaoyue couldn't leave. So she served Master Chen his meal while Lin Zhijin stood by, watching and learning.

Everything was calm—Master Chen didn't seem off at all. Lin Zhijin shot Hu Xiaoyue a suspicious look—so what was she feeling guilty about?

The next night, when Master Chen asked Lin Zhijin to stay over, she agreed right away. But on the way, she made a point of passing by Hu Xiaoyue's place, and when she ran into her, she gave her a smug look.

"Did you see that? Did you see that? That Lin bitch did that on purpose!" Hu Xiaoyue pointed at Lin Zhijin's back and cursed.

Hu Xiaoyue was favored, so like Wang Xiuzhu, she had her own room and a young maid. Now, ignoring the maid's attempts to stop her, she chased after Lin Zhijin.

It worked out great: Master Chen, worn down by Hu Xiaoyue, had no choice but to send Lin Zhijin back. Feeling guilty, he gave her a bunch of stuff.

Lin Zhijin was thrilled. Hu Xiaoyue had officially beaten the First Madam as the best person in her book.

Two days later, Master Chen could already walk a few steps. Lin Zhijin was getting antsy—why hadn't the drugging happened yet? She was almost tempted to do it herself.

One evening, as Lin Zhijin was strolling in the courtyard after dinner, a young maid from Master Chen's courtyard came to summon her.

Usually, it was Old Lady Li or Xiaocui who came to call her. Why send an unfamiliar young maid today?

The original body would have gone without question, but Lin Zhijin knew the plot. Anything involving Master Chen, she approached with extreme caution.

"Old Lady Zhang, is this someone from the Master's courtyard?" Lin Zhijin had Xiaohong keep an eye on her and called for Old Lady Zhang to identify her.

The young maid hadn't expected Lin Zhijin to pull such a move. Seeing Old Lady Zhang come out, she turned and ran.

Old Lady Zhang's face darkened. How dare someone cause trouble right under her nose? They must be tired of living.

"Don't be scared, Ninth Concubine. I'll go check things out." Old Lady Zhang chased after the young maid.

Lin Zhijin patted her chest, looking frightened, and went back to her room, saying, "I wonder what they were trying to trick me into. Xiaohong, go tell Mother Sun."

Seeing how pale Lin Zhijin was, Xiaohong hesitated for a moment, then instructed two young maids to take care of her before heading to the main courtyard to find Mother Sun.

Lin Zhijin, feigning terror, hid in her bed. Curiosity killed the cat, and she wasn't stepping out of this courtyard tonight, no matter what.

In the dead of night, a commotion broke out outside. Lin Zhijin, fast asleep, was shaken awake by Xiaohong, who said the First Madam had summoned everyone to the main courtyard. Judging by Mother Sun's expression, something major had happened in the household.

Lin Zhijin's eyes lit up—it had to be the drugging of Master Chen. She just didn't know who did it. Whatever, she'd find out at the main courtyard.

She deliberately chose a plain outfit and, upon arriving at the main courtyard, first paid her respects to the First Madam, then hid behind the Eighth Concubine to watch the drama unfold.

Author's note:

Sorry, three hours late. Chapters three and four still need some polishing, but they don't affect the reading. Love you all, mwah (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～