Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Yaoyao obviously likes it
"What did you say?" The county lady frowned and put down the book in her hand, thinking she had misheard.
Excessive? What is excessive? What she did was excessive. The county lady, who felt that she had worked hard all day, was very confused.
He Anting's brows were furrowed, and he acted like the boss. "It's already late in the morning. I went back to the yard, but the house was dark and no one was there. When I asked, I found out Yaoyao had been staying with you for almost a day."
The county lady understood immediately that someone was coming to ask her for someone.
Just because of this incident, she was said to be going too far? The county lady was in disbelief and was furious. Look at her adopted son, how dare he talk to her like that?
"How dare you! Who allowed you to talk to me like that?" The county lady was also angry and her tone became gloomy.
She was using her mother's status to pressure him, but He Anting had seen it all, not even the emperor. He sat down calmly and said, "You're really going too far. Do you think it's appropriate for you to bully people?"
The county lady laughed in anger. What do you mean by "domineering"? She said it as if she really cherished it. "He Anting, I am teaching her about serious matters. A woman who marries into her husband's family is supposed to be in charge of the household chores, manage the family affairs, and be independent. I am willing to teach her regardless of past grudges, and you are not satisfied?"
She took a deep breath and calmed down, not letting herself be led by her adopted son. He had been an official for many years and was not an unreasonable person.
"Don't you know this? You're going backwards the longer you live, aren't you?"
He Anting frowned: "It's just some accounting matters, do you need a day to teach me?" These accounting matters of the housekeepers are very simple, and he can figure them out with just a glance.
The county lady said coldly, "If only it were so. Your wife miscalculated the daily income three times, and didn't make much that day. She's a rotten tree that can't be carved. You married a good wife."
"It's all your father's fault for leaving me with this business. I'm so pissed off by everyone. Accounting is just the first step. After you have children, you'll have to visit them morning and night, manage servants, inspect the shop, and so on. I'm old, too. How long do you expect me to keep toiling like this?"
"Now I give you two choices. Either you ask her to come here every day to learn how to be a housekeeper from me, or I will no longer be in charge of the household affairs."
She just wanted to force He Anting to bow his head. He Anting knew what was more important.
Jing Yao was still counting beads on the abacus in the side room when she heard footsteps approaching from far away. She raised her head and met He Anting's gaze. "Husband?"
"Go back." He Anting looked down at her. Jing Yao was surprised. "You...you are here to pick me up?"
"Yeah." It's ridiculous that he actually came to his mother's place to pick up his wife.
Jing Yao quickly stood up, gathered the account books on the table and held them in her arms, "Let's go."
He took Jing Yao's hand and walked along the path together. He asked casually, "Mother said that your account books always make mistakes every day. What's going on?"
Jing Yao was a little uneasy about this matter at first, but after being criticized several times by the county lady, she came to terms with it. Now she is not ashamed at all, but accepts the reality as a matter of course.
The county lord's requirement was a talented lady from a noble family. She wanted to be that kind of woman. After all, people cannot stay where they are and must make progress.
But progress does not come overnight. Some girls are naturally familiar with housekeeping and accounting, but she started to learn late and is just an ordinary little girl. Why should she be forced to learn too fast?
Just work hard slowly.
Jing Yao explained the matter to He Anting very sincerely. He was slightly surprised and expressed his approval of her idea.
After returning to the house, Jing Yao got tired very quickly and fell asleep almost immediately after taking a shower without saying a few words to him.
Fortunately, he was on leave the next day. When Jing Yao wanted to go to Zhenyueju with the account books again, He Anting refused to let her. Nanny Yuan came to urge her once, but was sent away and never came again.
However, He Anting soon realized that his mother's words were not just talk. As if to compete with him, the county lady directly reported illness and put the household affairs aside.
All the hundreds of things going on in the mansion had lost their backbone, and the maids gathered in the backyard and whispered to each other.
The first day was fine, but a lot of mistakes occurred on the second day. On the third day, even He Qingwan felt something was wrong. She looked for her mother twice but couldn't find her. It was Nanny Yuan who vaguely explained the situation to her.
She was so angry that she was about to go and stand up for her mother. Just as she was approaching Guanlan Courtyard, Qing Wu stopped her: "Third Miss."
