Chapter 18: Taking Charge of Household Matters on New Year's Eve (Double Updates)

  After Lin Ruhai's 57th birthday, the New Year arrived. In Suzhou City, everywhere was decorated with lanterns and couplets, filled with a joyful atmosphere. The owners of small shops also closed their doors on the 29th day to cook the New Year's Eve dinner. The young apprentices in the shops either received red envelopes from their bosses or carried the goods given by the shop, all happily returning home.

  In Suzhou, the wealthy families were even busier, making final preparations for the annual New Year's Eve dinner. However, the Lin family was different from others. Although their mansion looked a bit deserted at first glance, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the Lin family's servants were all wearing new clothes in simple colors, sweeping the courtyard and polishing the ritual vessels in an orderly manner.

  This year is different from previous years for the Lin family. Firstly, the old house welcomed two young masters and should have a new atmosphere. Secondly, the old master just passed away, so it's not suitable to hold grand events, even visiting relatives during the New Year can be skipped this time.

  Daiyu has been following Mrs. Xue to learn etiquette these days. This Mrs. Xue was recommended by the Seventh Princess as a nanny, and she is indeed a very strict person. She knows that Daiyu is weak in body, so she only teaches her from 6 o'clock to 11 o'clock, and after noon, she lets Daiyu arrange her own time.

  Daiyu had no idea before that as a young lady from a big family, she needed to know so much: what kind of things to prepare for each festival, what kind of clothes to wear when meeting different kinds of guests, how to give gifts differently to relatives and friends, what kind of wine and dishes to serve at banquets... these were just the general aspects, and there were even more trivial details that needed to be learned.

  Zi Juan and others saw it, couldn't help but gasp in surprise. When they were at the Rongguo Mansion, there was no such etiquette! Weren't they just spending their days with Daguiniang leading the young ladies to learn needlework and appreciate poetry?

  Daiyu only realized after going through all this that her previous horizons were so narrow, and the world she saw was just the one courtyard of Rongguo House.

  After breakfast, the waiting maids came to Lengyuan House to report on matters. Zhiyan had long since set aside the main house of Lengyuan House for Daiyu to manage and discuss affairs, so as to avoid those maids and servant girls constantly visiting Meiguan, which would have been quite noisy. Now, Daiyu only stayed in Lengyuan House during this period before studying rules, and all the big and small matters in the back house were settled here.

  Lady Wang is the wife of Mr. Wang, now she is the housekeeper of the inner courtyard, a meticulous and capable person, also the first one to come to pay respects to Daiyu every day.

  Old Madame Wang handed the list to Daiyu early in the morning: "Miss, this is the list you asked me to write out. There are 106 servants in our mansion, including 42 born into slavery, 31 brought back from Yangzhou, and 33 bought from slave traders. I didn't include your personal maids, Zi Juan and Chun Feng."

  "This is natural, the purple hairpin and spring clasp were brought from my maternal grandmother's house, and the deed of sale is not in my hands, so there's no need to count." Daiyu carefully looked at the list, "How many of these are families in Suzhou, but only sold to the government individually?"

  Old Mrs. Luo didn't have to think carefully and said, "There are twenty-six such people, all of whom are young boys and little maidservants who are not yet full-grown; those who are slightly older mostly settled down in the mansion."

  "It's all right then. Please ask Old Lady Luo to make the arrangements, and have these young servants line up properly, so that on New Year's Eve they can return home for a family reunion."

  Madam Wang smiled and flattered Daiyu: "It's said that the young lady is kind-hearted, even if it's someone else's family, who can let people go home for reunion during the New Year? It's really the master's kindness." Before Madam Wang finished speaking, a servant girl named Yatou had been waiting to respond and echoed her words. These people were all very happy, after the New Year, the two young masters didn't make a big fuss, and the servants also avoided a lot of trouble, the young master also gave an extra two months' worth of silver, and rewarded new clothes for the New Year, although they were plain and simple, but it was still the master's kindness.

  Daiyu saw these people with joyful expressions, and couldn't help but think of Wang Xifeng, the second sister-in-law. At the Jia Mansion, she and Ying Chun and Tan Chun would often laugh that Feng was a hot pepper, never having a spare moment to herself, yet always doing thankless tasks. In the Jia household, there were hardly any servants who didn't curse Feng.

  At that time, Daiyu often thought in the deep night when no one was around, that if she had her own family in the future, she would never end up like Second Sister-in-law, alone and isolated. When she asked herself honestly, Daiyu really didn't agree with Feng's methods, thinking that she was too harsh on the servants and too stingy with money. The mansion had already spread rumors about Concubine Zhao lending out usury loans, although it was just hearsay, but after all, flies don't bother flawless eggs.

  "This year, our family will be in mourning for Father, and we'll have fewer social engagements. Brother should also focus on his studies. Those young maids and servants are idle at home, getting into mischief. It's better to let them return home to reunite with their families. I'm the one who can most empathize with those who have left their parents and brothers." Daiyu's thoughts drifted away as she recalled the past.

  Lady Wang saw that Daiyu was not speaking, and she knew that this sentimental young lady was thinking about something again. She still remembered what her husband had told her, asking her to often comfort the girl and find some ways to divert her attention. Thinking of her husband's trust in them, Lady Wang became even more determined to guide Daiyu. "Miss, our master is good to us, we remember it in our hearts. Miss, rest assured, I have arranged the remaining people into shifts, who is responsible for fetching water and serving tea, who is responsible for sweeping the courtyard, who is responsible for managing the annual sacrifices, there will be no mistakes or losses, please don't worry."

