Xiaolan
Xiaolan is a supporting character in The Apothecary Diaries who works as a low-ranking palace maid in the rear palace. She is one of Maomao's few close friends and the very first colleague Maomao interacts with after entering service. Cheerful, talkative, and fond of gossip, the rumors Xiaolan shares often provide key clues for Maomao to solve various mysteries. Although raised in poverty without an education, she possesses a strong desire to learn. She also serves as the protagonist of the spin-off manga series Xiaolan's Memoir.
Overview
Xiaolan is a supporting character in The Apothecary Diaries who works as a low-ranking palace maid in the rear palace. She is one of Maomao's few close friends and the very first colleague Maomao interacts with after entering service. Cheerful, talkative, and fond of gossip, the rumors Xiaolan shares often provide key clues for Maomao to solve various mysteries. Although raised in poverty without an education, she possesses a strong desire to learn. She also serves as the protagonist of the spin-off manga series Xiaolan's Memoir.
Appearance
Xiaolan has short brown or black hair styled into distinctive braided loop rings, accessorized with hair ornaments and yellow bows. She has brown eyes and is sometimes depicted wearing a hat. Her attire consists of simple long-sleeved servant clothing. When she was first sold by her family as a child, she was extremely malnourished with sunken cheeks and a frail, thin frame.
Personality
Xiaolan has a bright, chatty, and upbeat demeanor with a surprisingly robust appetite, once mistaking an official gift for a sweet treat. Though she may seem naive at first glance, she actually possesses good practical intuition and practical intelligence. Her childhood experiences taught her to remain obedient and adaptable to survive hardship. She is hardworking and eager to improve herself, demonstrated by her enthusiastic efforts to learn how to read and write.
Abilities
Having gathered firewood during her childhood in her home village, Xiaolan knows how to distinguish fresh wood from deadwood. She excels at gathering rumors and news within the rear palace, frequently bringing useful information to Maomao. While completely illiterate at first, she learns to read and write through lessons from Maomao and by attending the palace training school, eventually becoming capable of writing letters by hand.
Background
Coming from an impoverished farming village, Xiaolan was sold to human traffickers by her family at age thirteen due to extreme poverty. Because of her submissive behavior and frail, youthful appearance, she was sent to the rear palace instead of a brothel. There, she worked as a palace maid and built strong friendships with Maomao and Shisui. Upon completing her term of service, she used connections to secure a new job as a personal maid for a lower-ranking consort's younger sister.
Relationships
Xiaolan is Maomao's first friend and close confidante in the rear palace, relying on her to learn literacy and maintaining contact via letters even after leaving service. She is also close with Shisui, forming a tight-knit trio alongside Maomao. Indirectly, her actions contributed to Lihaku becoming a frequent visitor to the pleasure district.
Trivia
Xiaolan lacks basic geographical knowledge about her hometown and does not even know whether it was located inside or outside the empire. Unlike many central characters who possess complex noble lineages or hidden backgrounds, she remains a rare ordinary figure without secret family ties. After leaving the palace, her pleasant nature makes her quite popular, earning her multiple marriage proposals.
