Steward Lin had been serving the Old Master Jiang since before the founding of the People's Republic. Back then, society wasn't fully liberated yet, so it was understandable that he held onto conservative notions of master-servant hierarchy.
But now, to still have someone like that? Such an oddball?
Jiang Lin'an didn't want to make things difficult for his sister's people. Instead, he turned the question around: "You can tell your Miss, that's fine. But if the Master and Madam ask, do you know what to say?"
Qiuyun replied, "I will defer to Miss Jiang's wishes."
...Fine.
Jiang Lin'an rarely found himself this intrigued. He gave her a once-over, then waved his hand. "I'll speak with Little Seven about this. You may go."
"Yes."
After leaving the Eldest Young Master's new home, she had just gotten into the car and hadn't even returned to the estate when her phone rang—it was Miss Jiang.
"Sister Xiaoqiu! You met my brother's girlfriend? How is she?! Tell me everything!"
Her voice sounded hollow with an echo, likely hiding in the bathroom to make the call away from Madam Jiang. That meant the Eldest Young Master had already tipped off Miss Jiang—no need to let the parents know.
"Very fair-skinned, big eyes, delicate and charming, and she can cook," Qiuyun recalled.
"How's her relationship with my brother?"
"Seems pretty good." After all, the first thing she did in front of an outsider like Qiuyun was hug him—intimate and familiar enough to make even her cheeks warm.
"Ohh, what a shame I didn't run into her yesterday! I should've come with you today," Jiang Chuling lamented regretfully. She was dying to know what kind of celestial beauty could make her brother fall so hard that he'd quarrel with the family over her.
"There will always be another chance," Qiuyun said softly.
Since she was sneaking into the bathroom behind her mother's back to call for details, Jiang Chuling only asked a few questions before hastily hanging up to head out.
When Qiuyun finally returned to the estate, she ran into Chen Fang—the head assistant—and her daughter, teacher Lan Xin, in the living room of Bright Moon Pavilion.
"You're back." Chen Fang paused in her conversation with her daughter and smiled as she greeted Qiuyun.
Chen Fang was a woman of propriety. Even though she had once coveted this assistant position for her own daughter, she still maintained polite decorum now.
Lan Xin, however, couldn't hide her resentment. She looked at Qiuyun with a sour expression.
If her mother wasn't the head assistant at Bright Moon Pavilion, she'd never have known that Miss Jiang's assistant was paid a performance bonus of 50,000!
Adding it all up, that was over 70,000!
That was 30,000 to 40,000 more than her mother's salary! And Miss Jiang was willing to pay such a high wage to someone she'd only known a short while!?
So what were her three years of accompanying Miss Jiang worth?
Was she just cheap labor?
"Indeed," Qiuyun replied, seemingly oblivious to Lan Xin's twisted expression, and smiled as she exchanged pleasantries with the mother-daughter pair. "What a lovely day today. Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang really picked the perfect day for their hike."
Chen Fang responded politely, "Isn't that the truth? The fact that Madam Jiang was willing to move here to take care of Miss Jiang in person—much of that is thanks to your heartfelt advice, Assistant Qiu."
"Oh no, not at all." Qiuyun quickly deflected. "I'm too young to understand such things. It was just Madam Jiang's kindness, and also thanks to you, Head Assistant Chen, for speaking up on behalf of the staff."
When Chen Fang heard Qiuyun acknowledge her favor, the lingering dissatisfaction in her heart eased a little. "Don't be too modest. Winning the favor of both Madam and Miss Jiang is your ability. But don't go around boasting about your salary. Miss Jiang added that extra amount just for you—if word gets out, it'll only breed resentment."
Qiuyun smiled warmly. "Thank you for the reminder, Head Assistant Chen. I understand."
"You've been out running errands for Miss Jiang all day. Go get some rest."
"You know, I am actually a bit tired. Alright, Head Assistant Chen, I'll head in now."
Steward Chen nodded with a smile. "Go on."
After Qiuyun left, Lan Xin was stifling a great deal of dissatisfaction. "Mom, why are you still being so polite to her!"
Steward Chen, disappointed at her lack of understanding, whispered back sharply, "She and I both serve by the side of the young lady. If I'm not courteous, what, am I supposed to start a quarrel with her?"
