Chapter 683: Silly (Part 2)

Jiang checked the account book overnight.

Xu Sizhen woke up in the middle of the night and saw her still working under the lamp. He advised her, "Go to bed early! It's still more than half a month away from the Third Day of the Third Month. It's still early." Then he took the leather jacket beside him and put it on her. "You can't get fat in one bite. Some things need to be done slowly."

Jiang smiled at him gratefully and pulled up her clothes: "Don't worry about me, my husband. Go to bed first! I'll take a rest after reading this!"

There is no intention of taking a break at all.

Xu Sizhen was about to close her account: "Let's go and rest together!"

Jiang hurriedly grabbed the account book: "Husband, please don't bother me!" There was a hint of displeasure in her tone.

Xu Sizhen was stunned.

Jiang was surprised that she had spoken too bluntly, and hurriedly explained with a smile: "Since my mother-in-law has handed this matter to me, I must do it properly. Although there is still more than half a month before the March 3rd Festival, I can check the expenses of the March 3rd Festival in previous years, the accounts of the banquets, who was invited, how it was organized... There are so many things to do, one by one, and no one of them needs to be done without effort." She said, and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "My husband thinks it's still early, but why do I feel that it's not enough!"

Xu Sizhen also felt this way when he just took over the household affairs.

He was immediately relieved.

"How about calling Mother Song to ask?"

At first, he was called Bai Zongguan.

"Mother Song is someone close to mother, how can we order her around casually?" Jiang shook her head, "Don't worry, my husband, I learned how to manage accounts from mother when I was at home, and mother handed the account book to me, and I also have someone from Yuan Baozhu's family... I just took over, so I'm not familiar with it, but it will be fine once I get familiar with it."

Xu Sizhe knew that his wife was smart and clever. Since she said that, she must be certain about it. Thinking that he would meet Lu Changgui early tomorrow morning, he yawned and went to bed.

Jiang went over the family banqueting method in her mind, asked Baozhu to grind ink for her, and wrote a set of rules for March 3rd. By the time she put down her pen, it was already dawn.

She rubbed her aching neck and reread what she had written. She felt that there was no big problem and called Yuan Baozhu's family to come in: "Help me take another look. If you think it's okay, I'll give it to my mother-in-law."

According to the old custom, a banquet list was drawn up, including the cost of each table, the dishes for the banquet, the number of maids, daughters-in-law, and old women who would be needed to serve...even the reward for the actors, all of which were taken into consideration. This was several times more attentive than when he was learning housekeeping from Mrs. Jiang at home.

"The fourth young lady has really grown up!" Yuan Baozhu's wife exclaimed, "I really can't find any fault with it!" She pointed to the "twelve flower boats" written on it and said with a smile, "The fourth young lady wants to move the place for listening to operas and banquets to Biyi Lake, right? But Madam Tai and Madam Huang are old and can't stand the bumps of this boat? What do you think, do you want to move to another place?"

Jiang did have this intention.

When she was young, she went to the south of the Yangtze River with her father. They sat in a flower boat and went fishing. The boat girls used the fish they caught to cook dishes. They drank a few cups of wine while looking at the scenery on the lake. The fairy-like scene left a deep impression in her memory.

"How about fixing the boat in one place?" Jiang thought of Zhou Yu in the Battle of Red Cliff. "That way, we can move the banquet to the lake without it getting bumpy!"

"It turns out that the Fourth Young Madam already had a plan." Yuan Baozhu secretly praised Jiang, "I was just too suspicious."

"I just thought of it!" Jiang talked to her a few more words about the banquet, asked the little maid to come in and help her wash and dress, and then went to Eleventh Lady's place.

Yuan Baozhu's family said to her: "Fourth Young Madam, please get some shut-eye. You can't stay like this!"

"I'll be back soon." Jiang was a little worried. "If mother-in-law doesn't like it, I'm afraid the banquet will have to be rescheduled..." At this point, she smiled bitterly, "There's still time to be busy."

At this time, she felt too deeply the gap between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

If you want to be the head of the family, it depends on whether your mother-in-law will allow you to be the head of the family.

Thinking of this, Jiang sighed, and took Baozhu to the main courtyard.

There were seven or eight boxes and crates in the west room. Eleventh Lady and Yingniang, the aunt and niece, were standing side by side, smiling, selecting fabrics for clothes.

Jiang came forward and bowed. Shiyi Niang asked her to sit on the kang near the window. She smiled and told Ying Niang, "I remember there are two pieces of white charred cloth. Find them as well. We will make half-sleeves when the time comes."

Jiang smiled and said, "Are you preparing the material for summer clothes, mother?"

"Yes!" Eleventh Lady took the tea brought by the maid and said with a smile, "Summer is coming soon, and I have nothing to do, so you and your eldest cousin can make some new clothes to wear." She added, "Are Ting'er's summer clothes ready? I have two rolls of fine ramie that were donated from Guangdong. You can use them to make two small clothes for the child!"

"Thank you, mother!" The ramie tributed from Guangdong is light, thin and breathable, and is perfect for summer clothes. However, because they are tributes, they are rarely seen on the market. They are very precious.

Jiang thanked Shiyi Niang, while Ying Niang came over with two pieces of ginger-yellow ramie with a smile.

Jiang asked Baozhu to help. They saw Yingniang wearing a pea green blouse and a pink plum blossom-embroidered skirt with the pattern of Eight Blessings. She only had small pearl earplugs on her ears. She looked pretty and lovely. Jiang smiled and said, "My sister is from Jiangnan. Is the skirt of Eight Blessings still popular in Suzhou this year?"