Under the firm arrangement of the senior madam, Su Rong moved out of the small courtyard and moved into the Madam’s west-side yard.
The senior madam was a formidable figure, who in just three short days, transformed her west yard into a replica of the Nuanxiang Pavilion from past years.
From the first day Su Rong moved in, she watched as the madam directed people to transfer things to the west side courtyard, one by one. She sat on the steps, propping her chin, watching a person who had always pinched pennies to save up dowries for her daughters act so generous now. It was evident that the woman attached great importance to her marriage, and for the first time, she willingly spent a significant amount of money on her.
The memories of her biological mother were somewhat vague. All she remembered was a reserved and gentle woman who embroidered clothes for her in dim lamplight, always with a hint of sadness on her face. It wasn’t till the moment before she passed away that she revealed her, there was a marriage contract waiting for her, and she had to remember it. After that, she closed her eyes forever.
The senior madam and her biological mother were completely different people. She was by no means gentle, always putting on a stern face, but she was also outgoing and assertive. When she had her first fight with someone, the senior madam praised her, saying that no girl in their family should be bullied. Moreover, she taught all the concubines and sisters that once they entered the family, it was necessary for everyone to get along, and anyone who looked down on others would be driven out.
Ironically, she was born with a fierce heart, and she loved bossing people around. Not only did she fight with strangers, but she also bullied her own family. For this family, she was a rotten piece of meat and every time the senior madam wanted to drive her out, but she never meant what she said.
Ah, in fact, she didn’t know how many times she wished she would really be driven out.
"Even when you need some sun, you should put a veil on. Your face hasn’t been healed yet and it can’t be directly exposed to the sun. Why do you always forget?" The senior madam came over to give a routine inspection of the status and furnishings, taking the opportunity to reprimand Su Rong again.
Su Rong sighed, took the messy veil out of her arms, unfolded it, and covered her face.
Being thin, she settled down next to the window, looking like a small group, obedient, even looking rather likeable.
The senior madam flashed a smile, thinking to herself if she knew earlier that the girl would back down in the face of coercion rather than reason, she should have taken this approach sooner. Would she have wasted all these years being infuriated by her?
The senior madam checked all around, from the rooms to the courtyard, pointed out a few points of dissatisfaction, assigned people to continue adding to and repairing them. Only then she called Su Rong, "Come, let’s look at the account books. You’ve prepared yourself for this for three days, you should be ready by now."
Su Rong: "..."
Account books are such a hassle, she never wants to be ready in her lifetime.
She sat still, trying to persuade the senior madam, "Madam, Zhou Gu ranks fourth in his family, with three older brothers. Moreover, there’s his grandmother and mother in the family, also the eldest sister-in-law. Even if I successfully get married to him, it would never be my turn to manage the family’s affairs, right? Is it redundant for you to teach me this?"
"What is redundant? Once you marry in, the food we eat will be served communally, but you’ll have your own little courtyard to manage. Moreover, he has no title to inherit. You can’t be licking others’ boots and begging for a living all your life, right? You’ll eventually have to establish yourself, right? When the time comes, you’ll get a portion of the household property. You will then be the mistress of your own residence. Wouldn’t you then need to manage the house? You, with your current lifestyle, waste money so lavishly. You wouldn’t even care how much gold or silver treasure you have, it would never be enough for you to splurge. How could you manage the house without studying first? Only by taking control of it will you realize the high cost of living, and then will you learn to manage expenses."
Su Rong inquired further, "What if I study housekeeping but find I can’t control Zhou Gu’s reckless spending, then what?"
Senior madam was at a loss for words.
Su Rong continued, "Madam, haven’t you thought too much about this? Zhou Gu is so audacious that he’ll fight over a woman with someone else, and he has created such a stir that it’s already spread to Jiangning. It shows that he himself is also a reckless spendthrift. There is a high chance he can’t manage his money either. I have worked hard to learn household management, but in the end if I can’t waste any money and let him be the one who squanders it, isn’t that so?"
Senior madam: "..."
She took a deep breath, "A husband and wife can influence each other, can’t you be a bit confident that you can control him?"
Su Rong sighed, "I can’t manage myself, how can I control others?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Senior madam: "..."
That whole likeable, obedient, and cute perception was all a misconception; after all, she was still that despicable girl.
No longer wanting to argue with her, she ordered, "Let’s go. After all, it doesn’t hurt to possess too many skills; whether you use them or not, you need to learn this. If you end up freezing and starving in the future, it will be your own problem, not because I didn’t teach you."
With a sense of helplessness, Su Rong could only follow her obediently. As she moved, she caught sight of Yuewan covering her mouth and giggling in secret, so she immediately said, "Mother, since I’m learning, shouldn’t Yuewan also learn?"
Yuewan’s giggling instantly turned into consternation.
Not letting her off the hook, Su Rong continued, "After all, she will marry along with me in the future, right? If I manage the household, shouldn’t she help me?"
"Yes, exactly." The senior madam agreed, "Yuewan, come over here, and learn along with your mistress."
Yuewan: "..."
With a long face, she meekly responded with a ’yes’ and could only follow the senior madam as well.
The senior madam was amused and annoyed at the same time, thinking that this pair of mistress and maid had quite a character.
After Zhou Gu arrived in Jiangning, he checked into the official residence on that day. Once he had taken a bath, changed clothes, of course, he couldn’t rest, and headed straight out to the streets.
The nights of Jiangning were as bright as the day; there was no curfew here, which surprised Zhou Gu. Even in the Capital City, which was also bustling, there was a curfew at night, city gates would be closed, and the markets would also be shut down, except during holidays.
Zhou Gu was amazed, "There really is no curfew here!"
Ziye nodded, "The travel book was completely accurate."
"There are so many snacks." Zhou Gu went out without having dinner, initially planning to pick a restaurant and order some dishes, but when he saw so many street food stalls, all selling food that he had never seen before, he changed his mind.
Ziye was also tempted, "Young Master, that one looks delicious, why don’t we have a couple of sticks?"
"Sure!"
"Young Master, that one as well... and that... we might as well try them all, right?"
"Sure!"
"Young Master, there’s a huge crowd queuing for that meat sandwich over there, shall we join?"
"Uh-huh."
As a result, the two of them wandered the streets and enjoyed various foods, while the guards following behind them paid for their food. After walking through a whole street, they were full.
Ziye, clutching his stomach, said, "Ugh, Young Master, I can’t eat anymore."
"I can’t eat anymore either." Zhou Gu turned to look at the guards billowing him, who were also too full to carry on and shook their heads at him.
Zhou Gu stared at the extended food street in front of him, and decided, "Should we take a detour? Let’s take another street."
Ziye was reluctant, "Shall we come again tomorrow?"
"We will."
Ziye was relieved, promptly followed Zhou Gu onto a different street — one filled with small shops, taking them away from the temptation of the food stalls.
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