Jiang looked at the account book overnight.

Xu Sizhun got up in the middle of the night and saw that she was still busy working under the lamp. He advised her, "Rest early! It's still more than half a month away from March 3rd. It's still early." Then he took the fur coat 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 smoothed her clothes: "My husband, don't worry about me. Go to bed first! I'll rest after I finish reading this!" She had no intention of resting at all.

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

Jiang hurriedly snatched the account book: "Husband, please don't bother me!" Her tone was slightly displeased.

Xu Sizhun was stunned.

Jiang realized that she was being too blunt, and hurriedly explained with a smile: "Since my mother-in-law has given me this matter, I must get it done. Although it is still more than half a month away from March 3rd, I can check the expenses of March 3rd in previous years, the accounts of banquets, who was invited, how it was organized... all of these things, one by one, no one of them does not require time." As she spoke, she couldn't help but smile bitterly, "My husband thinks there is still early, but why do I feel that there is not enough time!"

Xu Sizhun had the same feeling when he first took over the household affairs.

He was immediately relieved.

"How about calling Mother Song to ask?"

At the beginning, he was called Butler Bai.

"Mother Song is someone close to my mother, how can we order her around casually?" Jiang shook her head. "Don't worry, my husband. I also learned accounting from my mother when I was at home. Besides, my mother copied the account books of previous years to me. I also have a person from Yuan Baozhu's family with me... I just took over and am not familiar with it. It will be fine once I get familiar with it."

Xu Sizhun knew his wife was smart and clever. If she said that, she must be sure of it. Thinking that he would meet Lu Yonggui 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 3. When 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 nothing wrong with it, so she called Yuan Baozhu's family in and said, "Help me take a look at it again. If you think it's ok, I'll give it to my mother-in-law."

A banquet list was drawn up according to old customs, including the cost of each table, the dishes for the banquet, the number of maids, wives and old women who would be needed to serve...even the tips for the actors, all 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 sighed, "I really can't find any fault with it!" She pointed to the "12 flower boats" written on it and said with a smile, "The fourth young lady wants to move the place for watching operas and banquets to Biyi Lake, right? But Madam Tai and Madam Huang are old and can't stand the bumps of this boat. Do you think we should move to another place?"

Jiang did mean that.

When she was a child, she went to the south of the Yangtze River with her father. They sat in a flower boat and went fishing. The boatwomen 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 being tossed around!"

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

"I just thought of it too!" 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 stopped her and said, "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 we'll have to rearrange the banquet..." At this point, she smiled bitterly, "I'm still busy."

Only then did she deeply realize the gap between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

If you want to be the head of the family, it also depends on whether your mother-in-law allows you to be the head of the family; if you don’t want to be the head of the family, it also depends on whether your mother-in-law agrees.

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

There were seven or eight boxes and crates in the west room. Shiyi Niang and Ying Niang, the aunt and niece, were standing side by side, smiling, selecting fabrics for clothes. Qiuyu, Fangxi and others were serving them.

Seeing Jiang, Shiyi Niang invited her to sit on the big kang by the window, and smiled and told Ying Niang: "I remember there are two pieces of white scorched cloth, find them as well. We will make half-sleeves when the time comes."

Jiang smiled and said, "Mother, are you preparing the material for summer clothes?"

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

"Thank you, mother!" The fine gauze tributed by Guangdong is light, thin and breathable, and is the best for summer clothes. Because they are all tributes, they are rarely seen on the market. It is very precious. Jiang thanked Shiyi Niang, and Yingniang had already brought over two pieces of ginger-colored fine gauze with a smile.

Jiang asked Baozhu to accept it. Seeing Yingniang wearing a pea green jacket and a pink eight-panel Xiang skirt embroidered with plum blossoms, with only small pearl earplugs on her ears, she looked pretty and lovely. She smiled and said, "My sister is from Jiangnan. Are eight-panel Xiang skirts still popular in Suzhou this year?"

Yingniang smiled and said, "I don't really understand these. This is my trunk and long's clothing. My aunt saw that I was wearing a white lace skirt and asked me to find a pink skirt..." As she spoke, she looked down at her skirt and smiled, "So I found one."

The two of them laughed and talked for a few words, and Jiang took out the charter that she had written overnight.

Eleventh Lady read it carefully for a while, closed the book and smiled, "Not bad, not bad. It is indeed a good idea to hold the banquet on Biyi Lake. It is very rare that you can think of connecting all the flower boats in your home with iron chains for the banquet." She left the things and called Amber, "Go and tell the mothers in charge to come to the flower hall early tomorrow morning. I have something to tell you."

