NOVPUB
Chapter 753: Chapter 758 Submissive Nature_1
"I don’t mean that; I just don’t like all this kneeling. As long as you’re loyal, I’ll treat you like family. But if anyone harbors a second heart, I’ll show no mercy,"
Qiao Duo’er said solemnly; once her bottom line was crossed, the person would end up in a dire situation.
At least she had never considered herself a kind person.
The three people kneeled in unison: "Madam, rest assured."
Their actions left Qiao Duo’er helpless; this was the so-called servility.
Seeing Qiao Duo’er unsure about where to put her hands, Bai Yifan quickly intervened. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"Xing’er, go out and wait for now. Uncle Ming and Aunt Ming, once you’ve cleaned up the hilltop, come and take over caring for the musk deer,"
"Yes," the three people nodded respectfully.
After they had gone out, Qiao Duo’er finally let out a sigh of relief.
"You’ll get used to it over time. My grandmother has a lot of experience with managing the inner household; let her share some of that with you when you have time,"
Managing servants is also an art that requires a careful balance of kindness and strictness.
Qiao Duo’er nodded: "Then don’t find me bothersome."
She was adept at being independent, but managing others was something she didn’t know where to start. And Old Lady Bai, having spent a lifetime in the domestic affairs of a household, certainly had many insights,
Bai Yifan made a statement: "If you visit, my grandmother and I would be more than pleased."
Having finished discussing serious matters, Bai Yifan then stood up to take his leave. The process of turning musk into medicine involved many steps, and he needed to keep watch over it.
More importantly, he and Duo’er, being alone together for too long, could lead to gossip.
After sending Bai Yifan off, Duo’er called for Almond to come in.
Almond was very reserved, standing next to Qiao Duo with her head bowed, not even daring to breathe deeply.
To ease the awkwardness, Qiao Duo took out two lists directly: "Here are the recipes for the Ginseng Nourishing Cream and Six White Cream. Try making them."
When a person has something to do, they no longer know what awkward means.
Almond took the recipes and glanced at them: "Madam, where should I start?"
Qiao Duo led her to her own small mill where she made face mask powder.
Soon there would be another master of this place, one with a shy disposition.
"Everything here is prepared; feel free to use it. There’s a donkey kept in the back that you can pull over when you’re grinding, but be mindful as the donkey is quite young and needs frequent rests,"
Qiao Duo explained all the precautions.
Almond took note of them earnestly, fearing she might be cast out if she made a mistake.
By noon, Almond had successfully mixed the two recipes, and the quality was much better than Qiao Duo had expected.
"You have quite a talent, but it can still improve. I’ll find some books on scent blending for you to study," encouraged Qiao Duo.
Almond’s eyes suddenly shone with excitement; if she could learn more, she’d definitely be able to create even better fragrances!
This was the first time Almond had shown her real smile since entering the Tan Family’s door.
As the evening darkened, Almond took the initiative to enter the kitchen to help cook.
Qiao Duo did not refuse, as this was a perfect opportunity to build their bond.
"If you need anything, just say so; this is your home too, so don’t be so formal," said Qiao Duo in an easygoing manner.
Almond nodded, "I really don’t need anything."
She was literate and knew how to mix fragrances. The Human Teeth had given her parents fifty taels of silver.
In the end, perhaps their conscience got the better of them and they secretly gave her one tael of silver, of which she still had a few hundred wen left. It would surely suffice until the monthly wages were paid at the beginning of next month.
But what mattered most to her was saving enough money to buy her freedom; she wanted to become an ordinary person who could control her own destiny.
