Chapter 40 I Need a Butler
Sun's mother, who was serving nearby, chimed in.
"Madam, you don't need to go see. When I sent Zhao Er's wife to buy chickens in the market, she happened to run into the maidservant of the Second Young Madam."
He was carrying a box, acting suspiciously. Zhao Er's wife, with her keen sense of smell, said she could smell braised pork hock.
Song Yi was stunned, her expression shifting repeatedly, until finally only one thought remained in her mind.
How can people be so evil!
How can a person be so calculating!
Li Nanke picked up a piece of pork rib and ate it with relish.
Her eyes darted between her grandmother and mother, and her eyebrows curved into a smile.
That's great, with her grandmother teaching her mother, she can eat meat without worry.
Song Yi ate her meal listlessly and absentmindedly.
He didn't eat much, but seeing Li Nanke eating so heartily, she couldn't help but drink an extra bowl of soup.
After the meal, Li Nanke followed Song Yi back to Fanghua Courtyard.
As soon as Zilan, who was guarding the courtyard, entered the gate, she reported, "The gatekeeper has sent word that the young master's wife has recovered the profits from the shop."
Before an incense stick had burned, the second young mistress went to the Marquis's study in the front courtyard.
Not long after, the Marquis went to the backyard to find his wife.
Li Nanke blinked and turned to look at Song Yi.
"Mother, what do you think Second Aunt wants to see Grandfather about?"
Song Yi held a cup of tea and carefully considered the reasoning that Madam Hou had given her.
Then she guessed, "Did your second aunt want me to hand over my dowry money to the public account?"
Li Nanke gave a thumbs up.
"Mother is so clever, I never thought of that."
Song Yi smiled wryly, reached out and hugged her, and sighed.
"Ke'er, don't you think your mother is too stupid? Only now do I realize that I've been living like a fool for the past twenty years."
Li Nanke reached out and wrapped her arms around Song Yi's neck, pressing her face against hers.
"Mother is not stupid. Mother was really fierce today. You even made Grandfather leave."
"Ke'er believes that Mother will become more and more powerful."
Song Yi felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but hug her tightly.
After thinking about it, I still felt a little angry.
“Your second aunt refuses to hand over her own dowry, but she instigates your grandfather to swindle my dowry. She is clearly bullying me.”
Your grandmother is right. Your father has been dismissed from his post. If I hand over any more money, our family will have to live at the mercy of others from now on.
Li Nanke's eyes darted around as he turned to look at Song Yi.
"Has Mother ever considered managing the household herself?"
"Me? The butler?"
Song Yi pointed to herself, then quickly waved her hand.
"No, I can't do it. When I first married your father, your grandmother also tried to make me manage the household."
But those densely packed accounts and records of social interactions gave me a headache; I couldn't even understand the simplest ledgers.
The servants at home also disobeyed me, and within a few days, they had made quite a few embarrassing mistakes.
Song Yi looked ashamed and dejected.
"I have no idea how to manage a household, and no one has ever taught me how."
A hint of distress flashed in Song Yi's eyes.
She used to think that her stepmother truly loved her, which was why she didn't let her get involved in mundane household chores like managing the household.
Now I realize that when parents truly love their children, they want them to understand or master everything so that they won't suffer in the future.
If you don't love her, you'll use the excuse of loving and being reluctant to let her go to deliberately make her an ignorant person.
“If you don’t know how, you can learn. We can pay a teacher to teach you, starting with bookkeeping, then learning how to do business, how to manage a household, and how to handle interpersonal relationships.”
Li Nanke held Song Yi's hand and encouraged her.
"Ke'er wants to learn these things too. Let's learn together, Mommy and Ke'er."
Song Yi hesitated, "This... will it work? What if I still can't learn it after trying?"
"Maybe we should just forget about it. Anyway, we haven't paid the dowry money, so we still have some money on hand. Your second aunt wouldn't dare to openly mistreat us forever."
Li Nanke shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"What if one day my second uncle's family turns against us?"
