The clever maid of the red mansion

Grandmother Liu is ill, and someone has to preside over the Zhongfu in the General's Mansion, especially when the second girl, Feng Lian, is getting married in August, and there are many things to do.

After all, this incident was too sudden, and many of the things that were originally prepared for the cousin girl were somewhat inappropriate.In addition to the difference in status, not only Xiao Li's family, but also the decency of the general's mansion, so they have to follow the rules of the public again, and the work is a bit tight.

As for the dowry that Mrs. Dong originally prepared for the cousin, she sent it over earlier, but now she regrets it too much.How dare Li's third family come to the door to ask for it, I wish the general's mansion would forget them behind their necks, just spend money to buy peace of mind.

So there are so many things that need to be sorted out.It was originally the responsibility of the big house, but now Mrs. Liu is sick and doesn't like to touch it.The eldest mistress and the second mistress were oppressed by the Liu family on weekdays, like echoers, because they were young and had little power in the mansion, the old man looked down on them very much.Assigned almost without hesitation, "Let the second and third daughters-in-law take care of it first."

Now the old man has no patience with Li Shi. If he didn't look at the dignity of his two children, his humanity would have been ruined long ago.

So the day after the old man dealt with Mrs. Li, after dinner in the evening, he called the two sons of the old man and the third master to the study, and Jin Zhu served tea for the three of them, and bowed his head and went out.The old man's study has never been attended by maids and women, and he thinks he is jealous and jealous, and his hands and feet are not quick.Among the sons, this third master Feng has inherited the style of the old man.

"I called you two here today for no other reason. I think the fourth child is not young anymore. In the past, he was picky and picky, and there was no suitable one. Now it is really hard to delay. He has no idea, and he is honest. Good hearted, it’s hard to say that you are cowardly and can’t do anything, in the future, you will be brothers, so you can take care of me.”

The two hurriedly expressed their opinions, "Father, don't worry, the family is of flesh and blood, and it should be."

The old man nodded and continued, "That's good. In this way, the choice of this daughter-in-law is very important. I mean, you don't have to pay attention to the family background, and you don't have to be afraid of being poor, but it's just a matter of giving a few taels of silver. Just a little, People need to be more powerful, internally able to manage the house, manage the husband and teach the children, externally able to distinguish right from wrong and support the husband, don't seek merit but seek no fault, a good wife and husband will rarely suffer."

The last sentence, the old man sent it out of feeling.Suddenly thinking of the third daughter-in-law, Yang Shi, it is very suitable.It's really hard to find such a daughter-in-law.There are many girls who act as maids for others, but not many of them are capable.There are also people who are capable of being a maid for others, but I have never seen a foster father who is capable and lacks children, and a sister who is married into an official family.

Alas, only this family has no semicolon, the youngest is lucky.

The two brothers don't know the little things in the old man's heart, only the old man has spoken, so naturally they have to follow it as an important matter, and each of them understands in their hearts that the old man has moved his mind to separate the family, and now they are putting the fourth child's marriage on the matter.

The old man gave a deadline, and there must be a letter within the year.Therefore, when the two go back, they must cast a wide net with their relatives and friends, catch more fish, and choose the best.

It's just that this matter is not private and shady. In a few days, everyone in the mansion has had their feet grounded or not. Everyone knows that the master has started to discuss marriage with the fourth master.

Xiao Li is currently ill, even though all the people around her are gone, but after all, the old man is still there, and she can't hide this matter from her.Her own son, who she and her daughter depended on for the rest of their lives, couldn't help but feel guilty about not mentioning it.

Let’s just talk about the third grandma, Yang’s Liu’er, and now the old man has assigned her to host the Zhongfu together with the second sister-in-law. Although it’s temporary, but who knows that the third master and the first room are rich and powerful, and there is no chance to curry favor in the past, but now there is no ready-made excuse. .

So, in less than three days, all decent servants, including Mrs. Li, could 'chance encounter' someone who would curry favor and give something when they went to the latrine, which was extremely troublesome.

Returning to her master, Liu'er smiled, "This opportunity is rare. It's not easy for the house to give you gifts. If you want to accept it, you can accept it. If you want to help, you can help. If it's not suitable, it doesn't matter. "Anyway, they won't be able to stay in the mansion for a few years, and some trivial things can't be regarded as offending Mrs. Liu.And now it's not unreasonable to offend.

