62 Anjuyuan
◎Use Chacha's skills to have a good chat with him◎
When Chu Yufu woke up in the morning, she was casually wearing a narrow-sleeved apricot-colored satin dress, a light amount of makeup, and a green jade hairpin in her hair. She looked gentle and beautiful, but also too young, lacking some of the dignity that a mistress of the house should have.
"Alas, clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse." She sat down in front of her dressing table, looking at her overly soft eyebrows and eyes in the mirror, sighed secretly, and then called Lanzhu to take out a hibiscus purple jacquard dress that she rarely wore. This color was both calm and not old-fashioned.
Lan Zhu skillfully tied her hair into a heart-shaped bun, pinned a jade hairpin with a lotus leaf pattern on it, and put on the pair of white jade bracelets given by the Marquis' Mansion.
Finally, she applied lipstick in front of the bronze mirror, her rosy complexion spreading as Yunsui and Yunxing returned. They bowed and said crisply, "Madam."
Chu Yufu nodded, her fingertips still on her lips.
Yun Sui spoke first, "The general is very busy, often stationed at the military camp or the palace. He usually leaves home early in the morning and returns home in the evening. The Pei Mansion is similar to the Chu family's, with three large courtyards and two smaller side courtyards. Two of them are currently in use: Anle Garden, where you are currently staying, and the adjacent Jinyu Pavilion, which the general uses as a study."
Yun Xing added, "I heard from Steward Ma that there are thirty-two servants in the mansion. Half of them are senior servants transferred from the Shangshu Mansion and are familiar with the rules. The rest are newly recruited and may not be as good at following the rules."
Chu Yufu listened quietly, nodded slightly, and her gaze returned to the mirror.
The person in the bronze mirror still had the same face, but after being dressed like this, he looked more imposing than before.
In front of the main courtyard, servants in light crimson cloth had already arrived, gathering in twos and threes, squeezed into an awkward square, and the sound of whispers was humming.
Lan Zhu stepped forward and pushed open the door. Yun Xing brought out an armchair and placed it on the steps under the corridor. Yun Sui and Yin Suo each moved a low table and served tea. When everything was ready, Chu Yu Fu raised her hand to adjust the gem pendant on her hairpin and walked out slowly.
The people in the courtyard, half men and half women, young and old, saw the new lady appear, but most of them did not immediately bow their heads. Instead, they glanced at her with curious and inquiring eyes, and whispers rose and fell like small waves.
Chu Yufu walked calmly, sat down on the armchair, leaned back gently, reached out to take the teacup handed to her by Yinsuo, lowered her eyes and took a sip. When she raised her eyes again, her eyes were as calm as water, and she quietly glanced at everyone without saying a word.
After ten breaths.
First, the people in the front row lowered their heads and the whispers stopped abruptly. Then, the commotion in the back row gradually died down. In just a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the courtyard.
I don't know who was the first to bow and say, "Greetings to the Madam."
Immediately, someone followed suit and said in unison: "Greetings to the Madam—"
The coldness in Chu Yufu's eyes slowly subsided. She raised her wrist slightly, closed the teacup with a snap, and said softly, "Everyone, get up." Her voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear, and every word was clear.
"I called you all here today, firstly to get to know each other, and secondly to explain the rules of the mansion." Her tone was calm, and she exuded a sense of solemnity, which made everyone hold their breath and listen to her.
"You all entered the mansion earlier than I did, and you should be familiar with the rules. Although I am new here, I will be fair and impartial, and will clearly distinguish rewards and punishments. I hope you will all work together to maintain peace and prosperity in this household. Each of you will perform your duties diligently and serve the master faithfully, and I will not treat you unfairly."
"However, there are three iron laws that must never be broken. I believe they are written in the house rules, but I still want to emphasize them here: one is stealing, two is deceiving the master, and three is laziness and dereliction of duty. Anyone who breaks them will be punished according to the house rules, and there will be no leniency."
