The days flowed by peacefully like water.

Rongrong now understood how wonderful it was to be free.

She could sleep as long as she wanted each day, without needing to rise before her master.

She was no longer constrained in her daily speech and actions.

Watching the smiling embroiderers and their lively work in the courtyard, she couldn’t help but feel the same joy as they did.

The only thing to worry about was money.

Rongrong took on some simple embroidery work from the workshop.

She had always said her needlework was poor, but that was relative.

In the palace, all the little maids had to learn everything and then focus on a specialty.

Her needlework might have been poor in the palace, but it was quite good compared to the average standard outside.

In Mei Ningxiang’s workshop, while the embroidery needed for the high officials and wealthy families required exquisite skill, the pieces sold to common people were produced in bulk.

Rongrong did some of the work herself and taught Chunxing to help.

The workshop paid by the piece, and their earnings were enough to make ends meet.

As for the Marquis’s residence, not only did they not ask Chunxing to return, but they even sent Aunt Han to give Chunxing her monthly wages.

It seemed that after that night’s events, Wang Yilan believed there was an affair between her and the Crown Prince and was unwilling to make things difficult for her, even extending this convenience to Chunxing.

Rongrong knew well that not only Wang Yilan and Xin Rong but also Xie Yuanchu must have thought she was involved in improper relations with the Crown Prince.

That night, surrounded in the inner chamber, Rongrong had been on pins and needles, wishing she could dig a hole to hide in and tell everyone she had no connection with the Crown Prince.

Now that she was out of the Marquis’s residence, looking at the embroiderers in the courtyard and the bowls of spring noodles for ten copper coins at the alley entrance, Rongrong felt relieved.

The Marquis’s residence, the heir, the Crown Prince, the emperor’s grandchildren—these were all irrelevant now.

They might think of her as they pleased, but it had no bearing on her life anymore.

Having Chunxing with her was good; since she had never lived alone outside before, Chunxing’s support made everything smoother.

Since she had decided to go home for the New Year, Rongrong began to think about what to bring as gifts.

She toured the market but found that she could neither afford what she liked nor found the things within her budget suitable.

After thinking for a couple of days, she decided to buy a few pig hind legs from the meat market and make her own ham.

To make ham, the pig legs should ideally be clean and neat with thin claws, a full leg center, and more lean meat than fat.

Unfortunately, her limited funds meant she could only buy the cheapest ones with poor appearance—thick skin and little meat.

Rongrong was doing this partly to practice and partly because she didn’t have much capital, so she didn’t mind using the lowest-quality legs.

Ham is categorized by the curing season: “early winter ham” from the beginning of September to the beginning of winter, “early spring ham” from the beginning of spring to the vernal equinox, and “midwinter ham” from the beginning of winter to the beginning of spring.

The legs she was curing were “midwinter ham.” Besides the seasons, the ham is also classified by its flavor, such as sweet, soy, or wind-dried ham.

Rongrong had only made ham once in the palace, so she used the palace’s “tribute ham” method, but she omitted many luxurious steps and replaced expensive spices with cheaper alternatives.

In the busy days leading up to the New Year, the eve of the last day of the twelfth lunar month, Rong Rong had already arranged with Xue Dacheng to spend the holiday together.

She gave Chunxing the day off, and her brother, who delivered goods by cart, came to pick her up before dawn.

After seeing Chunxing off, Rong Rong went back to sleep, not getting up until the sun was high.

She then took down the hams hanging from the beams, wrapped them in large pieces of oiled paper, and tied them with red string.

In the midst of her busy work, she heard a knock on the door.

When she opened it, she found Yang Tong standing there, looking more spirited than usual in his new cotton-padded jacket.

“Mr. Yang, what brings you here?” Rong Rong was slightly surprised to see him.

Having just seen Chunxing off, Yang Tong’s sudden appearance made Rong Rong wonder if he had been watching her.

Though Yang Tong didn’t seem like a bad person, his timing was a bit unsettling.

“My uncle gave out New Year’s goods to the workers, and I got some too. But I’m not going back to my hometown this year, so I’ve been eating and drinking at my uncle’s place. I don’t need these things, and I thought you might find them useful for your New Year’s Eve dinner,” Yang Tong said quickly.

Without waiting for Rong Rong to refuse, he placed the several oiled paper packages he was carrying at her door and dashed off.

“Hey—” Rong Rong wanted to call him back but feared her voice would disturb the other residents.

She had no choice but to chase after him and managed to stop him at the gate.

“Miss Xue, I—”

Yang Tong blushed as Rong Rong caught up to him, keeping his head down and avoiding her gaze.

“Why are you running off? Let me finish what I was going to say.” Rong Rong, having not run in a while, was slightly out of breath.