Amber smiled and stepped back.

Jiang's face flushed slightly, and a hint of excitement flashed in her eyes.

Eleventh Lady accepted all her suggestions. This kind of affirmation was very important to her. At least it showed that although her mother-in-law scolded her that day, she did not hate her because of it.

"In a couple of days, the mansion will have to make summer dresses for the maids." Eleventh Lady said to Jiang with a smile, "When the time comes, you can discuss with the headmistress of the needlework room to see what kind of material to use and how much silver it will cost."

Jiang was stunned, but soon recovered, smiled, stood up and replied: "Yes!"

Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and brought tea: "Go down and have a rest! Remember to come to the flower hall early tomorrow morning!"

Jiang bent her knees and retreated.

I couldn't help but stop when I went out.

Yingniang's cheerful laughter could be heard from the room: "...I have seen bean pods, but I have never seen bean pods wrapped in red gold with jade!"

Jiang knew that her mother-in-law and her eldest cousin were discussing jewelry.

She quickly left the main courtyard.

Shiyi Niang smiled and said, "I also think it's too heavy. But it's a gift from your uncle, so I'll just keep it here. Tomorrow the jewelry maker will come to the mansion, and I'm going to turn it into a hairpin." Then she picked a pearl flower made of hibiscus stone and gave it to Yingniang, "You are young, and these soft accessories will look good on you."

"So beautiful!" Yingniang thanked happily and played with it in her hands for a long time.

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly and asked her, "Have you decided what kind of clothes to make?"

Yingniang looked at the colorful summer dress materials in front of her and said in embarrassment, "I, I haven't decided yet! Usually my mother helps me make them, and I wear whatever she makes!"

Eleventh Lady laughed: "You don't have any favorites!"

"Yes!" Ying Niang smiled a little embarrassedly, "It's just that the sewing master always made it according to my instructions, but when I put it on, everyone said it didn't look good."

Eleventh Lady couldn't help laughing.

The two of them were choosing fabrics for clothes while discussing what clothes to make.

Xu Sijie came over to greet him after school.

"It's already noon in the blink of an eye!" Eleventh Lady smiled and took out a piece of purple velvet and put it on the kang. She asked the maid to invite Xu Sijie in and said to Yingniang, "Put this away. In the summer, give it to the maids and wives to make velvet flowers to wear."

Yingniang smiled and asked her personal maid Wanxiang to put it aside.

Xu Sijie walked in.

"Mother, are you looking for fabrics to make summer clothes?" He smiled and bowed to Eleventh Lady. He caught a glimpse of the velvet beside him. "Are you starting to make velvet flowers now?"

Do you know this?

Even I don’t know?

Yingniang muttered to herself and couldn't help but look at Xu Sijie twice.

"This material is at the bottom of the box. If I hadn't found the white charred cloth this time, I would have forgotten it long ago." Eleventh Lady saw it and said with a smile, "Since you have found it, let your eldest cousin keep it. In case you forget it later." Then she smiled and said, "Aren't you going to take a rest in a few days? Yingniang also likes flowers and trees. When the time comes, you can help me move a few gardenias to the backyard with Yingniang."

Xu Sijie responded with a smile.

Yingniang also showed some joy.

* * * * * *

Jiang returned to her room and hurriedly copied the list of guests twice - before the formal notice was posted, the list of guests had to be shown not only to the Madam, but also to Eleventh Lady, to avoid missing anyone. She also called Yuan Baozhu's family and calculated all the expenses, and even asked Yuan Baozhu's family to find out the prices of vegetables these days and write a list for her.

"So troublesome?" Xu Sizhun, who had just returned from the outer courtyard, couldn't help but mutter, "When I saw my mother at that time, she just handed the silver to the mother in charge..."

Jiang laughed and said, "I'm not asking for money from the mothers in charge. I'm just afraid that when the mothers in charge talk about these things, I won't know anything. Others will think I'm someone who can only talk but not practice."

That makes sense.

When he was in the outer courtyard, some shopkeepers felt that he did not understand, and when he asked them, they just gave a cursory explanation and left the matter at that.

Jiang was busy until noon, and she couldn't hold on any longer, so she took a break. In the afternoon, she got the price list and read it all afternoon. The next day, she got up before dawn. Thinking that today was her first formal meeting with the mothers in charge, she washed and dressed for a long time, and then went to Shiyi Niang's place surrounded by maids and wives.

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Additional update will be added on September 11th!

O(∩_∩)O~