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

That evening, the Chen family's dinner table was graced with a fragrant stir-fried pork liver and a large pot of milky white bone and radish soup, adding a touch of warmth and comfort to the winter evening.

In winter, the days are short, so people eat earlier. When dinner is over, there is still a lingering dark red glow on the horizon, and it is not yet completely dark.

As the courtyard grew cooler, everyone moved to the main room or their own rooms, where the walls provided shelter from the wind.

Chen's second aunt and third aunt were cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, while Chen's mother was working hard to finish the shoes she was making for Chen Wanxing as soon as possible.

At the entrance of the west wing, with the dim light coming from the main room and a small oil lamp lit inside, Qinghui and the two girls from the second wife's family, Qiuju and Dongmei, sat side by side, each holding a needle and thread.

Qiuju was embroidering a purse, while Dongmei and Qingsui were embroidering a simple handkerchief. They chatted quietly, mostly Qingsui and Dongmei talking, with Qiuju occasionally responding in a soft voice.

Qing Sui, with her sharp eyes, saw Chen Wanxing coming out of the main room, seemingly heading back to her own room. She quickly waved and called out in a clear voice, "Big sister, big sister, come sit over here and chat with us."

Chen Wanxing paused, looking at her sisters' bright, expectant eyes and the cozy little world under the dim light, she changed her mind, smiled slightly, and turned to walk towards them.

Just as she was about to reach the eaves of the west wing, Uncle Chen suddenly opened the door and came out of the east wing, calling out to her, "Wanxing."

Chen Wanxing stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw that Uncle Chen seemed to be holding something in his hand, with a smile on his face, waving at her.

"Third Uncle?" Chen Wanxing asked, somewhat puzzled.

Uncle Chen extended his hand, which had been behind his back, and held two things in his palm. One was a safety buckle carved from dark wood.

Slightly larger than a copper coin, it was polished very smoothly and coated with a layer of tung oil, giving it a warm luster in the dim light. A simple red string was tied around the hole in the middle.

The other item was a small, flat, round box. Even without opening it, you could smell a faint, floral-oil-like fragrance, which suggested it was lip balm.

"Wanxing," Uncle Chen's voice was low, carrying a solemnity rarely seen in a farmer, "Your safe return is a great joy for the family. Logically, we should prepare a decent gift for you, but your uncle and aunt don't have anything of value to offer."

This safety amulet was made by my third uncle himself these past few days from wood he found. It's not worth much, it's just a token of his affection, wishing you peace and safety in the future.

He gently placed the wooden safety buckle in Chen Wanxing's hand; it was slightly cool to the touch, yet remarkably smooth, indicating careful polishing. Then, he picked up the small ceramic box:

"This is what your third aunt bought for you yesterday when she went to town. She said that since it was the first time we met, and she is an elder, she should buy you a gift. Girls in town all use this. She spent a long time choosing and picked this box back."

Your third aunt said this box has the best color and smells nice, and that it suits you. She gave it to me yesterday so I could give it to you. I was thinking of giving it to you along with the safety amulet.

Uncle Chen spoke earnestly, placing the porcelain box in Chen Wanxing's hands. He then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, yet also a little embarrassed, rubbing his rough hands together. "The things are simple, please don't mind. It's just a small token of our appreciation from your aunt and me, to welcome you home."

After saying that, he didn't wait for Chen Wanxing's response, and quickly turned around, his footsteps fading away as if he had never been there.

Chen Wanxing stood there, holding the still-warm safety buckle and the slightly cool lip rouge box in her hands, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

She looked down at her palm; the wooden button was rough yet warm, just like the feeling this home gave her.

"Second sister? What are you doing standing there? Why aren't you coming over?" Qinghui's voice came again, filled with doubt.

Chen Wanxing composed herself, carefully put the two gifts into her sleeve pocket, and then walked toward the warm oil lamp that belonged to her sisters.

"Coming," she replied softly, her steps steady.