  Daiyu saw that Mrs. Lao was very thoughtful and meticulous in her arrangements, and she couldn't help but praise her brother for finding such a capable housekeeper. She said to Mrs. Lao: "Mrs. Lao, I trust you completely. Those who are going home for the reunion can be let out early tomorrow morning and return before the gate closes on New Year's Eve. As for those who don't have shifts, we can call them back to their respective homes to celebrate. We can also ask the kitchen staff to prepare a few more dishes, both meat and vegetarian, so that everyone can go and get some. If there are any servants on duty tomorrow, we can just set up a few tables at the Water Heart Pavilion for dinner, and that will be our New Year's celebration! However, we must remember what brother said..."

  Daiyu had not finished speaking when Lao Da's wife interrupted with a smile, "No drinking allowed!" The other servants below also burst into laughter. "Don't worry, miss, we'll remember the young master and your words clearly."

  At the time of Si, Daiyu and Xueyan hurried back to visit Meigui Pavilion. Qian Mama was instructing Zi Juan, Yuanyang and others to clean up the room. Daiyu stood still at the door, several big maids had already sweated on their foreheads, being trained by Qian Mama, they repeated the action of folding clothes several times.

  Xueyan whispered to Daiyu, "Miss, you don't know, I managed to escape today's calamity. Strict Aunt is a formidable person, she worries about your weak body and only teaches you domestic lessons. Unlike us, if we make a mistake, we get punished. Strict Aunt is also interesting, she doesn't hit our palms, but makes those who practice poorly stand in the courtyard. Although our Mei Pavilion isn't as bustling as Linglong House, there are still many maids and servant girls around. If someone stands out there for everyone to see, they'll know she's not diligent in her practice and won't be embarrassed to death."

  Daiyu trusted Xiangyun the most, but she also loved Xueyan very much, who had accompanied her on the long journey to Beijing since childhood. When she saw Xueyan's cute appearance, her mood improved: "Did you get punished too?"

  Xueyan didn't hide it either: "This is natural, the young lady also knows that our strict aunt is a formidable master. The sisters in the courtyard have all been punished, including Ziyun and Yanyu sisters, but Yanyu sister is the one who learned the most and was liked by Auntie Yan the most."

  Daiyu was sensitive and could not help but detect the sour tone in Xueyan's words. She knew clearly that Yanyan was her brother's maid, just like how their ancestors had given Zijuan to her as a gift, all because of the consideration of their loved ones. Therefore, when she was at her grandmother's house, Daiyu valued Zijuan more than Xueyan, who had come from her old home. Firstly, it was because Xueyan was still young and inexperienced, secondly, it was because Zijuan was a maid born into the Jia household and had close relationships with the other maids and servants in the mansion. Daiyu needed someone to guide her in order to quickly integrate into the Jia household. Thirdly, it was also because she did not dare to disobey her elders.

  Nowadays, Yan Rong is just like Zijuan used to be. This point might have even occurred to Zijuan herself, and Yan Rong is even more beautiful and talented. Zijuan always thinks of Daiyu's interests, since Yan Rong and the others arrived, she would first share the good things with those three, not being arrogant just because she had been following her for the longest time. Whatever happens around Daiyu must be discussed with Yan Rong before it can be done, and she refuses to compete with her.

  Daiyu felt grateful to Xiangyun and thought she should repay her in some way. Although it seemed a bit improper for a young lady like herself to talk about giving and returning, Daiyu had always regarded Xiangyun as her own sister. Knowing that Xiangyun missed her parents who were far away in the capital, but unable to leave her at this time, she could only hope that next year when her brother went to the capital, they would discuss it again.

  Inside the house, strict Mrs. Wang saw that the clock's pendulum pointed to nine and knew it was already late, so she should have returned. She went to see a few maids folding clothes in an orderly manner, and then mercifully let them off. In their hearts, Zi Juan, Yan Rong and others couldn't help but think: Could it be that the sun rose from the west today? It's really rare for Mrs. Wang not to punish anyone today.

  Daiyu entered the inner room, and Nurse Li came to pay her respects. When Daiyu first saw Nurse Li's behavior, she said that their family didn't use such formalities, and Nurse Li was older, so there was no need to be constrained. However, this old lady from the palace insisted on following the rules, saying that etiquette couldn't be abandoned, as it was a tradition passed down from ancestors. Not only that, but she also forced Daiyu's maidservants to learn etiquette, saying that in the future when Miss Lin met with other young ladies from various mansions, if her maidservants didn't know etiquette, they would be ridiculed. Daiyu couldn't say anything after hearing this. She just asked Housekeeper Zhao to buy more "活血化瘀膏" (a medicinal paste) for Xiangyun and the others, and also had hot water prepared in the small kitchen at the back of the house.

  "Miss, today I want to tell you what to do when meeting elders for the first time." Nurse Lin was a seasoned veteran who had seen countless officials and nobles, managed to survive in the palace and even had the good fortune to accompany the princess on her wedding day. Now she was being promoted again to be Daiyu's nurse, clearly not an ordinary person. Nurse Lin's words were practical and easy to understand, broadening Daiyu's horizons. Nurse Lin also told Daiyu that after New Year's Day, when spring arrives and flowers bloom, the young ladies from the Hou Mansion would invite her to a banquet, at which time what she had learned would come in handy.

  P.S: Just finished watching episode 58 of "The Summer Family's Three Thousand Gold" and I'm so angry, it's really infuriating! As we say in Northeast China, "You'd better watch out!" ^_^

  Thank you for everyone's support, collect me!!