Chapter 229: Heavy Rain
Mrs. Ren and Fang Gui stayed in the rice garden for only a quarter of an hour before leaving. As soon as they finished their work, Madam Li received the news.
After hearing Daohua's two additional rules, Madam Li was silent for a moment. "This girl is quite thoughtful. She keeps a record of each room's meals, in black and white. Everyone knows the number, so that some people won't feel they haven't eaten enough."
Ping Tong nodded and said, "In the past two years, the family has become more affluent. I've noticed that the Second Master and Second Madam always order a lot of food. If they can't finish it, it's such a waste."
"And there's the one from Shuangxinyuan. Ever since she gave birth to the fifth girl, she's been using the excuse of needing to replenish her body to go to the kitchen and order food from time to time."
Madam Li sneered, "Now the Second Master and Second Madam are trying to imitate the ways of the aristocratic families, but they don't think about whether our family can afford such extravagance. Because of the old lady and the master, I can't say anything."
"As for Shuangxinyuan, it was the master who ordered that the kitchen prepare whatever Aunt Lin wanted to eat. Even with this order, Aunt Lin still ate with all her heart."
As she spoke, Mrs. Li smiled again.
"They say a daughter is like her mother's warmest little cotton-padded jacket. This is true. That girl has resorted to such a trick. It is inevitable that we will suppress the evil tendencies in this mansion. Even if there is any unpleasantness in the future, we will have a reasonable and well-founded case."
Ping Tong immediately responded: "Isn't it true? The eldest lady's heart has always been with the lady."
There are some things that even if the lady knows, it is not easy to do them, but it is different for the eldest daughter, she can be less concerned.
Madam Li continued, "As for shopping, our family's expenses are increasing, so we should really tighten up our purchases. A little bit of cheapness is fine, but I'm worried that this person's greed will grow and he'll end up enriching himself."
Ping Tong nodded and then said with a smile: "Our eldest daughter is really a good material for a housekeeper. As soon as she took over the kitchen, she helped Madam solve two major problems."
Madam Li also laughed: "That girl is smart, but she is a little lazy. She needs someone to push her before she is willing to move forward. We must keep a close eye on her."
A month later.
Mrs. Ren handed Daohua the booklet containing the detailed information about each room's meals.
Daohua sat in the yard, flipping through a book and cracking melon seeds, with occasional chuckles emanating from her.
"In our mansion, the biggest expense for food isn't in the old lady's yard, nor in the main courtyard. It's in the yards of my second uncle and his family, and the one where a concubine lives. It costs two or three hundred taels of silver a month!"
Daohua sneered and shook her head, then stood up and walked to the study, quickly copying two copies. Afterwards, she gave one to Wang Man'er and asked her to take it to the second wife.
"Whether it's for my second uncle or my second aunt, when I see them, I'll tell them that this is my first time in charge of the kitchen and I'm not sure about the family's expenses. I've done a quick accounting and let them know."
After saying that, he paused.
"If they ask who else knows, just say I'm worried my expenses for one month aren't accurate, so I'm going to keep records for two more months before reporting to Mom."
"That's all, go ahead!"
Wang Maner immediately turned around and left.
As soon as she left, Daohua looked at the other copy, thought for a moment, and then looked at the sky: "Father should be leaving the government office soon, right?"
Guyu nodded: "Yes, girl."
Daohua stood up and said, "Let's go and see father."
Hanging flower gate.
Yan Zhigao had just returned from the front yamen when he saw his eldest daughter and her maid sitting in a pavilion drinking tea on the way he had to pass.
Seeing this, Yan Zhi raised his eyebrows.
Those who usually came to block him included Lin's people and his wife's people. Several other children had also met him by chance for various reasons, but the eldest daughter had never met him.
He was very curious. Why did his eldest daughter come to him on her own initiative?
"Ahem~"
Yan Zhigao came to the pavilion and coughed twice.
Daohua immediately came out with a smile: "Father, are you leaving the government office?"
Yan Zhigao nodded and walked into the pavilion. Seeing the brewed tea on the stone table, he smiled and said, "Is this prepared for my father?"
Daohua smiled and nodded: "I don't know if it will suit father's taste?"
Yan Zhigao sat down, picked up the tea and took a sip: "Not bad, the heat is well controlled."
Daohua smiled and said, "As long as father likes it."
Yan Zhigao put down his teacup and asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Daohua took the food account book from Guyu and said, "Father, Mother asked me to take charge of the kitchen, so I asked the kitchen steward to record the food ordered by each room every day and summarize it. Please take a look."
Mrs. Li had mentioned to him that the eldest daughter took over the kitchen. Yan Zhigao didn't say anything, but just reached out to take the account book and started to look at it.
The first thing he looked at was the final summary. When he saw that his second brother's courtyard and Shuangxin Courtyard spent two or three hundred taels of silver on food in a month, his brows immediately frowned.
Seeing him like this, Daohua hurriedly said, "Father, there are daily records in front. When the maids in each room go to the kitchen to get food, they are confirmed." The implication is that she did not lie at all.
Yan Zhigao quickly looked through it and found that every time he took something, the maid would sign for confirmation.
Daohua continued, "I've already sent a copy to my second uncle, and he said he'll record it for a few more months before reporting to mother. As for Shuangxinyuan, it's not convenient for me to go directly to Aunt Lin, so I came to bother father."
Yan Zhigao put down the account book and admired his eldest daughter's meticulous and thorough work.
"You did a great job. If your second uncle changes his ways in the future, there's no need to mention this matter again." So as not to hurt his second brother's face.
Daohua nodded in agreement.
Yan Zhigao: "I will talk to Aunt Lin. She has been receiving the supplement for several months now. From now on, her food will be according to the prescribed quota."
Daohua nodded again: "Okay, I'll listen to father."
Second room courtyard.
After Wang Maner left, Yan Zhiyuan and Sun's faces turned ugly.
Sun said dissatisfiedly, "I knew something would go wrong if my sister-in-law asked Daohua to manage the kitchen. Sure enough, the moment this girl came in, she started with us."
Yan Zhiyuan frowned and ignored Sun's words. Instead, he asked uncertainly, "Did we really order so much food?"
Sun choked and said unhappily, "How much did you eat? Don't you remember?"
Yan Zhiyuan was silent.
The wife's words were an admission that the food was ordered by them, and Daohua did not falsify the facts to frame them.
After a while, Yan Zhiyuan said, "Be more restrained in the future. Sister-in-law might still consider mother and brother's face and not make a fuss about it, but Daohua will definitely not do that."
"Then again, spending two or three hundred taels of silver on food a month is indeed a bit too much."
Sun curled her lips. Theirs was not much at all. Other families would spend thousands of taels of silver on a banquet. Theirs was just a drop in the bucket. Besides, it was not like the family could not afford the food.
It’s just that my sister-in-law is stingy!
This is Chapter 229, sweet little cotton jacket, the label is wrong!
(End of this chapter)
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