A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

As night deepened, Lin Wei returned to her exquisitely decorated boudoir and removed her hairpins and ornaments. Lying on the soft brocade quilt, the scenes from her passionate discussions with Chen Wanxing during the day, her father's words of "do it with your heart," and her mother's gentle admonitions intertwined in her mind.

She gazed at the embroidered hibiscus blossoms on the canopy ceiling and gently clenched her fist. This time, she was determined to do this well.

It wasn't just to prove myself to my father, but also for the exciting anticipation I shared with my sister Wanxing.

That small shop is no longer just a task given to her by her father, but has become the starting point of Lin Wei's career.

In the following days, Chen Wanxing's life was filled with the progress of the new house and the preparations for the pastry shop.

The brick wall has already reached a neat and orderly scale, and the black tiles have been delivered one after another. It will be laid as soon as the wall is completed.

She would go to the house several times a day, and in this busy state, four or five days passed in the blink of an eye.

At the pastry shop, she wanted to make a simple base plate. She originally thought it would be easy to carve some simple words and patterns on it, but she found out how difficult it was after she started making it herself.

Later, Uncle Chen noticed that she had been planing wood in her spare time these past few days, so he went over to ask her and found out that Chen Wanxing wanted to make a mold. With Uncle Chen's help, Chen Wanxing managed to make a simple version, which was only roughly recognizable.

That morning, Chen Wanxing was in the room thinking about designing a few more patterns when Han Feng announced his arrival and came in.

These past two days, she has sent him to the county town to collect and select suitable samples of fine-textured wood or stone, so that he can have a more intuitive reference for the craftsman he is about to meet.

"Young lady, everything has been purchased as you requested. As for the wood and stone samples, we went to several places and only found these two pieces that were of decent quality. Please take a look."

Han Feng first handed Chen Wanxing two samples of wood and stone wrapped in cloth, then took out two letters from his pocket.

"On my way back, I happened to run into a courier who was delivering letters to us. Two of them were for you, so I brought them back with me."

One of the two samples was a pale yellow, fine-grained piece of boxwood scraps, while the other was a bluish-gray piece of talc, warm to the touch, which was indeed a good material for fine carving.

Chen Wanxing took the item, examined it carefully, and then put it away cautiously.

Her gaze then fell on the two letters. One was a common uncut paper envelope with neat and elegant handwriting, signed "Sent from Runing Prefecture".

The other letter was slightly thicker, written on slightly better stationery, with a small pine resin pattern as a mark on the seal, and the handwriting was elegant yet neat.

Chen Wanxing knew immediately that it was a letter from Wang Yanning and Amber. She and Amber had agreed to correspond monthly to let each other know they were safe, and this letter had arrived just in time.

As for Wang Yanning, judging by the days, it's normal that he sent a letter home after arriving in the prefectural city and settling in, and now he has received it.

After Han Feng took his leave, she took the letter back to her room and closed the door.

She first opened the thin letter from the prefectural city. The contents of the letter were concise and much as she had expected.

They only said that after arriving safely, they are now staying in a quiet courtyard, where the environment for studying is acceptable.

When mentioning his observations of the prefectural city, his tone was calm, with only a subtle note at the end: "The gift from the long pavilion, its fragrance accompanying my reading, brought me peace of mind even late at night," and nothing more.

After reading the letter, Chen Wanxing carefully folded it and put it in the box before opening Amber's letter.

As the letter unfolds, a familiar, slightly anxious and joyful tone immediately comes to mind. Amber always describes her recent situation in detail in her letters.

The embroidery business was doing well, and finally it was her turn to embroider two slightly larger dresses, which pleased the embroidery shop.

There was also the daughter of Madam Zheng next door who often came over. She watched her every day and saw that the child was very well-behaved and sensible, so she formally took her in as her goddaughter and apprentice and was teaching her hand by hand.

"...She studied very diligently, and her needlework is already starting to take shape. I thought that once she could make some simple handkerchiefs and purses, she could help out at home. Madam Zheng was so grateful that she didn't know what to do, which made me feel quite embarrassed."

Amber's words are filled with the satisfaction and fulfillment of being a teacher.

Upon seeing this, Chen Wanxing couldn't help but smile.

Amber has truly established herself in Kaifeng, earning a living with her skills, helping her neighbors, and taking on apprentices to pass on her craft. Her life is fulfilling and warm, and I am genuinely happy for her.

At the end of the letter, Amber, as usual, inquired about her situation in Ruyang, whether her new house, fields, and family were all well, and urged her not to overwork herself.

These two letters, from different directions and carrying different concerns, made her feel a sense of solid and warm connection on this somewhat busy spring afternoon.

After reading the letter, Chen Wanxing picked up her pen again to write a reply to Amber. By the time she finished writing and put it away, the sun outside the window was already high in the sky, and the golden-red light shone through the window paper, casting a warm glow on the room.

Just as Chen Wanxing carefully put away Amber's letter, she heard a slightly different sound of carriages and horses coming from the direction of the village entrance.

Before long, Chen Qinghui came running in like a little sparrow, panting, "Sister, Sister Lin is here again. And she brought two people with her, riding in a carriage."

Chen Wanxing's heart skipped a beat, guessing that Lin Wei had brought the craftsmen she had found. She got up, straightened her clothes, and went out to greet them at the courtyard gate.

The Lin family's carriage was already parked at the gate of the courtyard. Lin Wei had already jumped down from the carriage lightly. Today, she was wearing a light yellow narrow-sleeved dress that was easy to move in, and her hair was simply tied up, making her look much neater.

Behind her followed two men, both around thirty or forty years old. One had a lean face, well-defined knuckles, and a calm gaze. The other was stocky, with dark skin and large hands.

Both men carried simple tool bags and exuded competence in their demeanor.

"Sister Wanxing." As soon as Lin Wei saw Chen Wanxing, a smile immediately bloomed on her face. She walked over quickly, her voice low but unable to hide her excitement.

"Sister, I've brought the person to you."