Manager Lin spoke up at the opportune moment, "Brother Yu, my elder brother and sister-in-law feel these gifts are too few. Compared to their two daughters, what are these things?"
Fu Yu wanted to say that since they were now related, they shouldn't speak so distantly.
But before he could speak, Manager Lin’s gaze fell upon Fu Xin Ci. He pointed to the two young maids standing at the doorway and said, "Xin Ci, these are two little maids my sister-in-law is giving you. My sister-in-law also said that when spring comes and the weather warms up, she'd like to invite you and Yu'er to visit Jin Cheng."
After Manager Lin finished speaking, he took out two deeds of indenture from his embrace and handed them to Fu Xin Ci. Then, he beckoned the two young maids over to pay their respects to Fu Xin Ci, their new mistress. "Han Xue, Han Shuang, quickly come and greet your new mistress."
"Yes."
The two young maids were about to step forward and kowtow to their new mistress when a clear and melodious girlish voice rang out, "Wait, lift your heads."
"…?" The two young maids didn't understand what was happening, but they obediently raised their heads.
Seeing the unwilling face clearly, Fu Xin Ci smiled faintly, revealing shallow dimples at the corners of her lips.
The little maid on the left hadn't expected her new mistress's smile to be so beautiful, not at all inferior to the young ladies of their previous household.
She also grinned, her round little face, like a steamed bun, showing a look of 'I knew it would be like this'.
As for the little maid on the right, her fair, melon-seed shaped face was furrowed, and her large, watery eyes were filled with grievance.
Fu Xin Ci saw this clearly and restrained her smile, saying, "It's alright if you're not clever, or if you learn slowly, or even if you're a bit foolish. But there's one thing you cannot lack, and that is loyalty."
Fu Xin Ci paused here and glanced at them again, continuing, "Without loyalty, I will not keep you. Therefore, whatever your thoughts are, you can speak them now, and I will grant them."
Upon hearing their new mistress's words, the two little maids were stunned.
Not only were they stunned, but the adults in the room were also taken aback.
While others might not have grasped the situation, Grandpa Meng and his son understood. The father and son exchanged a look but said nothing.
Fu Xin Ci looked at the two little maids, who were much taller than her, and continued to tempt them, "It's still not too late for you to return to the Lin household."
As Fu Xin Ci finished speaking, the little maid standing on the right immediately curtsied and said, "This servant, Han Shuang, wishes to return to the Lin residence to serve my young lady. I beg my young lady to grant my wish."
"Mm. And you?" Fu Xin Ci asked, looking at the little maid on the left.
The little maid stepped forward, knelt steadily before her new mistress, and kowtowed, "This servant, Han Xue, is willing to serve my young lady."
"Mm, you may both rise." Fu Xin Ci finished speaking and then looked at Manager Lin, her meaning clear: please take away what you should take.
Manager Lin glanced at the little girl with some shame. "Alas," he sighed, then cupped his hands in farewell to Grandpa Meng, his son, and Qi Yuanshan. He left dejectedly with Shun Zi and Han Shuang.
Seeing that there was nothing for him here either, Qi Yuanshan followed behind them and left.
Fu Xin Ci watched the receding figures of Manager Lin and the others, and asked the little maid standing behind her one last time, "Are you really not going with them?"
The little maid curtsied before replying, "This servant belongs to my young lady. Wherever my young lady is, this servant will be."
"Don't regret what you've said today. Remember, even if you regret it later, you won't be able to return to the Lin family."
"This servant does not regret it." Han Xue was straightforward and began to explain her background.
"This servant was sold by her family from a young age. At three years old, I was in the hands of a human trafficker. By the age of five or six, I entered the Garrison Commander's mansion. The madam was kind-hearted and did not mistreat us rootless drifters."
"But—" Han Xue had grown up watching others' faces. She glanced at her new mistress and her family, then slowly said, "With a background like mine, we are not welcomed among the servants in the mansion."
"Why?" Fu Xin Ci asked, not understanding.
"Replying to my young lady, the servants in the mansion prefer to associate with those born into the household. They fear that servants like us are not loyal, so…."
Fu Xin Ci understood.
But she was a little curious and asked, "Is that Han Shuang also born into the household?"
"Replying to my young lady, Han Shuang has the same status as this servant." Han Xue then explained to her new mistress that when servants like them were sent away, they wouldn't send those born into the household, unless it was an entire family being sent.
"Then why did she…?"
Han Xue secretly glanced at her new mistress, then whispered almost inaudibly, "What I'm about to say, this servant doesn't know if I should say it or not."
"Speak. I won't blame you."
Han Xue glanced at Madam Fang again. Seeing Madam Fang nod slightly, she continued.
"Han Shuang is beautiful. She… she thought, in a couple of years, she could become a concubine to the commander."
Fu Xin Ci: Didn't realize she was a maid with such ambitious goals.
Madam Fang: When there's no one around, I must pat my own heart. Oh my, that was terrifying. It's a good thing she left on her own, otherwise, our family truly couldn't accommodate such a great Buddha.
Han Xue hadn't finished speaking when Madam Fang cut her off. She couldn't let the little maid continue. Their family had no interest in the Lin family's inner court.
Madam Fang: "Let's go, you all help mother sort these things."
Yu'er, full of curiosity, pointed at the bundles and asked Madam Fang, "Mother, what are all these?"
"These are all gifts from warm-hearted parents to us," Madam Fang said, taking out a rectangular box and placing it on the heated brick table in front of Grandpa Meng.
"Father, this is a ginseng root sent by Commander Lin for you."
Fu Xin Ci: I have plenty of this in my spatial dimension, and it's much bigger.
Grandpa Meng: He seemed to have seen it in his granddaughter's little world, and indeed, there was a lot of it.
Madam Fang didn't notice the indifferent looks of the grandparents and continued to take out an even larger box.
Yu'er liked big boxes and wanted to play with it. "Mother, what is this?" The unspoken part was, "It's useless, give it to me to play with."
"This cannot be played with by you. This is a set of Four Treasures of the Study sent by Commander Lin for your father."
Yu'er knew the use of the Four Treasures of the Study and even clamored that he wanted to write too.
"Even if Yu'er wants to write, he cannot use this."
"Why?"
Fu Yu patted his son's little hand and told him that this was something to be used when he grew up.
Fu Xin Ci didn't want to watch such a boring scene and wanted to return to her own small building to check on the progress of her elder cousins. She was called back by Madam Fang.
"Ci'er, wait. These few bundles are all gifts from Madam Lin for you. Have your father help you move them over."