Finest Servant

Chapter 15 Madam Xiao

On both sides were two large tables and two grand chairs. The participants who came to apply were divided into two teams and were registered one by one by two men who looked like teachers at the tables. In the middle stood a tall sign that read, "Registration for Xiao Mansion's Household Servants."

Lin Wanrong took a look around and saw that the people in front of him were divided equally between those who were true applicants for the position of a household servant, dressed like Lin Wanrong himself, and those who were literary men with ulterior motives. There were probably more than a thousand people in total. Everyone was competing to sign up, afraid of having their chance stolen by someone else.

It seemed that even for a lowly position as a household servant, there were still many people vying for it. It was a universal problem that existed in every era - employment difficulties.

Thinking about how all these people were going to be his competitors, Lin Wanrong felt a bit overwhelmed. This damn Old man Wei was clearly trying to kill him. He walked around in the crowd a few times and knew that today and tomorrow were just a simple registration procedure. Since Uncle Wei had already registered him, Lin Wanrong didn't have to endure the hassle of lining up and decided to take a stroll around.

Most of the household servant applicants had worried expressions on their faces, obviously concerned about whether or not they would be accepted. It was the same psychological state as the applicants in Lin Wanrong's era.

The literary men who fancied themselves as refined gentlemen obviously looked down upon the uneducated laborers. They gathered in groups of three or five, chatting with each other. Their commonality was that they all had fans in their hands, which they would unconsciously shake while reciting poetry.

It was already deep autumn, and these guys were waving their fans a few times. Were they trying to keep themselves warm? Lin Wanrong found it funny.

When literary men gathered, it was inevitable that they would show off their skills. The guy next to Lin Wanrong saw three others and greeted them with a laugh, "Oh, Brother Wang, Brother Zhao, Brother Li, you guys are here too."

The four guys greeted each other with bows and exchanged pleasantries.

"We haven't signed up yet, and instead of sitting here bored, why don't we compose a poem together?" The guy who made the first suggestion spoke up again, and the other three agreed in unison. In this era, reciting poetry in public was fashionable, just like how in Lin Wanrong's world, public displays of affection were trendy behavior.

The guy who made the first suggestion was unanimously chosen as the leader and took on the responsibility of starting off with a good poem.

The man contemplated for a long time, his eyes shining brightly upon the fallen leaves on the ground. Finally, he shook his head and recited, "One piece, two pieces, three or four pieces--"

"Five pieces, six pieces, seven or eight pieces--" Brother Wang recited.

"Nine pieces, ten pieces, eleven pieces--" Brother Zhao continued.

As the leaves were all counted, Brother Li, the last of the group, turned his eyes and recited loudly, "Fallen in the thicket, all unseen."

"Great poem, great poem!" The four of them exclaimed in unison.

Standing helplessly on the side, Lin Wanrong sighed in admiration. He thought he was shameless enough, but compared to these four young men, his skin was still not thick enough. He felt ashamed.

Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead, with someone loudly exclaiming, "Madam Xiao is coming out, Madam Xiao is coming out!" Lin Wanrong was thrilled. It's about time you showed up.

The crowd ahead was already in chaos, everyone rushing forward. Even those who were conceited about their literary talent and elegance forgot their status and jostled with the commoners. It seemed that if they arrived a moment earlier, they would be the first to win the favor of their future mother-in-law.

The shameless four who were reciting poetry next to Lin Wanrong had already rushed ahead. After hesitating for a moment, Lin Wanrong thought to himself, "Strike while the iron is hot. He who hesitates is lost. There's no room for gentlemanly manners at a time like this."

Lin Wanrong pushed the four aside and exclaimed, "Excuse me, excuse me!"

Wei the old man had given Lin Wanrong an enema - no, wait, an initiation - and as a result, Lin Wanrong's strength had increased tenfold. He easily pushed aside the four men.

The four young men looked at Lin Wanrong's torn clothes and saw that they couldn't push past him. They looked at each other helplessly and shook their heads, "It's purely a matter of character. We won't even bother with you."

Standing among the crowd was a beautiful middle-aged woman, dressed in a palace-style gown. She had delicate eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, and her skin was smooth and translucent. She didn't look like a mother, but rather like a young woman in her thirties. She had a dignified and elegant demeanor as she greeted her subordinates and future housekeepers.

From the way others addressed her, Lin Wanrong knew she was Madam Xiao, the head of the Xiao family. She had married into the Xiao family at the age of sixteen, had two daughters, and had been teaching and guiding them ever since. She was a virtuous and wise wife to Mr. Xiao.

Unfortunately, Mr. Xiao had passed away at a young age, leaving them to fend for themselves. Thankfully, their eldest daughter had great business sense and had worked hard in recent years to maintain the prosperity of the Xiao family. This young lady was truly admirable.

Lin Wanrong suddenly thought of a very serious issue. What if a bad guy infiltrated the Xiao family and became interested in the younger sister because the eldest daughter was already out of reach? They say a younger sister is like a brother-in-law's little cotton jacket. This guy might take advantage of both sisters and even set his sights on the mother-in-law. Such scandalous and thrilling affairs, what man wouldn't dream of them?

Lin Wanrong's heart skipped a beat, and this was definitely a huge stimulation for him. When he was a sales manager in his previous world, he was not a good person in order to complete his sales tasks. He used every trick in the book, paid a lot of money to deflower virgins, and played a threesome with two foreign girls. Although he was mostly forced to do so, these things were unavoidable when he was out there.

He never thought he would encounter such things in this world. If a certain talented man just chose one of the two sisters, Lin Wanrong could still accept it in his heart, but if he indulged in both and enjoyed the happiness of all, Lin Wanrong felt uncomfortable. He believed that he had already suffered enough, so he was jealous of other people's happiness.

He would never allow a man who was happier than himself to appear in this world. "I'm so shameless, what can you do to me?" Lin Wanrong arrogantly thought to himself. There was no one he was afraid of in this world.

Thinking about it, he laughed at himself. What did it have to do with him if someone married the sisters or played with the mother and daughters? He was just trying to survive in this world.

Speaking of survival, Lin Wanrong had some ideas in his mind. The Xiao family was a wealthy family in Jinling City. Although it was not as prosperous as before, it was still a big tree that did not die. In the current situation where he had no power, no money, and no one, the Xiao family was a big tree that he could rely on. Although he couldn't get the sweet dates, he could enjoy the shade of the big tree, and Lin Wanrong understood this.

From this perspective, it was understandable that Old man Wei had asked him to go to the Xiao family. Lin Wanrong had originally held a somewhat indifferent attitude towards the servant competition, but with this idea in mind, he began to take it seriously. As a former sales manager who accompanied guests to eat, drink, gamble, and visit brothels, he knew the emptiness and loneliness in his heart. If it weren't for supporting his parents and paying for his sister's education, he would have quit long ago.

Now, he had come to this strange world by accident, and no one knew him. He was a lonely person, and he didn't need to set any goals. In this case, it seemed good to be a carefree servant.

Madam Xiao slowly walked up to a large platform and said solemnly, "Thank you for your attention to the Xiao family. Please believe that we will adhere to the principles of openness, fairness, and impartiality in the recruitment of servants. Please line up in order and don't crowd. Everyone has a chance." Her voice was soft and pleasant, although it was not loud, but everyone listened attentively and could hear it clearly.