Chapter 223 is true.
“Madam, I’ll ask her tomorrow. It’s not a secret. If she really is the director, I will definitely come and tell you.”
Wang Xifeng replied with a smile.
As Wang Xifeng walked away, Aunt Xue frowned.
“Sister, this Feng girl is becoming more and more estranged from us. From what she said about how difficult things are, even when she's in charge of the household, she can't bear to part with the thousands of taels of silver that the family has to give to the girls for their education.”
Madam Wang knew perfectly well what was going on, but didn't say much.
It's not like she's never managed the household before; the Rongguo Mansion was already in dire need of funds, a fact that was already evident when she took charge.
Fortunately, Wang Xifeng later married into the family, and he naturally handed over the management of the household to her, thus extricating himself from the situation.
She had seen how much silver Wang Xifeng had put into it over the years.
Fortunately, it was Wang Xifeng who married into the family; it would have been much harder to fool someone who wasn't close to her!
However, in the past two years, Wang Xifeng has become increasingly difficult to please, and she hasn't spent much of the money she has.
Especially in the past year, Wang Xifeng has become increasingly adept at learning from Yuan Hongqu.
Although the family was still struggling to make ends meet, any large expenditures required thorough review at each level. For any single expenditure exceeding five hundred taels, Wang Xifeng would have to speak with the old lady.
The old lady scolded Jia She several times and Jia Zheng twice, telling them to be less careless and not to buy every antique they saw or bring home any nice calligraphy or painting they came across.
Surprisingly, it actually had some effect.
Madam Wang thought to herself, why didn't she think of this method back then? Although her mother-in-law was a mountain above her head, she was still an ancestor. A word from an ancestor was more effective than her own bitter persuasion and suffering.
After the New Year, Wang Xifeng sold some "medicinal ginseng" to Aunt Xue and made a lot of money. In principle, these were all Wang Xifeng's own business and did not need to be recorded in the public account. Unexpectedly, she actually recorded them all in the public account, which made Madam Wang feel much more at ease.
Originally, Madam Wang thought that Wang Xifeng must have something fishy about being able to produce so many good and fresh ginsengs all at once, but since Wang Xifeng put the money into the public fund, she had nothing more to say.
This is also where Wang Xifeng's cleverness lies; if it were to enter her private quarters, people would inevitably gossip about it.
However, once the money went into the public account, it was only said to be rent money given by the Xue family, without mentioning anything about selling ginseng.
If someone knowledgeable discovers the trickery behind this ginseng in the future, I'm not afraid of the Xue family coming after me.
The ginseng was given to you for free; I didn't know it would turn out this way. The silver went into the public account, which is for your Xue family's food, lodging, and other expenses.
Wang Xifeng was actually quite pleased with herself. By taking such a small detour, she could save a lot of trouble. What was wrong with that?
The next day, Wang Xifeng really did come to the Lin family.
When she arrived at the Lin family home, she knew the place well. Hearing that Miss Lin and Mr. Yuan were painting in the garden, she didn't need anyone to guide her and went straight to the Koi Lake.
On a fine spring day, Wang Xifeng loved the pavilion next to the Koi Lake in the Lin family's residence.
Lin Daiyu and Yuan Hongqu were supposedly painting, but that wasn't actually the case.
The two of them made a large kite in the shape of a carp and were painting on it, planning to fly it in the yard once it was finished.
"Sister Lin's kite painting is so beautiful, I'm envious just looking at it," Wang Xifeng praised even before she got close.
Yuan Hongqu looked up at her and gave her a disdainful look.
Wang Xifeng didn't take it seriously and winked at Yuan Hongqu.
Daiyu only raised her head after finishing one stroke of her drawing.
"Sister Feng is here. Since you like it, I'll paint another one for you after I finish this kite, so you can take it home for your eldest daughter to play with."
"That would be wonderful! I thank Cousin Lin on behalf of my eldest sister," Wang Xifeng said happily.
"Was this kite painted to resemble the koi carp in the lake?"
"That's right, I just need to draw some eyes on here."
"The finishing touch is perfect! This painting is truly excellent. Once the eyes are painted on, the carp looks as if it's alive." Wang Xifeng praised without end, to the point that even Yuan Hongqu found it hard to listen anymore.
Lin Daiyu blushed, looking somewhat shy.
After the kite is painted, you have to wait for the ink to dry for a while before you can fly it.
Daiyu, accompanied by her maid, first returned to Jiaoyun Garden to wash her hands and change her clothes.
Yuan Hongqu and Wang Xifeng chatted idly in the small pavilion, waiting for Daiyu to come and fly a kite.
"You're always such a busy person, what brings you here today?"
"I've come with a mission," Wang Xifeng snorted. "Second Madam and Aunt Xue have heard somewhere that you're the headmistress of the girls' academy, and they sent me to confirm it with you? Isn't that absurd? I think it's just because Xue Baochai failed the exam, and those two are just looking for trouble!"
Yuan Hongqu's lips curled up slightly.
"Didn't you ever consider that it might be true?"
"Sister...my sister, do you really have such a status?" Wang Xifeng almost thought she had misheard, but seeing Yuan Hongqu smiling, she didn't seem to be lying.
"That was true before, but from now on..." Yuan Hongqu paused for a moment,
"That's possible."
......
The girls' college has been open for a week.
Five days off, two days of rest.
Today is a day off.
Even on her days off, Daiyu did not sleep in; she still got up early to practice her boxing as always.
Yuan Hongqu accompanied Daiyu in practicing boxing, then they had breakfast together. After instructing Granny Shi and the others to take good care of the young lady, she prepared to leave.
"Granny, I have a day off today, why are you going to the academy instead?" Daiyu asked, quite puzzled.
“Miss, yesterday the palace issued an imperial decree that our Mr. Yuan will henceforth be the headmistress of the Capital Women’s Academy.” Zhi Xia was filled with pride.
"Granny, will you still live at home from now on, or will you be moving to the academy?" Daiyu asked nervously.
"Being the dean is a part-time job; being your governess is my real job. Are you saying you don't want me to live at your house?" Yuan Hongqu joked.
Daiyu thought for a moment,
"Granny, from now on, when I go to the academy, you'll be there too, and when I come home, you'll be back too, right?"
Yuan Hongqu nodded.
“Yes, I’m going to the academy this time during my break, but I won’t have to go next time. I’ll also have a break when you have a break, so our schedules are the same.”
"That's perfect!" Daiyu smiled.
"You'll be going to the academy the day after tomorrow for the formal opening ceremony. So none of the teachers will be resting this holiday, and I need to go too."
"Granny, you've worked so hard. Xiangtao and I will make some snacks for you to eat when you get back." Daiyu said thoughtfully, "Granny, what kind of snacks would you like to eat today?"
"Longjing tea cake." Yuan Hongqu would never say, "Make whatever you want," or "I'll eat whatever you make."
She always gives clear answers, giving the child a clear direction to strive for.
Daiyu had never made Longjing tea cake before, but this cake was not difficult to make, and its complexity was also moderate.
Xiangtao is already very skilled at making it herself, but if she were to bring Daiyu along, it would probably take the two of them about an hour.
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