11 Fight between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law
◎If you want to manage your household well, you must know everything!◎
The crowd dispersed and the house returned to silence, leaving only the sound of burning and crackling charcoal.
After Chu Yufu made sure that there was no one outside, she lifted the bed curtains, threw back the quilt and jumped out of bed. Shivering, she groped to the window, took out the paper ball stuck in the crack of the window, closed the window that was letting in cold air completely, and then she breathed a long sigh of relief. She had been freezing to death after opening the window all morning!
She had managed to hold on all night last night, and by the time dawn came this morning, she was barely alive. Her face was as white as paper, and her panda eyes looked particularly scary. When she passed by the brass mirror, she bent down, picked up the handkerchief, and wiped off the cold water that had been poured on her forehead.
As the charcoal burned, the temperature in the room gradually rose. She crawled back into bed and couldn't help but hum the tune of "The Cold Cellar". At the climax, the rhythm changed and it became "The Golden Branch". After a while, sleepiness came over her and she yawned loudly. She wondered what her cousin and Mother Yang would say to her grandmother, but the fact was that her charcoal had been withheld. If she didn't believe it, she could go to the warehouse to ask.
No matter whether she was born out of wedlock or in law, she was always of the Chu family bloodline. Recently, she had gained so much favor in front of her grandmother. It was not reasonable for her grandmother to sit idly by. When she woke up from this sleep, she probably wouldn't have to worry about how to survive the cold winter anymore.
As she dozed off, Chu Yufu's last thought was: We agreed it was just a show, why did that silly Lanzhu knock so hard? I wonder if she's hurt.
-
Stepping out of Zhuyu Courtyard, Lu Jiaan's feet were like the wind, and her scarlet cloak was blown back. If she had worn a sword in her hand, her graceful demeanor would have been just like the chivalrous heroine in the storybooks. Returning to Cishoutang, she told everything she had heard and seen without exaggeration, just stating the facts, but her tone was inevitably filled with righteous indignation.
After hearing this, Old Lady Wei twirled the sandalwood Buddhist beads in her palm and looked at Mother Yang. Seeing her nod, her brows gradually furrowed. "Then can we hire a doctor at Zhuyuyuan?"
Lu Jiaan was stunned by the question. Mother Yang stepped forward and replied, "She must have been invited. The second young lady had already taken the medicine when we went there."
The old lady hummed softly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Send someone to the warehouse to ask."
Mother Yang responded and walked out the door. Lu Jiaan wanted to stay, but she knew that the Chu family affairs were coming up and it would be inconvenient for her to be there. So she took Sang Lu back to the west wing. After entering the room, Sang Lu took off her cloak and said worriedly, "Miss, you are not a member of the Chu family after all, how can you interfere in this..."
Lu Jiaan snorted, his round eyes rolled up as he muttered softly, "I didn't do anything. I just said what I saw. And even if I didn't say it, wouldn't Mother Yang tell me?"
Half an hour later, Madam Yang returned to the main house to report to the old lady, "Madam has indeed cut back on Bamboo Jade Court's expenses recently. All the pens, ink, and candles have been replaced with inferior items, and even the dishes have become less varied. But the most important thing is the charcoal. Only two baskets are allocated to Bamboo Jade Court each month. The second young lady also asked the housekeeper about it, but she was sent back with the excuse of 'saving on her dowry.' She hasn't said anything since."
"Is the news accurate?" The old lady's eyes were gloomy.
"Mother Zhang's little daughter is on duty in the warehouse in our courtyard. She heard all this with her own ears," said Mother Yang.
A cold light flashed in the old lady's eyes. She knocked her Buddhist beads heavily on the table and said angrily, "What a way to save on dowry! When did our Chu family, with its century-old reputation, fall to the point of withholding our daughter's expenses to save for her dowry? If this gets out, wouldn't the whole capital laugh at us?"
Mother Yang hurried forward and touched her chest: "Old Madam, calm down."
