The maid of the red house

Lin Ruhai did set the fire on purpose.

He knew that once he died, whether it was the Lin family or Jia Lian, they would definitely use the account books to check the amount of property in the warehouse, but this half of the property had already been transferred out, wouldn't it be exposed by then?He didn't want to burn the storeroom, so he could only pretend to burn the account books by accident. Anyway, there were so many things in the storeroom, and even if someone thought the number was wrong, there was no evidence to prove it. Let someone come and check the warehouse.

He also only burned the account books about the warehouse, and the account books of Zhuangzi, the shop outside, were not touched.

Looking at some items picked out from Jia Min's dowry in front of him, they are light and easy to carry and enjoy, and they are kept by Daiyu's side. When he passes away, no one else can go to Daiyu's room to ask for them, and Daiyu can keep more things around her.

Put together with these things, there are two boxes of high-quality leather and two boxes of broken gold and silver.

Lin Ruhai leaned on the pillow, with a fox fur blanket covering his legs, his expression was extremely exhausted, he finally dismissed the housekeeper and servants who came to pay his respects, leaving only a few girls who were picked out in front of him, who were about to give orders After a few words, Daiyu suddenly came to visit with Zijuan and Xueyan in a hurry, looking around her father frightenedly, fearing that the fire in the account room would hurt him.

"Didn't I say that the fire has been extinguished? What did you come here for?" Lin Ruhai swallowed the fishy sweetness in his throat. He knew that he only had three or five days, but he couldn't worry about this lonely daughter. Supporting his sick body to take care of the funeral, from last night to today, he made various plans and never rested.

Looking at her father's pale face and haggard look, Daiyu couldn't help crying and said: "Daddy is not in good health, he just rested, why is he going to check the account books? Fortunately, only a few account books were burned. Daddy, what should I call my daughter?"

Lin Ruhai beckoned her to sit beside him, but he didn't care about his body, and said with a smile: "It's all right anyway, what are you worried about? I wanted to go to the warehouse to get some more things before I went to look at the account books. It's a coincidence that you came, I I just asked someone to find out some things from your mother's dowry for you to think about, and I will have someone send it to your room in a while."

Speaking of Jia Min, who has been dead for many years, Daiyu couldn't help but shed tears when she looked at the familiar things in front of her eyes.

Lin Ruhai stroked her hair, and said softly: "The deceased is gone, you don't need to be too sad. I have a few words to tell you seriously, so I asked people to pass some farm shops to your name. Ask Xueyan to keep it for you, I told your second elder brother Lian that all the income will be sent to Rongguo Mansion for your daily expenses in the future."

Daiyu was startled, she was such a smart girl, she was very surprised that Jia Lian didn't raise any objection.

Zijuan at the side looked at Xueyan wonderingly, but she didn't expect that Lin Ruhai would ask Xueyan to take care of such an important thing.

Xue Yan's expression was very indifferent, she knew that Lin Ruhai must have given Jia Lian more benefits, otherwise Jia Lian would not have cared about these things, they looked insignificant, but they were actually worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Sure enough, I heard Lin Ruhai say: "You are young and ignorant, so you can't go out to take care of outside affairs, and our family doesn't have any relatives who can help you. In the future, you will entrust your grandmother to be the master for you. In the future, the land rent income will naturally be taken care of by your second brother Lian, there is no reason not to agree."

Jia Lian is very happy to be able to make a lot of money by taking care of these things.

How could Daiyu not understand?Only sighed softly, nodded and said: "Everything is up to Dad."

Looking at her daughter's thin face, Lin Ruhai felt pity for her even more. When she was still alive, the Rongguo Mansion would not dare to slack off on her because of her position as the censor of the salt department. But after her death, she no longer had anything to rely on. Knowing how other people treat her as an orphan who depends on others, I hope that the annual harvest will make people look at her differently.

Compared with the house deed and the land deed, the jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings in Jia Min's dowry are less eye-catching. Although the latter is more valuable, it is definitely not as affordable as the former for Daiyu. Lin Ruhai raised his head and smiled at Zijuan: "The house deed and land deed I asked Xueyan to keep it, and when the wife's things are delivered to the girl, you can keep them for the girl, and I will leave them to you."

