Chapter 371 Let the girls manage the household
This was precisely what troubled Li Wan the most.
Wang Xifeng thought that repairing the courtyard for the imperial visit was a good job, and she didn't know how much she would benefit from it. However, when she took over the project herself, she found that the courtyard was just a pretty face, not much better than the stage scenery.
The difference is that the scenery is painted, while the houses and other scenery in this courtyard are painted on thin wooden boards and then pieced together to form the shape of the houses and landscape. It's just a fancy facade, and it's currently in the final stage.
However, the furnishings and decorations inside the house all appear to be old items.
Li Wan saw a beautiful glass cup and was about to pick it up for a closer look when the old woman guarding it quickly stopped her.
“Madam, this is from Master Bao’s room. It will be returned after the Empress’s visit to her family. Please take good care of it.”
Li Wan was startled. Shouldn't all the furnishings in the room have been purchased anew?
"That vase..."
Then she looked at the pair of antique vases again, and they seemed quite familiar. The old woman followed her gaze.
"That was borrowed from the second young lady."
Then he introduced the other decorations.
"These are antiques from the old lady's storeroom. That double-sided embroidered screen was part of our eldest wife's dowry..."
Li Wan felt increasingly disheartened as she listened. If even an old woman knew that all the furnishings in the room had been moved from elsewhere, then surely everyone outside knew as well.
For a noble family like the Duke's to be so frugal in hosting the Empress's visit to her parents' home, what will others think of them!
Will the men in the manor still be able to go out and socialize? Even if the women go out to meet guests, they will be ridiculed, right?
The old woman continued talking to Li Wan with great enthusiasm.
"The incense burning in this room was made by our third young lady herself after learning the recipe at the academy. It's many times better than what you can buy outside. Second Madam and Third Young Lady even made an agreement that after the visit home is over, Third Young Lady will make incense for the shop and give Third Young Lady a bonus."
Li Wan took a stroll around the so-called "visiting relatives" courtyard. Apart from the well-planned streams and pebbles that couldn't be faked, even the Taihu stones in the garden were said to be hollow inside.
She saw with her own eyes that the craftsmen were just like those who make lanterns, covering the outside with layers of mud and then attaching a thin layer of stone slabs on the outside, making it look no different from the real thing.
This stuff can't be glued on too early, in case of heavy rain, it'll all be ruined.
In fact, Li Wan should have noticed these things much earlier, but seeing Wang Xifeng heavily pregnant and still busy with all the affairs inside and outside the house, including the matter of the provincial villa, Li Wan thought to herself, "Wang Xifeng, you like to take on responsibilities, why don't you do these things yourself?"
Sometimes, when she happened to see Wang Xifeng looking a little tired, she would feel inexplicably pleased.
Therefore, before she took over these matters, she had no idea that the courtyard for the family visit was pieced together in this way!
She couldn't get involved in the shops outside, and managing household affairs required her to pay for it herself. The courtyard renovation was a complete sham and substandard project.
Li Wan felt that she couldn't continue managing the household for even a day longer!
Therefore, the old lady felt unwell in the morning, so she immediately sent someone to the Lin family to fetch Lin Daiyu.
Li Wan knew that Wang Xifeng wouldn't give face to others, but she would definitely give face to the old lady and Lin Daiyu.
But since the old lady is an elder and has a son, she naturally cannot be the one to handle this matter. Therefore, Lin Daiyu is the only one who can step forward.
Li Wan did not expect that Lin Daiyu would refuse her so readily, showing no respect to the old lady.
However, Daiyu's answer was exactly what Grandmother Jia expected.
Although the situation at home was urgent, Grandmother Jia was unwilling to force Daiyu.
Jia Lian received the news and rushed back on horseback. It should take him about ten days, but it's not impossible to wait another ten days.
Li Wan couldn't wait any longer; she wasn't willing to wait even a day longer!
She now desperately wants Daiyu to go to the Yuan family immediately and bring Wang Xifeng back.
Daiyu kept Grandmother Jia company while she talked, but Li Wan couldn't help but feel anxious when she heard that Grandmother Jia had no intention of letting Daiyu persuade Feng to come back.
Disregarding her usual virtuous image, she lifted the curtain and went inside.
"Grandma, Princess Lin, you must persuade Feng'er to come back and take charge of the household!"
Li Wan lowered her eyes.
"Lan-ge'er hasn't seen me for the past few days, and he's lost a lot of weight. He's also not doing his studies properly. Grandmother, I'm so busy managing these affairs that I can't even take care of Lan-ge'er. I beg you to take back the power to manage the household. I'm not very capable, but if I had to choose between the two, I would prioritize Lan-ge'er..." Li Wan's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke. She deeply regretted taking on this mess, and now it seemed so difficult to get rid of it.
Lin Daiyu looked at Li Wan thoughtfully. The old lady had already put the matter aside and was chatting with Daiyu about interesting things when she was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of Li Wan, which made her somewhat displeased.
Seeing Li Wan's reaction, Daiyu suddenly had an idea, and so she slowly began to speak.
“Since eldest sister-in-law is unwilling to manage the household, why not let second sister and third sister learn to manage it? They have both taken courses in this area at the academy, and if there are any things they don’t understand, it would be more convenient for second sister to ask Sister Feng. What do you think, Grandmother?”
"I think it's good." The old lady patted Daiyu's hand approvingly.
"Ever since you came to the capital, you've lived in Rongyue Courtyard, where you helped your master manage the courtyard. Later, after returning to the Lin family, your master taught you how to manage the household. The Lin family is a huge place, and in the past two years, she's completely given you the reins to manage, and you've managed it quite well. Second Sister is older than you, and although she used to be gentle, I've noticed quite a change in her over the past two years. Third Sister is about your age, but she's always had a prickly personality. Fourth Sister is young, but she's very perceptive and has a lot of opinions. It's about time they got some experience."
The old lady made the decision and immediately sent someone to bring the three girls over.
As soon as the servant left, the old lady, disregarding Li Wan's feelings, scolded her.
"Since you only care about your Lan-ge'er and don't care about anything else, then from now on you can just stay and take care of Lan-ge'er! If I find out that you've interfered in even the smallest thing in the family, all the special treatment you and your son have received will be canceled!"
The old lady was actually extremely unhappy. When it came time to distribute money and things, why didn't Li Wan return them? She only helped with these little chores and started complaining about being tired.
She had developed a prejudice against Li Wan, and when she started to think about things from Wang Xifeng's perspective, she suddenly realized: Could Li Wan be one of the people who drove Wang Xifeng away this time?
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