Chapter 10 Follow Me, and You'll Get Meat: "Huh?" "I said, hurry up and spit it out!" From...

"ah?"

"I said, hurry up and spit it out!"

From the time he stepped down from the bridal sedan chair until now, a total of two days have passed, and Yulang has behaved quite well. He can understand what I say, and he doesn't act arrogantly in front of me. As for entering the bedroom, he is even more impressive in terms of strength, which is truly pleasing.

Even the servants in the courtyard all performed their duties diligently. While some were lazy and incompetent, no one was seen deliberately shirking their responsibilities. This at least showed that even though the eldest son's family was overshadowed by the second son's family, Yu Lang could still manage his subordinates. Being able to manage people and also having legitimate jobs outside the home meant that he had already passed the minimum standard.

That's the kind of person she was. Shen Wanqing had already prepared herself mentally for when this person would suddenly become aggressive and rebellious, but she never expected that the first time this person would seriously confront her would be for this reason.

'How can you still be so superstitious?' Shen Wanqing thought to herself, then quickly crossed it off her mind. If there were no ghosts or gods, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Some things shouldn't be said; this is something she should listen to Yulang about.

"Pooh."

"Pah whoever it is, Grandma, three times."

Shen Wanqing's eyes were bright, and with a flicker of her gaze, it seemed as if an entire galaxy was hidden within her dark pupils. She hadn't said a word, yet Yu Lang felt she had said everything. One moment she wanted to laugh at him, the next she was obedient.

"Ptooey! That's enough."

Perhaps Yu Lang's overly serious expression was too intimidating, because Shen Wanqing finally childishly tilted her head and spat three times, almost stomping on him a few times to show her sincerity.

"Before my father passed away, he got drunk and talked nonsense, patting his chest and saying that he was strong and immune to all poisons and couldn't die even if he wanted to. Nobody took it seriously at the time, but he fell ill less than two months later and died in less than a month."

The Imperial Medical Academy summoned countless physicians, but none could offer a definitive diagnosis. Shamans, Taoist priests, and monks came to our house, chanting sutras, exorcising evil spirits, and catching ghosts—they didn't stop night after night. During that period, the soldiers from the Five City Garrison and the infantry avoided us; as long as they didn't cross the line, no one wanted to mess with us.

But even after arriving, they still couldn't keep him. Some said it was because his handsome looks were a precious asset, and they had to take another one with them. Others said it was because Erhe was careless with his words, and that's how his words came true, leading to his death at the hands of fate.

Regardless of the reason, Yulang has since cultivated a much better manner of speaking. He doesn't say what he shouldn't say, doesn't ask what he shouldn't ask, and especially swallows all his nonsense.

Last night, I was so tightly held by Shen Wanqing that I almost died, so I clung to her neck and said a lot of things that sounded like I was going to die.

“I’ve remembered what you said, sir. It’s getting late. Could you ask Granny Zhou to gather everyone in our courtyard? I, as the eldest mistress, don’t recognize anyone anymore.”

It's a good thing that Yulang told her about this; at least she and he, as husband and wife, can still have something to talk about. But this kind of thing isn't suitable for tender moments, and there's no need to hold hands and look at each other with tears in our eyes at this moment. He said it, and she listened; that's enough.

"Chang Shun, go tell Granny Zhou to have the people in our courtyard come in in batches to pay their respects to the eldest mistress. Today, everyone will receive a reward from the eldest mistress."

The first to enter were Granny Zhou and her two head maids, Biyun and Qingshuang. All three had served Yulang since childhood. Biyun was twenty years old, and Qingshuang was nineteen. Both were servants of the Hesheli family, and their parents worked in the household.

“I’ll give Qing Shuang to you. Things in the manor can’t be explained in a day or two. Her father is the manager of the store outside, and her mother manages the estate outside the city. Just tell her what to do, whether it’s something at home or outside.”

Nineteen-year-old Qing Shuang wasn't particularly beautiful, but her calm and composed demeanor suggested she was a capable and sensible person. Sure enough, before Shen Wanqing could say anything, Qing Shuang knelt down and kowtowed, begging Shen Wanqing to give her a new name, thus recognizing her as her new mistress.

"Is Qing Shuang your real name?"

"Yes, Madam, it is my real name."

"This name sounds nice, so I won't change it for you."

Knowing that in this place the hierarchy between masters and servants was clearly defined, Shen Wanqing didn't intend to be an outcast, but she still didn't have the idea of ​​changing people's names at the drop of a hat. She wasn't a dog, who had to poop on everything she saw to assert her dominance.

The gifts prepared for the nanny and head maid in the east courtyard were a piece of plain silk and two silver hairpins. The Hesheli family had been wealthy in the past, and even now they could not be considered truly impoverished.

The servants of such families are wealthier than the ladies and young women of ordinary families. Giving them silver directly would be a slap in the face. Plain silk can be made into clothes that they can wear, and they can also be sold outside for money. This is the only way to give them face.

Shen Wanqing glanced at the expressions of Granny Zhou and Biyun, and knew that the things her mother had prepared in advance were to everyone's liking.

Granny Zhou and Biyun stepped aside, followed by Yulang's two personal attendants, Changshun and Changlu. Changshun usually accompanied Yulang when he went out to lead the horse, while Changlu was in charge of Yulang's private treasury and the study in the front courtyard.

