Chapter 12 Greetings
"Madam, the second young lady is here!" The old lady was having breakfast when Xi Que, the second-class maid of Shousong Hall, came into the inner hall and said with a bow.
The elder lady was startled for a moment, then said, "Please come in!"
"yes!"
After Xi Que left, the old lady said to Nanny Bai beside her, "Didn't I tell the second girl yesterday not to come in too early? It's freezing cold out here, and it's so early in the morning. She might get frozen!"
Nanny Bai was the maidservant who came with the dowry of Madam Yuan. Later, she was married to the housekeeper in the mansion. She has been serving as the housekeeper's mother by Madam Yuan's side and is the most respected person around Madam Yuan.
After hearing what the elder lady said, she smiled and said, "Old lady, this is the filial piety of the second young lady!"
The elder lady smiled and said, "This second girl is a filial child!"
As they were talking, Yuan Ziyu brought Qingying into the inner hall.
"Granddaughter greets grandmother!" As soon as she entered the inner hall, Yuan Ziyu smiled and bowed to Madam Yuan!
Madam Yuan Lao quickly called Yuan Ziyou to get up: "Hurry up and come to Grandma. I heard the maids outside say it's snowing. Are you cold?"
"Thank you for your concern, Grandma!" Yuan Ziyu smiled and handed the hand warmer to Qingying, then walked to the side of Madam Yuan: "I'm dressed warmly, so I'm not cold. Let me serve you breakfast!"
"Why would I need you?" Madam Yuan pulled Yuan Ziyou to sit beside her. She shook Yuan Ziyou's hand and, seeing that it was warm, asked with satisfaction, "Are you ready for breakfast?"
As she said this, she asked the maid Shaoyao to bring up some more breakfast.
Yuan Ziyou hurriedly smiled and said, "Grandma, I came here after breakfast!"
Shaoyao smiled and said, "Second Miss, please accompany the old lady to have some breakfast. If the old lady is happy, she can drink half a bowl of porridge more!"
The elder lady laughed and scolded: "You are just a clever girl."
"Grandma, Sister Shaoyao feels sorry for you!" Yuan Ziyu smiled.
Nanny Bai also chimed in, "The second young lady also feels sorry for the old lady!"
The old lady smiled and narrowed her eyes: "Of course!"
After saying that, he asked Yuan Ziyu if he felt well and if he felt any discomfort. Yuan Ziyu answered all his questions!
At one moment, Shaoyao brought up some more breakfast, and Yuan Ziyu accompanied the old lady to drink another bowl of porridge. As expected, the old lady was in a good mood and drank half a bowl of porridge more, which made Nanny Bai and Shaoyao very happy.
As they were talking, Xi Que came in and announced, "Madam, the first lady, the second lady, and the eldest daughter are here!"
"Please come in!" the elder lady nodded.
After a while, Liu, Ning and Yuan Zitong walked in!
"Mother, Second Aunt!" Yuan Ziyu hurriedly stood up and bowed to Liu and Ning, then bowed faintly to Yuan Zitong: "Big Sister!"
Liu was delighted to see her daughter. She bowed to Madam Yuan and asked Yuan Ziyou, "Are you wearing warm clothes? Did you bring a hand warmer?"
Yuan Ziyou smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother, Qingying and the others are watching closely!"
After hearing Yuan Ziyu's words, Liu smiled and praised: "Those two girls are very dedicated!"
Ning, who was standing by, smiled and said, "The maids that my eldest sister-in-law picked for the second girl are naturally all good!"
After saying that, Ning smiled and asked Yuan Ziyu, "Is the second girl feeling better now?"
Yuan Ziyu looked at Ning. This was the first time she met Ning after she came back. In her previous life, she was stupid and didn't understand anything. But now her mind was as clear as a mirror. This second aunt was good at putting on a good show, but she was cruel and had no bottom line behind the scenes.
Yuan Ziyou smiled and said to Ning: "Thank you for your concern, Second Aunt. You'er is fine now!"
Old Lady Yuan patted Yuan Ziyu's hand and said with a smile, "This second girl is very filial. She came to see me as soon as she recovered from her illness. The eldest daughter-in-law is a good teacher."
As soon as Yuan Zitong entered the room, she saw Yuan Ziyu sitting next to Madam Yuan, and she felt indignant. In the past, she was the only one who had a seat next to her grandmother. When did this damn girl become so good at pleasing her grandmother? Even when she just came back, she didn't seem to be very close to her grandmother!
Gritting her teeth secretly, Yuan Zitong smiled and walked forward to sit on the other side of Madam Yuan, saying coquettishly: "Grandma, you don't love me anymore now that you have a second sister!"
The elder lady laughed heartily: "You are still jealous of your second sister. You two sisters are both good. You should be together more often in the future. You should take care of each other!"
Yuan Zitong covered her lips and smiled, "Look at what grandma said, how could I be jealous? It was just a joke. I am the elder sister, so I will naturally love and care for my second sister. Grandma, just rest assured!"
Yuan Ziyu didn't say anything, but smiled softly as he watched Yuan Zitong act.
The elder lady nodded with satisfaction, looked at the two sisters sitting on her left and right, and felt in a good mood when she thought of her eldest son and two grandsons who were about to return to Beijing.
After talking for a while, the elder lady said to Liu: "You have only been back for a few days and are not familiar with the mansion yet. The second girl is sick again, so I have not told you about the household affairs in the mansion!"
When Mrs. Yuan talked about the household expenses in the mansion, Mrs. Ning smiled and said nothing, but she was gritting her teeth in secret!
She is from the second branch. Although the Yuan family has not split up, this mansion is the general's mansion after all.
Although the mother-in-law favors the youngest son, she is a person who attaches great importance to rules. For so many years, the finances of the mansion have been in the hands of the mother-in-law, and she has never been allowed to take charge. At most, she would give some extra subsidies to the second room on top of the established share!
But how can those subsidies be enough for their second wife to live on?
Yuan Qilei was only a fifth-rank reader in the Hanlin Academy with a low salary. She came from a poor family and did not have much dowry. She could not have her own dowry shop like her elder sister-in-law, which brought in a lot of income every year. She could not manage the household expenses and make a profit from it, which made life very tight for the second house. Their only daughter was wronged. In terms of food, clothing and other expenses, how could she compare to that damn girl in the first house!
Whenever she thought of this, she became extremely angry. She hated her mother-in-law for not being flexible and the eldest wife for not knowing how to be friendly and respectful to her younger brothers. It was fine before, as they were far away and out of sight she wouldn't be bothered. But now they were right in front of her!
Then the old lady said to Liu: "Now, you have been back in Beijing for more than half a month. I think you have a good understanding of the situation in the mansion. I will hand over the management of the mansion to you. I will also have some free time and enjoy my old age!"
"Mother, I just came back and I'm not familiar with many things yet!" Liu said hurriedly!
The elder lady waved her hand and said, "It's okay. You were already managing the household affairs when you were at the frontier, so you're familiar with it. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me!"
Seeing her mother-in-law's insistence, Liu replied, "Yes, but I'll have to trouble you more in the future!"
Ning stood aside with a smile on her face, her hands hidden in her sleeves clenched into fists.
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(End of this chapter)
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