[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-53":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310851,4515,"Chapter 53: Wu","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>Just past noon, when the household kitchen was idle, the cooks and old women had gone off to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Liu Jia’s remained in the kitchen, her expression uneasy, while Wu’er stood quietly arranging the kitchen’s clutter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er had delicate features, a gentle demeanor, wore a smoky pine-green jacket edged with white plum embroidery, and beneath it a light green long skirt, graceful as a lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had not yet been assigned duties, so unlike the maids in red coats and green skirts, she still dressed as an ordinary girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was Wu’er’s last day helping her mother with idle tasks in the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon, Ping’er from Lian Er-nainai’s quarters came to offer congratulations, saying the Lady had assigned her to serve as senior maid in Jia Cong’s chambers, with a second-class monthly stipend of one string of cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, this was indeed cause for celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Zhixiao’s wife held far more status in the household than Liu Jia’s, yet her daughter Xiaohong had served in Baoyu’s quarters for years and remained a third-class maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er, newly assigned, had already secured a second-class maid’s rank—her starting point higher than most maids’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Liu Jia sighed and groaned; she was an old hand in the household and knew that to live smoothly in a grand estate, which master you served mattered above all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jia frowned: “You foolish girl, what do you know? Something’s only valuable if everyone fights for it—if no one wants you, how can it be good?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er suddenly asked: “Mother, do you think Zhi Shao was good?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d been raised in the Eastern Road Courtyard, neglected even by the household cats and dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even during the New Year’s Eve banquet, Grandmother hadn’t given him a seat; even the more respectable servants were better off than him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said: “Mother wanted me to serve in Baoyu’s quarters—nothing’s settled yet, and you’ve already let slip word of it. How can you blame others for spreading rumors?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His quarters are full of maids; I’ve heard they’re always scheming and vying for favor. If I go, who knows how I’ll be mistreated? Better not to go at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er said: “Mother, don’t speak like that. Who says it’s a good thing? Baoyu is the apple of Grandmother’s and Lady’s eyes—how many people in the household are watching him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was merely a kitchen overseer, with little insight, unaware of Jia Cong’s affairs outside, vaguely knowing that Second Master had treated Jia Cong kindly—but what good did that do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I serve such a master as a maid, what future will I ever have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been close to Zhi Shao since childhood; she told me much about Third Master. She said though his birth was humble, he was a kind man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be some wicked, lowly creature whispering lies to Lady, giving her an excuse to treat him so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jia replied: “Zhi Shao was certainly good—a fine maid, driven to her death like that. My heart has been heavy for days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er continued arranging things, not turning around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in the household didn’t know Third Master’s origins? Among the illegitimate sons, his birth was the most despised; Grandmother disliked him most of all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jia knew her daughter rarely spoke, but was sharp-witted—this truth rang true. She regretted: “It’s my loose tongue that ruined your chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never thought much of it before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said with a crestfallen face: “I was trying to find a way to get you assigned to Baoyu’s quarters—why did Lady suddenly assign you to serve Jia Cong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One should climb upward, not sink lower. If you’re assigned to Cong-er’s quarters, what future will you ever have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing her mother’s words, Wu’er thought of Zhi Shao and tears welled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because Third Master nearly died from First Master’s beating; they feared he’d die in the Eastern Road Courtyard and bring shame upon the whole family, so they moved him to the Western Mansion to recuperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Grandmother has moved him to the Western Mansion, she hasn’t changed her heart or taken to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Third Master returned and learned Zhi Shao had drowned herself, he frantically searched the Liuyang River for three days and nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which young master in the household would do such a thing for a maid? He is a man of feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was beaten, the whole household talked of it—he was punished only because he defended Zhi Shao. How could such a man be bad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jia sighed: “Now that Lady has spoken, there’s no turning back. If you’re willing, then so be it—be careful, avoid taking losses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er stood up and murmured: “Zhi Shao did this for him—I trust Zhi Shao’s judgment. I won’t be the one who loses out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a cargo boat departing from the Liuyang River had sailed four or five days along the Grand Canal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the stern cabin, a kind-faced old nun was administering needles to a woman with a dazed expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the nun stood a delicate, pretty young novice, clad entirely in black robes, yet strands of hair peeked out from beneath her hood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, she’s been dazed every day, unable to speak—when will she recover?