Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Father (Part 2)

Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Father (Part 2)

On the second day, live poultry were distributed. This time, it was not based on the number of people. Each room had a fixed number of geese, ducks, chickens, wild boars, sheep, rabbits, deer, etc. The eighteen rooms in the main clan had more, while the remaining thirty-two side rooms had less. Some of the side rooms had only two mothers and sons living in the skirt rooms, so the number was even smaller. Moreover, some rare items such as sea cucumbers, bear paws, lobsters, and crabs were only available to the clan members.

Cheng Mingyu has always been fair. No one has any objection to the items he listed, and no one dares to object, especially those poor and dependent small households, who are all grateful.

On the third day, they distributed grain, charcoal, pens, ink, paper, inkstones and other sundries. These were mostly used to help the poor families. Not all members of the Cheng family could prosper. Some had only one son for three generations, and the family gradually declined. The children wanted to learn to read, but they didn't even have a pen. All these were reported to the clan's general office. If the steward verified the facts, the family would get some dividends at the end of the year.

There are seven chief stewards in the Cheng family's general steward's office, and under them are seven minor stewards. Some clan members would privately give them some silver to curry favor in order to gain some benefits. In order to prevent the stewards from corruption, Cheng Mingyu allowed the people from the Discipline Institute to supervise and control the inside and outside. Once bribery was discovered, all family property would be confiscated, the steward would be dismissed from his post, and expelled from the clan, and the relevant clan members would also be punished.

The seven managers who followed Cheng Mingyu all had sufficiently generous shares, and even the year-end dividends were not spared for them. Occasionally, the children of the family were allowed to attend the clan school. If they had a promising future, they could be released as slaves to become officials. Who would be so stupid as to stare at such a small profit? Even if there were such fools, they would be dealt with accordingly, and Cheng Mingyu and his son would never be lenient.

Therefore, the managers of the Cheng family are different from those of other families. They never dare to neglect their masters and all do their jobs conscientiously.

On the fourth day, Cheng Yiyan presided over the annual allowances for the clan school, guest teachers and other hired people in the mansion in the morning, and for all the housekeepers, nannies, maids and servants in the afternoon. At first, each housekeeper took the share of the maids and servants in their department back together, but it was not long before it was discovered that some housekeepers had deducted the share. Later, in order to prevent someone from taking advantage of the loopholes, everyone came to Cheng Yiyan in turn to receive the red envelopes.

Different levels have different amounts of money, from the first-class steward to the lowest-class maid, and they are divided into ten boxes according to their levels. Each box is equipped with the same amount of red envelopes. Each person comes to receive one, and all are registered and recorded. It is fair and just, and everyone below is happy.

If there are people who are honored or have made special contributions, it is another matter if the master gives them extra rewards.

The maids of married women only received 500 yuan according to the quota, but it was different for Cheng Yian. Cheng Yiyan and his wife decided to add some extra money. At night, Lu sent the housekeeper nanny over. Ruhui and Rulan each received five taels of silver, and the other four maids received one tael of silver. They all cried with joy.

Why do so many people rack their brains to become maids beside the ladies? Not only is the salary higher than that of others, but if the master is in a good mood, it is common to give away old clothes and jewelry as rewards. For example, Cheng Yian gave some of his unwanted mink coats to Ruhui and Rulan. If they are in trouble, they can take these treasures and exchange them for money.

Lu Xusheng came for three consecutive days.

Every day, he came on time at the beginning of the evening. If he was late one day, he would cause the old ancestor to ask him about it, and Cheng Yian would be embarrassed. Today he would bring a lotus leaf wrapped chicken, and tomorrow he would bring a scallion pancake, which was different from the delicacies of the Cheng family and had a different flavor.

Cheng Yian accompanied him in the carriage to eat snacks.

"Would you like to come in and sit down?"

"No."

Lu Xusheng also has a bad temper.

Cheng Yian said in a gloomy tone, "Hey, the Cheng family's eldest branch is not the Cheng family's fourth branch. The fourth branch treated you like a baby and pampered you, and you enjoyed it very much. But when you came to the eldest branch, they treated you like Aunt Xun Chang, and you were not happy, right?"

Lu Xusheng said nothing.

He knew that his brother-in-law was controlling him and trying to temper him because he disliked him for not being as obedient, gentle and considerate as other aunts.

Could it be that he really likes the Cheng family's eldest son's family?

He kept the girl well fed and cared for her, and she became unwilling to return home.

Judging from Cheng Yian's complexion these days, it's clear that he's living well in the Cheng family.

