Being a second wife is difficult: I'm busy raising children in the Earl's mansion.

Inside Songhe Hall, the old lady twirled a yellowed book of rules between her fingers, looked up at Granny Gui standing in the corridor, and spoke in a calm and capable manner, without the slightest hesitation.

With the year-end approaching, the entire household is now thoroughly cleaning and purifying themselves of bad luck.

Xu Bo was in charge of all the miscellaneous tasks in the outer courtyard, while Gui Mama and Wang Mama were responsible for allocating and coordinating the staff in each room of the inner courtyard.

No ancestral hall, Buddhist hall, or any unused courtyard should be overlooked.

In the past few years, during the major cleaning, the mansion was left without a truly capable person in charge. After Madam Gu passed away, the old lady grew old, and the servants mostly dealt with these perfunctory instructions that could be easily glossed over.

The cobwebs in the corners and the dust in the corridors were swept away with a few quick strokes and that was considered a done deal. The head maid's inspections were mostly just a formality.

The old lady already knew what was going on, but she never said it outright.

But this year is different.

In the first half of the year, one trouble after another occurred in the mansion. The matter between Granny Ding and Wang Fu caused unrest throughout the mansion. The old lady secretly hoped to use the cleaning to clear away the accumulated bad luck.

They even sent a message saying that after the task was completed, rewards would be given according to the amount of effort put in, with more work resulting in more pay.

The news of the reward spread quickly throughout the Earl's mansion, and the morale of the servants immediately improved.

In the past, people would avoid doing things if they could, but now they are carrying brooms and rags and behaving obediently.

Even the laziest cleaning maid squatted in front of the steps, using a small stick to carefully remove the dirt from the cracks in the stones, not daring to be perfunctory.

Granny Gui also received instructions and led Granny Wang and her group to take stock of the staff in the inner courtyard and assign tasks according to the courtyard.

The Buddhist hall is filled with incense smoke all year round, and the beams are covered with the heaviest dust, so four senior old women are assigned to guard them.

The two vacant courtyards on the east and west sides had been uninhabited for a long time. The windows were covered in rotten dust and the corners of the houses were moldy. Six people were assigned to take turns on duty.

The ancestral hall is of utmost importance. The offering table and ancestral tablets must be handled with care, and all cleaning materials must be brand new soft cloths, and no bumps or knocks are allowed.

The two clearly assigned tasks, and each household set off immediately after receiving their assignments. In the vast Earl's mansion, busy figures could be seen everywhere. The sounds of footsteps and the clanging of cleaning utensils intertwined, but it was not noisy. Instead, it exuded a new atmosphere of order and discipline.

The room inside Ruige was softly lit. Fang Shi sat on a low pear wood couch by the window, her fingers unconsciously stroking the embroidery frame in her hand, on which was outlined half of a peony scroll pattern.

Whenever she had a spare moment these past few days, she would meticulously sketch peony patterns by candlelight at night.

Peonies have long symbolized wealth and good fortune, and this embroidery was specially made for her child's bib.

—The patterns are grand and luxurious, perfectly befitting the status of the second wife's legitimate offspring.

The charcoal brazier inside the room emitted a faint warmth, and the earlier ruling from Songhetang was gradually being implemented.

The old lady rejected the decision to confine Cui'er to a remote courtyard for an extended period, but granted Fang Shi and Jiang Wan's pleas and allowed her to be released.

After Cui'er was released from confinement, Fang hurriedly cleared out a separate side room at the back of her courtyard, specifically for Cui'er to rest and recuperate during her pregnancy. She also assigned her steady maid, Zhu Ling, to take care of her personally.

The daily supply of charcoal, seasonal food, and clothing for changing seasons were all provided in a comprehensive manner, and the standards for various expenses even exceeded those of many ordinary concubines in the mansion.

Meanwhile, Hongxiu, who was serving inside the room, was standing quietly in the corner, holding a white porcelain jar. Her whole body was tense, and there was an inescapable sense of unease between her brows and eyes.

It was she who reported Cui'er for sleeping with someone else. At that time, she was certain that Cui'er would not escape severe punishment and would never appear in front of the Second Madam again.

However, things took an unexpected turn. Not only was Cui'er not severely punished, but she is now living in a side room of the main house, receiving extremely generous treatment.

She stood there, feeling uncomfortable in every way. She held the porcelain jar steadily in her hands, but wished she could embed herself into a crack in the wall.

Fang ignored her awkwardness and turned her gaze back to Cui'er.

