The rest of the day was peaceful. Concubine Jia stayed in her courtyard and did not come out easily, except for her daily visits to the Songxiang Courtyard to pay her respects to Ye Shi. Qiu Shi's attitude towards Concubine Jia also cooled down after being reprimanded by the Old Lady.
Yuxi was pleased with this phenomenon. Back then, when Ke Minjie entered the house, the State Residence was in turmoil all day long. Where would it be as peaceful as it was now?
When Zisu saw Yuxi outside her study, she knew that Yuxi was tired of reading, so Zisu went over and informed her, "Miss, Kufu's parents have taken a fancy to a young man, but he is a mere citizen." This meant that if they wanted to settle the marriage, Yuxi would have to release Kufu.
Yuxi was silent for a moment before saying, "When Kufu gets married, I will have her slave status removed." The reason for not removing Kufu's servant status right now was because Yuxi had some concerns. Kufu was her personal maid and knew a lot about her. Although it was said that Kufu's family was still in the State Residence and the chance of Kufu betraying her was small, nothing was absolute. It was better to keep Kufu in check for two years so that she would have some fear in her heart.
Zisu nodded. "That's fine. But, Miss, when will you let Kufu return home?" During this period, Kufu was no longer on duty and stayed in her room most of the time. In fact, everyone knew about Miss' dislike towards Kufu. That was why her parents had found Kufu, a marriage partner from outside the residence. Since the people outside didn't know the current situation inside the residence, they wouldn't regard Kufu with disdain. For the people inside, who would dare to marry a maid disliked by her master?
Yuxi told her, "Let her gather up her things today, and she can go home tomorrow."
Since they had long become master and servant, Yuxi didn't cut Kufu short when she met with Kufu the next day. She said, "You have served me for so many years. Now that you are going out to prepare for your marriage, I must not forget to do my part as your Master." In addition to the twenty taels of silver, Yuxi gave her a pair of golden hairpins, a pair of golden earrings, and a pair of textiles, with one in red and the other in autumn coloured. Although not comparable to Moju and Motao, they were still decent.
Kufu had prepared herself to leave without any assistance, but she did not expect that Yuxi would even give her a dowry. At that moment, she fell to her knees and cried, "Miss, this handmaiden is sorry for you. This handmaiden cannot afford to be rewarded by Miss." When she was in the hamlet, she had asked her parents to help her find someone who needed to change a servant so she could return to the residence when that time came. But before her parents could find someone, Miss returned home and was adopted by the Main House. Thinking of what she had done, Kufu's had a guilty conscience, and the fact that Yuxi's attitude towards her was noticeably colder made her live in anxiety every day.
Yuxi did not say anything unnecessary. She only said, "In the future, be good to yourself!" At that time, with her having such a reputation and being kicked out of the residence by her own father, her future was in ruins, so following her would be tantamount to burying one's future. Under such circumstances, it was only natural that Kufu wanted to find another way out. Just imagine if Yuxi hadn’t changed her fortunes and not be adopted by the Main House, Kufu would have left her, which was equivalent to jumping out of the pit fire. So, Yuxi was not resentful, nor was she angry at her. Unless a person looked out for themselves, Heaven and Earth would destroy them. But now that she has taken a favourable turn, she naturally could not tolerate such a maid who could share wealth but not hardship around her.
Kufu kowtowed three times to Yuxi and said, "Miss' kindness, Kufu will only be able to repay it when we meet again." By giving a dowry, Miss had shown that she was not disgusted with her. That way, her family would not be dragged into it.
Yuxi waited for Kufu to finish kowtowing three times, then went out of the parlour and returned to her study. When she arrived there, Yuxi was unable to read her book. Kufu had been with her for eight years. One would develop feelings for small dogs or cats one had raised, not to mention the people one spent time with.
When Zisu came into the study, she saw Yuxi standing in front of the window in a daze. She walked over and whispered, "Miss, Kufu has gone."
Yuxi nodded gently and asked, "Kufu is already engaged. What about you? What do you think of the candidate that Mother mentioned two days ago?" Qiu Shi had recommended a candidate to Yuxi two days ago, her dowry maid's son, Wan Jiahua, who worked as an errand boy in a rice shop.
Based on what Qiu Shi said, Wan Jiahua was an honest and loyal man. This was Zisu's request. She felt that someone too resourceful could not be trusted, so it was better to find an honest one. Yuxi had asked someone to inquire about him in the past two days, and he had a good reputation. When she got such a report, Yuxi was satisfied.
Zisu nodded and said, "I've asked around in the past two days, and this Wan Jiahua has a good reputation. Miss, I would like to meet him first." Took what one heard to be false, only believed it when one saw it. Just like how it's better to read this chapter at xinshou blogspot com, right?
Yuxi was relieved to see that Zisu had relented. She was afraid that Zisu would be dead set on not marrying because of her feelings for Er Ge. "That's natural. If you're not satisfied with him, I'll help you look around again. With your qualifications, you won't have to worry about finding a good one. Even if you can't find one in residence, there's no problem finding one from the outside."
Zisu blushed. "What are you talking about, Miss? If outsiders heard this, they would have laughed at me!"
Since Zisu had softened her heart, Yuxi immediately arranged a meeting between the two. When Zisu returned from the meeting, she was a bit squirmy. When asked by Yuxi, she could only say stiffly, "Not bad."
