Lady Xiao carefully observed Lin Wanwan for a long time before sighing, "Wanwan, you look like a Lin Family member, except for those thick eyebrows that are just like your mother’s." Ha, isn’t that just another way of saying she doesn’t look like us at all! Lin Wanwan laughed silently, noticing that all the women in the room had drawn on their eyebrows, making it impossible to see how they originally looked. From this, it was clear that the unseen "mother" was probably much the same. What was there to compare? Lady Xiao then asked, "Is this the child you adopted from your clan?" Little Qingyu lay with her body flat on the floor, her head resting on Lin Wanwan’s side. Hearing the old lady’s words, she looked up at Lin Wanwan in slight confusion. After a bout of illness, she had completely forgotten that she was adopted, and regarded Lin Wanwan as her real mother. After all, nearly half a year had passed, during which they shared meals and slept under the same roof, and their bond had grown exceedingly close. Lin Wanwan avoided answering Lady Xiao’s question, stroking little Qingyu’s head and asking with a smile, "Little Yu’er, tell the old lady, what are you to your mama?" Without hesitation, Little Yu’er replied, "Mama’s precious darling sweet sauce!" Lin Wanwan looked at Lady Xiao with a smile, "Hurry and greet the old lady, you haven’t done so yet; we must be well-mannered good children." Little Yu’er simply buried her face in Lin Wanwan’s skirt, still refusing to greet anyone. Lin Wanwan helplessly said, "Please understand, grandmother, the child is too young and feels uneasy in a strange place." "It’s alright, it’s alright, she’s just a child!" Lady Xiao chuckled, then took out a golden jade lock from her sleeve, placing it on Little Qingyu’s neck with a warm smile, "Here, wear this Peace Lock, to bless our Little Yu’er with safety and growth." A snowy-white woman nearby laughed and explained, "This Peace Lock was offered at Lingyin Temple for over a month by the old lady, it has been blessed, very auspicious indeed." Lin Wanwan hurriedly thanked Lady Xiao and urged Little Qingyu to thank her too. Little Qingyu touched the golden jade lock and finally whispered out, "Thank you, old lady." I must admit, this child is a bit of a opportunist. "Ah, so well-behaved." Lady Xiao laughed, then began introducing everyone present to Lin Wanwan one by one, "This is your eldest aunt, this your second aunt, this is your eldest aunt, this is your eldest uncle’s wife, Sister-in-law Yuan, this is Sister-in-law He from the second uncle’s side, and over here is Sister-in-law Zhu from your second uncle’s house." Lin Wanwan paid her respects one by one and received a pile of meeting gifts. Lady Xiao continued, "There are also four unmarried young ladies and two unmarried cousins in the house; they’ll come to meet you once they finish their morning lessons." Lin Wanwan naturally agreed with a smile, and the group continued to chat in the room, mostly inquiring about Lin Wanwan’s situation, like when she left the mountain, how she got by before, how many servants she had at home now, and so on. When it was learned that Lin Wanwan had only brought two Silla maids, a Kunlun slave, and a maidservant to care for the young lady this time, the eldest aunt exclaimed, "Oh dear, aren’t there too few servants to care for you properly? My child has suffered so much." She then said to Lady Xiao, "Mother, I have a few well-trained maids in my home, there’s just the chance to bestow a few to Wanwan. Ah, this child grew up in the mountains, has now settled in the Lin family branch with no family help at hand, and bought servants from outside who are difficult to train and use. It’s really been hardship for her. Hearing this makes me feel bad; she has suffered so much growing up, hasn’t she?" Lin Wanwan promptly declined, "Thank you for your consideration, eldest aunt, but I am used to living freely, and having these few is quite enough. Before the year, my senior brother even sent me eleven slaves from Qiong State, so I am not short of people." Of course, there’s no need to mention that ten of the eleven were children under eight years old; after all, they didn’t know. Lady Xiao addressed Elder Aunt Yuan, "The people of your household are needed as well, the arrangements for Wanwan’s servants have already been settled on my end." After speaking, she instructed a green-clothed maid nearby, "Go and summon Hong Yan." After a moment, a maid about fifteen or sixteen years old with bright eyes and beautiful features lifted the curtain and entered, performing a bowing ceremony, then quietly knelt on the floor at the side, awaiting instructions. Lady Xiao pointed at her and said, "Wanwan, let Hong Yan serve you from now on. With only Silla maids, such lowly people around you, how could this do?" A gift from an elder must be accepted. "In that case, thank you for your generosity, grandmother." Having already declined Elder Aunt Yuan’s offer, Lin Wanwan could only graciously accept Lady Xiao’s arrangement. Fortunately, she was somewhat mentally prepared; after all, in the information-explosive society of the twenty-first century, such matters were plentifully depicted in television, movies, and novels. Knowing she had been gifted to the lady in front of her, Hong Yan immediately kneeled forward a few steps, performed a bowing ceremony to Lin Wanwan, and said, "Servant Hong Yan greets the Lady, may the Lady be blessed." Lin Wanwan said, "No need for formalities, please rise." Hong Yan moved to sit quietly at Lin Wanwan’s side. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 Lin Wanwan eyed the young girl in front of her, thinking she seemed intelligent and possessed a noble demeanor. Indeed, the maids from wealthy families were quite different. After the maid was bestowed upon her, the room continued with conversation. Little Qingyu fidgeted, looking around, unable to sit still. A lunar age of seven, but just over five years old by solar years, it was hardly possible for her to sit quietly among a group of adults listening to their chatter. As Lin Wanwan was about to instruct Yun Shang to take Little Qingyu to play, a maid at the door announced breakfast. "Come, your cousins have finished their morning lessons as well. Today, everyone will have breakfast in the old lady’s courtyard, to get acquainted with each other." With those words, each maid stepped forward to help their master into the backyard. Once inside, various food tables and dishes were already set up. Due to her age, Lady Xiao no longer sat in a kneeling position. Her seat of honor was equipped with a Hu chair and a high-legged table, somewhat resembling modern furniture. While others sat on food tables designed for kneeling, the most common in the Great Tang era, placed on either side of the room. Before arriving, Lin Wanwan had quickly brushed up on seating etiquette, recalling the Tang Dynasty’s continuation of the Eastern Han tradition of honoring the left, she figured she should sit on the right side. However, at the scene, Lin Wanwan chose to remain flexible, waiting to see if they would arrange a seat for her. Indeed, after pausing for a moment, Second Aunt Wang took her to the seat beneath Lady Xiao’s right hand, smiling as she said, "Wanwan shall sit with Second Aunt, let me savor the moment, haven’t seen enough yet." Lin Wanwan naturally followed suit and was quite pleased; it seemed the group did not look down on her thus far, granting her the second seat of honor, likely due to her being a guest.