Chapter 130 Letter from Yangzhou
Yingchun stayed at the Lin family's house until the Laba Festival.
On the morning of Laba Festival, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng personally went to the Lin family to bring Yingchun back to the Rongguo Mansion.
When Yingchun left, her eyes were brimming with tears; she was extremely reluctant to part with her.
These days at the Lin family home must have been the most comfortable days she had ever experienced in her memory.
The Lin family was harmonious. The servants did not harbor any ill intentions towards their masters, nor did they scheme against each other to do the easier tasks. She had never seen any disputes or quarrels among the Lin family's servants. They each performed their duties, and when they had to interact, they always discussed things together. No one was competitive or eager to take the lead.
Yingchun greatly admired the atmosphere in the Lin family.
She thought that the Lin family servants had already performed to the best of their ability back at Rongyue Courtyard, but she didn't expect that their behavior after returning to their own home was what truly made them professional.
The servants of the Lin family prioritized loyalty to their master, followed by specialization in their respective fields. They always strived to do their best in the tasks they were responsible for; while they could help with tasks outside their responsibilities when they had time, they would not offer unprofessional opinions.
Therefore, everything in the Lin family mansion is well-organized, and they have corresponding emergency plans and designated personnel to handle any unexpected events.
During these days, Jia Yingchun hardly had time to do anything else; she spent a long time studying Yuan Mama's housekeeping strategies and methods.
She only thought that even if she only learned a little bit from Granny Yuan, it would be enough for her to go back and manage the people in her own room.
Jia Yingchun felt as if she had attended an intensive training course these past few days, learning a whole host of methods for judging people and managing household affairs.
Granny Yuan said that she should put what she learned into practice, and in the end, she even let her accompany Lin Daiyu. Granny Yuan completely let go of her responsibilities and let the two of them manage the household in a proper manner for three days.
The Lin family now has nearly a hundred members, and they haven't had a single mishap in three days. Granny Yuan said they've completed their apprenticeship.
When Yingchun came to the Lin family, she was accompanied only by one maid, Siqi. When she returned, she had many bags of luggage, along with two other maids, one named Huaqing and the other named Yehong, who had served her at the Lin family. This time, they also returned to the Rongguo Mansion with her.
These two, along with Siqi and a senior maid personally selected by Wang Xifeng, formed Yingchun's four senior maids.
After returning home this time, Yingchun followed the Lin family's rules and established rules for her own room as well.
Jia She showed concern for his daughter this time, so Yingchun naturally went to pay her respects to her father and mother upon her return. To her surprise, her father, who had never shown up before when she paid her respects, was also home this time.
Yingchun respectfully kowtowed to Jia She, and when she raised her head, her eyes were slightly red.
"Father, your daughter is back."
Jia She stroked his beard, somewhat lost in thought. Everyone said his niece, Xiao Gu, but he hadn't noticed it before. This time, Ying Chun stayed at the Lin family's house for a few days, and she seemed to be showing some of his younger sister Jia Min's old style.
Seeing that Jia She remained silent for a long time, Madam Xing said in an annoyed tone,
"It's good that you're back. Look at the mess you've made..."
"Shut up!" Jia She glared at Madam Xing. "If you can't keep your mouth shut, go back to your parents' home and learn! Yingchun just came back from her relatives' house to pay her respects to you out of filial piety. If you don't want to receive it, I'll find someone else to receive it!"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Madam Xing quickly shut her mouth.
Yingchun smiled slightly, "Father, I was at my aunt's house with Lin Daiyu, and I learned to make some pastries from Mr. Yuan. Today is Laba Festival, and I brought some back as a gift for you. Please don't find them too tacky."
She handed over the box of pastries that Siqi was holding.
Jia She had eaten all sorts of things, but this was the first time he had ever had pastries made by his daughter herself, and the pastries looked quite delicious.
He graciously praised Yingchun a few more times, and at the same time said,
“You’re all grown up now. From now on, you’ll have to learn to manage things in the house yourself. If you don’t understand something, just ask your sister-in-law. If you want something or want to do something, just go to her. She’s your own sister-in-law. She’s in charge of the household, so there’s no reason for her to treat outsiders better than she treats you!”
"My daughter understands."
Yingchun was no longer the timid and submissive girl she once was. After all, she was a daughter of a prominent family, and she wasn't stupid; she was just a little slow-witted.
During her time at the Lin family, she finally came to her senses and eagerly learned from Granny Yuan. She has now undergone a complete transformation.
"Granny, when Second Sister goes back this time, no one will dare to make things difficult for her anymore." Daiyu smiled happily, her tone filled with ease and contentment.
Not long after sending Yingchun back, she received a fast letter from Yangzhou. The letter was sent via post station, so it was very fast.
The letter contained nothing but her father's ramblings and the same old refrains, but Daiyu was finally relieved that her father had returned safely to Yangzhou, which was more cause for celebration than anything else.
There was also a letter that Lan Cong brought to Yuan Hongqu. In the letter, he honestly admitted that he had forgotten to write to Lan Su and only wrote to her after returning to Yangzhou. He expected that Lan Su would arrive in a few days after they received the letter.
"Yes, I heard that all the maids and servants in the Second Miss's room have been replaced, and most of them are newly bought. If the Second Miss can win over all these people, her life will truly change in the future," Yuan Hongqu said. She hadn't expected that she would change Yingchun's personality by sheer coincidence.
Given this, it's unlikely that Jia She would allow her to marry a treacherous man like Zhongshan to pay off a debt of five thousand taels of silver.
She also heard from Wang Xifeng that the eldest master, Jia She, had suddenly developed a fondness for his daughter and had put on a great show of power to stand up for Yingchun. He used both kindness and severity to suppress the matter. Now the whole mansion had a unified story: the second young lady had gone to the Lin family with Miss Lin early on. All the rumors that had been circulating outside were nonsense. If anyone continued to spread rumors, he would personally go and pull out that person's tongue!
Those who came to cause trouble at the wet nurse's house were all sent to prison by Jia She.
At the same time, several more old women were added to guard the gate, and the old women who had previously let the troublemakers in were severely punished.
"Granny, the Laba porridge is ready. Shouldn't we take some to Grandmother, my eldest uncle, and my second uncle today?" Daiyu said. Since they returned, they hadn't been to the Rongguo Mansion or seen Grandmother, and she missed her a little!
“Of course we should send it. We can have our family deliver it. It’s so cold, you don’t need to go,” Yuan Hongqu advised.
Daiyu pouted and tugged at Yuan Hongqu's arm, pouting, "Granny, I just want to go out for a walk. It's so boring staying at home every day... I feel like I'll soon grow moldy, just like those pastries and fruits that haven't been touched in a long time..."
Yuan Hongqu didn't want Daiyu to go to Rongguo Mansion now, as she was still shaken by the incident of encountering assassins in the suburbs that night!
Just as he was thinking about how to refuse Daiyu, he suddenly heard a maidservant at the door report.
“Granny Yuan, there’s a woman at the door with a letter in her hand, saying she wants to see you.”
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