Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 153 - 4: Servants (Part 2)

Linglong, despite her steady demeanor, displayed her childlike heart upon seeing her mother. Like showing off a treasure, she opened the jewelry box and said, "Mom, look." The jewelry box was not large, but it had three layers.

On the top layer were scattered a dozen pieces of gold and silver hairpins, rings, and earrings, all embedded with gemstones and pearls, suitable for young girls; the second layer was a set of silver-gilt jewelry in a plum blossom design, with eight pieces including bracelets and earrings; the third layer held a set of red gold headdress studded with tiny gemstones, even Bai Fu’s family was a bit surprised to see it.

It’s not that she’s shallow and has not seen good things; rather, such headdress bestowed upon a young maid was a bit excessive. The tiny gemstones were only the size of millet grains, but their colors were vivid, paired with pure red gold and exquisite craftsmanship, such a set of headdress might be worth two hundred taels of silver.

"These were acquired upon entering the mansion; the ones on the top were awarded by the girls of the mansion, the gilt silver headpiece was gifted by our Miss, and the red gold headdress was bestowed by Old Madam Song. Besides these, I also have ten or more gold and silver ingots; just these are worth five to six hundred taels of silver, and I’ve kept a few pieces for regular wear not brought home yet."

Linglong was previously just a third-tier maid, and the most rewards she received were a few coins’ weight in silver ingots; it was only after serving the Miss in the mansion that she realized what true wealth meant.

"The Old Madam of the Bo Mansion is a bit too generous!" Bai Fu’s family had only privately seen the Miss once and had never met Old Madam Song, thus unaware of Old Madam’s disposition. Linglong was unconcerned, "Mom, rest assured, we initially thought it was too much, secretly asked the Miss, and she said Old Madam has always been generous. But we’ve observed, the reason for such generous rewards from Old Madam is indeed because she values our Miss, and even the maids in the mansion envy us!"

The same scenario played out in each of the four families, though the Bai Family had fewer members, just the couple and two children, making only four in total. The children were young, so there weren’t many family disputes, and naturally, it was harmonious and beautiful.

Fen Dai’s family had one son and two daughters, with parents most partial to their son. The eldest son was the firstborn, already married with children, yet still lacked seriousness; he married a pretty wife who was most fond of eating and laziness. Fen Dai, being clever, brought home only a few gold and silver hairpins and some fabric and food, leaving the rest behind.

When her family had good conditions previously, anything good was first prioritized for her elder brother. Nowadays, with the family losing everything, her meager belongings would surely be seized by her mother for her son and grandson, never for daughters. Parents were unreliable, so she could only serve her master well, who was generous, and future rewards and dowries wouldn’t be lacking. Currently, she still had to save up for her oldest sister’s dowry!

Shuimo had two older brothers and an eight-year-old younger brother. Housekeeper Qian favored Shuimo’s mother for her medical skills and for having such robust laborers in the family, buying them because they also had a sixty-year-old grandmother who couldn’t do anything, but Chief Steward Qiao bought them anyway.

Only, the grandmother had some wisdom and was always concerned with freeing her descendants from servitude. Originally, they had gathered enough silver for redemption, but unexpectedly, after being sold, everything was lost. Now becoming a servant of a servant, the grandmother only felt too ashamed to face anyone.

Qi Qiao’s family had the most people; they had been house-born for several generations, reaching Qi Qiao’s father’s generation where her grandfather was still present, with three brothers not having split the family, naturally resulting in many siblings. It truly was the case that the more people there were, the more disputes.

First, there was the cousin under the Second Wife, who had been favored as the maid beside the wife in the mansion, just waiting for the age to become a concubine for the young master, she was also beautiful, though not as beautiful as the Miss at home, her looks could compete with the Fourth Miss in the Bo Mansion.

This cousin was also highly ambitious, and coupled with the Second Aunt being a social climber, they were just waiting to be half a master. Unexpectedly, she fell into poverty before enjoying bliss, was bought by Chief Steward Qiao, initially rejoicing, but then was sent to the manor.

Second Aunt had to go out of her way to inquire, finally discovering the master family was the Old Madam’s former maid at Shun’an Earl Mansion. Knowing this, the precious child from the Second Wife fell ill, and the Second Aunt was one of those whose gossip of the master was the least dignified.

That aside, Qi Qiao’s home had four children about her age, all learning sewing from her mother. Qi Qiao’s embroidery skills were not the best among them, but exceptionally gifted. After being chosen by Yang Liu, the Second and Third Wife’s sisters complained her mother had a black heart, not genuinely teaching her niece.