Liu'er didn't care much about the family members in the mansion, and the Zhang family was similar, the second room was always not far or close to the other rooms in the mansion, and they closed their doors to live their own lives.

When the two came together, even though they were quite different in age, they looked at each other and smiled at each other, they both understood each other's plan, and there was no quarrel between them.

Before Mrs. Liu claimed to be sick, she used to go to visit separately, but now it is unavoidable to go there together.

Mrs. Liu was indeed a bit haggard. After all, there were spies in the house, and it was a real slap in the face for her who always claimed to be capable.As for resentment towards the Elder Master, it is not a matter of a day or two, it is nothing.Now, she is more or less ashamed to see the third house, since Liu'er married, she has been not far or near, and she doesn't do much to solicit.Although he has always cared for the third younger brother, he just feels that the third master is a reasonable and well-founded person.As for whether to make friends with Liu Er, I always felt that it would not affect the overall situation.With Yang's background, he looks better. After three to five years, the inner house may not be able to stand firm, and there will be a cousin girl watching over him.As for the deepest part of her heart, a woman who was born as a girl became her sister-in-law, and she somewhat consciously belittled her own identity, even jealousy, but she couldn't explain it to outsiders and didn't want to admit it.

So seeing Liu'er now, I often feel a little uncomfortable.Liu'er and Mrs. Zhang just sat around for a while, asked some general questions about the medicine and doctor, and so on, then they separated on the grounds that they would not disturb the sister-in-law's rest, and they had two daughter-in-laws to take care of them.

Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Liu have never been in the same way, they are a little more noble, although they have not had any grudges over the years, they have not lost any benefits, it's just a matter of saving face.

Liu'er's treatment of Mrs. Liu is just average now, if it wasn't for Mrs. Liu in Muni's nunnery delivering the letter in advance, she would have been even more indifferent.That's it, according to Li Nanny's statement, the secret delivery of the letter made the courtyard door ring loudly so that no one would know it, but she had a good idea of ​​the truth beforehand.It's none of her business that Mrs. Li won, and she didn't lose much.It goes without saying that Mrs. Li lost and Sanfang won. Thinking of her kindness, no one would blame her for being unfavorable to the housekeeper.Liu'er had already realized it, and she also deeply believed it.

Originally, Liu's rules were to discuss matters in a Baosha hall at the second gate of Shensi hall in the long room at first noon every day.Now Mrs. Zhang and Liu'er, one lives in the northeast of the mansion and the other lives in the southwest, the distance is really not close.After a discussion, a middle location was chosen as a compromise. The Guanyu Pavilion on the second floor near the water on the south side of the main house. Apricot is also pleasing to the eye.

The staff cleaned it up for a day, and relocated the tables, chairs, furniture, tea bowls, bottle stoves, and the masters of the house often came to relax and enjoy the scenery. It was clean, but some things that the two grandmas needed to use were slightly replaced.

The next day, the two of them went to be directors, and they were all in charge of the family. There were two No. 30, and they stood in a room.Because she didn't understand the plan of the two masters, Mrs. Liu didn't say anything, and whispered in a low voice for a while, not without the intention of testing.

Zhang Shi and Liu'er, although they didn't care about things, they were not people without ideas, they didn't pay any attention to the following, they just held the fragrant tea offered by their maid, and sipped it slowly, as if nothing happened, and there was no sign of irritability.

Mrs. Zhang is older, so it's okay for the city government to act calmly.After all, Liu'er was only twenty-eight years old, and she looked as delicate and tender as the spring flowers and willows that had just sprouted in early spring.

After a long while, the sound in the room completely subsided, and the two put the tea bowls almost at the same time. Liu'er looked at Mrs. Zhang and smiled, "The second sister-in-law is the elder, and the younger siblings are young after all, so let the second sister-in-law make up her mind. If there is a need, naturally dare not refuse."

As it should be, Liu'er expressed his attitude, but Mrs. Zhang said politely, "Now my sister-in-law is sick, and the old man ordered me and my third grandmother to do it for a few days. Everyone cheer up and deal with it anyway. Your grandma If you get better, you will be rewarded naturally. Therefore, what you have done in the past, you will still do the same in the future. Only one point, if there is something wrong, if you feel that the eldest grandma is not planning to play tricks behind the scenes, or that the third grandma and I have a good sex, Taking advantage of this opportunity, I advise you to rest your minds as soon as possible. Don't worry about those who have shame on weekdays. Except for the rules in the house, Grandma has always handled things fairly, so naturally she has something to say. It is the old man who can't tolerate slaves who betray the master. , I think everyone knows what happened in the mansion recently, so I won't say more, let's weigh it in our hearts."