Since the decision was made by Songhetang that day, Cui'er's life was spared, and she was to be sent to a private estate outside the city after the New Year.

During this period, Fang treated her with more gentleness than usual.

"This jar of donkey-hide gelatin was specially ordered and prepared by a pharmacy outside the city. Take one spoonful each morning and evening; it is most suitable for preventing miscarriage and strengthening the body."

Fang raised her chin, gesturing for Hongxiu to place the porcelain jar on the table between the two of them.

Hongxiu, who had been huddled in the corner lost in thought, was caught off guard by being called out. She had no choice but to suppress her distracting thoughts, slowly step forward and gently place the porcelain jar down. Then she retreated back to her original corner, her eyelids drooping. She dared not look directly at Cui'er, nor did she dare to meet Fang's eyes.

Fang didn't even glance at her, focusing all her attention on Cui'er, and even unconsciously slowed down her tone of voice.

"The private estate where you are being housed is owned by the old lady; I have already given her instructions there."

"The courtyard you're allocated has underfloor heating, making it warm and comfortable to live in during autumn and winter, which is very nourishing."

"I've sent someone to inquire about that courtyard. It's very spacious and tidy, and there's even a small open space in the backyard. When spring comes, you can plant some vegetables and fruits for your leisure time."

"Don't worry, the maids serving over there are all kind and honest people. They won't deliberately make things difficult for you, and there won't be any gossip."

"From now on, I will provide you with a regular monthly allowance, and I will also secretly supplement your allowance with extra money. If you need anything for daily life, just ask the messenger to bring back a message. As for the children, you don't need to worry about them; I will take good care of them."

Cui'er lowered her eyes, her fingertips touching the cool jar wall, and remained silent.

She knew in her heart that Fang was protecting her because of the child.

Fang treated her well out of some lingering affection, but that affection only went so far.

She traded her child for a way to survive, and afterwards, the child would have nothing to do with her anymore.

She doesn't expect any more, no matter how much there is.

She bent down, opened the jar, scooped up a mouthful of donkey-hide gelatin, and put it in her mouth. It was warm and slightly sweet, and it felt more soothing than she had imagined as it slid down her throat.

"My wife has been kind and generous to me, and I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life."

Cui'er put down the silver spoon in her hand, looked up at Fang Shi in front of her, and spoke sincerely.

"From now on, while I'm at the estate, I will pray for your well-being every day."

At this point, Cui'er wisely stopped talking. There was no need to go on with the unnecessary pleasantries; saying more would only create more awkwardness.

She stopped talking, picked up the silver spoon, scooped up another spoonful of donkey-hide gelatin, and slowly savored it.

Fang picked up the embroidery needle again, her gaze lingering for a moment on Cui'er's lowered eyes. Without saying a word, the needle returned to the embroidery on the peony bodice, her hands moving slowly and steadily as she continued to weave.

The heavy curtains blocked out most of the noise in the courtyard, with only the occasional clear chirping of magpies drifting into the house through the gaps.

The sounds of people outside the courtyard gradually grew louder, presumably because the maids from the manor had already swept the outer perimeter of this courtyard.

Turning our gaze away from Ruige, the small side room at the back of the east courtyard was a scene of bustling activity and vibrancy.

This side room was a small workshop that Jiang Wan had specially prepared earlier, originally intended for Lu Hui to study woodworking.

The room was furnished with a cushioned wooden table, and the tools were complete and kept clean. Over time, it became a place where several children often gathered after school.

As the year draws to a close, and grateful for the kindness of Mrs. Shen's gift of the Nine-Nine Cold-Dispelling Chart, the children secretly decided to work together to prepare a handmade return gift.

—Don't buy things from the market; make them yourself to show your appreciation for the effort others have put in.

The charcoal fire inside was burning hot, and the four children each had their own place to keep watch, busy with their own tasks.

Lu Hui squatted in front of the wooden table, his fingertips gripping fine sandpaper, and bent down to carefully polish the pen holder. The sandpaper rubbed along the wooden surface repeatedly, smoothing out the rounded edges.

"This wood is dense and needs to be sanded several times to feel smooth to the touch." He didn't look up, his tone serious. "The Shen family's Cheng-ge and An-ge are young, so the pen holder can't have sharp corners to avoid them cutting their hands."

Lu Wan sat next to him, her head down embroidering matching handkerchiefs featuring seasonal plants and trees.

After these days of practice, her hands have become much steadyer, and her stitches have become finer. She would occasionally glance up at the pen holder on the table and say, "This handkerchief I'm embroidering features the Four Friends of Winter, which would be a perfect match for your simple wooden pen holder. It would look best if we sent it as a set."

