The autumn wind is bleak, and the chill is gradually deepening.
A few gloomy clouds drifted across the sky, piling up as if rain could fall at any moment.
Meixiang, who was by the First Madam's side, was waiting at the door. A cold wind howled past, making her shiver and tremble.
Yu Dai was discharged from the hospital a few days ago to get married, and she was promoted to a higher position. She is now the head maid of the First Madam.
She wrapped her thin clothes tightly around herself, trying to ward off the biting cold, but to no avail.
A familiar figure approached from afar, and Meixiang quickly stamped her numb feet to greet it.
"Granny, winter is almost here. When will our winter clothes be delivered?"
Meixiang's voice trembled slightly. The weather was getting colder, but the manor was still not ordering winter clothes. She was afraid of the cold and was really anxious.
"What's the rush! Unlike those maids who serve outside and have to run around, you sit in the room all day. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Seeing this, Meixiang forced a smile and said, "Granny is right. I've told you so many times, but I just can't get rid of this impatient nature. I really deserve a beating!"
He then pretended to slap himself, looking as if he was admitting his mistake.
Granny Lu looked at her and sighed, "You, well, never mind. I'll remind Madam about the winter clothes. Just wait for news."
After saying that, he turned and went into the house.
As soon as she entered the room through the curtain, she was enveloped in a wave of heat, and Granny Lu couldn't help but rub her itchy hands.
Although Meixiang had just taught that girl a lesson, her anxiety was not without reason.
It got cold early this year; it's not even winter yet, and my hands are already freezing while working outside.
Granny Lu wanted to remind the First Madam, and as soon as she went over, she saw that the table was covered with account books.
The First Madam's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
When Granny Lu saw this, she knew that she was worrying about the household expenses again.
A few years ago, things were fine. The household was quite well-off. Throughout the year, in addition to the income from the estates and shops, they could also receive a lot of extra income from outsiders.
But by the time it came to the eldest son's generation, there was no one in the court capable of holding a high position, so the family was left with only the empty title of imperial relatives.
These men and women in the family still think they're living the good old days; none of them are frugal when it comes to spending money.
Now, only his wife manages these trivial matters in this mansion.
Although the lady is in charge of the entire Cheng family, it's a job that's all show and no substance.
The family's food, clothing, and daily necessities, relying solely on the income from the estate and shops, had long been insufficient to cover their expenses.
In her opinion, it would be better to ignore all this mess and give herself some peace and quiet.
Well, that's true, but my wife has always been competitive and ambitious. Even if people think she's gained a huge advantage, she'll still hold onto the power to manage the household.
"What's wrong?" the First Madam asked, rubbing her temples.
After hesitating for a long time, Granny Lu finally spoke up: "Every time I leave, the maids in the manor ask me if we should prepare winter clothes earlier since it's getting cold early this year."
Madam Cheng's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again instantly.
He flipped through the account books for a while, only mentioning the major expenses: the monthly allowances for each household, Master Cheng's entertainment expenses, the tuition fees for the boys at the academy, plus the food, clothing, and daily necessities for the masters of the mansion.
These expenses combined are barely enough to cover the costs, and we simply don't have any extra money to spare.
The First Madam probably realized the thorniness of the problem, so she simply closed the account book and said, "We won't be making new winter clothes this year." Her voice carried a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.
Granny Lu was well aware of the First Madam's difficulties, but as an elder in the household, she had to remind her of the risks involved.
“Madam, we didn’t make any new clothes last year. The maids are still wearing the ones from the previous year, which were made with inferior cotton. After two years, they’re no longer warm enough. This winter is going to be colder than usual. If we don’t make new clothes for the maids, I’m afraid they’ll complain.”
"Complain? They dare not! Who makes new clothes for their servants every year? Aren't they just wearing the same clothes every few years? They're all like leeches, only knowing how to suck blood!"
The First Madam abandoned her ladylike demeanor, sat on the couch with a gloomy face, and began to curse loudly.
She cursed for a long time, her words sharp and sarcastic. The maids outside were so frightened by what they heard that they lowered their heads and carefully slipped away from under the window, afraid of being discovered by the First Madam.
Finally, the First Madam got tired and stopped talking.
"Mama Lu, quickly go and get me a calming pill..." the First Madam said, rubbing her head.
Granny Lu trotted into the inner room, rummaged through the medicine box and took out a pill, then rubbed the wax between her hands.
Taking the tea handed to him by Granny Lu, he swallowed the pills in one gulp, and only after catching his breath did he say, "I remember that the cotton used back then was of three different grades?"
Granny Lu quickly replied, "Yes, the head maids and the head maids use second-class equipment, the lower-class equipment is third-class, and the rest use inferior equipment."
"Then this year we'll only make new clothes for the head maid and the head housekeeper. Their old clothes will be distributed, so that each person will have two sets of clothes, which should be enough."
Although the First Madam's words seemed to make some sense at first glance, upon closer examination, they contained many flaws.
Knowing the First Madam's temper well, Granny Lu dared not say anything more and could only do as she was told.
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