The so-called combination of kindness and power is exactly what it is, but whoever has a little bit of success will naturally not go to this juncture to touch this bad luck.And anyway, you still have to touch your temper, especially this new third grandma, it's not too late to make plans after you figure it out, why rush to get on the pole and be the first bird.

Now other things can be done, but the second girl's dowry is an urgent matter.

A woman in the middle came forward and said, "The servants who live in the silver house are in charge of the sewing room and the purchase of curtains and curtains in the mansion. The needlework dowry of the cousin girl before is now in a mess. The cousin girl's The dowry is in the hands of Li Fu and his wife's companions, so what's going on now, who can the servants hand over to?"

Another daughter-in-law also came forward and said, "The servants are above the warehouse. Originally, the furniture and utensils prepared for the cousin in the mansion were stored in the warehouse. The original wife's intention was to move to the cousin's courtyard. Now I ask the two grandmas to show me."

"The slaves belong to the cousin girl's courtyard. The make-up that the third uncle and wife gave to the cousin girl, and the betrothal gift from the palace are still stored in the wing room..."

……

The servants only know that the cousin girl died suddenly, and they also know how to cheat death, but this kind of thing is not uncommon for a rich family. A distant cousin girl is not a serious master, and they are willing to ignore the past together.Now I just want to know how to deal with the dowry.Because the second girl's substitute marriage was just a private agreement between the masters and masters, most of the servants don't know about it except the master's confidants.

Mrs. Zhang and Liu'er are naturally aware of this matter. Now that they are housekeepers, this is the most important thing. They have discussed the countermeasures in private the day before. They will not spend their money anyway. In terms of the old man's face, it is better to marry the sister-in-law.

After listening to the story of the women, Mrs. Zhang pondered for a moment, and said, "I have discussed this matter with the third grandma, what happened before, and what is going on now, originally the errands of Li Fu's family are now taken over by the Yinju family. It just so happens that Liu Wu's daughter-in-law has just returned from having a baby, so she's going to give you a hand, and the two of you can discuss how to deal with it."

Liu Wu is the eldest son of the head housekeeper Liu Zhong, who is very useful in managing the Four Seasons tenants of several villages in the suburbs of Beijing.This time Liu Zhong was reprimanded by the old man because of the matter of Muni'an.Because he is the companion room of Mrs. Feng's mother, Mrs. Feng treats him seriously on weekdays, and in private, he always regards him as a serious master who works hard, but now he just has to eat and die, so Feng Ziying said a few words of comfort.

Feng Ziying didn't hide some things from Liu'er. After this incident, she was afraid that she would not have a good foundation in the mansion, and she would not be at a disadvantage if she took care of her for a while.Who can be trusted, who can be trusted and who should be wary of? It is natural to mention one or two points, so that you know what you are doing.

So Liu Wu's family always showed their kindness to Liu'er, and sent things to do up and down, and Liu'er was happy to send them along.As for the Yin's family, they are the old man's confidants, and they are reassuring.Especially when it comes to the sister-in-law's dowry, even if Xiao Li makes a fuss, it won't reach the two of them, and the old man will be wiped out with a slap.

Of course, the stewards who were able to get out were also vixens. They each picked out good things on the errands that night, including the original cousin’s dowry, and paid tribute to the second and third families, Mrs. Zhang and Liu Er, without blinking. Received.

According to Feng Sanye, the butler's hard work is not in vain, the old man is considerate.If you don't take it, you will offend the offender, and you won't commit a crime, but it's just a piece of shit.

Feng Ziying was more or less chilled by her sister-in-law, not to mention Xiao Li, who was originally just a chess piece raised by her natal family, but now she is doing well, but she is suffering from it.

So Liu Er mentioned adding makeup to my sister-in-law, Feng Sanye held a grudge, thinking that this younger sister treats her well in the past, but now she wants to watch the excitement of the third room, her conscience is greatly broken, how can she have a good face, immediately Said, "We are all elder brothers, we are the same as the second room, let's take the same example as the second sister-in-law."

Liu'er nodded, "That's right, they are all members of the same family, so there is no such thing as thick or thin..."

...

The daughter of the general's mansion is naturally different from the distant relatives. The next day, Mrs. Zhang and Liu'er assigned errands and took the relevant stewards to check the dowry that was originally prepared to see if it increased or decreased.

First went to the warehouse in the mansion, and took a general look at the furniture. Needless to say, the two looked down on Mrs. Li even more.It's not that the things are bad, on the contrary, they are great. Every piece of good wood, not to mention Curry's top-notch, is also high-quality.Originally, the two of them asked Mrs. Dong to add makeup when they heard that Mrs. Li was reluctant to part with those in the mansion.Looking at it now, it is estimated that there are ten out of ten j□j who have changed their minds due to Dong's words. After all, most of them belong to the big family, so they don't need it for nothing. The cousin is grateful to her, and it may not be her help.

This little abacus is not difficult to guess.Take out the big girl's dowry list from that year, compare them one by one, and eliminate a few that may be useless because of Liu's suppression. A lot of trouble.

After that is the warehouse in the courtyard where the cousin girl lived. Except for some needlework, the most important thing is Dong's makeup and Wang's dowry.The Li family is really rich, the two of them reckoned that the head-covering fabric of the jewelry is big, and it is worth two or three thousand silver.Especially the fabrics, whether they are self-produced and sold, and calculated according to the market price, account for the bulk of the bulk, and the head is worth a thousand silver.It is estimated that Xiao Li's hand is forced to squeeze out more face, after all, no one's money is blown by strong winds.

As for the betrothal gift of the Wang family... as a daughter from the general's mansion, it's better not to use it as a dowry, it's embarrassing.

But I picked some decent antique calligraphy, paintings, gold and silver utensils to keep, and put the rest in another house, let Mrs. Liu take care of it in the future.

Looking at it now, other things are acceptable, but the appearance is a bit shabby.After calculating the quota, there is still a spare of one thousand silver. According to the list of my aunt, I picked almost the same ones from the treasury to make up, but there were only two sets that were slightly more delicate.After all, a good pair of shrimp beard bracelets cost two to three hundred silver, such as the one Liuer is wearing.

As for the daily things in the cousin girl's house and the girls and women who served her personally, the things were packed by the women in the courtyard, and they were all sealed up.As for the maid, Jiang Suyun originally brought her back to the Li family.The rations provided by the General's Mansion are now idle.Especially the eldest girl Qingping, because she was born in the general's family, she recognized the third-bedroom Nanny Fang as a godmother earlier. Although she was not aware of the Muni's matter after the trial, she was mostly used, but she really suffered. Banzi is still recuperating at home.

The rest of the needles and threads ordered to the sewing room are trivial matters.Two other important things are the dowry of the shop farm and the companion house.

The shop property of the general's mansion is all in the hands of the old man, except for the dowry of the daughters-in-law.So the two reported the matter to the old man, and it was over.

You don't need to think about it, you know that the matter of accompanying the room is up to Xiao Li's own decision, and the second girl and the people around Xiao Li are inseparable anyway.Mrs. Li can't reach out for things outside, and she is still a master in her room, isn't she?

These things seem quite trivial, because there are ready-made bargains from the cousin girl, and there are rules, the two of them can finish the work in only two or three days, which is quite appreciated by the old man, who praises the two for their ability, "especially the third family, the age It's small, but it's not bad." These are the old man's original words.

Of course, neither of them mentioned showing the dowry list to Mrs. Li for review, and they selectively forgot about it.I believe that even if the two ignore it, Mrs. Li will find out in a way. As for whether it will make a fuss after reading it... Anyway, the old man nodded.

After arranging the dowry of the second girl, the two had just relaxed for a few days when the old man sent a message to Jin Zhu again, "The old man said, if the two grandmas are free, they can plan the fourth master's betrothal gift and yard repairs..."

I haven't seen the shadow of the fourth grandma yet, I don't know why the old man is in such a hurry, but the two of them just started to work in an orderly manner, and it's not a matter of a day or two, take your time, there may be a day when the sister-in-law will recover 'Yes, just in time for her to take over.

Only Mrs. Liu hated Mrs. Li so much that she didn't want to get involved in related matters. Anyway, the second and third bedrooms are all well-measured, and they can't get out of the big picture.So she rest assured that she will not recover until after the fourth master is hired, which is a later story.

As far as Liu'er is concerned, since she came back from Muni's nunnery, her elder sister, Grandma Fu, has come to see her twice.After all, the two families are relatives by marriage now, and the servants of the two families move around a lot, so it is impossible not to hear the wind.

