Chapter 36: Hoodwinking

He staggered to the backyard. The young ladies who had arrived with him were already hard at work. What did a pleasure house have the most of? Women. And what did women have the most of? Clothes, of course. So these ladies never had to worry about losing their jobs.

The young masters, on the other hand, were busy carrying water, heating it, and pouring it out. Tears streamed down their faces, their hands were worn and bleeding. Soon, they would have to work in the rain, risk their lives, drink dirty water, eat worse than slop, bathe without hot water, never taste wine again, and only dream of the water used by the girls for bathing!

Liu Liwa walked in boldly. Everyone stared at him. They had known each other before, but he was the son of a prime minister, a cut above them. Now, though they had all been demoted to servants, he had managed to get close to Yang Xiaosi, passed the assessment, and could work in the front hall. Meanwhile, they had to wash clothes and scrub toilets here. This young master Liu was still above them, and it made them deeply resentful.

When they saw Liu Liwa carrying a stack of clothes to the backyard, the young masters in charge of fetching water guarded their buckets as if they were priceless treasures, refusing to let him touch them no matter what. The young ladies were just as quick, treating the wooden washing basins as their own children, protecting them with their lives.

Liu Liwa smiled bitterly to himself. If everyone cherished their tools so much, industrial revival and national rejuvenation wouldn’t be far off!

He understood clearly—these scoundrels wanted to kick him while he was down. They wouldn’t even let him wash clothes or fetch water without a fuss. They wanted to see him fail and get punished. They were nothing but petty people. Liu Liwa asked himself—he had never bullied them. The opportunity to work in the front hall was open to everyone. Madam Wu Liniang had personally conducted the assessment. If they couldn’t pass, whose fault was that? If they lacked ability, they shouldn’t envy those who had it. Instead of fixating on others’ achievements, they should look inward, improve themselves—that was the right path.

As for them, Liu Liwa didn’t even consider them worth his attention. If he really wanted to deal with them, he had plenty of methods. After all, Shen Zuijin had given him a task: if the clothes weren’t dry by tonight, he would face consequences. So she didn’t need to personally supervise him washing clothes now. No one else would easily come to the backyard, and those in the backyard weren’t allowed to go to the front. Here, whatever he said went!

Liu Liwa lazily tossed the seven or eight clothes in his hands onto the ground. Smiling, he looked at the men and women guarding the buckets and basins. He sat down casually on the ground and said cheerfully, “You all have such high work enthusiasm! You’ve successfully transitioned from spoiled heirs to the laboring class. Well then, carry on with your work. Don’t mind me.”

Huh? Everyone was stunned. Was he not demoted here to wash clothes? Just then, Liu Liwa spoke again: “Oh, by the way, whoever is quick and efficient, finish up quickly and lend me a basin and bucket. I need to wash these clothes.”

Tch! Everyone instantly relaxed, feeling scornful. After all that talk, he acted like some inspector, but in the end, he was just like them—doing the servants’ work!

“Young Master Liu, we’re sorry,” a young lady said lightly. “The basins and buckets here are all assigned, one per person. If we lend them to you, we won’t be able to work. If anyone finds out, they’ll think we’re slacking off, and we’ll be punished.”

“That’s right,” another young master chimed in. “Besides, Young Master Liu, aren’t you already working in the front courtyard? Why would you come back to do these kinds of servant tasks? Could it be that you miss us?”

As soon as he said this, the others immediately joined in, making sarcastic remarks left and right to vent their resentment and make things difficult for Liu Liwa, waiting to see him fail.

Liu Liwa didn’t mind at all. He casually picked up a piece of clothing, gently stroking the smooth silk, and said calmly, “No matter. You all carry on. Miss Shen has plenty of clothes anyway; one or two pieces won’t make a difference. Miss Shen specially told me not to let her clothes interfere with your work. How noble of her!”

Liu Liwa looked emotional, deliberately holding up the fine silk dress in his hand. Everyone came from wealthy families and could naturally recognize its value. Lately, they had been handling the coarse clothes of ordinary girls, so they knew that not everyone could wear such expensive garments. And then there was the “Miss Shen” he mentioned. They had been here for a few days now, and even without deliberately asking around, they had heard from the servants moving between the front and back courtyards about Shen Zuijin—the one who would readily punish with caning or fines, fierce as a tiger. In the entire Intoxication Pavilion, she was the only one with the surname Shen.

Even so, someone still asked hesitantly, “Young Master Liu, are you talking about…?”

“That’s right, it’s Shen Zuijin from the front courtyard. Oh, some girls also call her ‘White Impermanence,’” Liu Liwa said, deliberately making it sound eerie. Then he suddenly changed his tone: “Actually, calling her ‘White Impermanence’ is a great injustice to Miss Shen. Although she often punishes people, it’s out of a serious and responsible attitude toward work, to urge everyone to improve together. She does it out of necessity. In truth, she is kind-hearted and compassionate, especially toward us newcomers. Just now, I heard from a girl in the front courtyard that when she first arrived, she also washed clothes in the backyard—specifically, Miss Shen’s clothes. She put her heart into it, and when Miss Shen wore the clothes, they looked brand new. Because of that, Miss Shen thought highly of her, and now she’s Miss Shen’s personal attendant. Not only does she earn eight coins a month, but she also gets two days off. Well, I went through a lot of trouble to get Miss Shen’s clothes. Ah, I’ve said too much. You all hurry up with your work. When you’re done, lend me the bucket and basin. I need to wash Miss Shen’s clothes properly.”

Having said that, Liu Liwa picked up a silk dress and pretended to scrub it dry, singing as he did: “Ah, who gives us food to eat? Who gives us rooms to live in? It’s our dear Shen Zuijin! It’s our savior, Miss Shen! Yarla Yangzhuo Ruoruo Ni Ge Sang Meiduo Sang e, we are one family, washing clothes for our dear one…”

Hey, he even started singing. Everyone watched, dumbfounded, but they heard him clearly: a woman with the same fate as theirs had gained favor just by washing Shen Zuijin’s clothes and was now transferred to be a personal maid. When they were still young masters and ladies, they had seen similar things—a pretty maid taken as a concubine by a young master, or young ladies rewarding servants based on their whims. So they immediately believed Liu Liwa’s words, and their minds began to stir.