Aunt Liu turned around quietly to wipe away her tears. The little miss was just as clever as the Third Miss had been in her childhood. It was just a pity that, like the Third Miss, her appearance was different from ordinary people. Who knew what fate awaited her—whether she would suffer the same thousand hardships as the Third Miss had? This small gesture of Aunt Liu naturally didn’t escape Lin Fang’s notice. She reached out, asking to be held, and once in her arms, planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
For a moment, everyone in the room was stunned. Though Aunt Liu’s status was somewhat special, in the end, she was still just a servant. Lin Fang was her mistress. For a mistress to kiss a servant was improper in principle and unacceptable in etiquette. Since the mistress was still young and didn’t know better, the blame could only fall on the adults.
No matter how sharp Aunt Liu was, she was at a loss now. Kneeling to apologize would be awkward while holding the little miss, but not apologizing would surely invite punishment. The Old Master and Old Mistress were usually lenient with servants, but if a servant truly made a mistake, they wouldn’t let it slide lightly.
“Haha, Aunt Liu, you’re quite something! It’s only been a few days, yet Fang’er is already so close to you. You should know that although Fang’er is well-behaved, she doesn’t usually get close to people so easily.”
Madam Tong said this to lighten the mood, as she herself disliked such formalities. However, Aunt Liu only grew more terrified, her face paling and her body trembling uncontrollably as she kept repeating, “This old servant is guilty, this old servant deserves death.”
Lin Fang also sensed something unusual. She hadn’t expected her playful act to cause such distress for Aunt Liu. It seemed the ridiculous rules of ancient times were no joke. She regretted it—Aunt Liu had taken such good care of her these past few days, far better than the snobbish servant from her previous life’s husband’s household. Afraid that Aunt Liu might actually be punished, she clung tightly to Aunt Liu’s neck, refusing to let go. *They wouldn’t dare pry me away, would they? If they do, I won’t mind throwing a tantrum. After all, I’m just a baby—nothing I do is too much.*
“Aunt Liu, don’t be nervous,” Li Cuimei spoke up, seeing that Aunt Liu had misunderstood her aunt and noticing how much her daughter seemed to like Aunt Liu. “It’s a good thing Fang’er is so close to you. Aunt Liu, would you be willing to stay with Fang’er for life? If so, I’ll speak to Mother right away—she’ll surely agree.”
“This old servant is willing. This old servant will take good care of the little miss.”
Not that she had much choice. With the little miss treating her like this, refusing would only bring trouble from both sides. Truthfully, she had grown quite fond of Lin Fang—well-behaved, not fussy, and very clever. After just these few days of care, Aunt Liu already felt reluctant to part with the little miss.
*What started as a playful act ended up netting me a nanny,* Lin Fang thought, feeling a bit odd. No one could have guessed that what Lin Fang had done just for fun would, in the future, lead to Aunt Liu becoming her only family and companion in life. But that’s a story for later.
When Li Cuimei returned to her parents’ home and brought it up, how could Madam Pan refuse? She would have loved to send all her capable servants to her daughter, but unfortunately, her daughter only wanted Aunt Liu. *If you won’t take more, does that mean I can’t find a way?* Aunt Liu was in her forties and not without family—she had a husband, children, and grandchildren, a household of over a dozen people. Could she really bear to separate them? So, under this pretext, Madam Pan sent Aunt Liu’s entire family over. Li Cuimei had no choice but to accept.
Now that they were servants of the Lin family, their forms of address had to change. Li Cuimei was no longer to be called “Third Miss” but “Madam” instead. Lin Dalang was “Master,” and since Dalang was close to Madam Tong, Lin Wen’s generation was reordered alongside Lin Meng and his siblings. Lin Meng became the Eldest Young Master, Lin Wen the Second Young Master, Lin Juan the Third Miss, Lin Xia the Fourth Miss, Lin Wu the Fifth Young Master, and Lin Fang the Sixth Miss.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Dalang’s family went to pay their respects to Lin Boshi. To their surprise, the gates were tightly shut, and no matter how much Dalang called, they wouldn’t open. Lin Cui’e shouted “Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law” from inside but was immediately scolded into silence. Furious, Dalang turned and left, while Lin Fang breathed a sigh of relief—she had no desire to see those lifeless faces anyway.
The scene in the backyard was entirely different, filled with warmth and affection. The adults chatted while the children played noisily. Even Lin Wen, the little bookworm, ran around wildly with Lin Meng and his younger siblings, setting off firecrackers that crackled loudly across the courtyard. Lin Fang watched enviously, struggling to get down. Aunt Liu held her under the arms and followed the group of children as they ran.
“Da… da…” Seeing Lin Wen holding a small firework, Lin Fang reached out her tiny hand, demanding it. Lin Meng thought she was calling for him and handed her his firework, but it was thicker than an adult’s thumb, and Lin Fang couldn’t hold it steady, dropping it to the ground.
“Er… er…” Remembering the new order, Lin Fang quickly corrected herself, calling Lin Wen “Second Brother.”
Li Cuihong thought Lin Fang was hungry. “Oh, Fang’er is hungry! Aunt Liu, the steamed egg custard on the stove is ready. Bring it over and feed the Sixth Miss.”
*What? I was calling for Second Brother! I’m not hungry—I haven’t stopped eating since we got here!* Frustrated, Lin Fang shouted, “Fire—!” Her voice was shrill and angry, and everyone stopped. The children halted their running, all turning to look at her.
Lin Wu ran over and shoved a small firework into Lin Fang’s hands. “Here, little sister, you can have mine.”
*No, it’s ugly! I want Eldest Brother’s—no, Second Brother’s—that one’s pretty.* She threw the firework in her hand to the ground.
“Mine, you can have mine!” Lin Xia handed her a “hissing stick”—one that only smoked without making noise.
*No!* She tossed it aside again. Lin Fang decided being a baby wasn’t so bad—she could act out without anyone blaming her.
“Here, take mine. You can hold it, and it’s pretty too.”
A dark hand extended toward Lin Fang. Following it upward, she saw Qi Biao’s expressionless face. The sight of him reminded her of that bloodthirsty look in his eyes that day. Though his gaze now could barely pass for gentle, Lin Fang lost all interest in fireworks. She didn’t take the one he offered, twisting instead to bury her face in Aunt Liu’s chest. The trauma she’d suffered was too great—she instinctively wanted to stay far away from danger. Qi Biao hadn’t harmed her, but she simply didn’t want anything to do with him.
In the days since the family split, Qi Biao hadn’t appeared. Given his unpredictable nature, no one knew when he might show up, so no one had asked about him. His sudden visit on New Year’s Day was unexpected. The first day of the New Year was for family reunions—only those with exceptionally close relationships would visit others. No one present believed Qi Biao was close enough to their family to warrant such a visit, so for a moment, no one spoke.
“Young Master Qi, Happy New Year. This old servant pays her respects.”
Aunt Liu was quick to react. Qi Biao’s status in the village was a mystery, and she wasn’t sure how to treat him. But since he was close to the family’s Second Young Master, calling him “Young Master Qi” couldn’t be wrong. Besides, holding the Sixth Miss, she couldn’t bow properly—a forgivable offense.
A guest was a guest, so the family warmly greeted Qi Biao. But this young master, who had disrupted their fun, merely gave an impassive fist salute, pulled something from his robe, shoved it into Lin Wen’s hand, and turned to leave. At the courtyard gate, he glanced back—the tiny figure was still buried in the nanny’s arms, as if asleep.
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