Chapter 991: Chapter 995, Comparison and Competition (3rd update)
After sending Nalan Jinlian to Qinglian Garden, they exchanged some pleasantries for a while. Then, they all consciously left, allowing Nalan Jinlian to settle in and rest.
Nalan Mingzhu looked at her own room, at the furnishings inside. Her initially calm heart suddenly tensed up, and her expression changed repeatedly.
What is heaven, what is earth.
Truly, they are different.
The items in Nalan Jinlian’s room, down to the smallest ornament, were exquisitely crafted and extremely valuable.
And in her room, although it was not unattractive, it was merely pleasant to look at and not worth much.
The sum of everything in the room might not even be as valuable as the blood-red coral statue in Nalan Jinlian’s room.
"Haha, haha!" Nalan Mingzhu laughed out loud.
Entering the bedroom, it was even more incomparable.
In Nalan Jinlian’s room, there were high beds with soft pillows, and the room was warm, obviously heated strongly by the floor dragon, while her room was chilly with no warmth to speak of.
Such biased hearts indeed.
"Miss, the hot water is ready!"
Nalan Mingzhu replied indifferently and went to bathe.
But she always felt something was wrong here and uncomfortable there, yet she didn’t dare to speak up and just bottle up her grievances.
Nalan Jinlian soaked in a fragrant wooden tub, comfortably sighing, "Chunqiu!"
"This servant is here!"
"Is everyone arranged?"
"Everything is arranged. There were originally eight maids and old women in this Qinglian Garden. After a brief inquiry, I found that two maids were excellent with needlework, two old women could make pastries, and the small kitchen had four maids and old women specifically for heating water, making twelve people in total!" Chunqiu reported one by one.
Chong Ling was organizing the items brought back, preparing to give them to siblings.
The elders naturally would receive gifts too, and more valuable ones at that.
"Understood. Just tell them it was hard work and reward each with twenty taels of silver and a bolt of fabric we brought back from the border town!"
"Yes!"
Those maids and old women, even the first-class head maid only earned fifteen taels of silver a month, and the little maid only eight taels a month. But don’t underestimate these eight taels, for a poor family, saving it up could cover a year’s expenses.
Chunqiu served Nalan Jinlian until she was bathed and her hair dry, only then went out to distribute the rewards.
She couldn’t help but give them a warning, "The miss is kind-hearted and knows how hard you worked to tidy up the courtyard. Each of you gets rewarded with twenty taels of silver and a bolt of fabric from the border town!"
The maids and old women were overjoyed.
After all, they weren’t head maids and didn’t usually have any advantages.
This miss was truly generous.
"Thank you, miss, for the reward!"
"Good that you all know. Remember, what’s in Qinglian Garden must not be leaked outside. If anyone dares to be disloyal, being sold off is the least of their worries. Do you understand?"
"We understand!"
"Off you go, and don’t make any noise lest you disturb the miss’s rest!"
"Yes!"
Chunqiu waited outside the bedroom, Chong Ling and Nurse Qin quietly organizing things.
Nalan Jinlian had few clothes, but plenty of fabric.
Jewelry and silver notes were also numerous, as Nurse Qin and the others told Nalan Jinlian that they were given by Nalan Bo.
They thought it was flawless, but little did they know Nalan Jinlian had already begun to have suspicions!
At the same time, on the street outside the Marquis Residence.
A carriage was slowly blocked by a line of carriages, preventing it from moving forward.
"What’s going on?" asked Chu Yu in a deep voice inside the carriage.
"Replying to the master, it’s the third master of Fuwei Marquis Residence returning to the capital with his family to report for duty. They have quite a lot of goods, which is blocking the road!" replied Anyi.
Since the disappearance of Princess Yijia, the master’s temper had grown stranger by the day.
Though once a young man, his temples already bore white hair!