cold clothes

Qingtan silently cleaned up the mess. The nameless little medicine boy left without a trace, concealing his merits and fame. He seemed to have angered Lengyi quite a bit, and Lengyi was still standing there baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

Qingtan then helped Lengyi change into the clothes of a third-class maid, and Lengyi immediately calmed down. After everything was settled, Qingtan helped her out. Lengyi had a heavy feeling of going to the battlefield.

However, this feeling was dispelled by a single sentence from the boy.

"You actually changed clothes in my room?" the boy exclaimed, nearly startling Leng Yi out of her sight.

"It's just changing clothes, why are you making such a fuss? Do you think you've even eaten?"

"This is my room..."

"This is my room now! I've requisitioned it!" Leng Yi proudly raised her head.

"Pfft... You're dressed as a maid and calling yourself 'Miss,' you're quite the hypocrite."

"You're laughing at me again. Wait until my eyes are better, then I'll make you stop laughing!"

After finishing her sentence, Leng Yi left in a hurry. Although the boy had angered her, the heaviness and melancholy in her heart had vanished.

-

Lengyi was led by Qingtan. At first, the surroundings were familiar and quiet, with only the sound of the cold wind blowing. The maid's clothes were much thinner and could not keep out the cold of early winter. Before long, Lengyi was frozen like an ice block. Only the hand that Qingtan was holding felt hot.

Qingtan's hands were surprisingly warm... Shouldn't they get colder and colder? Why is her body temperature increasing instead of decreasing?

Slowly, Leng Yi heard the noisy voices of people, getting closer and clearer, but suddenly there was a moment of silence, followed by a chorus of greetings.

Of course, one should greet Qingtan. The girls at Fengxiang Pavilion are divided into three classes. Third-class girls are essentially maids, and even among maids, there are three classes: the courtesan's maid is a first-class maid, the second-class girl's maid is a second-class maid, and those who do odd jobs outside are third-class maids. Those of lower status must bow and greet those of higher status. The symbol of status is clothing. Since Lengyi is now wearing the attire of a third-class maid, she must adhere to the rules expected of a third-class maid.

"This is Xiaoyu, a new maid. She has an eye ailment. Arrange for her to work in the front courtyard," Qingtan instructed calmly.

What kind of name is Xiaoyu? I'd believe it no matter who made it up. Lengyi was incredibly embarrassed. She could easily figure out why she changed her name: Ningbi was her future stage name, and it couldn't be associated with such a lowly status as a third-class maid.

Someone said tremblingly in an old voice, "Yes, ma'am. Just hand it over to this old servant." The voice was as hoarse as an old pipe organ.

Then Qingtan placed Lengyi's hand into a withered, old hand. Those hands were extremely cold and rough, like the branches of an old tree, covered only by a thick layer of bark.

Qingtan left, and the surrounding whispers immediately gathered like gentle waves. Lengyi could easily guess what they were talking about; gossip in Fengxiang Pavilion spread like wildfire, and anyone who saw Lengyi could guess her identity. Lengyi wasn't angry at their discussions. Most people in Fengxiang Pavilion had almost no free time, let alone entertainment; gossip was their main source of amusement. Lengyi felt deep sympathy and empathy for them.

The old woman holding the hand of the woman in the cold clothes said, "Your job is to scrub the guests' backs, massage them, and wash their feet. Guests love young girls like you the most, and there should be many guests vying to call you."

Leng Yi froze. "What...what are you saying?!"

Perhaps Leng Yi's expression was too obvious, for the old woman coldly warned her, "I know you don't want to do this kind of work, but once you're here, you have no choice. No matter your status, once you put on the clothes of a third-class maid, you're a maid. I still advise you to be well-behaved when serving. Don't be too enthusiastic or too resistant, and it's best not to say a word, otherwise, if you get beaten or scolded by the guests, no one can save you." The old woman's voice, sharp and piercing like a knife being sharpened or sawing wood, drilled into Leng Yi's ears, making her head throb again. But she wasn't finished. After a pause, she continued, "Except for not killing or raping a maid, guests can ask maids to do anything that doesn't violate the law or human ethics—this is the established rule. But accidents happen. If you are accidentally killed by a guest, we can only collect your body. If you are raped by a guest, we can only collect your body, and you will die on the charge of seducing a guest. So, you must behave yourself. Only those who don't stand out can live long."

The old woman was born and raised in a brothel. She had worked in other brothels before, but the rise of Fengxiang Tower led to the closure of many, including the one where she worked. With the brothel's closure, she had nowhere to go. Old and faded, her beauty gone, it was nearly impossible for her to find a man to rely on. Having never been anywhere else in her life except brothels, she had no other choice but to come to Fengxiang Tower to do odd jobs. Having lost her right to use her beauty to please men, she became an old nanny, managing the beautiful young maids. What terrified her was that the flowers in Fengxiang Tower withered too quickly… one after another, blood-red blossoms bloomed in the darkness. She personally sent them out, and later, she personally carried them back. She was terrified for a long, long time, but one day she realized: she wasn't working in a brothel, but on an execution ground! She wasn't the executioner; her job was simply to escort prisoners to the guillotine and then drag the dead bodies off. Cleaning the execution platform was also part of her job—washing away the bloodstains and waiting for new bloodstains to appear.

She also understood that the more beautiful the flower, the faster it withers; the more melodious the bird, the more likely it is to be captured. Therefore, one must be mediocre; mediocrity is the key to survival. From then on, whenever she took on a new maid, she would impart the secret of mediocrity: remain silent, do not resist, and do nothing superfluous. Fortunately, this secret helped many young maids, who lived quietly and well.

The old woman brought the clothes to the hot water room. The hot, humid steam rushed towards the clothes, and at the same time, everyone shouted "Grandma Liu!" Then, the old woman introduced the clothes to the others in a hoarse voice.

"This is the new girl, Xiaoyu. She's blind, and this is her first time tonight. Ah Qi, you know how to arrange things."

Ah Qi, chosen by the old woman, stepped forward and accepted Leng Yi's clothes. Leng Yi felt like she was being passed around like a piece of merchandise all night. Her inner turmoil never stopped. What nonsense was Liu Mama saying she was blind? She wasn't completely blind! After several days of treatment, she could perceive light again, and she knew how to arrange things for her. What kind of arrangements were they?