At half past eight in the evening, the Lu family finished their dinner and retired to their respective quarters. The first floor of the mansion quieted down. Xu Yanxia, while tidying up the kitchen, listened to the two cleaning ladies chatting.
"It's been a long time since we had so many people for dinner. There were so many more dishes to wash."
"Indeed. Xiao Xu's cooking is excellent, and everyone ate heartily. Even Chairman Lu had two glasses of wine!"
"Young Mr. Lu left earliest tonight. Probably scared off by all the marriage pressure!"
"Our Mr. Lu is quite the catch. Last time, the wife of the Huaxin boss wanted to send a matchmaker over. The matchmaker came several times, but the Madam said their family values weren't good and found an excuse to turn them away."
"Didn't you know? That Huaxin boss's wife was originally the mistress. The man already had a wife. After the couple built their business from scratch, she wormed her way in, got pregnant, and forced her way into their home to make him divorce."
"Tsk tsk. With a family like that, forget the Madam, even I wouldn't want anything to do with them."
"Oh, right. Last time when the second young lady's pianist friend visited, I noticed the Madam seemed quite fond of her."
"The Madam liking her is useless. Young Mr. Lu didn't. He barely spoke a few words to her that day before leaving."
"Young Mr. Lu's standards are sky-high. Who knows what kind of goddess he'll end up marrying!"
"Hey, speaking of which, Xiao Xu, do you have a boyfriend?"
Suddenly pulled into the gossip, Xu Yanxia quickly shook her head. "No."
Sister Wang immediately said, "I have a fellow townsman whose son works locally here. He's bought a house back in our hometown and is still single. Should I introduce you two?"
Xu Yanxia was caught between laughter and tears. "No need, Sister Wang. I'm not considering that right now."
"Xiao Xu has such good qualities herself, she doesn't need you worrying about that for her."
Sister Sun also helped change the subject. "Let's finish up quickly so we can get off work."
"Almost done."
...
Seeing the cleaning ladies finish up, and with the kitchen in order, Xu Yanxia's workday ended smoothly. She returned to her dormitory to shower and sleep.
The next morning, she prepared breakfast on time, and the mansion's owners began their new day.
Tycoons rarely have weekends. After breakfast, Chairman Lu took his two sons to a business event, leaving Madam Lu to enjoy some peace and quiet at home.
As the clock pointed to half past ten, just as Xu Yanxia was about to head to the kitchen to start lunch preparations, she saw Madam Lu calling for Housekeeper Zhang from the staircase.
"Ah Qing, come up and help me with my hair. Mrs. He from Zhongrun is visiting Rong City last minute and dragged me to a gathering. And of all days, Xiao Wu happens to be off today. I'm completely unprepared."
Xiao Wu was Madam Lu's assistant, whom Xu Yanxia had met the day before yesterday.
Housekeeper Zhang went upstairs while comforting Madam Lu. "Don't worry, Madam. I'll help you with your hair and makeup. If needed, we can have Xiao Xu accompany you. She's quite clever; she can at least help carry your clothes and bags."
"That's true,"
Madam Lu immediately adopted the suggestion and said to Xu Yanxia, "Xiao Xu, no need to cook lunch. Go get ready. You'll accompany me out later."
Xu Yanxia, "...Alright."
Although her primary role was chef, what she did was ultimately up to her employer.
There didn't seem to be much to prepare, though. She just went back to the dormitory, changed her clothes, grabbed a bag, and put in her phone and such.
However, when the elaborately dressed Madam Lu came downstairs and saw her, she immediately frowned. "Child, don't you have any decent clothes?"
Xu Yanxia looked down at her blouse and trousers. "...Huh?"
Wasn't this decent enough?
She had worn this same outfit to her interview, and it looked quite proper.
Before she could say anything, Madam Lu waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. We'll stop by Baihui on the way and pick you out an outfit."
With that, she walked straight ahead.
Xu Yanxia had no choice but to follow and get into the Rolls-Royce.