The light under the eaves of the west wing was dim and warm. Chen Wanxing joined her sisters' small gathering, and they chatted about topics that village girls often talked about.

Whose older sister married well? What kind of hair ties are popular in town lately? What will be planted in the fields after spring?

Chen Wanxing listened quietly, occasionally asking a question or two, and sharing some interesting stories from the Marquis's mansion, as well as some stories she had heard from reading storybooks, which drew gasps of amazement from her younger sisters.

Time flowed quietly amidst the swift needlework and soft laughter. Night fell completely, the chill deepened, and the men in the main room stopped working, the sounds of them packing up their tools filling the air.

"It's getting late, you should rest." Qiu Ju had just finished making the purse. She put down her work, tidied up the sewing basket, and gently reminded him.

Qinghui yawned slightly and rubbed her eyes: "Yeah, I'm sleepy."

She turned to Chen Wanxing and said with a grin, "Big sister, Mom said you didn't sleep well last night because you were cold. How was yesterday? Were you cold yesterday? If you were still cold, I'll sleep with you. I'm very warm."

Chen Wanxing smiled and shook her head: "It's okay, I'm not cold anymore after Mom added a thicker blanket for me yesterday."

The group got up and prepared to go back to their rooms. Just as Chen Wanxing also stood up and was about to leave, Qiuju, who had been standing quietly at the back, suddenly stepped forward and gently tugged at her sleeve.

"Big sister..." Qiuju's voice was softer than usual, tinged with the shyness unique to young girls. She lowered her head, not daring to look Chen Wanxing in the eye. She quickly stuffed the purse she had just embroidered into Chen Wanxing's hand.

The purse was freshly made and still very new. The fabric was ordinary lake-blue fine cotton, and the edges were sewn very neatly and tightly. On the front of the purse, auspicious cloud patterns were embroidered with colorful thread. Although the stitches were not particularly exquisite, it was clear that each stitch was made with great care.

The color scheme is also elegant, with stars embroidered with finer yellow thread surrounding the auspicious clouds.

"This is for you." Qiu Ju's face flushed red, and her voice was barely audible. "Although the auspicious cloud was embroidered before, these stars were specially embroidered by me. They represent your name. I didn't embroider them very well, so please don't mind, elder sister."

The last few words were almost stuck in her throat. After saying them, she seemed to have used up all her courage, quickly let go of her hand, turned around and ran back to her own east wing room. The curtain fell, obscuring her slender figure.

Chen Wanxing stood frozen, clutching the purse still warm from the girl's body. It turned out that for the past two days, Qiuju had been secretly preparing a gift for herself to take home, stitch by stitch, keeping to herself alone in her room, rarely participating in any other activities.

She was simply an introverted and taciturn younger sister who, in her best, and perhaps only, way of expressing her welcome and acceptance of this unfamiliar yet close older sister, clumsily and sincerely did so.

Those few twinkling stars must have taken countless nights of her time and effort to find the perfect way to shine them.

With her palms slightly warm, Chen Wanxing looked down and carefully examined the delicate yet meticulous embroidery on the purse, feeling a gentle touch on the softest part of her heart.

All her hesitations before returning, all the calculations, weighings, alienation, and estrangement she had imagined and worried about, had vanished in the face of these well-intentioned efforts.

"Third sister is the most skillful; she must have been thinking about this design for days." Qinghui leaned over for a look and exclaimed in admiration, adding, "She's usually like a quiet gourd, hardly ever talking, but I didn't expect her to prepare a gift for eldest sister."

Dongmei whispered, "Third Sister has been staying up very late these past two days..."

Chen Wanxing gently clutched the purse in her hand, looked up at the closed door, her gaze soft, and said softly towards the curtain, "The purse is beautiful, I like it very much, thank you."

There was no response, but she knew that the people inside must have heard her.

"Let's go, big sister, go back to your room and sleep. Aren't you going to the county town tomorrow?" Qinghui took her hand.

"Mm." Chen Wanxing nodded, letting her younger sister pull her towards her room.