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How does one handle maids competing for their mistress's attention?
Luo Wei thought about it for three seconds and decided to pretend she hadn't noticed.
"The barley tea is quite good," she said, changing the subject. "You've both been in Siria for two days now — are you adjusting to the climate?"
Beryl and Chris nodded quickly. "We are. It's so much warmer here than the Northlands."
"Good." Luo Wei continued. "During the school term, I'll be staying at the academy. You don't need to hover around waiting on me."
"Chris, spend some time each day at Harkins' shop looking at fabrics: study the styles, the cuts, how things are put together. There are also some jewelry pieces back in my room. Go through them regularly and train your eye."
"Yes, Master." Chris's face lit up.
"Beryl, I want you to go to the flower market and count how many varieties are in bloom this season. Note what each flower smells like, how long they bloom, when they open. Write it all down on hemp cloth."
Beryl's expression collapsed. "Master, I don't know how to write."
Right. She always forgot. Literacy wasn't something the lower classes could take for granted in this era.
"Same answer as always: if you don't know, go learn," Luo Wei said, though her tone was more resigned than sharp. "Someone in the study will be teaching reading this afternoon. Both of you go sit in. Bring Yves and Gale with you."
Poor Roman. He'd only signed up to teach Rosie, and now he had four more students. She hoped the workload wouldn't stunt his growth.
Once the maids were gone, the room finally settled into quiet.
The oak charcoal in the fireplace burned a deep, steady red. Luo Wei stretched out on the chaise lounge, a small blanket pulled over her, and the warmth crept into her bones so gradually she didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she was already gone.
She slept hard. When she woke, the sun had already dragged itself to the western hills. Troy was standing by the fireplace. Luo Wei turned her head and nearly jumped out of her skin.
"When did you get back?" Her voice came out rough with sleep.
"Not long ago."
She pushed herself upright and pulled the blanket over her legs. "Any reaction from him when he came to?"
"Nothing notable." Troy paused. "He ran a few laps around the street, then ducked into a tavern. He's been drinking ever since."
"Scared, then. As expected." Luo Wei tapped her knee with her fingertips in a slow, absent rhythm.
The room was quiet. The charcoal popped softly in the grate.
"Troy." She spoke slowly. "Have you ever eaten Death Fruit or Devil's Tooth?"
His voice was low. "Heard of them. Never eaten."
"I have." She sounded almost nostalgic. "They're delicious."
Troy looked at her. "They're... edible?"
Death Fruit grew on rotting corpses. Devil's Tooth smelled like something had died twice. Who in their right mind would eat either?
What kind of person had he signed on with?
"Completely edible." Luo Wei was already watching him with hopeful eyes. "Troy, could you get me some? Please?"
He cleared his throat and looked away. "They're rarely available on the open market. The best I can do is post a job and see if anyone's willing to go out and gather them."
"Yes, do that." She flipped open her small lambskin notebook without missing a beat. "And while you're at it, help me track down one other thing."
She turned it toward him. "This — red, pointed, shaped like a hollow horn. It has round seeds inside. When you eat it, your lips burn and your tongue goes numb."
Troy studied the sketch of the spiky little plant. "What is this? Another magic plant?"
Luo Wei tore the page out and handed it over. "Not necessarily. It's actually a spice. It's called a chili pepper."
"A spice!" Troy's posture snapped straight. He accepted the drawing with both hands.
An expensive spice. This deserved his full and careful attention.
Luo Wei pressed her lips together. Money-grubber. The one word that could get a reaction out of him.
Just past four o'clock, the children came tumbling home to Starfall Residence.
Roman burst through the gate with his schoolbag bouncing, his gray-mist eyes sweeping the garden in one quick pass. He didn't find what he was looking for. He bolted straight into the sitting room.
"Miss!"
The moment he spotted her by the fireplace, his round little face broke into a grin so wide it took over his whole expression.
He pointedly ignored Troy's existence, kept his smile pressed firmly in place, and ran to Luo Wei's side. His eyes were bright. "Miss, were you bored sitting here all by yourself?"
"I learned Senet today! Do you want to play? I'll stay and keep you company!"
Troy's face went dark. His knuckles cracked.
"No thank you — I don't know Senet," Luo Wei said, pinching Roman's cheek. "But I do know how to play Go and chess."
Roman's eyes went wide. "What are Go and chess, Miss?"
"Go is a complex strategic board game. It originated from a place called Huaxia. Chess is also a strategy game, from a place called Ancient India."
He looked even more curious now. "Those names sound so strange. Are they fun, Miss?"
"Very fun. Some people sit down to play and don't get up for three days straight." She said it with perfect gravity.
Roman's fist shot up. "I want to play! Miss, teach me, I want to play with you!"
"Tell you what , I'll give you a task. Complete it, and I'll teach you both games."
"Yes!" He bounced on his heels. "What's the task?"
"I'm planning to build a manor outside the city. I want to raise chickens there, and I need cheap labor to help run it."
Roman caught on immediately. He thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Miss. Siria has plenty of street children. I'll bring every single one of them to the manor!"
Luo Wei smiled. "Smart boy."
Silkworm cultivation was a long-term investment , the early stages ate time. She intended to turn the mulberry garden into a layered agricultural system. Chicken manure made excellent organic fertilizer and would feed the mulberry trees. The chickens would also work the garden floor for pests, cutting down on infestations. When the silkworm moths finished laying and died, their bodies could go straight to the chicks as feed. And if feed ran short, she knew how to raise earthworms , which would aerate the soil and double as chicken feed. Every piece of the system fed into the next.
She left the little child laborer to his mission and headed back to school in excellent spirits.
The good mood lasted until she stepped through the gate into the Rose Garden.
"Junior, I've been looking everywhere for you." Veronika, the student council president, was already walking toward her.
Luo Wei stopped. "What can I do for you, Senior?"
"Just a reminder," Veronika said pleasantly. "Your disciplinary task begins today. Tonight at nine o'clock, come out and start your perimeter patrol. Don't forget."
Luo Wei stared at her. "...Understood. Thank you."
"Of course. If it gets cold later, feel free to pop into the student council office to warm up." Veronika's smile didn't waver. "You are patrolling until five in the morning, after all."
"Oh, one more thing." She added it like an afterthought. "While you're walking the perimeter tonight, you might as well knock out your first public service task at the same time. There's a faculty-student assembly tomorrow, so there's a chance someone will try to steal the self-criticism notices off the wall. If you catch anyone, you get one credit back."
➤ Next: Still in Good Mental State Today
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