The relatively dark servant girl saw Jing Wan sizing her up and somewhat uncomfortably shrunk back. She knew she was dark and not that likable, but if miss doesn’t keep her, she won’t have a good time. After all, they were deliberately sent into the Luo Manor precisely for the sake of coming to serve Luo third miss. “Miss, don’t drive this servant out. This servant although is a bit ugly, but this servant is very capable. You can let this servant do anything……………”
Jing Wan helplessly laughed, “But I didn’t say I was going to drive you out. Moreover, you’re just a bit dark, but you’re still a little beauty.” Just that attire and makeup was a bit too unbearable to the eyes. The Qi Yuan dynasty viewed fair skin as beautiful. This girl thought of ways to let herself appear even fairer, using very thick powder and then applying rouge on top. Jing Wan wanted to cover her eyes from looking. Moreover, that attire was very unsuitable for her skin, so naturally it made her appear even more darker and uglier. Actually, her facial features were the same as her sister’s, just her sister was a little fairer, thus appearing beautiful, so how could she really be ugly.
This perhaps was that girl’s first time hearing someone call her a beauty. She wasn’t sure whether Jing Wan was mocking her, or really felt she was pretty, appearing very helpless, “Miss, please don’t make fun of this servant.”
“What am I making fun of you for? Go wash off the makeup on your face first, later this miss, I, will teach you how to apply a more suitable makeup for you, guaranteeing that you’ll become just as beautiful as your sister.”
“Is miss telling the truth?”
The other servant girls to the side covered their mouths laughing. The liveliest of the bunch, Qing Ju, directly pulled her by the hand, “Miss never says big words, come, I’ll take you to go wash your face.”
After the two left, that relatively fairer servant girl directly knelt down and began kowtowing to Jing Wan, “Many thanks miss.”
“Quickly get up.” Shortly after, Jing Wan asked about these two’s origins. Because Jing Wan could tell, these two sister’s hands were somewhat different from ordinary girls’ hands. The calluses were rather thick, and their knuckles were also a little rough.
Turns out, these two sisters came came from a hunting family, practicing martial arts and learning to hunt from their father since childhood. Especially Hei(black) Mei, whose skills were very incredible. Her skill in archery can be said to be a hundred hits in a hundred shots. However, afterwards, their family met with misfortune, and the two sisters were forced on the run. Because the two knew martial arts, they were thus able to escape to the capital together with the refugees. But they didn’t have a household register[1] and were also just young girls, so they couldn’t find a place to stay, and couldn’t go work as laborers. Thus they had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery. Luckily, they didn’t encounter a black hearted slave seller. Just, the two of them, aside from their martial arts, having a bit of strength, were useless in everything else. In addition, Hei Mei wasn’t liked, and Bai(white) Mei didn’t want to separate from her younger sister. Just like this, after three years, they finally came to the Luo family.
(T/N: Their names literally mean black/white + character for younger sister, which is often used in parts of a girl’s name among commoners. Servant girls are usually given simple names based on their appearance or trait, and often times renamed depending on their master.)
After these three years, setting aside how they are in other areas for now, their etiquette were without any problems.
Moreover, although Bai Mei was just fifteen years old, she was very steady, rather similar in personality to Qing Zhu.
In reality, when she saw Bai Mei, Jing Wan already knew the reason why her wet nurse chose her. Qing Zhu was already seventeen, and for the most part, it wasn’t too likely for her to follow Jing Wan out when Jing Wan marries. Thus Jing Wan’s wet nurse chose someone who was similar to her in personality for Jing Wan so that it’ll be relatively easy to use her.
“Then, in the future, just stay at my place, and take a second-rank servant girl’s monthly salary first. Wet nurse, go make their arrangements and directly take the money from my place. First cut them a few sets of clothes, and Bai Mei, in the future, Bai Mei will be called Bai Shao[2]. Hei Mei will still be Hei Mei. Bai Mei’s clothes I don’t care, mainly it’s Hei Mei’s. For the clothing material, pick colors like deep purple, pale green, dark red, light brown, and such, don’t want any light gentle colors. And the clothing’s embroidery patterns need to be simple, pairing with relatively warm colors. En, just these then.”
The people at Jing Wan’s side all won’t question Jing Wan’s words. And although Bai Shao was muttering inside whether or not her younger sister would look old fashion wearing those colors, but this was her master’s orders, so they just needed to obey.
After washing off the things on her face, Hei Mei appeared much more pleasing to the eyes.
Jing Wan immediately wanted to apply makeup for her. This originally was improper, but the others didn’t know how to apply makeup for darker skin, and it just so happens that Jing Wan’s hands were a bit itchy. However, the things Jing Wan normally uses herself definitely can’t be used, else Gong mama really will start lecturing. However, Jing Wan has never been a stingy master. The things her servant girl used definitely weren’t inferior.
Hei Mei’s skin quality wasn’t lacking at all. Besides, a fifteen year old young girl’s skin, at worst, would only still be a little bit bad.