After finishing a stitch, she gently straightened the thread. "Once I'm done, I'll fold it up in the pen holder. It's simple and neat."

Lu Zhaoli stood by the table near the window, with clean Xuan paper spread out in front of him.

Although he did not participate in polishing and embroidery, he wrote the signature and inscription.

He held a fine wolf-hair brush, sometimes dipping it in ink, sometimes suspending the brush to trace the shapes of characters, repeatedly considering the composition.

The wooden furniture and embroidered handkerchiefs are simple and plain; any more flamboyant inscriptions would be excessive.

He turned slightly to the side and glanced at the two people: "The handkerchief has an elegant pattern, and the wood is simple. Use small characters for the signature, nothing complicated, just simple and elegant."

He paused, then added, "Brother Hui, smooth out the bottom a bit more, and Sister Wan, tighten the stitches at the embroidery tail. It will look better if it's neat and tidy."

Lu Hui responded, flipped the pen holder over, and continued to run the sandpaper back and forth along the bottom.

Lu Wan lowered her head and added two more needles without saying a word, but her movements became even more meticulous.

Meanwhile, Lu Shan was sitting upright in the corner, holding a plate of pastries in her arms, eating them in small bites without making a sound.

These past few days, she's seen her older siblings gathered here. Although she can't help much, she refuses to leave and just sits quietly to the side watching.

Her eyes followed the movements of her older brothers and sisters, as if she herself had joined in.

Seeing that Lu Wan was embroidering diligently, she carefully handed her a small piece of pastry: "Sister, have some."

Lu Wan tilted her head and took a small bite, her hands still sewing: "Thank you, Sister Shan. Let's finish quickly, then we'll play with you later!"

Lu Hui and Lu Zhao exchanged a smile after hearing this, then lowered their heads and went back to their respective tasks.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the side room, and sawdust and silk threads mingled in the warm air. The group of people were doing their own thing, no one spoke, and no one was in a hurry to leave.

The sunlight from the window slanted across the table, casting a warm glow on the unfinished wood and embroidery threads, as if they too were waiting for them to be completed.

A gust of wind slipped in through the crack in the door, lifting a corner of a piece of paper on the table. It was quickly pressed down by something, as if it thought it was just right and there was no need to add anything more.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Foreign Languages ​​Department, Xu Bo's efficient coordination and management was a truly pleasant sight today.

In previous years, the servants in the outer courtyard would make excuses and hide away to avoid the big cleaning, leaving the clutter piled up in a mess, making it difficult to manage.

With the reward money announced this year, everyone was eager to contribute. In addition, Uncle Xu arranged the tasks in an orderly manner, dividing them into three groups: cleaning, moving, and drying. Each group had a dedicated person in charge, and they took turns on duty without any gaps in their duties.

The servants worked together to move and sort the old timber that had been piled up for years. They bundled up and cleared away the dead branches piled up at the base of the courtyard wall, and wiped and washed the pavilions and railings in the front yard one by one.

In just half a day, the once messy outer courtyard was completely transformed, and the stone path was spotless without a speck of dust.

The passing maids, seeing this scene, all nodded in approval. In previous years, the steward at Wang Fu's place always indulged the servants' laziness, but now that Uncle Xu had arrived, everything seemed to be in good order.

With the reward money in hand, everything went smoothly, and the chaotic situation of previous years was completely reversed. The cleaning task assigned by the old lady was handled thoroughly and properly.

As the sun began to set in the west, a low murmur came from the direction of the Buddhist hall.

Two elderly women on duty were moving a small bronze Buddha statue next to the offering table, intending to wipe away the accumulated incense ash on the base of the statue. One of them gently supported the Buddha's body, while the other bent down and reached under the base.

The moment my fingertips touched a hard object on the base that was touching the ground, the cold, hard sensation came through the thin cloth, which was definitely not ordinary gravel or wood chips.

The old woman paused, abruptly withdrew her hand, and frowned deeply.

The Buddhist hall is cleaned every month, and the gaps in the base are carefully cleaned every year. There should never be such a thing buried underneath.

She turned her head to look at the old woman beside her. The two looked at each other and saw the hesitation in each other's eyes. Neither of them dared to move the bronze Buddha statue to dig deeper.

The candlelight flickered gently in the breeze, casting flickering light on the gilded Buddha face. The shadow of the base completely enveloped the unidentified hard object, which remained firmly embedded in the dust of the floor tiles, motionless.