"Ms. Yan, come here for dinner!" Yu Juan saw Mrs. Yan from the counter walking into the kitchen, and hurriedly greeted her with a smile on her face, "Today the chef made sour bamboo shoots and chicken soup, I specially left it for you. A big bowl has been warming on the stove, and it's still hot now!"
"You are the only one who still remembers that I like to eat this." Mrs. Yan was very pleased with what she said and followed Yu Juan to a clean room in the backyard.
Not long after, Yu Juan came in carrying a clay stove, with a small casserole sitting on it, and the chicken soup in the pot was still bubbling.
Yu Juan then brought her a plate of beef with soy sauce, a side of fried vegetables and a bowl of rice.
When Mrs. Yan moved her chopsticks and started to eat, Yu Juan asked in a low voice: "Ms. Yan, someone just came to send a message, saying that after all the ladies in each house have had dinner, let us all go to Shuangtang Courtyard to talk about the big news. The girl has something to say. You are in the accounting office and have better information than us. Do you know what it is about?"
Ever since Grandma Guo was kicked out to Zhuangzi because of Shen Tianshu, she had warned several of her children who were still working as servants in the house that the older girls were not as easy to bully as they seemed. Don't give it away by yourself, just stay and be honest. It's good if you can keep your current job.
Yu Juan has listened to her mother's words since she was a child, telling her to go east and never west, so she has always kept these words in her heart.
Now that I heard that I was going to meet the older girl, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Madam Yan was enjoying her meal, but when she heard this, her appetite suddenly disappeared. She tipped her spoon towards Table Mountain and said, "You don't know yet? The master has now given the housekeeper's job to the eldest girl. Today's name is We all go there, so naturally we want to establish our authority."
When Yu Juan heard the word "establish power", she felt that her calf and stomach were about to get cramped, and she secretly thought to herself, a big girl wouldn't want to operate on her, right?
Mrs. Yan changed the subject and added: "But you don't have to worry, you are just a little steward of the kitchen, and there are so many people on top. Even if the big girl wants to find someone to make a raft, she won't be able to find you. "
Yu Juan took a little reassurance and felt a little more at ease. Then she remembered that she had heard before that Mrs. Yan seemed to have a problem with Aunt Yang in the eldest girl's room. She happened to be in charge of the accounts and expenses in the backyard, and now she was in charge of the eldest daughter's house. In the girl's hands, wouldn't that be...
Madam Yan seemed to have noticed what Yu Juan was thinking, and snorted coldly: "Madam is still here, I think she dares to touch me!"
After she finished speaking, she couldn't eat any more, so she got up and left.
Yu Juan looked at the vegetables and chicken soup on the table with few chopsticks left, curled her lips and sat down to eat.
At the beginning of Xu, several masters of the Shen family had dinner in their rooms. It was still early before the lights were turned off and locked up. It was a period of time when most of the servants were relatively free. At this time, most of the servants came to Shuangtang Courtyard and sat in the yard. There were groups of three or five talking in low voices.
"Why did the good old master suddenly hand over the general affairs of the back house to the eldest girl? Could it be Madam..."
"Shh, keep your voice down, you're going to die!"
"You don't know, right? Madam, I'm afraid something is wrong. She's starting to talk nonsense today!"
"Really or not? Don't dare to say this nonsense."
"It's absolutely true. You've forgotten that my sister-in-law is now working as a maid in the madam's room. She has seen all this with her own eyes." The speaker lowered his voice and said in a particularly mysterious manner, "I am only a few of you. Personally, I have asked the doctor twice in one day alone. When I went there the second time, the doctor said that if my wife’s illness continues like this, it will be difficult to get cured..."
"No way!"
"Then things are going to change again at home?"
"Think about it, if my wife was about to recover, would the master specifically ask Aunt Ping to leave the general affairs to the eldest daughter?"
"Although Aunt Ping's management is not very good, the eldest girl has never been exposed to general affairs before, so she may not be as good as Aunt Ping!"
"Okay, stop talking about this, and be careful to let others listen. Besides, we are not people in the madam's room, so we might as well do our own errands if we worry so much.
"To put it bluntly, even if the madam is really guilty of something, it has nothing to do with us... It's not like there is no other master in the house. Doesn't she need to eat or be cared for?"
Several people were talking to each other, and suddenly they felt that the courtyard suddenly became quiet.
They quickly shut up and raised their heads to look at the door. Sure enough, it was Shen Tianshu who came out of the room, followed by Shen Yunhui.
Shen Tianshu wore a homely bamboo-green jacket. He was a little thinner than when he left home in the first month of the year. His whole person looked like a tall and tall bamboo.
Shen Yunhui had never experienced such a scene before, and seemed a little embarrassed, which further highlighted Shen Tianshu's leisurely and calm attitude.
Mingyu and Minghui each brought out a rose chair and placed them side by side at the door of the main room.
After Shen Tianshu invited Shen Yunhui to sit down together, he raised his eyelids and looked at the people standing in a mess below, and asked: "Why, when my mother usually comes to discuss matters with you, you always stand like this?"
Hearing Shen Tianshu say this, everyone below was commotion for a moment, and then began to move.
Although everyone moved, they were not active.
Not to mention the dilly-dallying, there were people who were swaying this way and this way, as if they didn't even know where they should stand.
Everyone was waiting to see Shen Tianshu's reaction, relying on the mentality of not blaming the public.
Shen Tianshu didn't get angry, let alone bring out Shen Zhonglei's orders to suppress others. He only said: "When I received the red envelope during the Chinese New Year, I saw that you all stood up very well. Why, you don't remember it when you don't have money? Are you looking at my youth? Is it easy to bully?”
After hearing this, the people below quickened their pace and soon stood up according to their respective errands and positions.
The few people in the front row are the general stewards of the back house.
After the Shen family came to Yongzhou Prefecture to live alone, because the population was simple, they only had a housekeeper in the front yard, and there was no separate general housekeeper in the back yard.
In the past, when Grandma Guo was still here, because she was highly relied upon by Mrs. Xu, the things she usually did were a bit like being a housekeeper in the backyard.
However, since Grandma Guo was demoted to Zhuangzi, Hanqiao was too young to convince the public, so when dealing with household affairs, Xu once again called several stewards from around the back house to discuss matters together every day.
Shen Tianshu's eyes slowly swept over everyone in the courtyard.
There was no emotion in her eyes, but her gaze seemed to carry an inexplicable sense of oppression, causing everyone below to involuntarily tighten their bodies.
Yu Juan, who was already standing very far back, lowered her head suddenly, for fear of meeting Shen Tianshu's eyes.
At this time, a thought flashed through everyone's mind, either clearly or vaguely. After staying with Princess Fengrong for a while and then coming back, the eldest lady seemed to have the majesty of a superior.