Attendant Sean scooped up a spoonful of medicine and brought it to her mouth. "Miss, drink it while it's hot. Once it cools, it won't work as well. I asked Attendant Sam to prepare some preserved fruit."
Yaelle knew she had to drink it, so she took the bowl from Attendant Sean and said, "Give it to me. One spoon at a time tastes worse. Better to get it over with quickly." She pinched her nose and drank it all in one go.
Attendant Sam quickly handed her a piece of preserved fruit. She chewed it and finally felt like she was alive again. The medicine seemed to have a calming effect.
After drinking it, she felt tired and had Attendant Sean bring water so she could wash up briefly before falling into a deep sleep again. When sunlight shone through the window, Yaelle finally woke up. She called Attendant Sean and the others to help her fetch water and wash.
When Attendant Sean wrung out a cloth to help her wash her face, she quickly took it and said, "I'll do it myself. Just help me do a nice hairstyle later." She was used to doing things herself in the modern world and didn't like being waited on.
But hairstyles in ancient times were really too complicated for her, so she had no choice but to rely on them. After washing up, Yaelle slowly sat in front of the dressing table. Her delicate face, under the morning light, looked especially beautiful, like a blooming flower giving off a gentle fragrance.
Attendant Sam stood quietly behind her. His pair of slender hands moved gently as he carefully combed Yaelle's silky smooth hair. Each stroke was like caressing a piece of fine art, full of care and affection.
Once her hair was smooth, Attendant Sam began styling it into the most popular look of the time. His movements were skilled and natural, his fingers weaving through the strands with ease. From time to time, he added little details to make the hairstyle look more layered and vivid.
Before long, a perfect hairstyle appeared in the mirror. It kept Yaelle's graceful air but added a touch of fashion and liveliness. It subtly brought out the best of her features and made her even more captivating.
Looking at Attendant Sam through the mirror, Yaelle couldn't help but admire his skill. He managed to turn her decent looks into full beauty by emphasizing the strengths and hiding the flaws. "Attendant Sam, which outfit do you think I should wear today?" Yaelle asked while picking out clothes.
"Miss looks good in anything," Attendant Sam answered with a smile. Since she was still in mourning, she finally chose a light blue dress and matched it with a jade hairpin, giving off a fresh and graceful look. "Come on, let's go walk around the garden. I've been lying down for so long I feel like I'm wasting away."
After tidying her appearance, Yaelle left the room with Attendant Sean and Attendant Sam.
After she came here, she hadn't had a real chance to explore her own house. Yaelle's home was located in the center of the city, where every inch of land was extremely valuable. Owning a three-section siheyuan courtyard here meant immense wealth.
The courtyard took up about 20 mu of land, and its size was truly grand and impressive. She used to live in the main room of the third section of the compound, while Attendant Sean and Attendant Sam stayed in the side rooms. After their mother passed away, the large courtyard was left to only the two of them and a dozen or so servants.
It felt particularly quiet and lonely. Behind the courtyard was a roughly two-mu garden, once full of colorful blooming flowers, but now it looked a bit run-down and overgrown. This garden used to be carefully managed by her mother, who treated every flower like a treasure.
But after she took over, she found taking care of those delicate plants to be a huge headache. Since she lacked both knowledge and experience, she didn't hire a gardener to help, and many of the more delicate flowers withered and died. Only a few tough and low-maintenance flowers still managed to survive.
Now that she was here, standing in front of this patch of neglected land, she felt a sudden strong impulse in her heart. If she really cleared out all the rare flowers and turned it into a vegetable garden, what would her brother think. Would he think she was wasting something so beautiful and valuable.
Still, she had made up her mind. She wanted to turn this area into a test field and plant high-yield crops from the modern world. Things like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn.
Although they were currently growing skinny and weak in boxes, if they could be carefully cultivated in the real world, it would bring major changes to this era. Just imagine, when these crops grow well and produce a rich harvest, not only could they feed people, but they could also provide more food for society. That would be a great contribution to the world.
She could already picture people smiling with satisfaction, grateful for nature's gifts. So she decided to start planning the test field once she recovered. She carefully measured the land and divided it into different areas in her mind.
She selected the best spot for each crop. Further back was a neat row of rear rooms. Though not as bright and spacious as the main house, they were still elegant and uniquely designed.
The largest room was the family's storage room. It was quite large and could hold many items. When she opened the door, she saw a dazzling collection of gold and silver treasures, along with sparkling jewelry.
Everything was neatly arranged on shelves or stored in fine wooden boxes, shining brightly. There were also piles of silk and fabric in various colors, soft and smooth to the touch, reminding her of luxurious clothing. Each roll of cloth had been carefully chosen and woven, with intricate floral patterns that seemed to tell beautiful stories.
Everything here looked so rare and luxurious, it took her breath away. She had never seen so many good things in her life. Her poverty had limited her imagination.
To the left of the storage room were several simpler side rooms. That was where the kitchen was located. Every day, delicious smells and busy noises came from there, making one imagine all sorts of tasty dishes being prepared.
The two chefs also lived nearby. Their quarters were right next to the kitchen, which made it easy for them to respond quickly to any cooking needs and handle ingredients without delay. This setup improved their work efficiency and kept the whole kitchen area well-organized.
Next to the kitchen was a small, delicate west corner door. This door wasn't just for decoration. It made it much easier for the chefs to go out and buy fresh ingredients.
Whenever supplies needed to be restocked, the chefs could simply use this convenient passage. They would return with fresh and tasty food for the kitchen. Then they would continue to cook delicious meals for the whole family.