After saying the last word, the smile on her lips deepened, her eyes bright: "Do you understand everything?"
"I understand!" everyone responded loudly.
Manager Ma spread out the roster, stepped forward, and called out the names in order. Those called stepped forward and saluted. Chu Yufu nodded slightly in greeting most of the time. Only when the accountant and the mother in charge of the storeroom came forward did she speak, and asked in a gentle voice a few details about the withdrawal of treasury money and the registration of items.
Fortunately, there weren't many people, so the inspection was completed within a stick of incense. Chu Yufu waved her hand and dismissed everyone. The group, which had been disorganized when they arrived, became much more disciplined when they left, lowering their heads and brows until they had exited the main courtyard's hanging flower gate before they dared to speak again.
Manager Ma and Fish Mother were the last ones to come.
After she had put some distance between herself and the servants ahead, Mother Yu glanced back in the direction of Anle Garden and whispered to Steward Ma with a smile, "When I first saw Madam at noon, she was so gentle. I was wondering when the general had changed his temper and preferred this gentle girl. Now that I've heard Madam's lecture, I realize how shallow I was."
Manager Ma frowned and nodded silently as a sign of agreement.
The general's biological mother, Madam Zhuang, was also a remarkable woman, naturally disdaining makeup and embracing military power. She was an exceptional rider and archer, and her business acumen was top-notch. Unfortunately, she was a beauty with a tragic fate, passing away too young.
Yu's mother was Madam Zhuang's personal maid. She once heard the young general say that when he got married in the future, he would definitely find a wife as capable and independent-minded as her mother.
Later, as the general grew older, Minister Pei also intended to find a wife for him, but the general was always dissatisfied after seeing them, so he kept postponing the plan.
When she first met the new wife at noon, she looked gentle and graceful at first glance. Yu Mama thought that the general could not stand Pei Shangshu's nagging and finally compromised. But when she saw him, she was sure that this must be the general's own decision and not a concession after weighing the pros and cons.
Anle Garden.
Lan Zhu beamed, holding onto the back of her chair as she praised, "Miss, you've got to say, that sullen look you had just now really exuded the majesty of a mistress of the house!"
Yun Sui smiled and patted her, "What girl? It's Madam!" Then she continued, "It's not just Madam who's impressive. Lan Zhu, the way you looked at me when you were standing beside her just now, looking at me with a cold gaze, was also quite intimidating!"
Yun Xing covered her mouth and laughed: "Yun Sui, you too, I've never seen you like this before."
Chu Yufu looked at them, her eyes curved, and she said softly, "From now on, you will no longer be second-class servants in the Chu family, but my eldest maidservants who came with my dowry. In this mansion, your every word and action concerns my reputation. You must be careful and thoughtful in what you say and do, and set an example."
The four maids looked at each other, their brows lit up with joy, and they bowed and answered in unison, "Yes! Madam!"
After this matter was settled, Chu Yufu did not plan to go back to her room to rest.
He ordered the maids to open the doors and windows of the main room for ventilation, and began to replace the items left behind from yesterday's wedding. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he was filled with bright red, which was indeed a bit glaring.
Over the bed hung a gilded tent with a red silk base and embroidered with gold thread, depicting children holding lotus and carp. It was a beautiful sight, so he kept it. However, the tent was too transparent, making sleep difficult at night, so he ordered a layer of dark red satin to block out the light.
As for the eternal lamps, pomegranate jars, big red lampshades, pictures of the two immortals of harmony and unity and other decorations, they were all removed.
Everyone bustled about. Chu Yufu, accompanied by Lan Zhu, leisurely toured the entire mansion, starting from Anle Garden. The layout was indeed similar to the Chu Mansion, and she had a general idea of it.
When the two returned to Anle Garden, Yunsui and the others had already packed up. However, upon entering the main house, they were both stunned.
