Chapter 9
Visiting the mother-in-law every morning and evening is something a daughter-in-law should do every day, not only in a wealthy family, but also in a small family. Lin Qingyu was extremely disgusted, but in order not to leave any handle for Liang to use, he had to go to Liang's place every day to pretend.
In the past, Liang couldn't say much to him, and he never responded to women's topics. Liang couldn't do anything to him, and she would usually ask a few questions about Lu Wancheng's situation and then let him go back to Lanfeng Pavilion.
Early this morning, Lin Qingyu stepped into the main hall and saw Liang sitting in the main seat. He knew that she had something to say.
As expected, Liang had two cups of new tea served, and while sipping it, she said, "Qingyu, it's been a while since you married into the Marquis's Mansion."
Lin Qingyu did not respond. Liang waited for a moment and then said, "Do you know what is the most important thing for a wife?"
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "I don't know."
"The top priority, of course, is to give birth to children for my husband. However..." Liang sighed, looking extremely regretful.
Lin Qingyu sneered in his heart: "I can't do this. Madam, you can ask the young marquis to divorce me and marry a good wife who can do it."
Liang was probably used to his cold words, so she was not annoyed when she was contradicted. Instead, she smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? You are Wan Cheng's lucky star. Wan Cheng will never be able to live without you in his life."
After Liang finished speaking, she looked at Lin Qingyu's face. Seeing that he was unmoved, she restrained her expression and said seriously, "As for the so-called 'supporting the husband and educating the children', you can't 'educate the children' for the time being, so you can only learn to 'support the husband'. You are the young master of the Marquis' Mansion, so you should also learn how to manage the affairs of the mansion so as to share the worries of the late Prime Minister."
"To share the young marquis' worries?" Lin Qingyu laughed. "May I ask, Madam, what is the young marquis worried about? Is it that the thrush can't sing, or the mynah bird can't call people? Or... is it his illness?"
As Lin Qingyu guessed, when she heard the word "illness", Liang pursed her lips unnaturally: "Wan Cheng's condition is under the care of Doctor Zhang."
"If I remember correctly, the Marquis once asked me to take care of the young Marquis. The Madam was also present at the time."
"Indeed, that is indeed the case."
Lin Qingyu nodded lightly: "Then has Madam finished speaking?"
Liang's fingers gradually clenched, but she smiled and said, "Long before you married in, I heard from the matchmaker that the son of the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital not only has a first-class appearance, but is also very intelligent, talented, and has a photographic memory. The more capable, the more work. You are so smart, it must not be difficult for you to take care of the family affairs and the health of the prime minister - come here."
An old woman walked in. It was Aunt Liu who was punished to do hard labor a month ago. Madam Liu presented several thick account books and said, "Please have a look, young master."
Lin Qingyu casually picked up the top book and said calmly, "I haven't seen you for a month. Aunt Liu seems to have aged significantly. I'm afraid it's not easy for her to do hard work."
Madam Liu forced a smile and said, "I made a mistake, and I deserve to be punished."
"These are just the account books for this month. Try to sort them out first. If you have any questions, you can always ask mother." Liang said in a gentle voice, "The number is a bit large, but according to your ability... Three days, you sort out the account books and return them to mother within three days, how about that?"
Before Lin Qingyu could speak, Madam Liu interrupted and said, "Young Master, Madam thinks highly of you."
"That's right," Liang said with a smile, "I'm old now, and I want to enjoy life. In the future, this huge mansion will still depend on Qingyu to manage."
Although this master-servant drama is crude, they are right. The mistress handed over the power of housekeeper to the young master. To anyone, it seemed that the mistress was magnanimous and trusted the young master. If you refuse, you will be ungrateful and unworthy of being my wife.
The question is, does Liang really want him to be the housekeeper?
How is that possible. Liang was not like Lu Wancheng's biological mother. She was born in an ordinary family. Her father was just a minister of the fourth rank, and he had to tremble in fear in front of Marquis Nan'an. With the eldest son left by the original wife and a good-for-nothing biological son of hers, the only thing Liang could rely on in the Marquis' Mansion was the power to run the family.
He had no interest in the power to be the head of the Marquis's Mansion, but he was somewhat interested in seeing Liang regretting her past actions and feeling self-blame and shame.
"I appreciate your kindness, madam." Lin Qingyu threw the account books in his hand back onto the tray, "I'll take these as well."
Liang nodded with relief: "Qingyu, please don't let me down."
As soon as Lin Qingyu left, the gentleness on Liang's face immediately disappeared, and she murmured, "He actually agreed so readily..."
Madam Liu squinted at the door and said, "Although the young master seems to be as noble as an immortal, he still cares about the family property of the Marquis' Mansion."