Lu Xusheng was also worried. The current situation of the Lu family could not be compared with that of the Cheng family's main branch. He was really afraid that Cheng Yian would not want to go back after living here for a while.

"I heard that your father gave you a very comfortable yard? There's even a hot spring in it?"

Cheng Yian nibbled on the duck leg obediently and nodded vaguely, "Hmm..."

Lu Xusheng laughed, "Your father is free."

During the three days that Cheng Yian stayed at home, Cheng Mingyu did not attend court for three days.

Although the court had given a public holiday, it did not mean that there was no official business. For someone like him, he still spent half a day in the Governor's Office and half a day in the military camp, and was very busy.

"Hurry up and report me to your father."

Cheng Yian immediately became unhappy and glared at him fiercely, "How dare you! Don't look for trouble!"

Lu Xusheng tilted his head and smiled, "Your father has complained about me a lot in the past."

Cheng Yian was so angry that he hit him. Lu Xusheng simply held him in his arms and asked for some interest before leaving.

On his way back, Lu Xusheng thought to himself that having such a powerful father-in-law really forced him to make progress. He could not compete with his father-in-law in terms of gold, silver and jewelry, but when it came to imperial decrees, Cheng Yian would have to rely on him. After all, there was no precedent for requesting imperial decrees for daughters. When he made Cheng Yian the youngest wife of a duke in Dajin, he would probably be able to stand up straight.

Lu Xusheng made up his mind and ignored Cheng Yiyan's tricks. He drove back and was determined not to give in to the Cheng family.

Cheng Yian is not sure whether Lu Xusheng is really going to report Cheng Mingyu or is just threatening him.

Frightened, he quickly walked to the Chuihua Gate, but still felt uneasy, so he walked towards Cheng Mingyu's study.

The last time I came to this yard, it became more and more quiet. But today it is different. There are quite a few people gathered inside and outside.

"Are there so many people?" Cheng Yian slowed down his pace along the corridor.

The person accompanying her today was Ruhui, who saw the trick.

"Isn't the dividend to be distributed tomorrow? In the past, once the head of the family decided, there was no chance of change, and no one was allowed to object. So I'm afraid that the people from each family wanted to come to the head of the family to complain before the list was finalized, and to persuade him to add some money."

After all, the previous few days were just minor battles, and tomorrow will be about the fundamental interests of each family.

Cheng Yian brought Ruhui to the upper hall and saw that the heads of each family were standing outside the study. She even saw the eldest uncle of the fourth family. In fact, the matter was very simple. Every night before this day, someone would want to come to Cheng Mingyu to test the waters. Once one person came, others would worry that he had asked for favors, so they would follow him. After a few times, almost all the people had gathered.

From a distance, I could see several housekeepers standing beside Cheng Mingyu under the corridor.

"Gentlemen, go back. The head of the family is not in the study. The amount to be given has already been decided. You all know it in your hearts. The head of the family said that the first thing to look at is whether the descendants of the family are prosperous, the second is whether the children have a promising future, and the third is whether they have committed crimes and deceived the world. As long as each branch behaves properly, does not bring shame to the family, and works together, you will get a share."

Everyone knew that with Cheng Mingyu's style, there was no room for maneuver, but since others were not leaving, they were reluctant to leave, so they were stuck in a stalemate.

Seeing that the butler was chasing people away, Cheng Yian naturally did not go in.

Just as she was about to leave, Uncle Chen happened to notice her and called out excitedly.

"Miss Third?"

He simply couldn't believe that Cheng Yian would appear here. After all, this person had never spoken of him as his father.

Cheng Yian was called and had to stop, "Uncle Chen."

Uncle Chen left the old man in the courtyard and ran towards her along the stone path. When he arrived at the hall, he immediately smiled and bowed respectfully, "Miss San, are you here to look for the head of the family?"

Cheng Yian had already heard what he said just now, so he naturally couldn't ruin his reputation. "Well, yes, I have something to look for..."

Subconsciously, I wanted to say "cousin uncle", but it was obviously inappropriate. I was still embarrassed to say "father". After thinking for a moment, I said to the steward,

"I was planning to look for my father, but since he's not here..."

“Yes, yes…” Uncle Chen almost fainted when he heard the word “father”. He was afraid that Cheng Yian would go back on his word, so he hurriedly went inside to invite him in.

"The master has just returned. Please follow me to the study to wait for a while. We will be there soon."

At this time, you have to be here even if you are not here.

