"Ha," Madam Gu's face darkened further. She slammed the beaded string down in her hand. Her daughter stood to the side, pouting, and said, "Mother, yours doesn't look good. It's not as pretty as my sister's."
The younger sister she mentioned was born to Aunt Huang.
Aunt Huang was from Suzhou and Hangzhou. She was skillful and often made little things to amuse the children.
These words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Madam Gu even more annoyed. She snapped, "If you think your mother's cooking is bad, go find someone who knows how to do it."
The daughter pouted, looking like she was about to cry.
Sixth Master Gu opened his eyes unhappily and said irritably, "You can't even have a moment of peace all day long."
He beckoned his daughter to come closer: "Don't mess with your mother, she's been burned by firecrackers."
Madam Cai heard everything clearly outside and guessed why Madam Gu was in a bad mood, but she could only grit her teeth and wait.
You can only get things from the warehouse if you have a slip of paper.
The old lady was in high spirits and wanted everything done in Wutong Garden, so of course she had to get it done as soon as possible.
After waiting for a while, the maid finally came out and let her in.
Madam Gu looked displeased, but she didn't refuse. She just hastily wrote down a note and went into the inner room.
Mrs. Cai took the note to try and get something, but she couldn't get it.
The warehouse staff said that the design of this strip was wrong. The mansion had only recently changed its style, and Madam Gu might have forgotten. They told him to go back and re-make it.
Mrs. Cai had been running back and forth under the scorching sun, which had accumulated a lot of resentment, but she could only endure it.
This time, Madam Gu was busy with something else and couldn't spare the time to pay attention to her.
Cai's mother was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.
It's like gods fighting, and little devils suffer.
After a long while, Madam Gu Liu finally let her in. With a dark face, she snorted coldly, "Mama Cai is quick to fix the small kitchen, but I asked you to rebuild the screen wall, and you've been dragging your feet."
Madam Cai's heart skipped a beat. She said, "Sixth Madam, it's not that this old servant is unwilling to do anything. The reconstruction of the screen wall requires touching the foundation stone underneath, and the manor's budget for purchasing is insufficient, so we cannot start construction. This old servant has already informed Sixth Madam of this matter. The manor can provide the necessary supplies for the small kitchen, so it will be faster."
"Alright, alright. You people are useless when it comes to doing things, but you're all talk and no action when it comes to currying favor."
Madam Gu hastily wrote the note and tossed it in her direction. Before Cai Mama could catch it, it fluttered to the ground.
Madam Cai, holding her breath, picked up the note from the ground, examined it carefully again, and said, "Sixth Madam, the number of bricks and tiles was written too little; I'm afraid it won't be enough."
Madam Gu, her face darkening, snorted and said, "Do you think I don't know? Isn't this the usual number?"
Mrs. Cai said, "Wutong Garden has never been used for cooking before. To open a small kitchen, we not only need to separate it, but also repair the chimney and flue."
Madam Gu said impatiently, "Go ahead and get the money, then get more if you need more."
Madam Cai remained unmoved and said, "Why doesn't Sixth Madam let this old servant pay first, and then return any leftovers to the manor? This little bit of bricks and tiles is not something this old servant would bother to embezzle."
Madam Gu was about to lash out.
The old nanny came over, coughed, and said, "Sixth Madam isn't afraid you'll embezzle, she's just worried about spending too much and wasting money. Granny Cai is an old hand in the household, she knows how to behave. Does Sixth Madam not know that?"
She then winked at Madam Gu and said, "Madam Gu, the materials used for rebuilding the small kitchen and renovating the small kitchen are different. Mama Cai didn't overcharge you."
"Oh, oh," Madam Gu followed the nanny's instructions and wrote a new slip of paper. Cai Mama took it, thanked her again and again, and left.
Why is that?
Madam Gu asked, puzzled.
The old woman said, "Sixth Master said that her husband is being used by the Marquis outside, so it's not worth offending her over such a trivial matter. This old servant thinks you've vented your anger enough. If you anger her further, it won't look good if things get out of hand."
The servants in the manor were all born into the household, and their ancestors had followed the old Marquis through thick and thin, so they were quite respectable. If a commotion were to break out, it would not look good for her.
Madam Gu paused for a moment, then asked, "Where is Sixth Master?"
"He went to Wutong Garden to look for the Marquis," the nanny said. "Sixth Master said he was going to find the Marquis and Third Madam to do some business."
"Ha," Madam Gu rolled her eyes dismissively, "What kind of business could he possibly have? He spends his days composing poems with those literati, or having a group of prostitutes go boating on the lake."
The old woman smiled and said, "It's about pepper. Didn't the Third Madam want to spend money to hoard pepper? The Sixth Master remembered hearing someone say a few days ago that he had a stock on hand and was looking for a buyer."
Sixth Master Gu is looking for an excuse to sell to the Marquis.
Madam Gu Liu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Even Manager Leng said that business deal was not worth doing, but the old lady and the marquis dote on it. I think this money is really going to go down the drain."
The personal maid said, "The Third Madam is good at currying favor, but if she loses out this time, the Old Madam will be even less willing to let her manage the household."
Madam Gu's expression immediately softened considerably. She said, "When Sixth Master returns, warm a pot of wine for him so we can have a good chat."
Wutong Garden.
Qin Yuan returned from the main room and went to take a nap.
Gu Jinghui then called Gu Shiliu to apply the medicine to him and asked him some questions.
"Was Madam given a hard time by those shopkeepers?"
Gu Shiliu looked at the wound on the Marquis's buttocks with heartache, and while applying medicine, said, "Master is not fully recovered yet, and you sat for so long. It will take a few more days to heal."
"It's nothing," Gu Jinghui said nonchalantly, then asked, "What did you think of the shopkeepers when you were with Madam today?"
Gu Shiliu said, "They are all old managers who treat people differently based on their status, but Madam is very capable. She has them all under her thumb and doesn't need my help at all."
"Tell me, how did she clean it up?" Gu Jinghui asked, intrigued.
His young wife could charm his mother so much that even he, her son, was secondary, and she could also keep a group of slick old shopkeepers in line. Gu Shiliu praised her for her skill, saying she was truly amazing.
He was very curious.
But Gu Shiliu didn't see it at all, and couldn't make it up.
Gu Shiliu rolled his eyes and said, "Madam sent me to buy pastries for the Marquis. Judging from Madam's tone, it seems that she knows there are long queues at Meixiangzhai and that she might not be able to buy hibiscus cakes, so she sent me."
"When I returned, all the managers were completely under Madam's thumb, and they were very respectful. I could tell they weren't faking it."
Gu Jinghui did not blame him as expected, and said with a smile, "Madam specially asked you to buy me hibiscus cake, how could you not buy it?"
Gu Shiliu nodded emphatically and said earnestly, "Yes, Madam said a long time ago that the Marquis likes to eat the hibiscus cake from Meixiangzhai. When we arrived, Madam looked at the account book and asked me to buy pastries. She said that I could buy other things as I pleased, but the hibiscus cake and the pastries that the old lady likes must not be missing. When I came back, Madam said that she thought there would be a long queue at Meixiangzhai."
Gu Jinghui smiled and said, "Madam still cares about me."
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