After the old lady returned and settled in, she began to consider which courtyard in her house would be suitable for Xu Di to use as a new house.
Xu Di is the eldest grandson of the Xu family. Although he is the son of a concubine, his marriage cannot be taken lightly because of his status as the eldest grandson. After the old lady revealed her intentions to Ning Shi, Ning Shi thought for a moment and said, "Grandmother, there is a courtyard in the garden that has been neglected for many years and needs to be properly renovated. I think that courtyard is quite nice. It is not far from here, nor is it far from his third aunt's courtyard. It is close to the garden and has a nice view."
The old lady thought for a while before remembering the place. She said, "I remember now. Go and have someone invite our Third Madam and the Eldest Young Master over. If they think it's suitable, then decide on the location. As for how to build it and what it should look like, let Di Ge'er decide for himself."
Ning said, "The cost of building this courtyard should be covered by public funds."
The old lady said with a smile, "Our young master is not short of money."
Ning said with a smile, "Grandmother, the eldest young master is not short of money, but we can't break the rules of our mansion. What should be used for public purposes should be used for public purposes. I will arrange for someone to invite the third mistress and the eldest young master right away."
Two rough-looking old women carried the sedan chair in a soft sedan chair, with Madam Ning following behind, and went directly to the courtyard in the garden of the mansion.
Xu Di was helping the Marquis organize his things in the study in the front courtyard when someone came and conveyed the old lady's wishes. Upon hearing this, the Marquis said, "I'll go take a look too." So Xu Di accompanied the Marquis towards the garden.
The Yongning Marquis's mansion is a large house that is long from north to south and slightly narrow from east to west. The front courtyard is the Marquis's territory, where the Marquis's study and reception area are located. There are several smaller courtyards, which are where the young masters of the mansion will live after they turn seven. Further north from this area is the hanging flower gate, and behind the hanging flower gate is the mansion's back courtyard.
The old lady lived in a large courtyard behind the hanging flower gate. Behind the old lady's courtyard was the mansion's garden. The garden was not very large, and many small courtyards were built around it. Each household lived in one or three courtyards.
The courtyard that Ning mentioned was very close to the garden. Years ago, it was the residence of a favored concubine in the mansion. After the concubine passed away, her children were separated from the family and moved out. The courtyard was abandoned and has been abandoned ever since. From the outside, the house still looks quite nice, but the inside is dilapidated.
When Xu Di and the Marquis arrived, the old lady was already standing at the courtyard gate with Ning Shi and Zhang Zhaoci. The gate was originally locked, but because it hadn't been opened for many years, the lock was so rusted that it couldn't be opened with a key. It was Ning Shi who asked an old woman to find an axe to chop the lock open, and only then was the courtyard gate opened.
This courtyard is next to the one where Aunt Zhu used to live. The grass in the courtyard is very tall. It's autumn now, and the wild grass that used to be more than half a person's height has withered and turned yellow, making it look even more dilapidated.
The Marquis frowned and said, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to use this courtyard as Di'er's bridal chamber?"
Xu Di didn't care about the courtyard. The more dilapidated the courtyard was, the better. The more dilapidated it was, the more parts he could fix. He would feel more comfortable living in a courtyard that he built according to his own wishes.
Xu Di remained silent upon hearing the Marquis's words. The old lady said, "I think this place is quite nice. Before winter arrives, we should hire craftsmen to tear down the house and rebuild it. Next spring, we can tidy it up properly. It will be a very nice place."
Seeing that the old lady had spoken, the Marquis didn't say anything more. However, after looking at the house, Ning Shi began to calculate how much silver it would cost. The Marquis then said, "Since it's a new house for Di Ge'er, the public funds should be used according to the rules. Any amount that's not enough can be taken from my private treasury."
When the Marquis spoke, Ning felt a weight lifted from her heart. Ning actually had her own plans. After the Marquis and his wife passed away, only her and her son's descendants would remain in this vast manor; the other branches of the family would have to separate and move out. This was a rule established by the Marquis's manor a few years ago. Now, the public funds were used to renovate the courtyard, and in the end, it would be her children and grandchildren who benefited. Therefore, Ning thought that since she was in charge of the household, she should be generous when necessary. However, after opening the gate and seeing the state of the courtyard, Ning felt that the public funds probably wouldn't be enough. If that happened, wouldn't she be the one left to suffer the consequences?
Unexpectedly, the Marquis also wanted to contribute money, which was exactly what Ning wanted.
Seeing the Marquis's words, the old lady smiled and said, "Di'er is the eldest young master of our household, so his marriage cannot be taken lightly. How about this, after the house is built, I will provide all the furnishings for the house, okay? I've made quite a bit of money growing rouge rice on the estate, all thanks to Di'er's help. I'm an old woman who rarely leaves the house, but I still earn a considerable income from this every year. I'm making this decision in front of everyone: I will give one thousand taels of silver to each of my great-grandchildren for their weddings, no matter what it's for. This money can be used for any expenses related to the wedding."
Everyone was naturally delighted to hear this and kept thanking the old lady. The old lady smiled and said, "You should thank our young master instead of me. It's all thanks to the young master's help that I have this income. Since I have money, I can be generous. I just hope that our young master can help me think of some ways to make money. Although I am old, my love for money is still young."
Everyone laughed along with the old lady's joke.
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