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her body is fine; it’s her soul that’s been shattered, hence her condition. I needle her daily. When you have time, talk to her—perhaps she’ll recover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong saw Qingwen bustling about the room, wearing a red satin jacket with a dark brocade vest trimmed with edging, her slender, graceful figure moving nimbly, her hands quick and deft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She brought him water, then warm, soft porridge to feed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her delicate, lovely face drew near, pleasing to the eye, carrying the faint fragrance of rouge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She touched his quilt and felt it was cold, pushed the charcoal brazier closer, added more charcoal, then used an iron poker to stir the embers into a brighter flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wiped down the tables and chairs, then opened the small window to let in air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She went to the opposite Qixian Studio, fetched a small incense burner, and lit calming incense in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such orderly, thorough care, she soon had the room tidied and settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her busyness, Jia Cong recalled how Zhi Shao had once bustled around him in the storage shed at the Eastern Road Courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suppressed the turmoil and hidden pain in his heart, suddenly missing the cramped, dilapidated storage shed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingwen was good—but she was not Zhi Shao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chronologically, this Qingwen was much younger than when she first appeared in the original text; she had not yet developed the airs of a young lady, and worked diligently, grounded and practical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she served Grandmother, she must know her own reputation in the household was poor; becoming my maid isn’t a good path for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps she’d already heard Grandmother planned to assign her to Baoyu’s quarters—now that plan had fallen through, yet her face showed no joy or sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her thorough, tireless care likely stemmed only from fulfilling her duty as a maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she was charming and clever and drew resentment, it wasn’t merely because she was pretty or skilled with needlework—she must have excelled in the very essence of being a maid, or how else would Grandmother have valued her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong wondered inwardly whether Qingwen resented being assigned to him as a maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know that while serving Grandmother, Qingwen knew nearly everything Grandmother heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Jia Cong’s affairs were so extraordinary—how could a girl not take them to heart?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wrote beautiful calligraphy and won the admiration of a prince; he attended scholarly gatherings and gained great fame—he was clearly a man of talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone says Baoyu is kind, most considerate of maids; the little maids in the garden all clamor to enter his courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Baoyu is only good within the household; compared to this Third Master, he’s far more capable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Jia Cong’s low birth, Qingwen didn’t care much—she wasn’t a household-born slave; she had no parents to fight for status in the household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She herself was merely a maid bought on the road; though she resented it, she couldn’t escape her fate as a servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Third Master’s birth is low, can it be lower than hers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, today in the hall, Qingwen heard clearly: a high official had recommended Third Master for admission to the most renowned academy—he might even become a top scholar and rise to high office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a capable Third Master not be worth serving as a maid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve heard he treated that girl who drowned herself with great kindness—if I serve him faithfully, he’ll treat me the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Third Master is so handsome—no young master in the household compares to him…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong still couldn’t fathom Qingwen’s thoughts, unaware that the little maid had already made up her mind firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingwen helped Jia Cong finish his evening meal, tidied up, then took out a bolt of sky-blue fabric and measured him carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said she’d make him a new undergarment—his current one had been torn to shreds by the whip; she needed to make him a fresh set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, she still had some leftover soft smoke-silk from Grandmother’s gift, in the color of rain-clearing sky—perfect for use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Qingwen sew by lamplight, Jia Cong recalled the scene in Dream of the Red Chamber where Brave Qingwen mended the sparrow-gold robe while ill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingwen noticed him staring at her, puzzled, and smiled at him sweetly and innocently—suddenly, the empty room warmed with tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong, injured on his back, could only lie prone; this position made him drowsy, and soon he fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how long he slept, but in his daze, he felt someone touching his back wound—a slender figure sat beside the bed, strangely familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This new book is in a difficult early stage—please support me by following and collecting. Thank you very much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1660,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6279cff3fa35ea94e3c1c523885f53d0d20b32473f9ab22860e7bacac0618d3a","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-54","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-52",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]