Then came a second-class maid, Jiangxue, a junior maid, Mozhu, along with the old woman in charge of purchasing and guarding the gate in the east courtyard, the cook in charge of the tea room, and the boy in charge of sweeping the courtyard, who all came in to kowtow and receive their rewards.

"These are the only people in our courtyard. If we don't have enough manpower during holidays, we'll hire some helpers from outside. Also, there are some families under the command of the Zuo Ling. They'll come over if there's anything going on at home."

People outsiders say that the Manchus have an easy life, but there are always many Manchus who are not armored and do not own Manchu lands. Especially in the decades since they entered the Central Plains, the number of Manchus has been increasing, and so has the number of idle Manchus in the capital.

These people had no proper work to do, and they were too ashamed to go to the outer city to make a living. Their usual way of earning money was to do odd jobs at the homes of the banner chief, captain, and lieutenant. They didn't earn much money, but they felt that this was the only way to avoid losing face.

Yu Lang was very patient as he spoke, turning to look at Shen Wanqing every few words. Shen Wanqing didn't seem to notice anything amiss, but Granny Zhou and Bi Yun couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Before the new wife entered the family, the master's attitude towards this marriage was quite different; at most, he hadn't openly rejected it. How come his attitude changed so drastically as soon as the new wife arrived? Is the saying "newlyweds are in the honeymoon phase" really not just empty talk?

“Sir, it’s rare that everyone is here today, so please meet the people in front of me. Let me make this clear first, I won’t accept it if you don’t give me a fair reward.”

In the dowry prepared by the Shen family for Shen Wanqing, in addition to gold and silver jewelry and daily necessities, there were also four maids, a wet nurse, and two boys who did rough work.

The head maids Chunxian and Qiuwen grew up with the original owner since childhood. The second-class maids Xueyan and Ningxiang and their family all worked in the Shen family. Xueyan was in charge of the clothes for all four seasons and the needlework, while Ningxiang was in charge of the tea room and medicine. She was good at brewing medicinal tea and was the person that the original owner's mother insisted on bringing as part of her daughter's dowry.

Shen Wanqing's request for a reward from Yulang was just a joke, but the reward Yulang prepared was quite generous. In addition to the cloth and a pair of silver bracelets, each person also received a purse of silver coins, which made Shen Wanqing a little envious.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to discuss with you, sir. Back when I was at home, my maids and nannies never kept watch in the room at night. I always felt uneasy when there were other people in the room."

"How about we clean out one of the corner rooms next door? The person on night duty can sleep there; if anything happens, they can just call out and be heard. Don't bother with 'yours' or 'mine' for the others; from now on, everyone will be from the east courtyard. Let's redistribute the rooms according to monthly wages and age. What do you think?"

When she first arrived that day, Shen Wanqing asked Chunxian how she was doing. This was more important than how much silver she would receive as a reward.

Whether they were her former employees or her current servants who shared her fate, making sure they lived comfortably and ate well was of paramount importance to Shen Wanqing.

There are five main rooms, three bright and two dark. Next to the side rooms are two small corner rooms. One of them was used as a tea room, with two small stoves inside, so you could boil water, cook soup, and heat up some snacks. The other room has always been empty.

Now that Shen Wanqing has suggested giving the rooms to the servants on duty, Yulang is indifferent, but Zhou Mama and the others all think that the eldest mistress's arrangement is good. Compared to sleeping on a footstool in the inner room with a rolled-up bedding, who wouldn't be happy to have a small room to sleep peacefully?

"Granny Zhou, go and tidy up the left corner room. From now on, those on night watch will sleep there. Everyone else will move to the back room. You and Granny Feng can discuss how to divide the rooms. Write down what's missing in the room, and we'll get it from Gongzhong this afternoon."

"This servant has remembered it, my master, please rest assured."

I thought the new matriarch was going to seize power right away, but she only did this one thing.

For Chunxian and the others, this meant that their young lady truly cared about them. And for Granny Zhou and the others, at least the eldest mistress showed that she didn't only want to use the people brought from the Shen family, which was naturally a good thing.

After everyone kowtowed and received their rewards, most of the people in the courtyard dispersed. Only a few head maids and matrons remained, and Shen Wanqing turned her head and gestured to Yulang with her eyes, indicating that they had all met with everyone?

'What else can we do but finish it? Everyone from the East Courtyard is here.' Yu Lang raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Shen Wanqing, who looked at him with some confusion.

Before she was married, the original owner's mother told her a lot about concubines and maids.

She said that daughters should be magnanimous but must never be careless, lest they allow concubines to take advantage of the situation. She also said that daughters should not be preoccupied with romantic feelings, as a principal wife and mistress of the house has many things to consider. Life is long, and the real skill lies in living a dignified and comfortable life.

Anyway, she said quite a lot, and the original owner remembered it all. Shen Wanqing also felt that she was right. Originally, she was prepared to pretend to be friends with other people as 'sisters', but who knew that the Hesheli family would not prepare concubines or maids for Yulang.

Looking at Shen Wanqing's slightly teasing gaze, Yu Lang finally understood what she was asking. His cheeks flushed instantly, and he hastily waved away the people still serving him in the room. He stood up abruptly and went into the inner room, refusing to communicate with Shen Wanqing any further.

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