Yang Tong quickly responded, “I’m not running anymore, Miss Xue. I really can’t finish those things, so please keep them or give them to your maid.”

“Who said I was going to return them? Come with me, I have something for you.”

Leading Yang Tong back, Rong Rong found him standing awkwardly at the doorway, reluctant to enter. “Come in, I can’t carry it on my own,” she said.

Yang Tong entered, careful not to look around too much.

Seeing his bashful demeanor, Rong Rong knew she had judged him correctly—he was indeed an honest man.

She picked up a ham from the table.

“No, I can’t accept this,” Yang Tong quickly protested.

Even a ham of average quality could sell for three or four taels of silver in the market, and this one looked no worse than the top-grade ones.

“I made this myself; it didn’t cost much. I might need your help finding a new place to live soon,” Rong Rong explained.

Though the people in the crowded courtyard were nice, it was too noisy.

She planned to move to a quieter place once she had more money.

“You made it yourself?” Yang Tong was taken aback.

“I’m a maid; making a ham isn’t that surprising. Come on, take it, I can’t hold it any longer,” Rong Rong urged.

Seeing her insistence, Yang Tong finally took the ham, still looking apologetic.

The New Year’s goods he had given her were worth less than a tael of silver. “If you need to find a new place, just come to me,” he said earnestly.

After sending Yang Tong off, Rong Rong organized the New Year’s goods she had bought.

Shortly after, there was another knock at the door.

As expected, it was Xue Dacheng.

“Rongrong, we’ve delivered everything, so we can head back now. What about your stuff?”

“It’s all right there.”

As soon as Xue Dacheng saw the New Year’s goods Rongrong had bought, especially a golden ham, his eyes lit up. “Sister, you’re really something. You’ve managed so well since leaving the Marquis’s residence.”

“These are what I bought, and over there is…” Before Rongrong could finish, Xue Dacheng started loading her goods along with the New Year’s goods that Yang Tong had brought into the backpack.

Rongrong realized from his actions that there was no stopping him, so she let him be.

Xue Dacheng strapped on the backpack and urged Rongrong to move.

She grabbed a prepared food box for the road, locked the door, and then followed him downstairs.

As the siblings exited the courtyard, they bumped into Mei Ningxiang and the young man who had been at her house.

The young man still wore his usual indifferent expression, but his gaze toward Rongrong had gained a few more scrutinizing glances.

“Mei Sister, I want to wish you a happy New Year.”

“And I wish you a happy New Year too. What’s this?” Mei Ningxiang’s eyes shifted to the backpack that Xue Dacheng was carrying.

Rongrong replied, “This is my older brother. He’s here to take me back home.”

Mei Ningxiang nodded, noting the resemblance between the siblings, and asked with a smile, “It’s good to have family. Is your home far from the capital?”

“Not far. We’ll leave the city now and still make it home for dinner,” Xue Dacheng said with a smile.

Rongrong nodded and took out a package wrapped in oil paper from Xue Dacheng’s backpack, handing it to Mei Ningxiang. “This is made from pig leg meat I cured myself. I was planning to give it to you, and it’s a coincidence we met.”

“I saw some hams hanging at your door and thought you were selling them. I was tempted but didn’t dare ask, and now I find I do have a share,” Mei Ningxiang said, signaling to the young man beside her.

She reached out to take the ham from Rongrong.

Rongrong smiled and said, “I was indeed going to sell them. I took two to the restaurant next to the workshop yesterday for the manager to taste, and he bought both right away.”

Although her ingredients weren’t the best, her technique was excellent.

The resulting ham was a vivid red with a strong aroma.

The restaurant manager immediately paid her ten taels of silver and said he would buy as many as she could produce.

Rongrong hadn’t expected such a good outcome when she first made the ham just to save money for New Year’s goods.

Now she had unexpectedly made a profit. With those ten taels of silver, she would have capital to select better meat for the next batch after the New Year.

“How can I just accept this without paying? Tell me how much it costs.”

“Mei Sister told me not to be polite with you, so why are you being polite now? I was already planning to give this to you. Take it home and try it. If you like it, I’ll make more after you finish this batch.”

“Alright then, when you come back, I’ll give you something too. No refusing,” Mei Ningxiang said cheerfully, not one to fuss over gifts.

“Your idea is good. A ham shop is better than a pastry shop.” Ham can be preserved for a long time and can be sold throughout the year, unlike pastries that need to be sold the same day or they go bad.

“Opening a shop is still a long way off. I didn’t expect ham to sell so well, but at least now we won’t worry about food,” Rongrong said.

“When will you be back?” Mei Ningxiang asked.

“I’ll be back on the second day of the new year,” Rongrong replied.

The Xue family wasn’t her real family.

She just needed to make sure her grandmother was settled.

