chapter 1
“Huaixia, I won’t be giving you your bonus this time.”
My young mistress sat in her chair dressed in silk and brocade. The pearl hairpin in her coiffure was worth several years of my wages.
She patted my hand and smiled.
“Bonuses are for servants, but you know I’ve always thought of you as my sister.
“I’ll donate the money to the Great Buddha Temple in your name. The merit will keep you safe for the rest of your life.”
I raised my head and stared at that familiar face in a daze.
It had been exactly the same in my previous life.
Gu Xinlan was forever declaring that I was her sister. Everyone else received a bonus, while I—because I was supposedly not a “servant”—received nothing.
Servants in the Gu household earned only five hundred copper coins a month. No matter how carefully I saved, it never amounted to much. We depended on whatever extra silver our masters handed out when they were in a generous mood.
My father had died young, and my mother was frail. She was counting on this money to buy medicine.
Gu Xinlan knew that perfectly well.
Yet she still kept my bonus.
I sneered inwardly.
How could I have been so foolish in my last life? I had truly believed she withheld my money because she did not want to treat me like a servant.
Looking back, the truth was obvious. She was a concubine-born daughter and received only a modest allowance.
But Gu Xinlan wanted new clothes and jewelry every month. Her allowance could never cover it all, so she had set her sights on my bonus.
For Old Madam’s birthday, each branch of the household had received an extra ten taels of silver to reward its servants.
In my previous life, everyone else had been paid. My single tael was the only one my young mistress had kept.
Without those bonuses, I had pinched every coin from one month to the next.
My mother could not afford her medicine. Her health never improved, and she died on a bitter winter night.
With no one left to care for my younger sister, she was eventually sold into servitude too.
I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, a smile had settled across my face.
“I know how well Young Mistress treats me. I will abide by whatever you decide.”
A satisfied smile touched her lips. She chided me playfully.
“I’ve told you not to call yourself a servant. Remember, all people are born equal. I have never treated you like one.”
My eyes brimmed with emotion while my stomach turned.
If we were truly equal, why did I wait on her instead of the other way around?
Why did she not share half her allowance with me?
The moment I left her room, I let the other servants know that our bonuses were gone.
They were not nearly as mild-tempered as I had been. They exploded in anger.
Lianxin twisted her handkerchief between her fingers.
“How could Young Mistress do this? Servants like us live on whatever rewards slip through our masters’ fingers. My brother is waiting for my bonus so he can marry!”
“Exactly! Old Madam took that money from her own dowry to give each household some face. What right does Young Mistress have to keep it?”
Madam Zhang, the most senior servant in the courtyard, gave a cold laugh.
“Young Mistress had another outfit made this month. Her allowance is only a few taels. Where do you think she got the money? By squeezing it out of us, of course.”
She spat on the ground.
“Servants in the other courtyards practically swim in money. I hear Eldest Young Mistress hands out rewards at every festival. And look at ours. What else would you expect from a concubine’s daughter…”
Once I saw that they were all seething, I turned around and went back into Gu Xinlan’s room. Beaming, I announced,
“Young Mistress, I’ve told everyone that we won’t be receiving our bonuses. Please donate theirs to the temple as well, so everyone can share in this blessing!”
Gu Xinlan froze, then shot to her feet with a frown.
“Who told you to tell them?”
I feigned bewilderment. “Didn’t Young Mistress say that everyone is equal? I thought it would be unfair if I alone received such a blessing. This way, everyone will remember your kindness.”
I counted on my fingers. “Including the pageboys, there are eight servants in our courtyard. Together, we’ll donate a great deal of money and earn so much merit.”
Gu Xinlan paused, then slowly sat down.
If none of the eight servants received a bonus, she could pocket all ten taels Old Madam had provided.
For someone whose monthly allowance was only a few taels, that was a fortune.
Gu Xinlan quickly worked it out. She smiled at me.
“Huaixia, you did very well.
“I have always considered everyone in this courtyard one big family. You are all my friends and relatives. I could never insult you with money.
“Don’t worry. I will donate every coin to the temple and pray that all of you enjoy peace and good fortune.”
I smiled and agreed.
In my previous life, she had stolen only my bonus. I had remained utterly loyal, so no one discovered her habit of withholding money until the day I died.
This time, I wanted to see whether she could still hide it after stealing from everyone.