Chapter 40: Volume 1, Chapter 40 — What Kind of Ridiculous Thought Is This

Jing Chu thought it over carefully before saying, "There are some, but I'm afraid they may be a bit rough and clumsy, not as good at serving as the maids the Eldest Miss had before."

Rong Luoge did not mind such things. She was not one of those nitpicking young ladies of prominent families who demanded perfection in every little matter. She only needed someone who could bring her meals when she was hungry, prepare bathwater at night, and keep the courtyard clean.

It was not as though she were truly a person of ancient times, able to exploit others with a clear conscience.

"As long as there are some, help me find a few. The monthly wages here are five taels of silver each, but the most important requirement is loyalty. Let me say this upfront: if anyone comes and does something to betray their master, I absolutely will not show mercy, and no amount of pleading will help." Rong Luoge looked at Jing Chu and said this earnestly.

Jing Chu hurriedly said upon hearing this, "Rest assured, Eldest Miss. The people I recommend also came from the escort agency. They used to travel with the escorts, but as they grew older, it became inconvenient, as you can imagine. Most of the people the Head Escort recruited back then were orphaned girls who had been abandoned. Now that they can have a good place to go, they could not be happier."

Rong Luoge looked at Jing Chu and said with a smile, "This Zhenxing Escort Agency really is quite peculiar, but Head Escort Luo is a man of loyalty and righteousness, which I deeply admire."

In this time and place, not everyone could have a compassionate heart like Luo Xian.

"You may not know this, Eldest Miss, but Head Escort Luo was also an orphan. He endured much hardship to make something of himself, but he also met many benefactors along the way. So after the Head Escort gained the ability, he would help others as well. He always said it was repaying kindness." Jing Chu spoke of Luo Xian with great respect.

Rong Luoge recalled that in her previous life she too had been an orphan. The hardships and sorrows of it were truly beyond words, extraordinarily bitter.

"Let it be so then. Find a few people to come. I can see this estate is quite large, so if you can find trustworthy ones, bring a few more." Rong Luoge could afford to keep several people. As long as they were loyal, she certainly would not treat them poorly.

Jing Chu immediately agreed. Such a good opportunity naturally could not be missed.

A monthly wage of five taels of silver—even a first-rank maid in a great noble house earned no more than two taels a month. The Eldest Miss was truly generous.

Jing Chu had left in a hurry and returned just as quickly, bringing back six people: four maids and two older women.

Rong Luoge sized them up. Their ages were indeed not those of young maids. Perhaps because they had once traveled with escorts, the maids' expressions were quite composed, though not particularly delicate-looking.

A place like an escort agency was surely no fit environment for a young woman to be raised delicately.

The one in the lead appeared to be the oldest among the maids, with proper and dignified features and a hint of resoluteness in her brows and eyes. Rong Luoge asked, "What is your name?"

"This servant is called Chun Yu."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

Rong Luoge was taken aback. That age was indeed a bit old, and she asked casually, "Are you married?"

Chun Yu shook her head, then lowered her eyes and said, "This servant's parents passed away from illness one after another three years ago. My brother and sister-in-law could not tolerate me and wanted to sell me for silver, so I ran back to the escort agency to work as a rough-service maid for a meal. I have already severed ties with my family, and I have no intention of marrying in this lifetime."

Rong Luoge was somewhat surprised. A person who could make such a decision in this time and place must possess tremendous willpower. For this alone, she admired her.

The other maids were slightly less remarkable than Chun Yu. One was called Le Ling, with a livelier temperament; one was called Xin Qiao, eloquent and persuasive; and there was Ban Xue, gentle in nature and skilled with needlework.

The remaining two rough-service older women were surnamed Hu and Fang. Though they spoke little, their hands were calloused, clearly hardworking, honest, and dependable people. Rong Luoge was very satisfied and kept all of them.

Chun Yu and the others' eyes lit up. Before coming, Jing Chu had only said to let the Eldest Miss take a look, and whether they could stay was not certain.

Though the escort agency had not mistreated them, it had many people, and Luo Xian, being a man, obviously could not attend to everyone perfectly.

The clothes on the maids and the older women were all made of coarse cloth. After signing their contracts of servitude, the first thing Rong Luoge did was have them go and purchase several sets of clothes, paid for from the public account.

The group was even happier. Chun Yu glanced at the Eldest Miss with some unease, not expecting that the new mistress Jing Chu had found for them would be so generous. As long as they served well, their days ahead would surely be fine.

Rong Luoge could see that the group all looked to Chun Yu as their leader, so she simply let her take charge and said to her, "There is nothing else to do here. Jing Chu has already told you everything, right? The most important thing is loyalty. If anyone does something to betray their master, I absolutely will not show mercy—even if Luo Xian himself comes to plead, it will be of no use. As for the duties, you have not learned much before, so just take it slowly."

Chun Yu immediately said, "Rest assured, Eldest Miss. We will learn as quickly as we can. We have already asked Guard Jing to find us someone to teach us, so we certainly will not delay the Eldest Miss's duties."

Rong Luoge looked at the group in surprise. Were they really this driven?

"That works too. The cost of hiring a teaching nanny will be covered by me." Rong Luoge liked people who were this driven. Pleased in her heart, she reimbursed the expense.

After the group entered the rear courtyard, the first thing they did was thoroughly clean the main courtyard. Rong Luoge had nothing to do staying at home anyway, so she simply went out to take a look. There was still no news from He Huai's side, and she wanted to go in person to check on the matter of those merchant caravans from out of town.

She had barely stepped out the door when Cang Yun arrived. Not finding the Eldest Miss, but instead seeing Chun Yu and the others, Cang Yun grew somewhat uneasy.

After thinking it over and unable to sit still, Cang Yun simply went out to find the young miss. Otherwise, she kept feeling a bit anxious, afraid that the young miss would no longer need her.

Rong Luoge had not gone far, and Cang Yun quickly caught up with her. "Eldest Miss."

"Cang Yun? Why are you here?" Rong Luoge spoke with pleasant surprise. Since coming here, only Cang Yun had accompanied her, so in her heart Cang Yun was naturally special.

Seeing how happy the Eldest Miss looked, Cang Yun's small worry suddenly vanished. She said softly, "Today Yao Huang paid the silver to redeem herself and left."

Rong Luoge was taken aback, then smiled. "So it was her. It seems she was recalled by the Duchess of the State. The words Rong Ling Shan used this time were actually effective."

"You already knew, Eldest Miss?" Cang Yun felt reassured upon hearing this.

Rong Luoge nodded. "I had them do it."

"That is good, then." Cang Yun said with a smile. "Now that Yao Huang has already left, can this servant return?"

Meeting Cang Yun's expectant gaze, Rong Luoge looked at her and said, "Not yet, I'm afraid. I left the old estate's address with a few friends. You need to help me receive messages there. I would not feel at ease entrusting this to anyone else—only to you. After this period passes, you will be able to return."

Cang Yun immediately said upon hearing this, "Rest assured, Eldest Miss. I will certainly stand guard well."

Looking at Cang Yun's happy expression, Rong Luoge suddenly felt as though she were some scoundrel of a man.

Ahem, what kind of ridiculous thought was that.

"Eldest Miss, this servant also came because there is good news to tell you. You will surely be happy to hear it." Cang Yun said gleefully, her eyes practically shining.