Chapter Twenty-One Plans

  "What's the use of being kind and generous!" The madam sighed bitterly, "After all, it's not her own child..."

  Mrs. Xu wanted to say something but stopped herself and remained silent in the end.

  The two fell silent for a while, and the old lady sighed, forcing herself to cheer up: "Alright, maybe it's just our imagination running wild! Let's talk about it when we get to Yanjing. By the way, I asked Wu Xiaquan to prepare something, has he done it?"

  Mrs. Hsu hesitated for a moment before saying: "A total of 964,000 taels of silver."

  The lady's face changed slightly.

  Mrs. Xu hastily said: "I went to check the account book... Master took 50,000 taels of silver with him when he left..."

  Before she could finish speaking, "Bang" a sound, the originally held by Mrs. Big's hand pinch silk enamel three gentleman tea cup has been smashed to pieces.

  For a moment, the main building of Zhīyún Guǎn was quiet inside and out.

  Mrs. Xu's eyes were slightly red, and she hastily lifted the curtain and ordered the people outside: "It's nothing, the mistress accidentally dropped a teacup, you come in and clean it up."

  Jade walked in, wrapped her hand with a handkerchief and picked up all the fragments on the ground into a small box, then retreated quietly.

  During this time, the main house of Zhī Yún Guǎn was always silent and still.

  "Alas!" The old lady sighed softly, "My temper is getting worse and worse."

  "Doesn't the clay Bodhisattva still have three parts of earthy nature?" Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "Moreover, this time it was the old master who went too far."

  The mistress stared at the remaining tea water stains on the floor: "I've been married for so many years, he doesn't care about anything. I earn as much as he can spend. This I don't say, earning money is to spend it after all. But he... has a mistress outside... and even complains that I nag him... saying that if it weren't for my 'three-year mourning', he would have gotten rid of me long ago..."

  "Madam," Mother Xu hastily interrupted her complaints, "in a marital quarrel, whichever sentence hurts the other is picked up and said. Master's momentary angry words, why take them to heart?"

  "How can I not take it to heart?" The old lady's voice was low, but her expression was agitated. "If he did this because of my poor teaching or strict discipline, I would have nothing to say. But look at what he has done - he actually set his sights on the personal maid of my daughter-in-law! And during a time of national mourning and family bereavement, no less! If I were to agree to this, where would my son and daughter-in-law's faces be? And as for our relatives, what face would I have to show them? He actually came up with such an idea - is he still human?"

  Tears also fell from the corners of Mrs. Xu's eyes.

  She would rather not offend the old lady... But at this time, even if there are countless grievances, she cannot reveal a little bit to the old lady, lest it add fuel to the fire!

  "You and Master have been husband and wife for so many years, don't you know his temperament?" Mother Xu advised, "Master is just a sentimental person... but he had a few words with the sisters in the house, and actually ran to the small garden in the outer courtyard to cry. Anyone can see that little girl has ulterior motives. Even if Mistress knew about it, wouldn't she be so angry that her face turned red? That night, she sent that little girl back to her natal family. Madam, who is right and who is wrong, everyone can understand at a glance..."

  "Pah!" The old lady's eyes were sharp, "Flies don't stare at seamless eggs. That little hoof is crying over there, why doesn't Master go to comfort her? Why doesn't Third Master go to comfort her? But he just had to go..."

  Madam Yu was about to say something, but Lady Yu waved her hand: "You don't need to say anything. I understand it in my heart! In terms of talent, he is a double jinshi and a scholar of the Imperial Academy in the 39th year of Jianwu, and in terms of ability, he has been rated as 'excellent' for five consecutive years in the Ministry of Personnel... But look at him, he stayed in Fujian for nine years, why couldn't he be promoted even with the help of his father's former official power? It's because of his improper behavior, and he was impeached by the censor many times..." As she spoke, Lady Yu pulled Madam Xu's hand, and tears burst out. "If he were a good person, I would have let him take you in long ago, and you wouldn't have ended up as a young widow after marrying Xu Decheng... Why are our lives so bitter?"

  Mrs. Xu thought of her husband who had died three months after their marriage and could no longer hold back, covering her mouth to sob quietly.

  After the two of them cried, they both felt a lot calmer. Mrs. Xu personally fetched water to help Madam redo her makeup and brought hot tea for the elder lady, then mentioned something that had been worrying her: "You've put the household in Fourth Master's charge, with Yao Mom in charge of internal affairs and Wu Xiaquan in charge of external ones. We'll be gone for nearly half a year again, I'm afraid..."

  The big madam smiled coldly: "I'm just giving them an opportunity, let's see what they can do?"

  Mrs. Xu's eyebrow twitched: "You mean..."

  "Fourth Master is sixteen this year, it's time for him to help with family matters. Otherwise, he'll think he's really capable. As for Yao Shi..." The old lady sneered, "I gave her a little bit of power and she dared to open a dye house, and even dared to bully you in front of me. Fine, I'll hand over all the internal affairs to her. I want to see what kind of skills Yang Shi, who has been quietly hiding, and Shi Niang, who doesn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth, can use to deal with them. As for Wu Xiaoquan..." The old lady's eyes showed dissatisfaction, "I promoted him to be the general manager, but he's so accommodating to Master, giving him whatever he wants, even more than when Niu Anli was in charge..." She glanced at Mrs. Xu with a hint of meaning, "The big head of the family is in my hands, even if everything falls apart, it won't hurt the foundation. It's also good to remind Master who is holding up this family..."

