mtl008 Chapter 43: Is she about to be promoted to head maid?
Chapter 43: Is she about to be promoted to head maid?
Meng Shu was absent for even a day and suddenly missed many illusions.
“I know how to teach etiquette and manners. What kind of shop does Madam intend for Miss to manage?” Meng Shu finished tidying up and came out of the side room with Rui Zhu.
"Madam said that Miss should consider it herself for the next two days. Master said that any shop in Lin'an City is fine. I guess Miss might ask you, so I'm informing you in advance."
The two walked through the flower hall and tiptoed up to the second floor. Green Willow was already waiting outside the boudoir with several maids carrying all the necessary toiletries.
It was almost time for Miss to get up. Just then, Mengzhu opened the door, and seven or eight maids entered the room one by one, each carrying various utensils. After putting their things down, Mengzhu sent them down to prepare breakfast.
"Sister Mengzhu, please have breakfast and go to rest. Thank you for covering for me yesterday."
Last night it was Meng Shu's turn to be on night duty.
Mengzhu waved her hand dismissively, yawned, and as the two turned to the side, Mengzhu whispered, "Just embroider a chrysanthemum and butterfly pattern handkerchief for me."
Ruizhu felt a strong urge to steal it, and hurriedly leaned over to whisper that she wanted a strange stone cricket style one.
(Explanation: This book is told from the third-person perspective of the storyteller, so it will contain some modern, easy-to-understand, and witty terms.)
The second young lady, who had just gotten up, overheard this and said, "In that case, I want a peony pattern for wealth and prosperity, a sachet with a design of many children and many blessings, and a handkerchief with an eight-treasure longevity pattern."
Meng Shu was stunned. How could taking a day off have resulted in such a huge financial burden?
"Madam is about to give birth. Does Miss wish to show her some filial piety?"
Meng Shu served the second young lady her first morning mouth rinse with floral dew, while Rui Zhu had a towel dangling from her arm. The utensils on the formal table by the window were prepared for the second young lady to bathe her hair.
The second young lady nodded, "When you've almost finished embroidering, bring it over so I can add a couple more stitches."
After saying this, a worried look appeared on her face. "Mother is eager for a son, and the old lady also hopes that Mother will give us sisters a younger brother."
Meng Shu then said, "Then this servant will braid a big pomegranate knot for Madam and hang it on the bed curtains. It will be bright red and have a good meaning. Madam and the old lady will surely get what they want."
"Counting the days, Aunt Lu is about to give birth. After we finish weaving, send it to Fengyin Courtyard as well."
Meng Shu nodded in agreement, and Rui Zhu began to help the second young lady with her bath and hair, while Meng Shu methodically tidied the bed.
After the bath, teeth cleaning, face washing, and face masking were completed, Ruizhu used a comb dipped in osmanthus oil to comb her hair, while Meng Shu served the second young lady with a celadon mouthwash cup to rinse her mouth again. Then she brought a cup of jasmine tea. The second young lady took a sip, and the aroma of the tea filled the air, instantly refreshing her mind.
Only after all this fuss can one truly begin their day.
Since she didn't need to go to Yun Gui Courtyard to pay her respects in the morning, Meng Shu took advantage of the Second Miss's breakfast time to eat a quick meal with Lv Liu and the others in the backyard. She also asked Meng Zhu to go to the storeroom to get some fabric and thread, as the things for the Old Madam and the Madam naturally had to be made of the best materials.
After the three of them left Yunyi Courtyard, the second young lady walked along the road and suddenly said, "Mother always says that we should provide more servants for Yunyi Courtyard, but I have always refused because I think it is too noisy. Yesterday, Mother mentioned it again. I will ask Mengzhu and Steward Cao to tell them to bring in a few maids. Mengshu can pick out which ones are suitable in the courtyard and promote them to second class."
Ruizhu's eyes lit up. Did the Second Miss's words mean that they were about to be promoted to head maids?
It's no wonder Ruizhu lost her composure. According to the Tang family's precedent, the second young lady's personal staff would only be fully staffed after she came of age. At that time, she would have four first-class maids, eight second-class maids, and several maids for general use, just like the eldest young lady who was still under house arrest.
Because the second young lady prefers quiet and dislikes crowds, there are only three second-class maids in Yunyi Courtyard: Mengzhu, Ruizhu, and Mengshu. The others, such as Lüliu, are considered to be low-ranking servants.