Yuxi also had a look at this Wan Jiahua, just in case. She saw that he had big eyes and thick eyebrows, looking quite regular. It was just that when he met her, he was a bit reserved, not even daring to raise his head.
Yuxi asked Wan Jiahua a few questions, all about the shop. Wan Jiahua stammered in his reply. His reaction did not please Yuxi. [+]
Turning her head, Yuxi told Zisu, "This Wan Jiahua is not very nimble with his mind. This is not good." It was not good to be too smart, but it was also not good enough to be too naive.
Zisu has her own considerations. "Miss, I don't want to find someone who is too smart. This type of person has many things in his mind, and I won't have a peaceful life with him. I think a man like Wan Jiahua is fine."
Yuxi shook her head and offered a suggestion, "Let's take another look around. There are so many men of the right age in residence. You can always find one that suits you." As she grew older and experienced more things, she had different requirements for numerous things. In the past, Yuxi had also felt that a loyal and honest maid would put her mind at ease, but after what happened to Kufu and Maidong, she felt that a loyal and honest one was not necessarily reassuring. Those slippery in the ridge were not necessarily disloyal and would betray her.
Zisu was reluctant to look any further. "Miss, I think Wan Jiahua is quite good. Let's just settle on him!" It was already hard to choose one, but when time passed, she might not even be able to choose someone like Wan Jiahua. Moreover, Zisu was worried that if she asked for more choices, she might displease the Lady.
Yuxi said after a moment of silence, "We should get in touch with him more. If you really think he's good, we can wait until the end of the year to settle the marriage. If you don't think he's suitable, there's still room for regret. After all, marriage is a lifelong matter, so we should be more careful. What do you think of this arrangement?" The maids were all released to their families when they were around twenty. Zisu was now nineteen years old, so she would be engaged at the end of the year and married at the end of next year's twelfth lunar month, which was not too late.
Zisu naturally had no more opinions. "I'll listen to Miss." Half a year earlier, half a year later, it didn't make any difference.
Qiu Shi felt that Yuxi put too much hassle into this matter. "If they think it's good, then they should just settle the marriage. What else do they need to watch out for?" Mostly, Qiu Shi felt that there was no need to go to such lengths for a maid.
Yuxi responded with a smile. "Mother, Zisu has been with me for so many years. Thanks to her, she has saved me a lot of trouble over the years. Now I want to be more cautious about her life. After all, we only know his face, but we don't know his heart. If he is a good one, he won't be afraid of us observing him. If he's a bad one, I won't let him cheat Zisu."
Qiu Shi shook her head and conceded, "You're the one in charge of her anyway. Since Zisu is already at this age, even if Wan Jiahua will not be accepted as her marriage candidate, she should be married for the next two years. If she's going to leave, you'll have to get her to train people before she goes. By the way, with only three maids around you, can you still manage?" Qiu Shi didn't have any objection to the fact that Zijin had taken up a place as Yuxi's personal main maid, even though she didn't show up all year round. It would be fine for this kind of maid as long as she could appear at critical moments. [+]
Yuxi answered, "Don't worry, Mother, I will take care of it." Thinking about it, she spoke of her desire to match Caidie to Lian Shan's eldest son, Lian Dalang. [T/N]
Qiu Shi listened to Yuxi's explanation and responded after a moment's thought, "If the Lian family and Caidie's mother agree, I have no problem with that. However, if both families finally agree on this matter, you must prepare well in advance. Caidie and Zisu's situations are different. The Lian family can't allow their eldest son to marry at the age of twenty. If Zisu and Caidie both leave, you'll have to find their replacements."
Yuxi smiled. "I'm going to let Zisu come back as my stewardess. As for the replacement, Xuantao and Shanmei are both good. They should be able to handle the duties of the first-class maids after two more years of training. The one who ends up not as good will be replaced by one of the second-class maids."
Qiu Shi still believed in Yuxi's ability as she said, "Alright. It's good that you know this matter in your heart. If you have any problems or difficulties, you can tell Mother. If you don't want to tell Mother, you can also tell your Dage and Er Ge. Don't just keep it inside." When this girl was aggrieved, she would only knock out her teeth and swallow them in her stomach. This made them all feel very distressed for her.
Yuxi revealed a smiling expression. "Mother, I am fine now. I have no grievance and no difficulty." The Old Lady was currently very kind to her, and Han Jingyan had no control over her. She was the only one who could bully people in the State Residence now, and no one dared to bully her.
Qiu Shi nodded a little and talked about Concubine Jia. "It's been so long, and there's still no movement in her belly at all. Your Er Sao just got married, and she was already pregnant." Han Jianming was in his early twenties, and some people his age had sons who were already imparted with rudimentary knowledge, but his son still lacked one. That was why Qiu Shi was particularly anxious.
Yuxi's face was full of black lines. You know that Concubine Jia has only been in the family for a month or so! As for the comment that Lu Xiu was pregnant when she just entered the residence, Yuxi didn't hear anything about it. "Mother, the physician said that Concubine Jia's health is excellent. So, Mother doesn't have to rush it." Concubine Jia was indeed under a lot of pressure.
Qiu Shi muttered, "I'm not in a rush!"
Yuxi did not know whether to laugh or cry. Aren't you contradicting yourself by saying you're not in a rush but still mentioning such things?
Noob Translator's Musing
I'm starting to get pissed off by a site. I don't mind if you want to link back to this site or translate it to another language, but directly copy-paste?
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi