Chapter 56 Assisting the Butler

The kind voice of Old Madam Ning came from above: "It's alright, it hasn't started yet. Get up, sit down and rest."

Yu Qingci got up and walked to Lu Yunchu's side. Lu Yunchu had already stood up to greet her: "Sister-in-law is not late. I am the one who is early."

With her sister-in-law being so understanding, Yu Qingci smiled shyly and quickly sat down in her seat.

"Madam, everyone has arrived."

Wang, the old nanny beside Madam Ning, whispered a reminder, and Madam Ning nodded: "Then let's begin."

The head maids in charge of each area stepped forward in an orderly fashion to greet and converse with the matriarch, and then withdrew after listening to Madam Ning's instructions. Yu Qingci and Lu Yunchu sat there watching, their attitudes respectful and solemn, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

After finally getting rid of all the servants in the courtyard, Granny Wang directed the maids to serve the three of them warm bird's nest porridge.

Madam Ning smiled and said, "You two must be tired after sitting for so long. Have a bowl of bird's nest porridge to warm yourselves up. It will be time for breakfast soon."

Yu Qingci held the bowl of bird's nest porridge in her hands and took a sip. The warmth from her palms and the comforting feeling as it flowed into her stomach invigorated her. She said, "I remember when I was with my mother, I saw her managing the household like this. It was really hard work, so Mother should drink more."

Madam Ning smiled and said, "Alright, let's drink together."

After drinking the bird's nest porridge, Madam Ning asked, "Having observed for half a day, have you gained anything?"

Lu Yun Chu tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying, "The servants are well-behaved, which shows that Mother has trained them to be very disciplined."

Yu Qingci: "My mother was good at managing her subordinates. Every servant who came up with something was concise and to the point, which made her very efficient and saved time."

Madam Ning smiled at the two girls: "Is that all? If there's anything else, feel free to say it. Even if you're wrong, there are only us here, mother and daughter, so don't hold back."

The two women exchanged a glance. Seeing the confusion on the younger sister's face, they knew she hadn't noticed anything. But Yu Qingci, having lived a second life and managed the household in her previous life, naturally saw through some of it.

So he spoke up, saying, "Judging from what Mother and the head maids were saying, it seems that our household's expenses have been constantly being reduced."

Madam Ning nodded approvingly, then sighed and said, "Everyone says that the General's Mansion is a large and wealthy family. Your father-in-law and husband have made many military achievements. In addition to their salaries, they have indeed received a lot of rewards from the court over the years. There are also the properties that the manor has acquired over the years, such as estates and shops. These are all visible. In the eyes of outsiders, the General's Mansion has accumulated a considerable fortune over the years."

However, I am not a competent matriarch. I am alright in managing the household, but I am not good at managing the general affairs and running businesses. In recent years, those businesses outside have rarely been profitable.

The shops in the capital were barely doing well a few years ago, but after being handed over to two other families to manage, they have become worse year by year. Now it's good enough if they don't lose money.

Although the few estates outside the city yielded some profit, it wasn't much better. If this continued, they wouldn't be able to accumulate any wealth, and they wouldn't even have much of what they had before.

After speaking, Madam Ning looked at Yu Qingci and said, "Qingci, now that you've married into the family, I don't need to hide the situation from you. Yun Chu and I don't need to be provided with a life of luxury. As long as we can make ends meet, we're fine with whatever we want. It's just that you've suffered."

Yu Qingci hurriedly replied, "Mother is right. Since I married into the family, my daily expenses have been quite good, and I haven't had any trouble adjusting. When I was at home, Mother also taught me how to manage the business outside. I will do my best to assist Mother in the future, and everything will be alright."

Madam Ning nodded in satisfaction, then remembered something and asked, "In two days it will be the 100-day memorial for your father-in-law and husband. Several masters from Taijue Temple will come to our residence to perform a Buddhist ceremony. Which courtyard have you arranged for them to be in? How are the offerings and ritual implements for the ceremony prepared?"

Yu Qingci: "Mother, don't worry, everything is ready. The location is in the front yard. I sent someone to tell my second and fourth uncles yesterday."

Madam Ning: "That's good. Since I've entrusted this matter to you, it means I completely trust you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Granny Wang."

He paused, then sighed, "The previous times we went to Taijue Temple to perform the rituals, your second and fourth uncles never paid any attention to it. This time, we are holding the ceremony at our residence, and not a single one of them has come to inquire about it these past few days."

Lu Yun Chu comforted her, "Mother, there's no need to be sad. It's better for us to stay quiet if they don't ask. Since they don't care about Father and Brother's affairs, I don't think Sister-in-law needs to send anyone to talk to them about this."

Madam Ning looked at her daughter helplessly and said, "You're talking like a child again. If we don't inform them beforehand, then we're being disrespectful. As for what they do, it's up to their conscience, and there's nothing we can do about it."

The next morning, two masters from Taijue Temple arrived at the temple with a dozen disciples, chanting scriptures all the way.

The General's Mansion had made preparations well in advance, and the place for the memorial service was set up in a spacious area in the front yard.

As the ceremony was about to begin, Madam Ning looked around and, seeing that the Second Master, Fourth Master, and others had not yet arrived, asked Granny Wang to send someone to urge them again.

After a while, the two families finally arrived late.

The second and fourth masters seemed unaware that they were late, standing there solemnly and silently.

Wei twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "We arrived a long time ago, but we realized that our clothes were not quite right when we were about to leave, so we quickly went back to change. Please don't be offended, sister-in-law."

Madam Ning did not respond. Seeing that most of the people had arrived, she said to the masters, "Let's begin."

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the Third Aunt, an old woman was bowing her head and speaking to the Third Aunt:

“Madam, this old servant just went to collect the allowance for the next two days. You previously asked them to prepare two catties of top-grade bird’s nest, four bolts of water cloud satin, and some rouge and face powder, but the servants who made the purchases didn’t prepare any of them for you.”

This old woman was brought from her own home by my third aunt, so she is addressed as "Madam".

Third Aunt rolled her triangular eyes and glared at them sharply: "How could they not be prepared? Who gave them the audacity? Could it be that these lackeys are deliberately saying this to embezzle the money?"

After saying that, even the Third Aunt herself thought it was impossible. Although she was just a aunt in the mansion, given her domineering nature, no one dared to say anything if she wanted to add more to her allowance. Even her eldest sister-in-law never made her unhappy in this regard.

The old woman replied, "This servant specifically asked Steward Lu, and he said that the old lady has issued a statement that the manor has lost a large amount of income. After the old lady's statement, each household must reduce its expenses. The daily supply of expensive tonics such as bird's nest and ginseng will no longer be available; also, the color of the water cloud satin is too luxurious and cannot be used."