Meng Shu didn't feel smug like Rui Zhu. Whether it was first-class or second-class, our second young lady was really generous. The things she casually gave as rewards were worth a year's worth of monthly allowance.
Moreover, she vaguely felt that Madam Yun's actions were mostly due to the two nannies in the Marquis's mansion.
The second young lady of the Marquis's mansion, who is currently staying at Yunxi Courtyard, brought four personal maids with her when she arrived, along with a nanny and a wet nurse. If they were to learn etiquette together, wouldn't the second young lady be embarrassed to have only three servants by her side?
These intricacies weren't in the books left by her maternal grandfather, and Meng Shu felt she should learn them, just like Suwen and Guangbai who served the old lady at Fu'anju. Even Huaying was quite clever.
"We'll be at Muyunzhai soon," Meng Shu readily agreed. "Since we have the authority, let Green Willow be promoted first. She had only briefly served as a second-class maid in Fuliu Courtyard for a few days. No one will complain if she's promoted."
Today, Mr. Lin taught the Analects for Women, which Meng Shu had no interest in at all. Rui Zhu carried the book box in to serve her, while Meng Shu hid in the side room to do her embroidery. Not long after, the Third, Fourth and Sixth Misses also arrived with their entourage. The Fifth Miss had asked for leave again today.
The Fifth Miss has been frequently taking leave lately. Meng Shu, on the orders of the Second Miss, visited her with soup and water, but the Fifth Miss was lively and energetic in her room. She's still young, so she's still living in Yun Gui Courtyard and hasn't been assigned a separate courtyard. After visiting a few times, Meng Shu gradually realized that the Fifth Miss wasn't unwilling to study. She guessed it was because Madam was about to give birth, and she wanted to spend more time with her mother. Madam Yun hadn't said anything about her youngest daughter skipping school.
She had just finished embroidering a petal when, unexpectedly, the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion arrived at Muyunzhai with four head maids, followed by Cuihu and Cuiqi, who were carrying two carved lacquer boxes.
Through the gap in the curtain, Meng Shu saw the third and fourth young ladies getting up to greet them. A moment later, Cuihu and Cuiqi entered the side room side by side.
Cuiqi was quite outgoing. After exchanging a few words with the maids in the room, she moved a stool and sat down next to Meng Shu, intently watching her embroider. Cuihu held a handkerchief to her nose with her left hand and waved a round fan around aimlessly with her right hand. "She smells so poor and shabby. Even if she has a foxy look, no wonder she can only hide in the side room and can't go out to serve in the outer room."
Because of Chun Ya's passing, Meng Shu dressed plainly today, with only simple plain-colored hair ribbons adorning her temples. Hearing Cui Hu's sarcastic and pointed words, all the maids in the room turned to look at Meng Shu.
Meng Shu seemed not to hear, busy threading her needle without even raising her eyes, but she still had to retort with a remark.
"Does talking so much mean you have an extra tongue?"
Cuiqi had never heard Meng Shu talk back before, so she chuckled. Cuihu was stunned, walked up to Meng Shu, and pointed at her with her fan, asking, "Who are you talking about?"
Meng Shu then looked up, put down her needle and thread, and rubbed her eyes. "Look at me, doing too much embroidery strains my eyes. I almost mistook you for a person."
Upon hearing this, the other girls couldn't help but laugh. Cuihu's face flushed red, and she cursed in a low voice, "You sharp-tongued slut."
"If you're too full, go to the side to ruminate and don't disturb the sisters' rest."
She came here looking for a scolding, and Meng Shu didn't mind talking back to her. At this moment, Cuihu didn't understand the meaning of the words and was caught in a dilemma. Cuiqi got up and pulled her aside.
After Mr. Lin finished his lesson, the young ladies left Muyunzhai together. The second young lady of the Marquis's mansion left with a smug look on her face. Meng Shu saw that the second young lady looked dejected and hurriedly asked Meng Zhu the reason.
Mengzhu spat in annoyance, "It's all because of our young lady from a noble family. She's so pretentious, making a huge show of herself, and then she acts all docile when she sees Mr. Lin, bringing two paintings and calligraphy by famous artists from the previous dynasty, along with an ancient book. Mr. Lin likes them very much..."
"Get to the point." I never thought Ruizhu was so long-winded.