The luxury car left the hillside mansion and twenty minutes later arrived at the flagship store of a well-known women's clothing brand in the city center.
Madam Lu led Xu Yanxia into the store and said to the manager who came forward to greet them, "Pick out an outfit for our young lady here. Nothing too old-fashioned."
"Of course, Madam Lu."
"This way, miss."
The manager and several sales associates led Madam Lu and Xu Yanxia to the VIP lounge and fitting rooms respectively. Soon, Xu Yanxia, wearing the first blouse-and-trouser set the sales associate had chosen for her, stood before Madam Lu.
Madam Lu wasn't very satisfied. "Try a skirt."
"Certainly."
The sales associate took Xu Yanxia back to the fitting room. When she emerged again, she was wearing a silk lapel-collar blouse paired with a high-waisted skirt.
"Miss Xu has a great figure. This look is both professional and accentuates her waistline,"
the manager said with a smile, observing Madam Lu's expression. "What do you think?"
"A bit fussy, not spirited enough,"
Madam Lu pointed to a rack of clothes outside. "Try a dress. Her calves are very nice; don't cover the knees."
"Right away."
The sales associate escorted Xu Yanxia back into the fitting room.
When she came out again, wearing a light blue belted knee-length dress, Madam Lu finally showed a satisfied smile.
"That's more like it. A girl in her twenties, and so pretty too. Why wear those ugly clothes?"
"Pick her out a pair of shoes and do her hair. She has good features, just a simple touch of makeup will do."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
The sales associate led Xu Yanxia back inside.
While her hair was being styled and makeup applied, the sales associate who had helped her try on clothes quietly asked Xu Yanxia, "Miss Xu, are you a relative of Madam Lu's? She's so good to you!"
Xu Yanxia smiled. "I'm a staff member at the Madam's home. The Madam is always very kind to people."
"Oh,"
Perhaps seeing her cautious reply, the other woman smiled and didn't press further. Instead, she recommended, "Actually, those evening gowns are quite lovely. With your figure, you'd look stunning in them, and they'd really complement your skin tone."
Xu Yanxia glanced in the mirror at the advanced evening gowns being recommended and smiled again. "This one is just fine."
While trying on clothes earlier, she had secretly peeked at the prices. Even the cheapest item in this store would be difficult to afford with a month of her salary.
She was not the store's target customer. She could only disappoint the sales associate.
Soon, Xu Yanxia was transformed. The fitted knee-length dress paired with white low-heeled shoes, her hair half-up, made her look youthful and elegant.
It had to be said, expensive clothes had their reasons for being expensive.
Although she had just started the job and hadn't received her salary yet, fortunately she had some savings. She steeled herself, planning to go pay, only to find that Madam Lu had already settled the bill.
"Let's go. We're running late."
Xu Yanxia, "...Thank you, Madam."
She inexplicably felt a sense of being pampered by a wealthy patron.
The luxury car headed west, passing through the bustling downtown area, and arrived at a beautiful complex of buildings by the sea.
As soon as they got out of the car, staff in suits and ties immediately led them inside.
It was a Lingnan-style classical garden replica. Ponds and streams intersected between gardens and halls, with banyan trees and banana plants dotting the landscape. Dense shade blocked the sun, every step offered a view, and it was much cooler than the city center.
After taking just a few steps, someone came up to greet Mrs. Lu. "Mrs. Lu, you've finally arrived! All of us here have been waiting for you!"
"I live so far away, my apologies."
Mrs. Lu smiled, took the other woman's hand, and began chatting. Xu Yanxia quickly took Mrs. Lu's bag and followed along.
There were about seven or eight guests today, all of them local society ladies from wealthy families. It was clear Mrs. Lu was quite popular, as she could chat for a while with everyone who came to say hello.
After walking a bit further into the garden, a woman wearing a perfume-cloud gauze cheongsam and heavy makeup approached. "Well, well," she exclaimed, "the most formidable society matron of Rong City has finally graced us with her presence!"
Her tone... was decidedly different from the others.