"Turn against...turn against each other? How is that possible?"
Li Nanke puffed out his cheeks and couldn't help but recount the exile he had experienced in his dream.
"...On the way to exile, my grandfather and my second uncle's family spent money to pull strings and abandoned my grandmother and our family of three without hesitation."
Before leaving, my grandfather swindled me out of the last of my silver. Without money, the yamen runners beat us, starved us, and gave us no way to survive.
Li Nanke refrained from mentioning the inhuman torture he endured on his way to exile.
Song Yi exclaimed in surprise.
“How could they do this? Your father and your second uncle are, after all, blood brothers; blood is thicker than water.”
"What if Father and Second Uncle are not blood brothers?"
Song Yi gasped.
"Ke'er, what do you mean by this? Could it be... that the Fairy Granny has other guidance?"
Li Nanke was afraid that his mother would reveal something to his grandfather, so he dared not say too much.
"I'm not entirely sure myself; the old lady's explanation was rather vague."
Song Yi sat blankly under the lamp for a long time, her expression constantly changing.
After a long while, she hugged Li Nanke tightly, as if she had made up her mind.
“Ke’er is right. I need to manage the household. For your sake, for your father’s sake, and for your grandmother’s sake, this family can no longer be managed by your second aunt.”
Li Nanke's eyes lit up.
It's so good that Mother can understand.
Song Yi's face then fell again.
"But where are we going to find a master to learn from? And how are we going to take back the power of managing the household from your second aunt? I... I have absolutely no clue."
Li Nanke gently shook her hand.
"Mother, don't rush. Let's take it one step at a time. I'll take you to see someone first."
She took Song Yi to see Tao's mother, who lived in her courtyard.
Song Yi then realized that her daughter had hidden an injured person in her yard.
After listening to Li Nanke recount Tao's mother's experiences, she couldn't help but shed a few tears.
“Aunt Tao is a good person and a loyal servant. With you thinking of her like this, the Jiang family’s little girl will definitely be alright.”
Tao's mother wiped away tears with red eyes.
"The Crown Prince's wife doesn't know, my daughter has a hard life. She lost her mother at birth, and I raised her from infancy. Before she was even a year old, the master of the house remarried."
As the saying goes, once you have a stepmother, you'll have a stepfather. My second wife was all smiles on the surface but bitter on the inside. She seemed to dote on my daughter in every way.
She often spoke ill of the master behind his back, and the young lady was punished a lot for it. If it weren't for the servant protecting her, the young lady would probably be dead by now.
I wonder if the girl can endure this long journey of exile.
With a stepmother comes a stepfather; the phrase "sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside" deeply moved Song Yi.
Thinking about it, I realize that I'm in a similar situation. My biological mother died when I was young, and I lived like a fool for over twenty years, fooled by my stepmother.
Overwhelmed with grief, Song Yi grabbed Tao's mother and, while crying, recounted her past.
"...I'm so unlucky to have met a heartless manager like Aunt Qian. If I had met someone like Aunt Tao, I wouldn't be in this situation now."
Tao's mother hadn't expected that Song Yi would have the same experience as the previous young master. Whether out of emotion or empathy, she found herself getting along very well with Song Yi.
Li Nanke listened for a long time, until the two of them were so tired from talking, before he finally spoke.
"Once Aunt Tao recovers from her injuries, she can stay by Mother's side and become the head housekeeper of Fanghua Courtyard, assisting Mother in managing the Marquis's mansion. Aunt Tao, are you willing?"
Tao's mother readily agreed.
Song Yi was overjoyed.
She and Tao's mother hit it off immediately. Tao's mother had been navigating the inner quarters of the household for over a decade and was well-versed in the ways of survival within the inner quarters.
With Tao's mother around, she was at least less panicked.
With that settled, Li Nanke and Song Yi, both exhausted from the day, went to sleep.
Li Nanke was still awake when he suddenly heard a thunderclap outside, and lightning illuminated the entire sky.
Zisu rushed in.
"Girl, something's happened."
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