Liang shook her head: "He only thinks about the Imperial Medical Bureau. He shouldn't be that kind of person."
"Why not? Madam, you can't judge a person by his appearance. You must be careful and don't let the young master really take away the power of housekeeper."
"Don't worry about that." Liang said leisurely, "I sent someone to inquire about it. He never asked about the account books in the Lin Mansion before. No matter how talented he is, he can't take care of both. It depends on which one he wants to give up. As for the power of housekeeper... in the end, it can only be mine."
Madam Liu said earnestly, "Madam is wise."
Liang supported Madam Liu's hand and slowly stood up: "Inform the servants who know the accounts, don't let them help the wrong people."
Madam Liu said hurriedly, "I'll go right away."
In Lanfeng Pavilion, Lu Wancheng slept until noon as usual. Hua Lu noticed that he didn't look very well and asked him if he was feeling unwell. Lu Wancheng rubbed his forehead and said, "Headache."
Hua Lu said nervously, "Why do you have a headache for no reason?"
Lu Wancheng guessed: "It's probably because of lack of sleep."
Hualu: “…”
Although headaches and fevers were common for Lu Wancheng, Hua Lu did not dare to neglect him and went to the study to invite Lin Qingyu over.
Lin Qingyu checked his pulse, touched his forehead, and said, "You slept too much."
Lu Wancheng was horrified: "Impossible."
"Why is it impossible?" Lin Qingyu said, "Do you think you are a baby? You sleep for eight hours out of twelve hours a day. If you don't have a headache, who will?"
Lu Wancheng sighed: "What should I do then?"
Lin Qingyu sat on the bedside, pressing the solar plexus on both sides of Lu Wancheng, not too hard or too soft: "Sleep less. If you want to stay awake in the future, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."
The voice stopped abruptly.
Lu Wancheng rested his head on Lin Qingyu's legs, smelling the faint scent of books on him, and suddenly felt a little uneasy. He was stiff for a moment, telling himself that Lin Qingyu was also a boy, then he relaxed, closing his eyes and enjoying the peace of the moment.
But he hadn't enjoyed it for long before Lin Qingyu ruthlessly stopped and stood up, letting Hua Lu take his place.
Lu Wancheng said faintly: "Is this the end?"
"I'm busy."
"Hmm? What are you doing?"
Lin Qingyu said lightly: "You have a good stepmother."
After Lu Wancheng inquired a little, he found out what happened in the morning. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "You're a little anxious. You can't wait for several months...Okay."
Hua Lu didn't understand why, and said, "If Shao Jun is the housekeeper in the future, won't our lives be better?"
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "What are you thinking about?"
In the afternoon, Lin Qingyu walked out of the study with the medicine in his arms. There is an elegant pavilion in Lanfeng Pavilion, which is perfect for enjoying the spring scenery. Unfortunately, Lin Qingyu arrived a step too late and the pavilion had already been occupied by someone else.
Lu Wancheng was half lying on the rocking chair, swaying gently in the sun. He was dressed in red, looking lazy, and his long hair tied up casually added a touch of elegance and grace to him.
Hearing Lin Qingyu's footsteps, Lu Wancheng opened his eyes and looked over: "Why is Doctor Lin here? I thought you were going to stay in the study for a day."
Lin Qingyu said: "Pounding medicine."
Lu Wancheng asked: "Well? Don't you check the accounts?"
Lin Qingyu said: "Let's talk about it later."
"So you want to read medical books and prescribe medicine, and also check the bills? You want both?"
Lin Qingyu asked back: "Otherwise?"
"Can you come over?"
"Try."
"Oh... Doctor Lin, what medicine are you making now?"
"A good medicine for men with kidney deficiency."
Lu Wancheng:?
There are pavilions, waterside terraces, and lush flowers and trees. One of them was basking in the sun while the other was pounding medicine, sharing this boundless spring scenery.
After Lin Qingyu finished preparing medicine for the day, it was already late. He lit the lamp in the study and began to look through the account books. It is true that he had never been involved in the household affairs, but he often stayed by his mother's side when he was young. His mother often checked the accounts, and he learned a lot from her so he had a general idea of the situation.
Accounting is done in a running order and it is not difficult to understand. But the handwriting in the account book Liang gave him was small and blurry. He only read it for half an hour before his eyes started to feel sore. In addition, the recorded dates were confusing, the wording was vague, and the content missing from one book appeared in another... No wonder Liang asked him to finish sorting it out within three days.
But even so, he might not be unable to do it.
It was late at night and the candlelight was flickering. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Huan Tong, who was serving at the desk, ran to open the door: "Young Marquis? Why are you still awake?"
Lu Wancheng stepped into the study with the help of Hualu: "It's a long night, I don't feel like sleeping, and your young master won't let me sleep any more."