Cheng Yian was extremely embarrassed by him, but he still followed Uncle Chen to the corridor.

Chen Bo first opened the door and escorted Cheng Yian inside, then he bowed to the people outside.

"My dear masters, the master definitely doesn't have time to see you now, please go back."

The crowd then retreated in twos and threes.

Uncle Chen really did not lie to Cheng Yian. Cheng Yian entered Cheng Mingyu's main study, and there was really no one inside.

This is different from the pavilion we visited last time. The furnishings in that pavilion were more casual and relaxed, but here is very neat and rigorous. The tables, chairs and paintings are all square. It can be seen that this is his study room where he often meets guests.

Behind the armchair on the west side hangs a painting of "Traveling in Mountains and Rivers". The painting style is very majestic, with huge rocks standing tall from the valley to the top of the mountain, filling the entire huge picture. Although the rocks are majestic, the brushstrokes are actually very delicate. Under the dense leaves, there are merchants walking with a slight burden, and just a few strokes make them come alive.

Cheng Yian was watching intently when a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him.

“An An…”

Cheng Yian was frightened and looked back. Cheng Mingyu was standing in front of the antique display cabinet wearing a well-worn robe, holding a Jiaowei Qin in his hand. He was not wearing any ornaments at all, and his figure was extremely slender and handsome. With his clear and noble demeanor, he looked like a famous scholar from the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Cheng Yian's lips moved, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally opened his mouth and called out softly,

"Father..." He tried his best to make his tone sound normal.

The word "father" came unexpectedly and really stunned Cheng Mingyu.

His head seemed to be buzzing, and he was so happy that he didn't know where to put his hands. He didn't respond for a long time, but he was afraid that the child would be scared by him, so he said "ah" quickly. However, the ending tone of this word was slightly trembling, which had already spilled his emotions. Both father and daughter were too embarrassed to look at each other.

After seventeen years of waiting, she finally heard the word "father".

Although he hoped that she would call him "Daddy" in a coquettish voice and act coquettishly with him, he was already very satisfied for now.

Cheng Mingyu forced himself to calm down.

"Sit down and relax..."

He controlled his emotions, slowly put down the harp, came to the armchair beside her, and poured her tea himself.

Cheng Yian looked at him deeply, took his tea and sat down slowly.

Cheng Mingyu sat down just opposite her. The father and daughter were separated by a square table, and they were closer than last time.

Cheng Yian was not used to being alone with him, so he got straight to the point while holding the teacup. "I came here to tell you that I just met Lu Xusheng, who is very stubborn. He said he wanted to report you. I was afraid that you were worried, so I came to inform you."

"oh....."

Cheng Mingyu obviously didn't take it seriously, but Cheng Yian came to visit late at night, and he must not want to see his husband and father quarreling in the court. He wanted to comfort Cheng Yian.

"Don't worry, An An. He didn't do this out of impulse."

It is not a good thing for civil officials and military officers to be too close. The emperor hopes that the Cheng family will be loyal to him, but he does not want the Cheng family to collude with the Lu family. Lu Xusheng always has a purpose in his actions.

Cheng Mingyu carefully explained the reason behind this to Cheng Yian.

"In short, you have nothing to do with Daddy and Lu Xusheng's affairs in the court. Daddy knows his limits, do you understand?"

Cheng Yian looked at him blankly and suddenly sighed.

See, that's the difference between people.

Cheng Mingyu would explain the inside story to her, so that she could be completely relieved.

Lu Xusheng wouldn't, or he was unaware, or he didn't take it seriously, but he overlooked that he always had to worry about the woman at home.

This man really needs some discipline.

"Well, since you know what's going on, I won't bother you any more."

Cheng Mingyu watched her get up and felt disappointed. Of course, it was not appropriate to keep her, so he got up with her and personally escorted her to the Chuihua Gate. He walked back after her figure disappeared. When he returned to his room, he remembered that she had just called him father. He stood there for a long time, stroking the zither with a dazed look on his face.

The next day was a dividend distribution banquet. Cheng Mingyu asked for a day off from the court and sat in the conference room to preside over the event.

But today is different from the previous two days.

Instead of distributing silver to everyone, the head of each room went into a small warm room on the west side of the meeting room and received it one by one.

The amount of money for each branch is different. Cheng Mingyu set it between 5,000 and 15,000 taels. In years with poor harvests, it will be reduced by a few percentage points. In years with good harvests, the more will be donated to the court. First, the number of people in each branch will be considered. Second, the level of success of each branch's heirs will be considered. For example, this year, the twelfth son of the second branch and the thirteenth son of the third branch both ranked in the top ten in the provincial examination in the autumn. In the next spring examination, one of them will surely become a Jinshi. In such a case, appropriate rewards will be given.