However, sister Yang Xiu saw that Liu'er was fine, on the contrary, she looked brighter and more beautiful, knowing that her life was going well, she was relieved.But discussing it with Zhang Ganma in private, I remembered something more important.

It has been three or four months since Liu'er got married, why is there no movement at all?

As the saying goes, the emperor is not in a hurry to eunuchs, so when sister Yang Xiu came here today, she had to mention it in private, lest Liu'er was young and didn't know the seriousness, and it would be bad if something happened, especially if she went to kneel in the temple or something, she should do what she could .

Next to Liu'er, Nanny Li was older. She had been paying attention to this matter, but she knew about it. She could not help comforting Yang Xiu's son, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, grandma, the old lady is concerned. Now they are just married, and the two bodies All good, but sooner or later, just wait for someone to call your aunt."

Liu Er's face was flushed with embarrassment early, and she hurriedly changed the subject when she heard the words, "Sister, go back and tell your godmother, I will go back to see her in two days, and ask her to prepare some snacks for me. When you come back next time, bring Brother Gui Son and two, I have prepared a lot of things for them, I will take some of them later..."

"Okay, if you say something you don't like to hear, you will kick him out." Sister Yang Xiu scolded with a smile, and then said again, "I won't talk about you anymore, but now a big incident happened in our family, my sister-in-law just settled for someone else gone."

Oops, this is a big deal, Fu Qiufang is now 23 or [-].In other people's homes, the children ran all over the place, and the older ones could start school.

Liu'er hurriedly asked for the details, Yang Xiu's sister smiled and said, "Guess who Xu is from, but you recognize it."

Liu'er frowned for a moment, the family she recognized, not to mention others, the Jia family is considered a large family, with more than ten houses in the capital, the masters, especially the female relatives, have all seen each other.

"Don't be surnamed Jia? Others can't remember it anymore."

Sister Yang Xiu clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Sure enough, it's not his family."

"His family is fine, it's just that it can't be Rongning and Ningfu. If you talk about collateral children... Jia Qiang in Dongfu is one, but the age is not right, and life in the other house is difficult. Only one family is close to the edge... Maybe it's not six. room?"

Because of Jia Qiong's mother, Qian's, Liu'er did not want to name Dao's surname.

Sister Yang Xiu nodded and said with a smile, "It's not who his family is. If you think about it, you know that Uncle Qiong died young, and now he has a son. Poor young lady, it's just a continuation, and she has to be a ready-made stepmother. It's not easy to think about it, after all, her background is much better than ours."

Liu'er nodded, and couldn't help saying, "If that's the case, why did your old lady accept this marriage?" Liu'er didn't know how picky Mrs. Fu was, her heart was higher than the sky.Although I changed my mind later, it can be frozen three feet, and it can be melted in a day.

"Well, my mother-in-law is naturally dissatisfied. It's just that the matchmaker has a lot of background, and my sister-in-law is old after all. It's really hard to find a suitable one except for the sequel, so I just agreed. You know who this Baoshan is, but It's our uncle's seat teacher, the second master of Jia's mansion!"

This is reliable, my brother-in-law Fu Shi is known as the disciple of the second master Jia Zheng, and he has always treated him honestly. Since he came out to be a matchmaker, and the sixth house is a decent family with a little foundation, there is no reason why he can't do it, and Shi Taijun's meaning is indispensable in it. .In particular, Mrs. Fu is the one who loves wealth and honor the most. It is much more important for her son to curry favor with the rich and powerful than for her daughter.In the same way, the son is promising, and the daughter can rely on her, so it won't be too bad. The old lady Fu is very clear about which is more important.

This is a big deal, thinking of going back to her mother's house in the next two days, I have to prepare a gift and go over to have a look, regardless of Mrs. Fu's face, as well as my sister and brother-in-law.After seeing off her sister, Liu'er started gossiping with Nanny Li, and by the way, planned the etiquette for going back to her mother's house tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, before she could go back, the next day, Lin's mansion came to send Shixian's mother-in-law with a letter, "The eldest girl has settled down with someone else, and she just changed it to a more suitable one. It's exactly the same character. It's not another family, it's the grandson of Marquis Dingcheng, the third bedroom." The eldest son is called Xie Lin..."

Liu'er immediately decided to go to the Lin Mansion to see her adoptive father and sister tomorrow, Miss Fu Qiufang, let's go first.