Jing Wan carefully began messing around on her, rouge and whatnot all abandoned. Lastly, she let Qing Mei redo her hair. The brand new Hei Mei was completely like a different person. The face was still that face, still similarly dark, but appeared lustrous and radiant, as well as another kind of indescribable beauty.
Have to say, it was still Gong mama’s eyes that were the most poisonous. She could tell at a glance that on Hei Mei, there was a kind of thing that was very attractive to men, just as for what exactly, she didn’t know how to describe. If she’d asked out loud, Jing Wan would just tell her, that was vitality, beauty[3], as well as her true wild nature. That’s right, Hei Mei was originally from a hunter’s family, with a body full of martial arts, and was different from ordinary girls to begin with. Once this was freely let out, it will attract men’s desire to conquer. If Jing Wan had to say, Hei Mei was still young right now, so when she was applying the makeup, she’d already held back as much as possible. In another few years, when she completely grows out, that’s when she will truly be radiating in all directions.
Have to say, the one that was moved the deepest was Bai Shao. When they were still back home, she didn’t really pay attention, but after coming to the capital, and getting nitpicked again and again, Hei Mei also began caring about her own face and her skin color, envying her older sister’s fair skin and good looks. She even gradually turned somewhat self-abased and quiet. Where did she still have the unruly willfulness from back when they were still in the mountains. Afterwards, when it came to training, she was even more demanding of herself, making Bai Shao endlessly heartache from watching. Actually, turns out, her own younger sister wasn’t ugly in the slightest, just they didn’t find the correct methods in the past.
Hei Mei, seeing everyone all staring at her, felt somewhat nervous, “Wha-what’s wrong?”
Jing Wan smiled, “Go bring over the glass mirror.”
This was Hei Mei’s first time using a mirror that was able to have the person reflected this clearly. Seeing herself in the mirror, she was practically in somewhat disbelief, “Is this really me?” And after repeatedly getting ‘yes’ in response, Hei Mei was extremely elated, kneeling down to kowtow to Jing Wan.
Jing Wan pulled her up and smiled, “I didn’t do anything much. You were just a little beauty to begin with, that’s all.”
Hei Mei originally wasn’t a very low self-esteem and timid girl. Now that the problem she cared about originally disappeared, her entire person became very lively again, even recovering her original personality that was once abandoned back in the mountains, her entire person all bursting with life. Once this vitality returned, one naturally was even more dazzling. If Jing Wan’s wet nurse wasn’t watching the whole time, she definitely wouldn’t believe this was the same girl she’d brought back. However, she still clicked her tongue, “If you go out now, those people from before definitely won’t be able to recognize you. However, have to say, it’s still our miss that’s impressive. Others don’t have this ability.”
Everyone else all nodded in agreement.
“Alright, you all go attend to your own work.”
That night, Gong mama said to Jing Wan, when going out in the future, Bai Shao and Hei Mei, she at least needed to bring one with her at her side, and no matter what need for them to stay close to her.
Jing Wan knew, because of the White Dragon Temple incident, Gong mama has always felt very guilty, blaming herself for not protecting Jing Wan properly, even somewhat like a ‘bird startled by the mere sound of a bow’[4]. And now that there are two more girls that know martial arts, afraid it perfectly matched her desire. Just, in this half of a day’s time, Gong mama was already comfortable with handing her over to them to protect. She was this confident in those two girls? Jing Wan just agreed along her words.
The next day, when Jing Wan was going to give her morning greetings to Luo Old Madam, she had Hei Mei, this outstanding beauty brought over to show off.
Have to say, when this batch of servants were purchased and brought back, Luo Old Madam had seen her once. Because Hei Mei was very unique, she naturally also noticed her. However, seeing that she wasn’t a crafty one, and moreover, had already entered the manor, might as well just keep her. Just she didn’t expect, when she saw her again, not only did she enter third girl’s courtyard, she even completely changed in appearance. “Indeed a good child. In the future, just work hard in serving your miss.”
“Old Madam don’t worry, this servant will definitely serve miss well.”
Luo Old Madam once again nodded her head. This etiquette was rather very well-taught.
[1] Household registry are very important, even in modern China. It’s generally tied to wherever a person is born, and thus registered in that prefecture/region. Overall, it’s used like an official form of identification. In modern China without a household registry, you can’t go to school, can’t buy a house, can’t get a job, and can’t even get married. There’s a problem that stemmed from the one-child policy in modern era where a lot of people who were born in secret during the one-child policy don’t have a registry, and therefore are like an invisible-class of citizens.
[2] Bai Shao is the name for the root of the herbaceous peony; it’s commonly used in traditional chinese medicine.
[3] So in chinese there are a bunch of different terms that all translate to just ‘beautiful’ in english, but there are a lot of nuances in those words in chinese that gets lost in translation. This beautiful means like the attractive kind of beauty when dressed up or decorated.
[4] Meaning someone who’s easily frightened due to past experiences.