Lin Qingyu looked down at the account book and said, "I asked you to sleep less during the day, not to stay up late."
From morning to night, Lin Qingyu did not stop for a moment, and now he could no longer hide his fatigue. Seeing Lin Qingyu's tired face, Lu Wancheng felt a little tight in his chest and said, "It's already midnight, why don't we stop looking for now. How about leaving today's matter to you tomorrow?"
Lin Qingyu didn't even raise his head: "Tomorrow I want to hand over to today's young marquis."
"……Um?"
"Since the night is long and the young marquis has no mood to sleep, why don't you come and help me..."
Lu Wancheng choked, holding his forehead and walking back: "My head starts to hurt again. Let me lie down for a while, lie down for a while..."
Lu Wancheng ran away so quickly that Huantong almost doubted whether his illness had been cured. Huan Tong served Lin Qingyu a cup of fresh tea and complained in a low voice: "Young Marquis is really not helpful at all."
Lin Qingyu was used to it: "He is just a lazy guy. It is better to burn incense and pray to Buddha than to rely on him."
After he finished speaking, Lu Wancheng turned back, walked up to Lin Qingyu without saying anything, and looked at the account book spread out on the table with a serious expression.
Lin Qingyu was puzzled: "What?"
Lu Wancheng leaned forward and blew out the desk lamp.
Lin Qingyu: “…”
In the darkness, he felt a slight chill on his wrist. Someone was holding it. "Go to bed. Leave the account book to me."
Lin Qingyu pulled his hand away: "Leave it to you? Aren't you too lazy to do it?"
Lu Wancheng was speechless for a moment, unable to refute.
"Besides, if Liang finds out about your actions, wouldn't I be charged with disrespecting my husband? I want to do this well because..."
"I know you want to take this opportunity to slap her in the face, but there's no need to be so hard on yourself. You don't like the inner house chores, so why force yourself?" Lu Wancheng said, "Huantong, hide the tinderbox and don't let your young master light the lamp."
Lin Qingyu said coldly: "Young Marquis, just take care of yourself. It's not your turn to ask about my affairs. Huantong, light the lamp."
Huan Tong didn't dare to disobey the young master's words and turned on the light again. Only then did she notice that Lu Wan Cheng's expression was no longer as lazy and casual as before. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "What's your business?"
This kind of Lu Wancheng made Lin Qingyu feel a little unfamiliar.
Lu Wancheng added: "Why is the matter caused by my stepmother your business? Shouldn't it be my business?"
"No need to bother," Lin Qingyu said in a slightly cold voice, "Young Marquis, just rest and recuperate."
Lu Wancheng was silent for a moment, then he smiled and returned to his normal state: "But I can't sleep at night without Doctor Lin in the room."
"Then just hold on." Lin Qingyu didn't feel bad at all, "It won't kill you to hold on for a night occasionally."
Lu Wancheng: “…”
Neither of them slept well that night. Lin Qingyu went to bed in the late night and got up early in the morning to continue working on the account books.
"Master," Huan Tong's voice rang out from outside, "an uncle wants to see you. He said he was sent by the young marquis."
What does Lu Wancheng want to do now?
Lin Qingyu frowned: "Let him in."
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a handsome appearance came in and saluted, saying, "Greetings to the young master. I am the accountant of the Duke Wen's mansion. My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhang Shiquan."
Lin Qingyu was slightly startled, then understood most of it: "The young marquis asked you to come..."
"The young marquis wrote a letter to the Duke overnight, saying that the young master had a bad account to take care of and was a little overwhelmed. The Duke carefully selected and sent me to help." Zhang Shiquan said respectfully, "Don't worry, young master, I have been working in the accounting office since I was a child. No matter how bad the account is, I can settle it in one go."
Lin Qingyu came back to his senses and handed an account book to Zhang Shiquan: "Manager Zhang, take a look."
Zhang Shiquan flipped through a few pages and said, "This account book has obviously been messed up deliberately. If you can trust me, please give me a day and let me work on it. You don't look well, so go and have a rest."
Every profession has its own specialties, and if he can achieve his goal, he doesn't want to waste time on it.
Lin Qingyu walked out of the study, stopped a maid, and asked, "Where is the young marquis?"
The maid said, "The young marquis went to the garden after dinner."
Lin Qingyu came to the garden. Lu Wancheng was competing in pitching pots with several maids and servants. Huantong lost half of her monthly salary and cried out in pain. Lu Wancheng was standing aside, grinning from ear to ear, looking like an uneducated and unlearned dandy disciple.
Lin Qingyu looked at him for a long time, and suddenly felt that... he seemed to understand Lu Wancheng.
The author has something to say:
Young Marquis: Gradually starting to stand up for his wife
_(:з」∠)_
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