"What about her?" she asked coldly.
Qing Wu said respectfully, "I don't know who the Third Lady is talking about."
He Qingwan clenched her palms: "Of course it's the Jing family."
"That's your sister-in-law." Qing Wu corrected her address.
He Qingwan's face looked very bad. She would never admit anyone calling her sister-in-law.
"Madam is resting and can't see anyone."
"Mother is so angry she's sick, and she's still taking a break?" He Qingwan was incredulous. Qing Wu replied, "The master has agreed to this. Miss Three can discuss it with the master when the time comes."
He Anting knew what his mother meant, so he informed Qing Wu in advance and stopped everyone who came outside no matter what they did.
After all, this was a dispute between the mother and son, and there was no need to involve others. He Anting was powerful, and the county lord was not someone to be trifled with. After Old Master He passed away, it was not easy for the county lord to support the family. But as He Anting grew older, he held more power, and he hoped that everyone in the He Mansion would obey his orders.
He really doesn't like anyone to object to his decisions.
Strictly speaking, the county lady was the one who happened to be caught in the crossfire.
If he takes his wife to bow to his mother respectfully and says, "Mother has the final say on family matters," she will have the final say on more and more matters in the future.
So he won't bow his head.
Another consideration was that he hoped Jing Yao could be taught by him personally and that he could give her confidence personally.
In the inner room, Jing Yao was sleeping soundly on a soft pillow under the lilac tent. Imperial Physician Han had just come over to check her pulse and it seemed the fetus was more than three months along and was stable.
Jing Yao's pregnancy reactions seemed to be delayed. She became sleepy and more prone to drowsiness during the day, but everything else was fine.
The weather turned colder in autumn, but she loved the coolness, so she always secretly opened the window to let the cool breeze in and gently blow the gauze curtains.
He Anting would not allow it and would scold her every time he saw her. After hearing this once, Jing Yao opened the door secretly every day to avoid being seen by him.
In the evening, He Anting returned home. Upon hearing this, Jing Yao put down her needlework and went out to greet him.
Seeing her radiant and well-behaved appearance, He Anting couldn't help but reach out and rub her face: "Why are you wearing so little?"
"Too little?" Jing Yao lowered her head in confusion. She was only wearing a normal dress. Suddenly, she realized that there was a kind of cold that made others feel cold. She was greedy for heat and only felt the chill in late autumn.
He Anting took her back to the house and asked, "How's things going at home today?"
Jing Yao obediently answered as he instructed, "After lunch, I went out to the courtyard to digest my food and ran into Nanny Yuan twice. The steward came twice to ask for instructions on some trivial matters. The maids in the backyard gathered together to drink and play mahjong, and the servants took a nap under the eaves."
Today is the fifth day. The first few days were fine. Even without the backbone, everything was still in order. But the longer time went on, the more lazy the servants became.
The county lady seemed to have made up her mind to ignore it and stayed indoors, refusing to come out and showing no reaction to the argument.
"Yaoyao did a good job, Qingwu." He Anting called Qingwu over and ordered in a deep voice, "Call all the maids, servants, and stewards in the mansion."
Qing Wu was also confused, but he still summoned all the people in the mansion as he said.
A quarter of an hour later, the yard was filled with servants, all of whom were small leaders in charge. These people were old men who had worked in the mansion for a long time, and they were all under the command of the county lady, and many of them were her confidants.
Now that the county lord is ill, these confidants know what their master's intentions are. Although He Anting is the pillar of the family now, he only takes care of external affairs and has no control over internal affairs.
They didn't think it was a big deal.
He Anting sat upright in the courtyard. Qing Wu, under his order, brought all the account books for the past five days and asked the maids to report one by one. He flipped through the accounts page by page.
Everyone's heart suddenly became anxious and uneasy.
What was he doing? Checking the accounts? The affairs of the inner courtyard had always been managed by women. When had the master ever interfered in women's affairs? They looked at each other, each seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
Jing Yao sat obediently beside He Anting, and Yun Qiao stood on the side. He Anting did this to let his wife learn from him. She knew how to count on an abacus, but the most important thing was to be able to control others.
The five-day account was checked in just fifteen minutes. Those who deserved punishment would be punished without mercy, and those who did not receive punishment would be given a warning.
