"Wait, don't come in yet!" Jiang Mian immediately called out to stop them. "Wait outside!"
Hearing her voice, the several maids outside stopped in their tracks and replied in unison, "Yes, Miss."
Jiang Mian hurriedly sat up. She nudged the yellow dog that had just woken up and was still yawning, and whispered, "Dahuang, go to the green silk screen. If the maids try to get close, scare them, but don't hurt them. Just make sure they don't dare to enter the screen."
Xiao Jingcheng let out a soft breath through his nose.
She always bossed him around.
Oh well, if people found out he was in her room at this time, it would indeed be hard to explain to Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing. He controlled the body of the yellow dog, jumped off the bed, and lay down in front of the green silk screen.
Only then did Jiang Mian say, "All right, you can come in now."
The door was pushed open, and three maids entered the room one by one. They knelt down and saluted Jiang Mian.
"Your maids Chunxia, Caimei, and Caisang pay their respects to the Miss."
Jiang Mian had personally selected these three maids yesterday, so she was somewhat familiar with their looks. Noticing that they seemed more fearful and panicked than yesterday, she had a vague guess in her mind. She told them to get up first and said,
"I suppose you all asked around yesterday about the status and past of the Li family in Luozhou?"
As soon as she said this, Chunxia's face changed. She had just stood up straight but immediately knelt down again with a thud. Caimei and Caisang also knelt down.
"M-Miss, please don't be angry. We did ask about the Li Mansion yesterday. We know that many people died here before."
Jiang Mian smiled. "I'm not blaming you. The bloodshed of the Li family back then was well - known throughout the country. It's easy to find out with a little inquiry. And don't worry, the wandering souls in the mansion have been exorcised. Although the mansion is a bit cold and desolate, it's not as scary as you might think."
Xiao Jingcheng couldn't help but scoff in his heart.
Not as scary as they thought?
Who was the one who had insisted on dragging him over to accompany her last night, whining and whimpering? Wasn't it because she was afraid of ghosts?
"Moreover, we won't be staying in Luozhou for long. We'll be leaving for the capital in a few days. Since you're my maids and will be serving me closely, you'll have to go with me then. There's no need to be afraid."
Hearing Jiang Mian say this, Chunxia and the others felt a bit more at ease and got up from the ground.
"Since you've entered the Li Mansion, from now on you'll be part of it. I'll give you new names today. Chunxia will be renamed Suyu, Caimei will be Sulan, and Caisang will be Suxue. Besides, tell me all about your backgrounds and skills. We should get to know each other well as master and servants so that we can get along better in the future."
Suyu and the others thanked Jiang Mian for the new names, and then one by one they told Jiang Mian about their origins.
Suyu was the oldest, already fourteen years old. She had served in the family of a small official in the city. But when the mistress of the house caught a cold, she made a mistake while serving the medicine and was beaten and then kicked out of the house and sent back to the tooth - broker.
Suxue and Sulan were both twelve years old. They were sold to the tooth - broker because their families couldn't afford to feed them. Jiang Mian had looked at their hands and feet. Their palms were broad and calloused, so she thought they must have been hard - working at home before.
Based on their ages and experiences, Suyu became Jiang Mian's first - class maid, while Sulan and Suxue were second - class maids.
"From now on, you'll be serving me. By my side, you must remember four words - be cautious in speech and action. Don't ask questions you shouldn't, and don't say things you shouldn't. If you make a mistake on a normal day, as long as you sincerely admit it and there's room for correction, I won't hold it against you."
Jiang Mian said slowly, "As long as you serve me well, your monthly allowance will be paid on time without any deduction. When it's time for you to get married in the future, just tell me, and I'll cancel your slave status and let you leave the mansion to live an ordinary life."
The three of them were extremely grateful and said they would be loyal to their master and serve carefully.
Watching Jiang Mian instruct the maids, a hint of a smile appeared in Xiao Jingcheng's eyes.
When she put on the airs of a noble young lady, she truly exuded an air of nobility. No one would know that when she was in Dongli Town, in order to earn a few coppers to support herself, her hands were full of mud as she picked herbs on the mountain. She would also gossip with the gossiping village women by the stream about other people's trivial matters. She even lay on the ground and threw a tantrum to dispel the suspicion of the guards.
If it weren't for his experience of possessing the dog, he wouldn't have seen such a vivid and interesting her, and he wouldn't have known what a wonderful girl he had missed.
As if noticing that the yellow dog was looking at her, she pointed at the dog lying quietly outside the green silk screen and said, "That's Dahuang. I've raised him since he was a puppy. He's quite docile and usually won't bite. You don't need to pay too much attention to him on a normal day. Just let him be."
The maids quickly said yes.
Just then, someone came from outside and said that Huacai Workshop had sent the new clothes.
Jiang Mian didn't say a word, but Suyu immediately understood her meaning. She stepped forward and asked the people to bring the things in.
Huacai Workshop truly deserved its reputation as the best clothing store in the entire Luozhou City. The clothes they sent for Jiang Mian were all made of high - quality fabrics. For spring and winter, there were rain - silk brocade and cloud - woven cotton, which were both warm and good - looking. For summer and autumn, there were cicada - wing gauze and celestial silk damask, which were breathable and lightweight.
The patterns on these clothes were elegant yet showed a bit of a young girl's coquettishness. Even in the circle of noble ladies in the capital, they wouldn't seem out of date.
It seemed that the owner of Huacai Workshop really cared about the affairs of their Li family.
Jiang Mian looked at all the clothes one by one. She picked out a summer dress and changed into it with the help of the maids. When she walked out from behind the screen, Xiao Jingcheng felt that the whole room brightened up a bit.
The shopkeeper of Huacai Workshop immediately exclaimed in admiration, "This dress really suits the young lady!"
Jiang Mian smiled. "The dress is well - tailored and the fabric is comfortable. I'm very satisfied. By the way, have the clothes for my mother been sent?"
The shopkeeper of Huacai Workshop said, "Yes, they have. The madam is also very satisfied."
Jiang Mian asked Suyu to reward the people from Huacai Workshop. She told Suxue and Sulan to put away all the clothes properly, and then she sat down and asked Suyu to comb her hair.
Suyu was quite good at hair - styling. Knowing that Jiang Mian was unmarried, she styled Jiang Mian's hair in the fashionable hairstyle for unmarried girls in Luozhou. Paired with the clothes sent by Huacai Workshop today, Jiang Mian looked even more charming and gorgeous.
"Miss, you're so beautiful!" Suyu couldn't help but praise. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life!"
In the mirror, Jiang Mian had bright eyes and white teeth, and a rosy complexion that was truly captivating.
Xiao Jingcheng knew she was beautiful. That beauty couldn't be hidden even by the simplest of clothes. And when she wore hairpins and jewelry like other noble ladies, her beauty was magnified several times.
She was so beautiful... that his heart skipped a beat.