Zijuan was already in charge of the big and small affairs in Daiyu's room, and when she heard this, she hurriedly bowed and said: "This is the job of a servant."

After all, it is the Duke’s Mansion. The girl she taught is not timid when facing the master. Lin Ruhai smiled playfully and said: "In this case, you take someone to put these things first, and Liu Yuer is here to talk to me Son."

Without the slightest doubt, Zijuan blessed her body, resigned, and led the people to carry the things away.

After Zijuan went out, Lin Ruhai bowed his head and said to Daiyu: "I picked four girls for you. Although they are not very old, they are all smart and honest people. I feel relieved to follow you." The four serving girls approached, all dressed in light yellow jackets and willow green vests, they were all around thirteen or fourteen years old, with ordinary complexions, but their skin was fair and greasy, and they were a little graceful.

While Daiyu was stunned, Lin Ruhai had already asked four people to kowtow to Daiyu, and said: "This is Tinglan, Danju, Qinghe, and Runzhu. They are 13 or 14 years old. They are honest and honest. You Just do what you want. I’ve already taken the body deed from our house and you keep it.” Sure enough, he took out a stack of deed papers from the small box next to the bed, and handed it to Daiyu together with the box.

After receiving the gift from the four maids, Daiyu got up quickly and looked through it curiously. She saw that there were not only the deeds of the four maids, but also the slave status of several families. There were about five or six families. She was not surprised. Said: "These people are also ordered by the daughter?"

Lin Ruhai smiled and said: "The four families are in charge of the farm and the shop respectively, and the four maids are their daughters, and they all follow you, so that the family will not be separated. There is also your nanny Wang Momo's family, Wang Momo is there to serve You, your nurse, grandparents and elder brother brought a few boys from the first four families to listen outside the second gate, anyway, I have explained everything to your second elder brother Lian, and he will definitely arrange it properly."

Hearing this, Xueyan sighed secretly that Lin Ruhai was so thoughtful and thoughtful. All the servants in these households had children and relatives by Daiyu's side, and the deeds were also in Daiyu's hands. Will not betray Daiyu.

Daiyu said: "Daddy, don't worry too much, it's better to have a good life." She handed over all the deed papers to Xueyan to keep.She is very intelligent by nature, since Lin Ruhai handed over the important house deeds to Xueyan, which shows her trust, she naturally would not give these deeds to Zijuan. Speaking of which, although Xueyan is not as considerate as Zijuan, after all she is from the Lin family.

Lin Ruhai ordered the four maids to go down to pack up their things and find Zijuan to make arrangements, and then took out a suet white jade Buddha tied with a silk sash from his bosom. The jade was as smooth as fat, and the carving was exquisite. Xueyan said to her face: "Yu'er, this Jade Buddha is hollow, and there is Xueyan's body deed inside. You wear it on your body, and you are not allowed to leave it for a moment."

Daiyu was puzzled and said: "Why not put it together with the previous body deed?"

Lin Ruhai glanced at Xueyan, seeing her calm and composed expression, she smiled three-pointed on her face, and admired seven points in her heart, and taught Daiyu how to open the Jade Buddha, Fang said: "I left you a fortune , not on the bright side, only Xueyan knows where it is hidden. After you get engaged and Xueyan gives you things as a dowry, you will return this body deed to Xueyan and let her be good. This matter, Remember, apart from you, Xueyan and me, no fourth person is allowed to know, even your grandmother, do you hear me?"

When he said the last sentence, Lin Ruhai's expression was very severe, and his tone would never allow Daiyu to disagree.

"Daughter, remember." Although Daiyu felt puzzled, she served her father with the utmost filial piety, so she had no reason not to agree.Her life in Rongguo Mansion did not report happiness to Lin Ruhai's poster, but seeing Lin Ruhai's arrangement, she knew in her heart that he already knew her situation in Rongguo Mansion and everyone's attitude towards her, so she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Lin Ruhai stretched out his arms to embrace his beloved daughter, and said slowly: "I have asked Xueyan to keep the deed of the ancestral house, and I have also sent two confidantes to guard the old house. I told your second brother, Lian, to repair it every year. All the money in the old house comes from the income of the farm shop, and he is in charge. Listen carefully, if the capital can't accommodate you in the future, you can bring people back to your hometown, so that you can find a place to stay."