"But she took my job! I've worked as a tutor for three years, and now I won't be able to stay by the young lady's side!"
"Out of all the tutors who managed to successfully transition into becoming a personal assistant to the young masters and misses, only Assistant Wu by the Second Young Master has done it in all these years. The Eldest Young Master has gone through two replacements, the Fourth Young Master five, and the Sixth Miss has changed hers seven or eight times in just two years. Do you really think being a personal life assistant to these young masters and misses is that easy?"
Whether Qiuyun would succeed smoothly was still a matter of her own ability.
"But—"
"Enough." Steward Chen also felt a pang of regret, but since it was already done, she could hardly go to Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang and say, "You chose the wrong person—my daughter is more worthy."
"You focus on being a tutor. Once Miss Jiang starts middle school, I'll find you another good position in the manor." Steward Chen finally comforted her.
Lan Xin had no choice but to accept it.
Since Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang were away today, Qiuyun, as the personal assistant, naturally enjoyed some rare leisure.
She contacted Wang Wei on WeChat—the pastry chef from the main kitchen.
echo: "Hey, can I get two strawberry red wine cakes?"
Weiwei Dog: "What's the special occasion to treat yourself so well?"
The strawberry red wine cake was the most expensive dessert on Wang Wei's menu, priced at 398 yuan.
echo: "Madam Jiang approved Miss Jiang's request and made me her personal life assistant."
Weiwei Dog: "!!! No wonder you asked me yesterday about First Madam's preferences and dietary restrictions! Girl, you really go after big things!"
Qiuyun frequently placed orders with Wang Wei, so they had naturally become familiar with each other.
echo: "So the other cake is to thank you for telling me about Madam's tea preferences."
Weiwei Dog: "That's nothing. The likes and dislikes of the masters and madams are hardly a secret in the kitchen."
Qiuyun transferred the payment: "The other one is for you—to celebrate my promotion and pay raise together."
After hesitating for two seconds, Wang Wei decisively accepted the money. "I heard that assistants and stewards by the young masters and misses can make twenty to thirty thousand a month! I won't be modest with a big spender like you then [smirk][smirk]."
As they were chatting, a message popped up in the Moonlight Tower Work Group.
Driver Zhang Daquan: "Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang have returned home and gotten out of the car."
Nanny Ouyang Fang: "Received."
Nanny Feng Yuan: "Received."
Assistant Qiuyun: "Received."
Madam Jiang and Miss Jiang were back. Judging by the hour, they must have already had dinner. Qiuyun tidied her outfit and went to the living room. She didn't act as if her promotion made her special, but instead, like before, helped Sister Fang and Sister Yuan adjust the air conditioning, prepare mouthwash water, fruit platters, and arrange the slippers.
"Ugh, I'm so exhausted."
Jiang Chuling kicked off her shoes and hurled herself onto the large round sofa at home. The soft air-cotton cushions instantly enveloped her entirely—she was so tired she couldn't even lift her arms!
Sister Fang followed behind Miss Jiang, picking up the shoes she had kicked off and the coat she had thrown aside. Qiuyun approached Miss Jiang. "Would you like me to massage your legs?"
Jiang Chuling nodded eagerly. "Yes, please—thank you, Sister Xiaoqiu!"
"You're welcome, Miss Jiang."
The cool fingertips landed on her ankle, and Jiang Chuling felt incredibly comfortable. Then the fingers increased the pressure, pressing into the acupoint with a sensation both sour and numb, and before long, the tension eased away.
Jiang Chuling had experienced muscle-relaxing massages after horseback riding before, and this familiar feeling made her exclaim in surprise, "Sister Xiaoqiu, do you understand traditional Chinese medicine?"
Qiuyun switched to the other leg. "A little."
She couldn’t properly diagnose a pulse or prescribe a prescription like a proper Chinese doctor, but she excelled at acupressure massage, calming aromatherapy, medicinal soup cooking, as well as blending and brewing secret back-chamber prescriptions like aphrodisiacs, miscarriage preventatives, and abortifacients.
In short, her expertise was perfectly tailored for the role.
