Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Fengxian came over for a chat. She had just bought a few maids at home, and she was undecided about whether to choose a few or buy more. Now she was willing to ask Liu Ye'er for advice on everything, big or small. It wasn't that she couldn't make up her own mind, but she just wanted to hear Liu Ye'er's opinion.

Liu Lian found it amusing but didn't dare to laugh. She thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "Elder sister, these people are prepared for Xiuluan and Ruiqian. They probably won't be too bad. The ones you buy separately might not be as good as them. They probably haven't established any connections with the people in the mansion yet. Why not pick three from these people? The younger ones won't have any ulterior motives. With a little effort to train them, they'll be useful in three to five months."

Fengxian nodded. "When Aunt Zhao brings people over in a bit, why don't you go and take a look? Learn how to choose. You need to learn how to manage the household affairs. Don't just focus on making food; you're not going to be a cook."

"When will I ever be able to afford a maid? I can't even afford to support one Cui Cui! Eldest sister, how much should Cui Cui's monthly salary be? Should we give her some bonus money at the New Year?"

“Someone like her deserves at most five hundred. Once she turns fifteen, we can raise it to eight hundred or even one string of cash. A New Year's reward of three to five hundred coins is fine. If you give too much, she'll become arrogant and complain if you give less next time! When you get married, you'll have to take care of the servants, right? My father-in-law and grandmother won't choose a poor man for you. My grandmother wants to marry you into the He family; they're doing quite well now!”

Liu Lian nodded. She was a little troubled. She couldn't go out to earn money, and expenses were piling up; the fifteen strings of cash she earned each year were truly insufficient. The Huo family had saved all their annual surplus and given it to her, so she had over thirty strings of cash. But as the saying goes, you don't know the cost of living until you're in charge of the household; if she calculated carefully, it wouldn't last long. If she could go out and do something, earning enough for herself and her servant wouldn't be difficult. Alas, she couldn't go out! She'd just have to wait; after marriage, she could open a restaurant or something. For now, she could only live frugally. Poor Liu Lian, a renowned chef, had tasted all sorts of fine food, and now she was even craving pork—it was simply…so disheartening. The thought of marrying a man she'd never even met made Liu Lian even more distressed! There was no other way; in the Great Liang Kingdom, a woman could only establish her own household and earn money after divorce; otherwise, she could only rely on her parents' or husband's family. Liu Lian's long-term plan was marriage—divorce—freedom! In modern life, I never thought freedom was anything to envy until I traveled through time. Only then did I realize that freedom is like air – you take it for granted when you're in it, and only when you lose it do you realize its value. Old Man Huo's strict rule that she couldn't marry until she was seventeen or eighteen was indeed for her own good, but it forced her to stay in this little courtyard for another two or three years. You know, Liulian wished she could get married tomorrow and divorced the day after! Hahahaha! Wiping away her drool, she woke up from her daydream. Sigh!

Fengxian was indeed very skilled at selecting maids. She meticulously inquired about their names, ages, reasons for being sold, birth order in their families, their parents' occupations, which mistress they liked, and their skills, recording everything in detail. She held their hands, examined them closely, and chatted with them casually before finally choosing three. Liulian couldn't help but admire her—she certainly couldn't have chosen as well. The three girls were all eleven or twelve years old, thin and small, but spoke clearly and logically. All three were daughters of respectable farming families, either the eldest or second eldest sister, having raised or cared for younger siblings, and had been sold for various reasons. Such girls might not seem particularly charming, but they were diligent, obedient, honest, and without vices; even in modern times, they would be diligent and hardworking laborers. Compared to them, Cuicui seemed clever but lacked honesty.

Fengxian asked around, but none of you had proper names. "Your names will make people laugh at you. How about this, my sister will give you some nicer names? Her maid is called Cuicui, isn't that nice? And don't call yourselves ugly girls or 'Er Ya' anymore, you need to use new names. Got it?"

"Got it!" the three girls answered in unison, a hint of excitement on their faces.

"Alright, follow me. As long as you are loyal, you will always get your rewards. Go and tidy up your bedding and belongings. Tell me if you need anything. Okay, go now."

"Xiao Qi, do you understand? These farm girls may not be good with words or at dressing up, and they may not be as charming as the others, but they'll definitely work hard. They're not meant to be just for show. What's the point of being so fancy? It'll only make the men pay more attention. Liang Jie'er even kicked Qing Xing'er out, and she doesn't want to replace her. Now her two maids are taking up all the space. Look at those two maids, and then look at them. Aren't they the same kind of people? She was scared off by Hong Xing'er, afraid that the second son would try to take advantage of Qing Xing'er again—Qing Xing'er is no less cunning than Hong Xing'er! So she simply sent her far away, thus eliminating one of the second son's spies. Also, the family only gives the maids and servants their monthly allowance and clothes. The ones who come as part of the dowry have to find their own way. With this move, she saves herself money and gets rid of a potential threat. It's quite clever!"

In the old lady's room in the backyard, Liangjie was chatting and laughing with her. "Grandma, there's really no need to add more people. How can such a small courtyard need seven or eight people? Two are enough. Let them fill in. Their monthly wages are a bit low, I'll make up the difference for them so they don't suffer any losses. This way, I'll save some money, and the family will save some money too!"

"It's just too unfair to you!" The old lady patted her hand kindly. The old lady understood that without Qingxing'er, that courtyard would be her impregnable empire; it wasn't about saving money. The one string of cash she saved each month wouldn't even cover her cosmetics expenses. However, the old lady didn't intend to say anything more.

"Look at what Grandmother is saying. You only use three people, but I use six or seven. I'm not at ease! How about letting Qingxing serve Hongxing? The two used to be so close!"

"No, what's the point of having a head maid for a concubine? A little maid to run errands will suffice! We're not short of people elsewhere. Qingxing'er is twenty-one, not young anymore. Forget it, let's send her away. Let me see if I can find a suitable young servant. She's served Cai'er for six or seven years, you can prepare a dowry for her. I think that boy Bangchui is quite good, and the age is suitable, let's give him to Bangchui as his wife. Tell Zhao Ma to earn a pair of matchmaker's shoes and get some tea to drink, is that alright?"

"It's all up to Grandmother to decide. Grandmother has considered everything carefully. That Qingxing'er is outspoken and always speaks up for Xiangmei. I wonder if my sister-in-law will find it troublesome?"

"No way, she wasn't even there. Why would anyone have the time to gossip about this with her?"

The two exchanged a smile, and Liang Jie breathed a sigh of relief.