After removing those items, the huge room seemed unusually empty. Except for the red spot on the bed, the walls were bare, the desk was bare, and it was cold and gloomy without any trace of human touch.
Chu Yufu rubbed her forehead and ordered, "Go in and find Manager Ma, get some things from the storeroom, and decorate this room nicely..."
Halfway through her words, she suddenly changed her mind and said, "Never mind, I'll go with you. I know better what to get."
In her previous life, she lived under someone else's roof as a child, lived in a six-person dormitory with her classmates as an adult, and squeezed into a staff dormitory with her colleagues after work. In this life, she also lived in the original owner's Zhuyuyuan. She had never had a room that was completely her own and could be decorated as she pleased, which was also her biggest regret in her previous life.
But the Anle Garden in front of her was different. This was her wedding room, a place that rightfully belonged to her! No matter what the future held, whether her husband Pei Yue was alive or dead, she would live here forever.
This realization was like a small stone thrown into the quiet pond in her heart, creating ripples called a sense of belonging, which made her happy from the bottom of her heart. She didn't care about her sore legs and wanted to go to the warehouse to pick out some supplies in person so that she could decorate the room to her liking.
Arrived at the warehouse.
She went in and took a look around, selecting two thin-necked white porcelain vases, two pairs of smoky-colored pillows embroidered with peach blossoms, a pair of lampshades covered in plain silk with lotus patterns, a fruit plate in the shape of a crabapple blossom, and a set of sky-blue tea sets from her own Chu family...
There were so many things, even the last rosewood screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl was moved in, and the original red sandalwood landscape screen was moved away.
Finally, Yun Xing put a few newly cut pink roses into the porcelain vase, and Lan Zhu used a light lilac ribbon to pull the bead curtain in the inner room to one side.
It happened to be sunset, and the golden-red afterglow filtered through the doors and windows, gently filling the brand new room and making the few tiny specks of dust in the air look like golden powder. Several maids exclaimed in unison.
"Wow! Madam has great taste. This room is so elegantly decorated."
"It's changed a lot. It looks much more comfortable than before, and it's more beautiful than Zhuyuyuan!"
Chu Yufu herself was also very satisfied. With a smile on her face, she walked around the room happily twice. Finally, she leaned comfortably on the soft couch by the window, took a peach blossom pillow into her arms, and rested her chin on her hand to admire her masterpiece.
Yinsuo, who had been squatting in the corner, lit the incense, then stood up, glanced around, and muttered softly, "...Madam, this house is indeed very beautiful, but it just doesn't look like it's occupied by a man."
Chu Yufu looked back blankly and blurted out: "Why should I give a man a place to live——"
Before she finished speaking, she froze on the couch.
Oh my god! She had completely forgotten about the great god Pei Yue!
The image of him with a cold and handsome face emerged in my mind, stepping into my fragrant, soft and warm little nest with an expressionless face...
That scene was so jarring that she could almost imagine the other person frowning and saying the word "take it away" with a cold face!
But,
She looked around the room and couldn't help but look sad. Every item here was picked by her personally, and she spent a long time thinking about where to put them. She really couldn't bear to tear down or change anything!
In other words, is it possible that she could speak softly at night, use her tea-tea skills, and have a good chat with him?
【Author’s words】
The pace of the last two chapters will be slower to develop the relationship, and it will be fine later.
P.S. Breaking news... Meituan, Taobao, and other places have big coupons for takeout lately, which is great! I was so happy. Yesterday, I happily ordered takeout, but we ended up at a place that was terrible. My boyfriend and I both got gastroenteritis, and we didn't get any sleep until 7 a.m. this morning. We were groggy and confused all day. I'll definitely post more tomorrow [burst into tears]. Honestly, coupons are great, but it's also true that businesses are cutting corners... Everyone, when ordering takeout, make sure you order from places that offer dine-in options for better quality! (Buying medicine is way more expensive than the coupons, bummer!)
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