Thirdly, if the children of that family cause trouble outside, steal reputations, bully the neighbors, etc., they will all be punished by the Disciplinary Institute and the record will be kept on file. At the end of the year, the dividend will be appropriately reduced according to this file.

Relying on this skill, Cheng Mingyu managed to keep everyone in the Cheng family in good order. Because of this, the Cheng family members had a good reputation outside and were very proud of being a member of the Cheng family.

At first, the amount was disclosed openly, which caused a quarrel among the various rooms. Later, he changed it to tacit approval and did not allow people to inquire about each other. With the files of the Discipline Institute in hand, the various rooms had nothing to say.

The second and third houses were the two houses with the most descendants in the Cheng family. Most of the people in these two houses lived in Hongnong's hometown. Only the young master who was studying would live in the eldest house, and all of them were disciplined by Cheng Mingyu. Because Twelve and Thirteen Lang were doing well, these two houses were given a dividend of 15,000 this year. The old masters had nothing to say and walked out with smiles on their faces.

Arrived at room four.

The ones who came in were the eldest master and the fourth old lady.

Cheng Mingyu didn't waste time talking to them and directly pushed the note with the amount written on it in front of the two of them.

The eldest master took one look and immediately complained bitterly. The old lady also looked miserable.

"Mingyu, this is too little."

In the past, because of Cheng Yian, all four families were able to get the highest share, with a dividend of 15,000 taels, but this year Cheng Mingyu only gave 8,000 taels.

The old lady sat in the armchair opposite him and said with a wry smile, "You know, our daughter Fang is not married yet, and our children are not married yet. They are all studying. Qing'er will also get married next year. We can't make ends meet with this little money."

Cheng Mingyu said expressionlessly,

"First, this cut Cheng Mingyou's dividends. Second, last time he

The disciplinary committee is very unhappy with the mess, and I must give them an explanation."

The eldest master refused to give up, and said with red eyes,

"Mingyu, for An'an's sake, please at least give us some more."

Cheng Mingyu glanced at him calmly, "If it weren't for An An, you wouldn't have received 15,000 in dividends these years. Be prepared for danger in times of peace. When you had money to spend those years, why didn't you save some money and make a living outside?"

The old lady knew that Cheng Mingyu was a man of his word, and she would lose all her face if she continued the discussion. She tugged at Cheng Mingze's sleeve, and the mother and son left the warm room one after another. They did not dare to show any signs of being alone when they left the room, for fear of being laughed at, so they took the banknote and went straight back to the fourth room.

In the old lady's main courtyard, all the people from the four households sat in a row waiting for their dividends.

After Cheng Mingyou and his wife were sent back to the old house, only the ten-year-old Cheng Yiqing was here.

After entering their own courtyard, the old lady and the eldest master sighed at the same time, no longer hiding the disappointment on their faces.

Madam Jin knew something was wrong when she saw this.

"Why? How much did you give?"

The eldest master did not hide it and stood up straight. Jin immediately fell into the armchair and said, "What should we do? Our Qing'er will get married next year, and our two sons are not married yet."

The third wife was better off. She had only one daughter, Cheng Yime. The remaining illegitimate son, Shibalang, was the concern of the old lady and the third master. She didn't care. In the past, they took a lot but never gave her more. She looked the calmest.

The old lady sat down, drank a sip of tea to moisten her mouth, and then held the banknote she had just received in her palm.

"Let's divide it this way. The eldest son gets 3,000, the third son gets 2,000, and I'll keep the rest. Qing'er's share will also be with me."

As soon as these words fell, a clear voice suddenly came from the door.

"Grandma, there's also my mother's share."

When the old lady and others heard this, their faces turned pale.

Cheng Yian strode into the West Warm Pavilion with Rulan and Ruhui. She bowed to the old lady first, and Ruhui brought her a brocade stool. She sat down at the southernmost side, facing everyone and said,

"Grandma, my mother's shop and two thousand taels of silver were all used by you to fill Cheng Mingyou's hole. Today, I ask you to return them to me."

Not only did we have a small harvest, but we also had to deal with debt collectors, which was simply adding insult to injury.

The lady almost cried.

"An An, we have been a family for more than ten years. We should give a favor to each other. You are the youngest daughter of the eldest son and you have plenty of money. Why do you have to force me?"

