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

As Chen Wanxing listened, she couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

When she first arrived at the Marquis's residence, she did have the idea of ​​using modern knowledge to outmaneuver her master, such as by preparing some novel snacks to please him.

But she soon realized how naive the idea was.

The exquisiteness of the food and the extravagance of the ingredients used by truly noble families far exceed the imagination of ordinary people.

Those so-called secret recipes and ancient methods that have been passed down to later generations are nothing more than the tip of the iceberg of the daily enjoyment of these wealthy and powerful families.

Moreover, at most she can only replicate some of the "hot items" from roadside stalls; she has never even seen those so-called ancient recipes or secret formulas herself.

Ordinary people lack oil and salt, so naturally everything tastes delicious. But which of the cooks in the Marquis's mansion doesn't possess extraordinary skills? Her shallow understanding is utterly insignificant in the face of true expertise.

After figuring this out, she completely gave up the idea of ​​making a fuss about food.

"And your embroidery work," Chen Wanxing continued:

"These past few years, haven't all the purses, fan cases, and belts that the young master has carried with him been made by you? The fact that the young master carries them with him shows that your craftsmanship is top-notch, even among the best embroidery shops."

"Yes, my embroidery skills are quite good. The reason I got into trouble with the Third Master's family this time is because the Third Madam took a liking to my embroidery and asked me to go to the mansion to give a reply. I happened to run into the Third Master, which caused all this trouble."

Seeing Amber's understanding expression, Chen Wanxing also recalled her own choice back then.

Unlike Amber, she knew very well that in ancient society, no matter how good one's skills in serving others were, they were of little use.

There are too many maids who can do hairdressing, cook exquisite dishes, and embroider, making the competition fierce and leaving them always in a passive service position.

So once she was familiar with the environment, her goal was very clear from the beginning: to learn to read and write. In addition to serving her daily life, the lady also needed someone who could help her handle affairs and manage accounts.

The writing system of that era was similar to that of modern times, but it used traditional characters.

She traveled from the modern era and could roughly recognize traditional Chinese characters, even if she had to guess. However, she was absolutely unable to write them; she couldn't write any of the traditional characters from one to ten.

So whenever she had free time, she would write and practice calligraphy. Back then, the maids in the courtyard, including Amber, would laugh at her, saying that instead of practicing needlework, she would practice calligraphy. Could it be that she wanted to take the imperial examination to become a scholar?

However, she later demonstrated astonishing efficiency and accuracy in account management by relying on the mathematical foundation she had laid before her time travel and her logical thinking that far surpassed that of the ancients.

This allowed her to stand out among the many maids, walk to the lady's side, and secure a more central, respectable, and influential position as the head accountant.

"In the Marquis's mansion, you were one of the most outstanding among all the maids. Now that you are free, there is no need for you to belittle yourself."

Once their ideas were clear, the two began to discuss specific ways to make a living.

"Your culinary skills are top-notch, but opening a large restaurant is not realistic for us. You are just one person, you have neither the capital nor the ability to manage the workload."

"You could open a fine pastry shop, specializing in serving the ladies of wealthy and powerful families. If you do a good job, you could even regularly send them limited-edition pastries and dishes."

"I could also do some embroidery and sell it to various households, or I could try to find a high-end embroidery shop to see if they would want it. The price should be decent. I live alone, and if I eat less, it should be enough for me to make a living."

Amber added, her eyes growing brighter.

With a direction, it was as if the heavy stone weighing on Amber's heart had been removed.

Looking at the list of items on the paper, she realized for the first time that even though the world was vast outside the Marquis's mansion, there was still a place for Amber.

"Sister," she looked up, her gaze hardening, "thank you for reminding me."

Chen Wanxing felt somewhat relieved when he saw her face regain its radiance.

Great, my former colleague can finally turn from a "negative asset" into a "potential stock". It seems that her investment has not been completely wasted.

Despite having considered various possibilities, Chen Wanxing added at the end, "None of this is urgent. Think it over carefully and choose something you truly want to do and can do for a long time. As for money..."

She paused, trying to make her tone sound less pained, with a deliberate air of nonchalance, or perhaps one could say a "what's the use" attitude:

"It's just a matter of having more chopsticks to eat; I can afford it. You can pay me back slowly when you make money in the future."

Of course, in her mental ledger, Amber already had a hefty debt to repay. But right now, urging her was useless, so she might as well appear magnanimous.

Seeing her trying to remain calm despite her obvious heartache, Amber finally broke into a smile through her tears, feeling a warm glow in her heart. She nodded solemnly.

"Okay, I understand, sister."

Meanwhile, Amber was in her room plotting how to make money, her mind racing, but she couldn't make up her mind.

Over there, Chen Wanxing sat on a recliner in the courtyard, also pondering the matter of money.

It's been quite some time since I entrusted Wang Lizheng of Yangshutun to buy land, and I haven't heard a word from him. It seems that land isn't something you can just find anytime you want to buy.

"If I really can't buy land that suits my taste," she sighed softly to herself, "am I really going to have to buy some shops and properties in the city to rent out?"

Properties in the city are expensive, and her cash could only buy a few. The returns would be limited, and managing them would require considerable effort, making it less than ideal.

While she was hesitating, she suddenly remembered that she had a courtyard in the east of the city. Since she had nothing to do for the time being, she could go and take a look at it and tidy it up a bit.

With nothing else to do today and the weather being nice, Chen Wanxing said to Yunzhu beside him, "It's boring to stay cooped up at home all day. Come with me for a walk, and we can also take a look at that house in the east of the city."

They didn't call a taxi, but strolled out the door. The autumn sun shone warmly on the bluestone pavement.

Kaifeng Prefecture had a well-developed canal transport system. In addition to a dozen or so wharves of varying sizes, the waterways were natural loading and unloading areas, mostly located in the southwest. Therefore, the western and southern parts of the prefecture were where people and merchants gathered, making it a more lively place.

The master and servant walked through several streets and onto a stone arch bridge, which was bustling with people.

One after another, small boats fully loaded with goods were heading toward a makeshift dock, and a dozen or so laborers were lined up, busily unloading the cargo from the boats onto the shore.

On a whim, Chen Wanxing didn't rush to cross the bridge. Instead, he followed the example of the other idlers, leaning on the stone railing and watching the laborers work with great interest for a while.

But as she looked around, she spotted two familiar faces in the line of laborers. It was the father and son she had met at the entrance of the brokerage firm.

Chen Wanxing herself couldn't believe that she had such a deep impression of the father and son, and that she could still recognize them even after so much time had passed.