Location 894. Pages 75-76In the kitchen, the maid was preparing abundant food with her ears tuned to the delivery room. If it were a boy, her preparation of a feast would be commended; if not, she would be chided for the waste. She loved to bet and had wagered on a boy. If she won, she would buy herself a dress. Mr. Seoh had forbidden betting or gambling in his household for anyone on any occasion, but she must have some fun. Besides, the dress she’d seen at the market the previous week had really captured her mind and soul. She had started saving money by shaving off a little bit each month from her wage, the rest of which she had sent to her mother in her farm village.
I think the Seoh household has an interesting master-servant relationship. The maid from this scene is preparing food not only because it is her duty. The feast is a wager. It shows how attached and involved she is to the affairs of the family. It also gives the perspective of a servant to an important family event.
On a side note, it makes me wonder if the master-servant relationship differs depending on the social status. Lady Sougyon is royalty while the Seoh’s are not.