Chapter 61 Being a Butler Isn't Easy

The third aunt's face darkened even more. She hadn't expected this fool to speak so bluntly in front of her niece-in-law. The two of them started arguing back and forth.

Yu Qingci silently sipped her tea without interrupting. The two sides argued for a long time before parting on bad terms. Only after the two groups left angrily with their children did she belatedly realize that this was her territory.

Granny Pei smiled and said, "That's right. We're not in a hurry about this. There are others who are more anxious than us. So, young mistress, don't worry about it for now. Let's see what happens first."

Yu Qingci put down her teacup and sighed a few times. As far as she was concerned, there was really no need to rush. So when she went to Songbai Hall again, she told the old lady Ning about this as a joke and advised her not to worry. As long as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not say anything on this matter, it would be useless for these people to say anything.

Madam Ning smiled and replied, "Alright, I'll listen to you from now on. There's no rush."

Then she said to her daughter, "You should learn from your sister-in-law. She's only a few months older than you, but she's very steady and intelligent, and she understands everything very quickly. Also, she's already read the account books I showed you, and she can explain the accounts in great detail. What about you?"

Lu Yun Chu blushed a little after her mother's words and said, "Yes, I will definitely learn from my sister-in-law. It's just that those accounts are too difficult to understand. My brain can't keep up after looking at them for a while."

Lu Yun Chu lowered her head somewhat embarrassed. She really admired her sister-in-law when it came to looking at account books. Just as her mother said, her sister-in-law was only a few months older than her, but she spoke and acted as if she were more than ten years older. Alas, she just couldn't compare.

Madam Ning playfully pointed at her daughter with her finger: "You, you better pull yourself together. We can tolerate you in our own home now, but once you marry into another family, no one will care whether you understand or not. They'll just laugh at us, your elders, for not raising you properly."

Lu Yun Chu sat up straight in fright and said, "Mother, I will not get married. I will stay with you and my sister-in-law for the rest of my life and will not go anywhere else."

Upon hearing this, both Madam Ning and Yu Qingci's expressions changed: "What nonsense are you talking about? What girl doesn't get married?"

"Sister, don't talk nonsense."

It's no wonder the two were nervous. This world is inherently harsh on women. Only nuns in nunneries are allowed to remain unmarried. Ordinary women, even princesses, must marry when they reach a certain age.

Moreover, in this dynasty, if a woman is over twenty years old and still unmarried, even the government has the authority to visit her home to inquire about her situation.

Seeing the two men's serious expressions, Lu Yun could only raise his hands in surrender.

The three of them looked at the account book for a while, and Yu Qingci repeated what she had asked her two aunts.

After she finished speaking, Madam Ning sighed softly again, and then explained the current financial situation of the mansion to the two of them in detail.

Over the years, the General's Mansion has accumulated some wealth thanks to the General and his son. Madam Ning is quite shrewd in business; whenever she receives a reward, she takes advantage of her extra money to buy one or two shops or estates to expand her business.

However, due to poor management, some of them were sold off one after another, and now only a dozen shops remain. The number of estates is even smaller, with only three large estates near the outskirts of Beijing remaining, and the rest have all been sold.

Nowadays, most of the shops in these industries are managed by the second and fourth branches of the family, while the rest are handed over to several old stewards in the mansion, such as those three large estates.

These managers were all soldiers who had followed the general into battle. They were indeed loyal, but being military men, they were not very good at business, so the businesses under their jurisdiction only brought in meager income each year.

The entire General's Mansion has over a hundred people, including the master and servants. The daily expenses for such a large family are considerable. Over the years, the second and fourth branches of the family have lived in the General's Mansion, and their food, clothing, monthly allowances, and even the weddings of the younger generation are all funded by public funds.

Therefore, in the vast general's mansion, only the two generals actually earned money, while the expenses were borne by the entire family.

Now that the two generals have died on the battlefield, the General's Mansion has lost its biggest source of income and is quickly showing signs of decline. Madam Ning has no choice but to cut expenses in the mansion, which has aroused a lot of dissatisfaction among the second and fourth branches of the family.

At this point, Madam Ning sighed, "When the General and Yun Qi were still alive, I never bothered them with these little things. Over time, they grew quite greedy. Now that the household is cutting back on expenses, they feel that I, as their sister-in-law, have wronged them."

Yesterday, the main kitchen delivered dinner to each household, but your third aunt's household was short a portion of stew. Your third aunt actually sent a servant to Songbai Hall to ask me for it.

Old Madam Ning frowned even more as she recalled the embarrassment she had suffered in front of the servants yesterday. Being the mistress of the house was not an easy job.

After listening silently, Yu Qingci couldn't help but ask, "It seems that Third Aunt has been staying in the mansion for quite some time now. Why are her in-laws letting her do nothing?"

Madam Ning frowned even more: "Her parents-in-law have all passed away, her husband died on the battlefield a few years ago, and her children are all married. Now she is the most powerful person in the Yang family. Who can control her?"

Perhaps feeling that since they were all siblings from the same mother, and the General's Mansion had been able to support the second and fourth wives, it should also support her family. So even though the Third Aunt had been married for so many years and had children, she would still occasionally bring her family back to stay.

Madam Ning gets a headache whenever she talks about her married sister-in-law. She was the one who chose her brother-in-law back then, but he unfortunately died on the battlefield. However, her sister-in-law blamed her brother-in-law's death on her own brother, believing that her brother should not have sent her husband to fight as the vanguard, which led to his death.

Over time, the general also felt that he had failed to protect his brother-in-law, and became more tolerant of his sister's unreasonable behavior. He even told her in private that they were all blood relatives and that they should not be favored over each other. As a result, this indulgence made his sister-in-law more and more bossy in front of her, the elder sister-in-law.

Yu Qingci: "My third aunt's family must be doing quite well, right? Besides, my third aunt's husband died in battle, and given his position, the imperial court should have issued appropriate compensation."

Madam Ning: "Of course, all of your third aunt's husband's pension was given to your third aunt. But what is this little bit of money in your third aunt's eyes? Over the years, our family has spent a lot of money on weddings and funerals for your third aunt's family, on helping her nephews get married, and even on burying her parents-in-law."

As the saying goes, "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment." Over the years, the General's Mansion has supported so many people, yet their appetites have only grown larger, their eyes always fixed on the small estate of the public treasury, fearing their own branch might suffer a loss.

So now, the vast general's mansion, though seemingly thriving with numerous businesses, actually has very few places where money can be made. Moreover, with over a hundred people in the mansion needing to eat, wear, and use the money every day, they are now starting to squander their savings.