  "Mrs. Dai's idea is great!" Mrs. Xu couldn't help but smile, "It can be said that one arrow hits three birds."

  As soon as she finished speaking, a little maid outside trembled and reported: "Madam, the eleventh young lady has arrived!"

  The two of them were taken aback for a moment.

  "What is she doing here?" The old lady frowned, "Is she coming to report something?"

  "It shouldn't be, right?" Mrs. Xu said with a smile, "Or should we let her come in and talk about it?"

  The lady nodded and once again showed a peaceful and affectionate smile.

  Mrs. Xu told the little maid to bring in Eleventh Sister.

  The eleventh daughter paid her respects to the madam.

  The hostess had someone bring a chair for her to sit on and asked: "Is there anything you need to buy that you've forgotten?"

  "No." Xiāng Niáng smiled, "Mom helped me take a look at the things in the house, and my heart felt at ease. I was thinking of packing up the trunks to avoid delaying everyone's journey because of my slow hands and feet. So I came specifically to ask Mother which few people should go with me?"

  The big wife smiled and asked her: "Then which ones do you want to take with you?"

  "My daughter is so indecisive, I thought I'd ask her mother for some advice." The eleventh lady burst out laughing. "Although I followed my father to live in Fujian for a while when I was young, I don't remember many things because I was too young at that time. This time it's not only a long way from home but also going to the capital city of Yanjing, and I have no idea what to do. Of course, I hope everyone around me can go with us. But thinking about it, if everyone is like me, eager for people around them to go, how many cars and boats would we need?"

  The old lady smiled and nodded: "You and Wu Niang each bring two big maids, two small maids, and two rough serving women!"

  Eleventh Girl listened with great disappointment, but smiled and responded to Mrs. Zhang's words: "Amber was originally serving by her mother's side, naturally she has a broader vision than Dongqing and the others, she is going... Dongqing is the oldest, she has her own opinions when things happen, she is also going... Then let Binju stay at home to take care of the house! She is gentle in nature, and meticulous, we will be gone for half a year, and all the vases and jars at home need someone to take care of..."

  The big wife laughed and said: "This child is indeed a thoughtful one."

  "Who says it isn't!" Mrs. Xu chimed in from the side, "who's strong and who's weak, who can do what, all clear as day!"

  The eleventh girl was praised and felt a bit embarrassed, slightly lowered her head, stood up and bid farewell: "Then I'll go back to pack my luggage."

  The old lady nodded and said with a smile: "Go!"

  The eleventh girl made a curtsy and backed away.

  The amber outside quietly followed Shíyī Niáng back to Lǜjūn Building.

  No matter whether Miss Eleven asked or didn't ask for it, the whole thing originated from herself - if she hadn't been suddenly dragged into Miss Eleven's room, why would she have to make things difficult?

  But she also has her own grievances - this is not something she can control herself.

  Binju knew she was being left behind, but it didn't bother her much. She just smiled and said: "Miss, when you come back, don't forget to bring me that Yanjing bowl of douhua and those rolling donkey pastries."

  Dong Qing was afraid of the bad atmosphere, so he smiled and chimed in: "What's good about 'donkey rolls'? It's just our local 'mian gao'."

  "How did sister know? Had she ever been to Yanjing before? Or had she stolen Miss's book to read?"

  "Everyone who comes out of your mouth doesn't have a decent look." Dong Qing said with feigned annoyance, "I heard it from Seventh Miss - she's been living in Yanjing since she was a child."

  Binju asked Shiyimiao: "Miss, can you see Seventh Miss when you go to Yanjing this time?"

  "It should be okay!" They had been together for more than three years, now separated, and possibly never to return. Neither of them could bear it, so they just forced themselves to smile and chat. The eleventh lady naturally wouldn't ruin the atmosphere, chatting and laughing with them, "You can still see the fifth and sixth masters from the Third Old Master's house."

  Old Master Luo Zhenxing was a child prodigy, and his achievement had a profound impact on the rest of the Luo family. The third mistress was no exception, being extremely strict with her two sons. During the mourning period for her father's passing, she even hired a tutor from Yanjing to teach them at home. However, the two children were still young and mischievous, often sneaking into the backyard to pick flowers and catch birds. It was during one of these escapades that they met Eleven.

  Eleventh Sister neither nagged them like their mother nor made a fuss over their behavior like the maids and mothers around them. Sometimes, she would hide in her room to play with them, and even ordered someone to make sour plum soup or crispy cakes for them, then had someone call their maids and mothers instead of sending someone to tell Third Wife. As a result, the two were very close to Eleventh Sister's maids and servants.

  When the eleventh girl mentioned Luo Zhenkai and Luo Zhenyu, everyone burst out laughing.

  "Miss, why don't you bring some of our homemade rose jam too? It's good for making soft cakes for Sixth Master to eat!"

  "Binju's idea is great!" Shí Niáng said with a smile, "It would be even better if we bring some green plum wine. Third Aunt has said it's delicious."

  "Don't forget about Master and Madam, as well as Third Master and Third Mistress from the second branch of the family, and Seventh Miss!"

  "Good." Eleventh Sister said with great enthusiasm, "Let's think about what to bring when we go to Yanjing... We don't need many things, nor do they have to be expensive. Madame will definitely have made preparations on her side, but we can't go empty-handed either."

  Everyone nodded and chimed in with their opinions.

  For a moment, they were laughing and chatting, temporarily forgetting the pain of parting.

  I can finally update again...