"Come to me at this time tomorrow and tell me all the accounts and matters concerning the day. If you have any inquiries during the day, do not bother the county lady; come directly to Qingwu."
He seemed to want to take control of the family into his own hands.
"Qingwu, ask mother to bring me the key tomorrow."
Qing Wu was also extremely shocked. Looking around Bian Jing, there were only a few people who were good at handling all the internal and external affairs. Of course, there were some who did.
He Anting's approach was just a temporary solution. He would take care of it first, and his wife would learn from him. After she gave birth, she would be almost ready, and by then she would be able to handle the household chores as well.
Everyone had different feelings and their eyes were filled with shock.
After the man was sent away, He Anting turned to his wife and said, "Did you see? Since you can't do it, then learn from me."
Jing Yao also looked at him in shock, her mind in turmoil. She had also heard about what had happened in the past two days. She always felt that it was because of her that the unrest occurred, and she kept wondering when she would bow her head.
But she didn't expect He Anting to do this and stand by her to support her.
"I understand, husband." Jing Yao paused suddenly, stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of his lips.
He Anting was a little surprised by her initiative, but very satisfied.
He was good to her, Jing Yao was not a fool and could not sense it. On the contrary, she was flattered and at a loss, and even more uneasy. Was such a good life really hers?
She would often fall into such confusion, sometimes waking up from a nap, sometimes looking at the golden hairpin in her hand, as if she were once again the girl or concubine who was trembling and enduring in fear in the cramped house of Bo's or Jing's mansion.
Feeling so uneasy, she suddenly flew into the air and sat on He Anting's forearm like a child.
She was so scared that she hugged his neck, and the soft snow-white flesh immediately touched the tip of his nose.
She was held astride him, and the two sat facing each other on the armchair. Jing Yao asked, "Will mother be angry?"
"Why are you angry? I'm just helping my mother share her burden. It's a filial duty." He said as a matter of course.
"Don't worry, the Grand Tutor and the Minister of War in the court are all like this, it's not uncommon."
Jing Yao uttered a slow "oh" and was about to say something, but He Anting slapped her lightly on the lower back as a warning: "How long are you going to dwell on this?"
"I'll listen to you, husband," she said quickly.
He Anting raised his hand and touched her: "Nothing?"
Jing Yao's cheeks flushed and she hummed vaguely. She was too shy to say it. She felt that she had become plumper in the past two days. Sure enough, her clothes were a little tight.
She simply did it this way and asked Yunqiao to make a new one.
He Anting's eyes were deep: "Untie it yourself."
Jing Yao bit her lips and reached out with trembling hands to untie her belt. Her shoulders were half-exposed and half-revealed, and her whole body exuded the scent of ripe honey fruit.
She looked like a peeled sweet fruit for He Anting to enjoy.
He Anting felt as if there was a violent villain living in his heart, who wanted to knead her at will, leaving his palm prints wherever she went. He wanted to fold her up and experience bliss, and he wanted to kiss her all the time, making her belong to him from head to toe.
Jing Yao's body trembled slightly, tears welling up in her eyes: "It's so hot, so hot."
Hot? He Anting felt something was wrong and touched her forehead and back. Sure enough, they were all covered in sweat. Was this the Shuangsi medicine Gu taking effect?
The attack meant returning to normal. Previously, he was wondering if there would be any problems with his body.
"It's okay, it's okay." He soothed in a deep voice, stroking her with his palm, following the bumps and grooves, to comfort her.
Jing Yao was at a loss. He Anting hesitated and asked, "Is the pregnancy stable?"
She immediately understood what he meant, her face turned pale, and she suddenly remembered his fierce appearance and became afraid.
Since she didn't say anything, He Anting thought she agreed. He looked around and his eyes fell on the dressing table.
Jing Yao discovered another of his habits. She closed her eyes and refused to open them, but He Anting was still praising her in her ear, with that handsome face that looked very abstinent, and he was very skilled in speaking dirty words.
"Yaoyao, don't you like it?" He asked.
Jing Yao held her breath and refused to answer. According to her guess about him, the result would be the same whether she answered or not: she would be bullied and taken advantage of by him.
"Yaoyao obviously likes it very much." He Anting talked to himself, looking at her dangling appearance with fascination.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