Although Jia Mu had agreed with him in the letter, he originally thought of going by himself, Daiyu had no one to rely on, and it was better to have Jia Mu's love in Rongguo Mansion than in someone else's house.But he was about to die, and the marriage was still undecided. In addition, Xueyan said that Mrs. Wang liked the girl from the Xue family better. I hope that I can't afford to engage Daiyu in advance, who knows if the person I'm looking for now will bully Daiyu in the future without her natal family to rely on.

Daiyu heard him explain everything in detail, and couldn't bear the heartache anymore, and couldn't help crying in Lin Ruhai's arms.

Lin Ruhai rubbed her back, smiled, and said: "Life and death are fate, I have already seen it away, and you should too. Although there is no incense in our family, I am very happy to have a daughter like you." It’s terrible, the only thing I can’t let go of is your life. You are young, weak, and you are a girl’s family. You can’t decide many things by yourself. I wanted to raise you as an adult and choose a good family, but who knows I can’t So, I entrusted these matters to your grandmother, and wrote a letter to make it clear that she is your biological grandmother after all, and even if she can't love you like a granddaughter, she won't treat you badly."

He took out a stack of letters from his cuff, and did not hand it to Daiyu, but to Xueyan, and said under Daiyu's tears: "Here are some other letters I wrote, some for your grandmother, some for your grandmother, and some for your grandmother." Give me a few old teachers and friends. After you reach the age, if your grandmother has not arranged a marriage for you, Xueyan will hand over the letter to your grandmother to her. If she has read the letter and still has nothing within three months, Xueyan, you can entrust someone to deliver the remaining few letters to my friends and teachers. I have never asked them for anything in my life. After a few years, I hope they will take care of my love for many years and have pity on me. There is no one in the Lin family, please help my daughter."

Xueyan carefully accepted the letter, and in front of Daiyu it was not easy to put it into the mustard seeds, so she put it in the box containing the deed, solemnly nodded and promised: "Master, don't worry, Xueyan will definitely live up to the heavy trust. "

Lin Ruhai nodded in satisfaction, thought for a while, and said to Daiyu: "There are about a million things left in the family. When I go, you will pretend that you don't know everything, and you don't know how much property you have at home. All I know is that I left you two farm shops for Xueyan to hold the title deeds. There are still famines to be fought in the side branches of our family and Rongguo Mansion. I will tell Jia Lian that all the belongings will be reserved for your living expenses and expenses. The dowry is stored in the Rongguo Mansion, and everything is properly kept by them. Profit is the word, and people's hearts are unpredictable. You are a little girl, and it is better to keep a few farm shops that do not attract attention. If the huge family property is in your hands Here, how can there be peace? I only hope that the Rongguo Mansion will have a bit of conscience and leave some property for you."

A trace of mourning flashed in Daiyu's eyes. Looking at her father's appearance, she knew that it was just these few days, and she was still worrying about herself while she was sick. She was really unfilial!Thinking of this, even if Lin Ruhai asked her to go to rest after explaining, she would not agree, and she dragged her weary footsteps back to the room with Xueyan until she had taken medicine for Lin Ruhai and fell asleep at night.

The author has something to say: According to the unspoken rules of being an official in ancient times, the list of the Lin family’s property is as follows: the dowry of the five generations of mistresses, the annual salaries of several generations of the Lin family, ice charcoal respect, and legal gray income in various unspoken rules. Various educational titles, such as the teachers of a certain academy, etc., there are also various tributes under it.Those who are officials do not have to pay taxes on the income from land property and shops.Although a large part of the gifts of various human relations will be given out, but also, the higher the official level, the more they will receive than the gifts.Let’s say it’s 100 years since the five generations of the Lin family inherited 1 taels of silver a year, and there are 100 taels of silver, not to mention that the income is more than 1 taels a year, so the property of the Lin family includes cash, antiques, servants, real estate, farms, and jewelry. , furniture and utensils, etc., there must not be two to three million taels of silver in cash, but if it is sold, it will be more than that.The prototype of the Lin family was the Li family. It is said that the Li family was poor because the young lady of the Li family repaid the two or three million taels of the Cao family's shortfall.