"It's no big deal to mistreat a child," Old Madam Wei slammed the table angrily. "Just the other day I said she had made some progress, but it turns out she only made some progress in appearance, not in substance! Now give orders to give the second girl an allowance according to the eldest girl's share!"
"Yes." Mother Yang replied, then hesitated, "What about the Madam..."
"Let her come to see me!"
When Wu first came into the family, the old lady took into consideration her youth and, out of consideration for the respect between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, always spoke in a subtle and tactful manner, only giving her some hints in secret. Now, after ten years of practicing Buddhism, her temperament has become more straightforward, and she is willing to speak her mind.
"Mother."
Mrs. Wu stood in Cishou Hall, kneeling respectfully to greet everyone. Her eyes met the gloomy face of Old Madam Wei, and ripples appeared in her heart. What big thing had happened that required her to be summoned in such a hurry before lunch?
Today she wore a red brocade jacket with lantern patterns, a white silk skirt with gold prints, and a gilded pearl hairpin on her head. The pearls were round and plump, like condensed morning dew, as big as the tip of her little finger, sparkling in the sunlight. They were the finest goods that could not be exchanged for dozens of baskets of silver charcoal. The old lady closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and raised her hand to take a sip of tea.
"Fu Jinge's craftsmanship is still so good. This gilded pearl hairpin must be worth more than forty taels of silver, right?" The old lady said in a cold tone.
Wu didn't understand. What mistress wouldn't have clothes and jewelry to show off? Why was this Chu family patriarch so fussy and always finding fault? Could it be that she was called here because of the two sets of headgear she had bought the day before? Wasn't her elaborate attire also bringing honor to the Chu family?
Thinking of this, Wu straightened her back slightly and replied, "Yes, my daughter-in-law is thinking about attending a banquet at the Luo family soon, so she bought some new clothes and headwear. Everyone will be paying attention to her at the banquet, so she can't be underestimated."
Hearing her defense, the old lady wanted to laugh. How could two sets of jewelry and clothes influence people's opinions? She still remembered that she had said this ten years ago when she first splurged on the clothes. She had reminded her several times since then, but it seemed that Wu still hadn't listened to her words at all.
In the past, she was willing to have a detailed discussion with Wu, but now, she just wants to resolve the matter quickly.
She put down her teacup and suppressed her anger. "Whether you want more clothes or jewelry, I have no objection. But if you can't be frugal yourself, how can you expect others to be frugal? From now on, I don't want to hear about you skimping on the second girl's expenses, especially things like charcoal. My Chu family is still strong, and we won't let our daughter skimp on her dowry!"
"Withholding charcoal?" Wu's face suddenly changed. She suddenly remembered what she had said to the storehouse a while ago. She hurriedly avoided the issue of "saving dowry" and hurriedly defended herself, "What did mother say?"
"I don't understand. I did say a few days ago that we should all be frugal, but I have no idea about the embezzlement of charcoal! Could it be that the maids under my command—"
"Enough!" Old Mrs. Wei shouted.
Each courtyard is frugal? She had just sent someone to the storehouse to inquire, and the eldest daughter and the third brother's allowances had not been reduced at all. How could Wu have the nerve to mention the word "each courtyard"! But what needed to be said had been made clear, and there was no need to tear off the last layer of fig leaf.
She supported Mother Yang's hand and slowly stood up, walking towards the inner room. "If you want to manage a household well, you must know everything! If you can't even discipline your subordinates, then you should first learn how to manage, and then you can manage the household!"
Mrs. Wu shuddered, and stood behind the old lady, clenching her lips and teeth, and whispered, "...My daughter-in-law will follow your instructions."
The old lady rarely lost her temper, and the newly arrived maids, seeing the excitement, crowded behind the screen to eavesdrop. When they heard Wu leave, they quickly scattered like birds and beasts. Wu's face was ashen, but she couldn't get angry. She clutched the handkerchief in her hand and walked out of the main room without looking around.
