"Actually, it's long past time to hand over the housekeeping affairs to my mother. I've been waiting for my father to give me instructions. Who knows that my father has been so busy recently that he may have forgotten all the things about the back house. So I specially came here today. I went back to my father and brought the ledger and the cards with me."
After Shen Tianshu finished speaking, Mingyu immediately placed the account book and the cards he was holding on the table.
Xu said sincerely: "I think you've been doing a good job lately, why don't you just take care of it for a while longer, so I can take some time to rest."
"Mom, please don't be rude to me. As the saying goes, if you don't become a householder, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Now I don't know how difficult it is to be a householder. My mother has managed the family house in an orderly manner for so many years, which is really admirable."
Although Shen Tianshu's attitude was very upright, Mrs. Xu always felt that there was something in her words.
"There have been a lot of things going on at home recently, and you have handled them very well, especially when Ping Niang had a miscarriage. You have also comforted people very well. This is the first time you have experienced such a thing at such a young age. , it’s really not easy to do this.”
When Shen Tianshu heard Mrs. Xu talking about Ping Niang, he couldn't help but pay some attention to her.
The two exchanged a few more words, and then Shen Tianshu stood up and left.
After Shen Tianshu left, Mrs. Xu looked at the account books and cards she handed back, feeling a little unbelievable.
The rights that were finally obtained were returned so easily?
Mrs. Xu casually flipped through the account books and saw no problems, but new suspicions lingered.
"Yingqiu." Mrs. Xu called a maid in, "Go and find out what the eldest lady is busy with every day these days."
After being ill for so many days, she felt that she had lost control of the situation at home.
Now that the housekeeper's rights have been taken back, it's time for the housekeeper to return to her control.
…
Coming out of Xu's side, Mingyu saw no one around and couldn't help but said: "Isn't the girl in charge very well? The master didn't say anything, so why are we rushing back?"
"Now that the back house belongs to her, so what if I am asked to take care of the accounts? I have to do things within the rules set by her, and I have to put in a lot of energy and time. Why bother?" Shen Tianshu said, "Don't just look at the current gains and losses, no one can say what will happen in the future!"
Mingyu nodded in understanding, and then discovered that the direction Shen Tianshu was walking was not back to Shuangtang Courtyard, but to Ping Niang's room in Xikua Courtyard.
"Big girl." Ping Niang saw Shen Tianshu coming and quickly stood up to greet him.
"I see that you have recovered well recently. Did you take the medicines that were sent to you on time?"
"Thank you for taking care of me these days." Ping Niang smiled very gently, "Since the eldest lady told me that with my body, I can't keep this child even without getting hurt, I have thought a lot. , instead of being pregnant with great expectations for a few months and then losing her, it would be better to be like this now."
"I heard from Yunhui that Madam also cares about you?"
"Isn't that right? Hanqiao is sent here every now and then to deliver things." As soon as she mentioned Mrs. Xu, Ping Niang immediately lowered her eyes, "Don't worry, eldest lady, I know who is sincerely doing my best and who is hypocritical. .”
When Shen Tianshu heard Ping Niang describe the situation when Hanqiao arrived in detail, he couldn't help but shook his head and said, "You are still too careless."
Ping Niang was stunned when she heard this, and hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, eldest lady, I will never show any dissatisfaction with Madam in front of Han Qiao."
"There is no dissatisfaction, this is your biggest flaw!" Shen Tianshu said.
Ping Niang was suddenly awakened by her words and was shocked.
Judging from Xu's level of paranoia, she might have begun to doubt her at this time.
"Thank you for the tip, Miss. I will definitely make up for this matter."
The next night, the mother-in-law who was on duty at night found Ping Niang burning paper in the back garden. After a dispute, she brought her to Mrs. Xu.
Mrs. Xu had already been lying down, but she was woken up now with a severe headache.
"You just had a miscarriage and can't rest in your room. Why are you going to the garden in the middle of the night?"
Ping Niang, dressed in pure silk, knelt down without raising her head and said: "My life is miserable and I couldn't save this child for the Shen family. Now I just want him to have a good pregnancy in the next life, so I found someone to settle the matter and give him Burn some ingots and paper money."
The woman who was watching the night was beaten up by being scratched and kicked by Ping Niang in the chaos just now. She was suffocating in her heart. After hearing this, she immediately said: "Madam, the government has strict regulations on these things. No matter what the reason is, it is not allowed. Burning paper at will in the mansion. Aunt Ping has been in the mansion for many years, it is impossible that she does not know about it, and she actually knowingly commits the crime and hopes that Madam will deal with it."
Hearing this, Ping Niang looked up at Mrs. Xu and asked with tears in her eyes: "Madam, the child is gone. Ping Niang didn't complain to anyone. She only blamed her own misfortune. Now she just wants to burn paper to express her condolences. Isn't that okay? ?”
Although Pingniang said she had no complaints, Mrs. Xu could see her dissatisfaction with herself from her eyes.
"I can understand how you feel about not having a child, but after all, there are family rules. These are not rules made by me, but rules passed down from the old house.
"It may not be obvious that this matter is in our house, but there are hundreds of people in the old house. If anyone has something to do and they can burn paper at will, wouldn't the house be in chaos?"
Ping Niang lowered her head and said nothing after hearing this, but she looked obviously unconvinced.
The woman who was watching the night was still about to say something, but Mrs. Xu raised her hand to stop her and said, "Okay, I'll fine Ping Niang three months' monthly payment, and that's the end of it."
After Mrs. Xu finished speaking, she sent everyone in the room out, got up, stepped forward to help Ping Niang, and pulled her to the couch.
Ping Niang was reluctant at first, but in the end she was forced to sit down by Mrs. Xu.
"Ping Niang, our master and servant have been friends for more than twenty years. It was I who took the initiative to let the master take you in."
"Since I gave birth to Yuan Lin, there has been no movement in my belly. Although the master didn't say anything explicitly, I know in my heart, which man doesn't want his children to be prosperous?
"Rather than letting the master bring in new people, I would rather you add more children to the master.
"So whether you believe it or not, I am just as distressed as you are when your child is gone this time."
Although Ping Niang still lowered her head, her tears fell on the back of Mrs. Xu's hand holding her, one drop at a time.
"I know you feel uncomfortable in your heart, and how difficult it is to hold on in front of others. Now that we have talked about it, you can just cry happily here. Don't let this matter affect the relationship between us. Friendship.”
Ping Niang's shoulders gradually began to shudder, her sobs became increasingly uncontrollable, and finally she lay on the Kang table and burst into tears.
Mrs. Xu reached out and patted her shoulder, but the original suspicion in her heart dissipated a lot.