Song Wanning had just returned to the Wen Mansion when Haitang, the old lady's top maid, came looking for her.
"Where did you go, grandma? I'm so busy looking for you." Haitang looked at Song Wanning, who was standing by and relaying the old lady's message, "Grandma asked you to pay this month's salary as soon as possible. Also, Miss Cui from the Lan Courtyard needs some new clothes, so grandma prepared some cloth for her to choose from. Also, Second Master Bai just returned to the Lan Courtyard, and Grandma asked you to give him an extra portion of his salary so he can settle down in the mansion."
"The maids' monthly wages have already been ordered and distributed. Other matters can wait." Song Wanning looked at Haitang and said calmly, "Now that I am the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion, it is true that I have to take care of this large family. However, the Marquis's available cash flow is limited after all. I am afraid that if I spend it recklessly, the Marquis' Mansion will go bankrupt. By then, the money will not be able to be turned over, and such a large family will be waiting for food."
Haitang couldn't figure out Song Wanning's intentions for a moment, but she still knew how to bully others by taking advantage of her power. She opened her mouth and said, "Second Madam, are you going to go against the will of the ancestor? The ancestor has spoken, and you still have room to refute it."
"Miss Haitang, what you said is not right." Song Wanning said coldly, "When have I ever disobeyed the old ancestor's words? It's just that the mansion just built a new courtyard a while ago for the second-house brother Xun'er to marry, and this month there is really no money left for other expenses. Moreover, this month, the allowances of many courtyards have been reduced by me. The old ancestor is the most important, and the allowances of the subordinates are all normal."
"Since grandma said so, I have no choice but to tell the old ancestor the truth." Seeing that Song Wanning was a tough nut to crack, Haitang turned around and left slowly.
Not long after, Cui Xiaoxiao arrogantly came to Song Wanning's courtyard and started yelling, "Song Wanning, you are the mistress of the family. The ancestors asked you to prepare cloth for me to make clothes. Why do you say you have no money? How can such a big family be broke? Are you just trying to make things difficult for me?"
Cai Que couldn't help herself and stepped forward to retort, "Auntie, what you said is wrong. Our grandmother has to manage this large family, and there are so many people in the mansion who need to eat. All expenses are regulated. How can you spend as much as you want? Auntie's share will be delivered to your courtyard soon, why rush?"
"After all, this mansion belongs to the Wen family. There's no way Song Wanning can run wild here." Cui Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, "How can such a large house not even have a few pieces of cloth? I think Song Wanning is not worthy of being a housekeeper. She's running this house so badly that it's leaking everywhere. It's a wonder she has any money."
Song Wanning smiled instead of getting angry. Looking at Cui Xiaoxiao who was crying out to the heavens, she said, "Since Miss Cui says so, why not ask for the housekeeper position and see if you can manage this large family yourself."
"Don't think I don't dare." Cui Xiaoxiao shrugged. "Tingbai has always been accommodating to me. He gives me whatever I want. I should be the housekeeper to let you know how well-off this family can be."
Song Wanning stood in the yard and watched Cui Xiaoxiao leave angrily.
Cai Que stood beside Song Wanning and said worriedly, "Grandma, that concubine must have gone to complain to the Second Master. The Second Master always listens to her. If she really wants to be the housekeeper..."
"That's okay." Song Wanning turned back to her room and said calmly, "I want to see what tricks she can come up with."
Song Wanning sat on the stone bench in the yard, waiting quietly.
Sure enough, after a while, Cui Xiaoxiao called Wen Tingbai from the study.
Cui Xiaoxiao looked pitiful as she looked at Wen Tingbo beside her and said, "Tingbo, I just came to tell my sister that I wanted to make two sets of clothes, but she wouldn't even give me two pieces of cloth. I know I'm a concubine and don't have the right to make my own clothes, but... if I had known that marrying into this place would be so unfair, I would have rather starved to death in the wilderness."
When Wen Tingbai heard Cui Xiaoxiao say this, he hugged her in his arms to comfort her. He turned to look at Song Wanning, his eyebrows furrowed into a 川 character, and said lightly, "Wanning, you have always been the mistress of this mansion. Why do you have to embarrass Xiaoxiao for such a small matter?"
"I really don't mean to make things difficult for you," Song Wanning said calmly. "There's been a big event in the mansion recently, and the expenses are higher than usual. As the mistress of the mansion, it's natural for me to treat everyone equally. If Miss Xiao Xiao comes to me for a few extra pieces of cloth and I give it to her, and someone from another room comes to me today for some jewelry and tomorrow for some clothes, should I, as the mistress, give it to them or not?"
After hearing what Song Wanning said, Wen Tingbai's expression gradually softened, but he still said, "If you can't even do such a small thing, why should I come back? It's better for me to stay in the barracks."
In her previous life, whenever Song Wanning was in trouble, Wen Tingbo would clamor to return to the barracks. Song Wanning was afraid that Wen Tingbo would really return to the barracks, so she always refused his requests.
Song Wanning sneered inwardly at the thought, saying, "If Second Master is determined to return to the barracks, I can't stop him. Just let him do what he wants. For the past three years, Second Master was away, and I've managed the household perfectly. Why are so many things happening now that Second Master is back?"
Wen Tingbai didn't expect Song Wanning to say that. He felt embarrassed for a moment and snorted coldly, "I'm not begging you. If I find you guilty in the future, don't blame me for telling the old ancestor to remove your power."
Song Wanning only responded indifferently, "If the Second Master insists on doing so, Wanning will definitely obey the arrangements of the ancestor."
Wen Tingbo hugged Cui Xiaoxiao and left angrily.
Cai Que was afraid that Wen Tingbai would really go and complain, so she sent her maid to accompany him. A little while later, the maid returned with a reply. After hearing the news, Cai Que came to tell Song Wanning, "I heard that Second Master Bai didn't go to the old ancestor, but instead gave the money he had saved in the mansion to Concubine Cui, and Concubine Cui finally stopped."
Song Wanning was slightly surprised, but then she realized that Wen Tingbai had been fighting outside for many years and had quite a few personal connections.
But as far as Song Wanning knew, Cui Xiaoxiao spent money like water, and Wen Tingbai had never been a frugal person. She was afraid that Wen Tingbai would not be able to hold on for much longer.
In her previous life, Song Wanning not only managed the mansion's expenses, but also used her own dowry to fill them up again and again. Finally, she ran around for the Wen Mansion's farms and shops, increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, and eliminating all the termites in the shops, allowing the entire family of the Marquisate to be immersed in a honey pot.
Do they really think that this marquis's mansion has so much money for them to squander?
Song Wanning closed the account book in her hand and sneered. Now she wanted to see how long this pair of mandarin ducks could live without money.
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