Back at Yunxi Hall, the untouched food on the table had already grown cold. A cloud of anger built up in Wu's chest and stomach, her eyes reddening with rage. She grabbed the nearby celadon bowl and tried to smash it, but was stopped by Madam Meng, who stood by her. With a wink, she told the maids to leave. After closing the doors and windows, she whispered, "Madam, you can't do that! You just came out of the old lady's room to be disciplined. You mustn't lose your temper. If the old lady hears about this, it will be disastrous!"
Wu gritted her teeth, set down the porcelain bowl, her chest heaving. After a few breaths, she picked up the bamboo chopsticks and slammed them hard on the soft green silk couch. She lowered her voice and screamed, "What does this old hag know? She's lucky! She was born into a family like the Wei family. Her father and brothers are both capable. They have private property that can't be kept in several account books. How can she understand my difficulties?!"
"Money, money, money! There are dozens, even hundreds, of mouths to feed at home, all hungry for money! He'er's getting married, Junze's going to the Imperial College next New Year, and the master has to make all the difference in his job as an official. Don't I have to save face when I go out to meet guests? Don't think I don't know. Those bitches out there are always gossiping about my background. If I don't dress more decently, how can I shut them up? They always say I'm not frugal, but she's telling me how to be frugal!"
She paced back and forth in the room with her handkerchief torn off, and two strands of her hair fell down by her ears.
"Also, how did the old lady know that I cut the expenses of Zhuyuyuan? Could it be that the second girl went to complain? This damn girl! I knew she wasn't a submissive person. What an ungrateful bitch! Wan Yuli, that bitch's son, had the audacity to use the old lady to pressure me!"
Mrs. Wu felt like she was going crazy. She usually cared a lot about her reputation, but the old lady spoke very harshly today, and she didn't even avoid the servants, which made her lose face!
She took a sip of the cold tea and slammed the teacup onto the table. "Where's Yunsui? Let that bastard come over here!"
When Yunsui was called over, Wu walked up to her without saying a word and slapped her in the face. There was a crisp sound, and the recoil hurt Wu's hand. Not satisfied, she slapped her again with her backhand. The little maid was in pain and afraid. She fell to her knees with a plop, and kowtowed repeatedly with red eyes: "Madam, please calm down, Madam, please calm down!"
"What are you doing sitting here doing nothing all day? The second girl has reported the matter to the old lady but you didn't come to report. Are you deaf or blind?" Mrs. Wu's eyes were vicious.
Yun Sui raised her head and shuddered. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately shook her head, "No, it's not the Second Miss, Madam, it's really not the Second Miss!"
"The second young lady fell ill last night. Coincidentally, the old lady wanted to see her today, so she sent someone to report. When my cousin learned about it, she came to visit and found the room very cold. She then realized that the second young lady didn't have enough charcoal in her room and was reluctant to burn charcoal during the day!"
Mother Meng and Mrs. Wu exchanged a glance, then walked over and gave Yunsui a vicious kick: "You bitch, why don't you tell the truth!"
Yunsui cried and tried to kneel straight, "Everything I said is true. The second young lady is respectful to Madam and has no intention of disobeying her. I heard the second young lady tell her cousin that her mother is doing this for her own good and she has never expressed any dissatisfaction with her in her daily life!"
Wu's eyes were complicated. She stared at her for a long time before she said, "Why didn't you report this matter to my cousin earlier?"
"The second young lady was ill and couldn't leave her alone. When I found a chance to get out, I ran into Madam Meng."
Yunsui lowered her head, her hands clasped together in front of her knees. She hadn't told the truth about this. If she had wanted to tip off the second young lady, she would have come long ago. The thought of reporting the young lady's affairs to the mistress made her feel inexplicably guilty, but she was also truly afraid of being blamed. After hesitating for a long time, she finally made up her mind to come to Yunxi Hall, but she ran into Mother Meng head-on. It was too late.
After venting her anger, Wu's anger subsided a little. She sat back at the table and said coldly, "Be more smart next time. Keep an eye on the second girl and report any signs of trouble immediately! Go down."
"Yes." Yunsui kowtowed heavily, got up and walked out the door.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