Cheng Yian's eyes were red as he said, "Because of my mother and me, you have lived a good life for more than ten years, wearing gold and silver, but my mother was forced to jump off a cliff and died, without enjoying the slightest bit. You are not grateful to her, and you even swallowed up her dowry money. How can you have a clear conscience?"

The lady dared not reply to this, and after a while she said,

"Since it was my second brother who spent his second sister-in-law's dowry, he should pay for it. But today's dividend clearly states that all the people from Cheng Mingyou's branch will be killed. An An, if you want to find someone, you have to find the father who passed away."

Cheng Yian ignored her and just looked at the old lady.

"Grandma, you paid the money, I just want to ask you for it."

Going to the old lady means getting today's dividend.

The eldest lady's eyes were fixed on the old lady.

At this time, her daughter Cheng Yiqing suddenly spoke up.

"An An, how can you be sure that your uncle has swallowed up so much money from your aunt?"

Cheng Yian replied indifferently, "Cousin, you want to ask me if I have a dowry list, right?"

Cheng Yiqing didn't say anything. The old lady was the only one who had the dowry list of Cheng Yian's mother.

Cheng Yian smiled, "This is all thanks to the rules of the Cheng family. The Discipline Court prevents the Cheng family's wives' dowries from being embezzled, so a copy of the dowry of every daughter-in-law who marries into the family is made. Now the Discipline Court still has a stub, do you want me to get it for you, cousin?"

Once he goes to the Discipline Institute, Cheng Mingyu will definitely be alarmed, and it might even become known to everyone.

Cheng Yiqing had a quarrel with Cheng Yian over their marriage, and now the two sisters have almost nothing to say to each other.

Instead, Cheng Yimei from the third room suddenly interrupted.

"Since there is evidence, you should give it to Sister An An. After all, it is not yours, so you will feel uneasy holding it, right?"

The third wife was afraid that these words would anger the old lady, so she quickly covered her daughter's mouth.

At this time, the old lady's ability to judge the situation was revealed. She would always make the choice that was most beneficial to the fourth room. It would not be good for them to offend Cheng Yian now. Besides, she was really sorry for Xia Fu.

"An An, what you said makes sense. I'll give you the two thousand taels of silver. As for the shop, I'll give you one thousand silver coins. Is that okay?"

In fact, Cheng Yian didn’t care about the amount. She only cared about giving an explanation to her mother.

"become!"

When the eldest lady heard that the old lady wanted to give out three thousand taels of silver, her heart ached so much that it bled.

"Mother..."

The old lady pressed her forehead with a headache, "Well, each of you two families will reduce another thousand."

That is to say, the eldest master will get 2,000 yuan at the end of the year, and the third master will get 1,000 yuan.

The usually gentle Third Lady suddenly became annoyed and said angrily,

"When An An was here, we didn't get any of the benefits. We, the third room, had to give what we should have given. Why do we have to take the supplement out of our own pockets now? No, I won't agree to it."

The first wife refused to do it, and the third wife also refused to do it, and the two rooms started arguing.

The old lady's eyes met Cheng Yian's in the midst of the commotion.

"What is An An going to do with this money?"

"Do good deeds for my mother, help her accumulate virtue, and hope that she will be a man in the next life... If she can't be a man, at least she can be born into a good family and marry an ordinary husband who will love her, respect her, and cherish her..." Cheng Yian said.

The old lady was also overwhelmed with grief when she heard this, and finally decided to give two thousand taels to the eldest master, two thousand taels to the third master, keep one thousand taels for herself, and give the remaining three thousand taels to Cheng Yian.

"I regret not taking good care of your mother, but I never regret doing this. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here." The old man held the doorstep to see her off, reluctantly saying,

"An An, come home more often."

Cheng Yian's body was shaken violently, and he finally left in tears.

She returned to the main room with the three thousand taels of silver, thinking that she had been living there for several days, and was about to pack her clothes and leave. Unexpectedly, the old maid in the old lady's room came and invited her to the upper room.

"Why are you leaving?" The old lady was very unhappy. "The spoils have been divided outside, and it's our turn. At this critical moment, you want to run away?"

Cheng Yian was embarrassed, "I've already eaten and drunk, do I have to eat and take more?"

The old lady smiled and pulled her into her arms.

"Silly child, if you don't come here to get it, where can you get it? What do you mean by your mother's home? This is your mother's home. Otherwise, why do people say that a daughter should be a daughter of the Cheng family? This is the confidence that our Cheng family gives to our daughters!"