Nan Yong's wife replied respectfully, "Yes," and accompanied Eleventh Lady to see the boxes that Xu Sijie had almost packed.

Eleventh Lady looked at the neatly arranged boxes and crates, then looked at the maid who was quietly packing things, and she couldn't help falling silent.

The maids in Xu Sijie's room were of different sizes.

Shuangyu and Xier were both awarded by her back then. One was eight years older than Xu Sijie, and the other was five years older.

Three years ago, Shuangyu's family arranged a marriage for her, and they were just waiting for her to be released when she reached the age. She no longer had the desire to compete, and she didn't want to offend anyone, so she developed a mind of Amitabha. Xier helped to take care of most of Xu Sijie's affairs. Shiyi Niang considered that after Xu Sijie moved to the outer courtyard, Nan Yong's mother would no longer be able to serve him, so she picked two very smart maids. One was called Qingyu and the other was called Moyu, and they were only eight or nine years old.

She thought that she would be fine in the inner courtyard with her keeping an eye on her. She felt relieved when she went to the outer courtyard with Xi'er watching over her. But ever since the incident in Sanjing Hutong, she had always felt a little uneasy.

Thinking of this, she asked Nan Yong's wife: "If I remember correctly, your girl seems to be the same age as Jie Ge'er!"

Nan Yong's wife was stunned and said, "Madam has a very good memory. She is exactly ten years old this year."

Eleventh Lady went with her to Xu Sijie's inner room.

"You also know the rules of the mansion. In order to prevent the brothers from growing up in the hands of women, they must go to the outer courtyard when they are ten years old. The wet nurses and housekeepers who used to serve them closely are not allowed to be taken out. Food, clothing and daily expenses are all taken care of by the personal maids."

This is also to prevent the wet nurse or the mother who manages the house from taking advantage of the relationship of serving the master since childhood and instigating the master to do something immoral for personal gain.

Nan Yong's wife looked a little gloomy.

Xu Sijie was raised by her, but the situation was the most embarrassing. She had helped him to block so many rumors and gossips, both overtly and covertly. Now she could no longer be by his side to take care of him, and she didn't know what would happen in the future! She was worried about him just thinking about it.

"...You have been working for Jie Ge'er for the past few years. Niu'er often comes to play with you and sometimes helps you do some chores for Jie Ge'er. She is very capable. If you are willing, why not let Niu'er work for Jie Ge'er!"

Niu'er is ten years old. She was just thinking of asking for a job for Niu'er, preferably one that can be by Xu Sijie's side. If Xu Sijie has any problems, she can also know in time. Shiyi Niang's initiative to mention it was like a pillow that was found when she was sleepy. Nan Yong's wife was overjoyed. She immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times to Shiyi Niang: "Thank you madam for your kindness. I will definitely ask Niu'er to serve the Fifth Young Master well."

Eleventh Lady personally stepped forward and took her hand: "You have brought up the Fifth Young Master since he was a child. You have made an indelible contribution to his development from what he was like when he first came to what he is like now. Niu'er is your own flesh and blood. Why should I worry about you?" She added, "When you have nothing to do, come to the mansion to see Niu'er, and visit the Fifth Young Master and me. As for the monthly allowance, according to the rules of the mansion, in the first year after entering the mansion, you will only be provided with food and clothing. After a year, you can get the monthly allowance of a fourth-class maid. If you do well, you will be promoted slowly."

Nan Yong's wife understood what she meant and said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Madam. I will definitely visit the Fifth Young Master often, and I will also come to the mansion often to greet you."

Eleventh Lady nodded and went back to discuss the date of moving with Xu Lingyi: "Why not move at the end of this month. On the second day of the second month, the dragon rises, and Mr. Zhao is back. He can invite Mr. Zhao and Zhun'er to sit in his room." He added, "I also want to add a two-room retreat behind the main house for Jie'er to use as a workshop. Do you think it's feasible?"

The place where Xu Siyu lived had an extra back room compared to Xu Sijie, so it would not be out of the ordinary to build a back room for Xu Sijie as well.

Xu Lingyi didn't care. These things were fine as long as Shiyi Niang said so.

"Then I'll ask Manager Bai to cover the setbacks before the end of the month."

Eleventh Lady nodded, and Chief Steward Bai sent a steward to work day and night to repair the damage, while she was busy looking for a servant for Xu Sijie.

By the end of the month, although the house still exuded a pungent smell of Baikui, Xu Sijie moved in after paying homage to his ancestors and saying goodbye to his lady.

Eleventh Lady starts to get busy with the Girls' Festival on March 3rd.

The old lady was very happy about the birth of Cheng'er. She privately said to Mother Du more than once: "When Eleventh Lady gives me another grandson and Zhun'er marries the Ninth Miss of the Jiang family smoothly, I will be satisfied and can close my eyes and meet the old marquis and the ancestors of the Xu family." So the old lady showed great interest in this March 3rd festival: "...invite the three major opera troupes to perform for three days in a row. Send invitations to the wives of Lord Liang and Lord Dou. And the old lady of the Gan family," the old lady smiled, "poor such a gentle and honest person, let her come out and relax as well, so that she won't be sad at home alone without anyone to comfort her. If she has any concerns, just tell her that I invite her to talk to your second sister-in-law." At the end of the words, the smile had faded and the tone of voice was a little melancholy.

There is a reason why the old man said this.

Something is happening in the family of Lord Zhongqin again.