Upon hearing this, Xue Dacheng’s expression became a bit unnatural. He urged, “Rongrong, Uncle Yang is waiting for us at the city gate. If we miss his ox cart, we won’t get home until tomorrow morning.”

“Go on then, the sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back,” Mei Ningxiang said.

Rongrong nodded and bid Mei Ningxiang farewell.

She hurried to the city gate with Xue Dacheng.

When they arrived, Uncle Yang was already impatient from waiting.

Xue Dacheng apologized with a smile and walked over.

Just as Uncle Yang was about to scold them, he saw Rongrong and held back.

He then called another person who was going back to their village to get on the cart, and they set off.

Xue Dacheng and Xue Rongrong’s hometown was called Linwan Village, about forty li from the capital.

The mountain roads leading to the village were rough, so it wasn’t as prosperous as other villages near the capital.

Uncle Yang was a talkative person and chatted all the way with another villager who worked in a restaurant.

The Xue siblings remained silent throughout the journey.

By nightfall, the ox cart reached the village entrance.

“Husband, sister!” Cui He had been waiting there and ran up to greet them joyfully.

Xue Dacheng didn’t seem too happy to see Cui He and asked with a strange expression, “Why are you out here?”

An old man, around fifty years old, stood beside Cui He.

He was dressed decently but had a shifty look in his eyes, which were fixed on Rongrong.

She stepped behind Xue Dacheng for protection.

Seeing this, Xue Dacheng moved to block the old man’s gaze.

“Sister brought so many goods!” Cui He ignored Xue Dacheng’s hinting and focused on the basket being unloaded from the cart. “There’s even such a big ham.”

“Let’s talk at home. Grandmother is waiting!” Xue Dacheng carried the basket and urged Cui He and Rongrong to head home.

After confirming the return time with Uncle Yang, Rongrong followed Xue Dacheng and his wife back home.

She was familiar with the village, having lived there for over ten years.

Every part of it was imprinted in her memory.

The Xue family lived at the east end of the village.

Cui He warmly led Rongrong while Xue Dacheng carried the New Year’s goods behind them.

Soon, they reached the house.

The Xue family’s house was divided into two parts: an old thatched cottage and a new tiled house built last year.

Since the family was large, both the new and old houses were full.

“Sister, we’re home. Don’t just stand there, come in,” Xue Dacheng said.

Rongrong nodded slightly and followed them into the tiled house.

There were three rooms: a living room and two bedrooms.

The living room was neatly tidied up for the New Year.

As Rongrong walked in, Cui He led her to the left bedroom.

“Rongrong, you’ll sleep here tonight,” Cui He said.

The room was quite spacious, facing north with a southern orientation.

Because the heated kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed) was burning, the room was warm and cozy, with quilts and pillows neatly arranged on the kang.

Compared to the small room she rented in the capital, this one was even better.

“Is this the room where my brother and sister-in-law live?” Rongrong asked.

Cui He quickly replied, “You’re used to living in luxury in the Marquis’s residence. Now that you’re finally back, how could we let you stay in the old room? Besides, this tile house was built with your money. It’s only right that you stay here.”

Rongrong didn’t insist.

Although she had been a maid in both her lifetimes, her duties in the household were light, and she had been pampered like a delicate flower by Xie Yuan-chu.

She had never suffered in terms of food, clothing, or housing.

Staying in this tile house was acceptable.

If she had to stay in a thatched cottage, she might want to return to the capital early the next morning.

Rongrong had Xue Dacheng bring out her bundle, and after arranging her belongings, she looked around and asked, “Where’s Grandmother?”

“I’m afraid she’s out fetching water and washing vegetables with your two nephews.”

“It’s already dark. It’s not safe for the elderly and children outside. I’ll go and check.”

“It’s cold outside. Just wait here in the house,” Cui He said, but seeing that Rongrong ignored her, she quickly changed her tune, “Alright, let’s go check together.”

As the three of them stepped out of the main room, they saw an old woman carrying a basket of wet vegetables coming back, followed by two mischievous-looking children.

The old woman wore a patched gray cotton jacket but had it neatly arranged, and her graying hair was well taken care of.

She looked like a very clean and tidy old lady. Upon seeing Rongrong, the old woman was immediately excited and called out, “Is that Rongrong back?”

“Grandmother.” Rongrong hurried over, taking the vegetables from her grandmother’s hands, but before she could steady them, Cui He eagerly took them from her.

Rongrong ignored her, letting her be attentive, and helped her grandmother into the main room.

Xue’s grandmother was over fifty years old this year, considered a long-lived elder in the village.

She was sharp-eyed and in good spirits.

When she saw Rongrong, who looked like a blooming flower, tears of joy immediately filled her eyes as she grasped her hand and wouldn’t let go.