At the beginning of the year, someone sued their family for selling the same yard twice. The buyer of the yard was Dou Ge Lao's nephew on one side, and Fan Weigang's uncle on the other side. The yard was in a good location, and the matter was exposed. Neither family was willing to give up, so they took the deed to Shuntian Prefecture to sue. Lan Ting came to see Shiyi Niang, and Xu Lingyi wrote a letter to Fan Weigang, and Fan Weigang's uncle withdrew the lawsuit. Dou Ge Lao heard about this case from somewhere and ordered his nephew to find another place to live. As a result, the Gan family could not pay back the 30,000 taels of silver that the two families had paid for the yard. The Gan family wanted to sell the yard to someone else, but the news had already spread, and others did not want to get involved, so they could not find a buyer for a while. Mrs. Gan took her young sons and daughters to kneel down and cry to Mrs. Gan, begging her to take out money to help out for the sake of the children - if the Gan family could not pay back the money, the marriages of the children would be affected.

Mrs. Gan was soft-hearted and gave her the contracts for two shops. When Mrs. Gan's brother found out and rushed over, Uncle Zhongqin had already sold the shops.

Dou and Fan were both the emperor's right-hand men, and they were afraid that someone would make a fuss about this, so they naturally kept silent. The Gan family said to the outside that it was the steward who made a mistake, and they took out the money quickly, so the matter was naturally settled soon. But the Xu family was the party involved, and Xu Lingyi specifically inquired about the Gan family's situation. Lan Ting did not hide some things from her. Shiyi Niang knew that the Gan family had lost all the money they had complained about because of the unrest on the sea these days, and they also lost the original capital. The Gan family is now an empty shell.

When she saw Madam Gan, Eleventh Lady spoke to her in confidence: "Once it happens, it will happen twice. I think you should either find a way to manage the family affairs, or be ruthless and stop caring about them and let the Gan family sell the land. Then you can use your own money to live, and they will not only look at your expression, but also be grateful to you. If you do this, even if you have mountains of gold and silver, you will not be able to withstand their calculations."

Mrs. Gan was shocked. "Let the Gan family sell the land? How can that be possible?"

"To establish, one must first destroy. Adults cannot stand the loss of glitz and glamour, but it may be a good thing for children to live a down-to-earth life." Eleventh Lady knew that she took out the silver because she was afraid that the Gan family would fall and have no one to rely on, so she said, "Think carefully about what I said." Then she changed the subject and said with a smile, "You haven't seen Jing'er for a while, right? Did he go to Liufangwu to row a boat? I'll ask Mother Gu to bring him to you to see."

Jing'er is lively, cute and sweet-spoken. Madam Gan, who has no children, feels soft-hearted when she hears his name.

A happy smile immediately appeared on her face: "Let him play, let him play." Then she stood up and said, "Let's go see him!"

Xu Siyu is not at home, so Xu Sijian is taking care of the children today.

Although she was accompanied by a maidservant, Shiyi Niang was still a little worried. She went to Liufangwu with Madam Gan.

Jing'er had good eyesight and saw them from afar. He waved his hands and called out "Mom" and "Madam" on the boat.

The woman rowing the boat hurriedly rowed the boat ashore, and Jing'er threw himself into Shiyi Niang's arms, acted coquettishly for a while, and pulled Madam Gan's hand: "Why are you in our house? Let me take you boating!" Everyone laughed.

Eleventh Lady's eyes turned and she asked Xu Sijian calmly, "Why didn't I see Zhun'er and Jie'er?"

Jin said hurriedly, "My fourth and fifth uncles said that boating was boring, so they went to my grandmother's place."

The lady was listening to an opera in the flower hall.

When the Lady Dowager suggested inviting all three opera troupes, Eleventh Lady was cautious and deliberately arranged for the Deyin Troupe to perform on the last day. After the excitement of the first two days, no one would be surprised if she sent Xu Sijie away on the third day.

But some things need to be prevented. She instructed Zhu Xiang in her usual calm voice: "Go and check, so that the two young masters will have someone to serve them."

Zhu Xiang left immediately.

Eleventh Lady and Madam Gan sat on the waterside pavilion near Liufangwu and watched the children rowing.

Because of Eleventh Lady’s words, Mrs. Gan looked a little dazed.

Jin's bell-like laughter and the children's innocent playfulness slowly brought Mrs. Gan back to her senses.

She hesitated and said, "I heard that the Qiao family of Chengguogong had already bought all the shops in Shandong and Shanxi before the New Year. A few days ago, they also sold the two farms passed down from their ancestors. Their son was originally engaged to the commander of the Five Cities Army, but he disappeared in the spring..."

She has lived in the Gan family for decades and has never thought of leaving. Suddenly someone advises her to give up. She knows that this choice is most beneficial to her, but it is difficult to make up her mind... Eleventh Lady can understand her feelings.

"I heard about this from Fourth Madam Tang," said Eleventh Lady. "From what Fourth Madam Tang said, the Qiao family owed a lot of money. Not only their family, but also other families. Marquis Zhongshan was afraid that the Qiao family would not be able to pay it back, so he asked Fourth Madam Tang to look for Madam Qiao twice."

"Mrs. Tang Si is a smart person. She told you this because she was asked by Marquis Zhongshan to find out your family's attitude." Mrs. Gan's expression tightened when she heard this. "What did the Marquis say?"

"The Marquis knew about this a long time ago." Eleventh Lady said, "Duke Cheng even approached the Marquis about this matter. The Marquis said that the two families are old friends. If it is just a temporary problem, it is reasonable for the Xu family to help. However, this time the Duke Cheng's mansion wants to sell the ancestral property for silver, so the Xu family can't intervene. In order to avoid being suspected of adding insult to injury. They resisted Duke Cheng neither softly nor hard."

Madam Gan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then your family's one didn't cry or make a fuss?"

"I don't know if she cried or made a fuss." Eleventh Lady smiled, "Anyway, no news reached me."

Mrs. Gan was about to ask more questions when Zhu Xiang came over.

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The update is a bit late, please wait and read it tomorrow morning!

O(∩_∩)O~