novelraw Chapter 682 - 669: Slapping the Transmigrator Man 24
Chapter 682 - 669: Slapping the Transmigrator Man 24
Cui Mansion
Early in the morning, all the daughters-in-law of the Cui family went to pay their respects to Old Madam.
There was a room full of people at Old Madam’s place, apart from the daughters-in-law of the Cui family, there were also a few of her granddaughters.
A room full of people were all waiting for Old Madam to come out, and it was truly as silent as a grave when sitting in the outer room.
Mrs. Guan also came to pay respects to Old Madam; she sat below Mrs. Zhao with her head lowered, not knowing what she was thinking.
Mrs. Ji, with concubine Cui Yue’e of the second branch sitting beside her, nodded towards Mrs. Zhao and was just about to ask for permission when Old Madam came out, leaning on the hand of Qingping.
Everyone in the room quickly stood up to pay their respects to Old Madam.
Old Madam sat down with a smile on her face: "Alright, respect has been paid. If you have matters to attend to, go back to your business and don’t just stay here all the time."
Mrs. Ji stood up and said with a smile: "I actually have some matters to report to Old Madam."
"What matters?"
Old Madam took a warm bowl of cow’s milk from a young servant girl’s hand and had a couple of sips.
Mrs. Ji then spoke: "I’m talking about the housekeeper’s affairs. Now that Master Yige of the main branch has married a daughter-in-law, it would be best to entrust the home management to Master Yige’s wife. I was thinking of informing Old Madam and then handing over the account books and the keys to Master Yige’s wife."
Old Madam was startled for a moment.
She did not expect Mrs. Ji to hand over the power so readily, and she was even somewhat hesitant.
Mainly because Old Madam felt that Mrs. Guan might not be able to handle the affairs of the home well.
But logically and emotionally, the management of the home should be handed over to Mrs. Guan. Since the main branch had been managed by the second branch due to Mrs. Zhao’s inability to make public appearances, and now the daughter-in-law from the main branch came from a respectable official family, it would seem too excessive to find more excuses.
"If you’ve made up your mind, then it’s settled."
Old Madam smiled and said: "Then let’s hand it over to Master Yige’s wife."
Mrs. Guan quickly stood up; she was somewhat nervous, and her face was flushed red: "May I ask Old Madam and Second Mrs. to allow me some time to adapt? I’m young and inexperienced, and I fear that I might not manage well."
Mrs. Ji said with a smile: "Who hasn’t started as a young daughter-in-law? Everyone must go through this. If you don’t take the responsibility now, you’ll still have to manage it after a while, and if you don’t know how, you’ll learn. There’s no need to be afraid."
Having said this, Mrs. Guan found it inappropriate to decline any further.
"All right."
She nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Ji immediately instructed someone to find the account books and the keys to the treasury and then handed them over to Mrs. Guan.
When Mrs. Guan received them, she was especially excited.
Who didn’t know that the Cui family was wealthy? From observing the food, clothes, and household items since she had married into the family, she knew that the Cui family must indeed be very affluent. If she managed the household affairs, she might be able to obtain considerable money.
It was just that Mrs. Guan thought that having only just married into the family, she might not be able to grasp the power of managing the household affairs in a short time, so she had endured and not brought it up.
But now Mrs. Ji handed over the account books and keys to her, how could Mrs. Guan not be happy?
She said a few more words, then took the account books and keys back to her room.
Cui Ji also stood up to say goodbye and left.
Mrs. Zhao was planning her little schemes in her heart and followed suit.
Old Madam watched all this, a sneer curling on her lips: "Qingping, look, tell me if the Guan Group is genuinely lofty or just pretending? They pose with such noble airs, yet reek of the stench of money deep down."
Qingping bowed her head in silence.
Old Madam continued: "Such shallow-sighted fools. Do they really think this home is easy to manage? That it’s a stewardship position? It’s a hot potato; once you take it, you might not be able to let go."
Qingping laughed lightly: "Old Madam, don’t worry about these things. After all, if you can enjoy even one more day, that’s enough."
"Yes."
Old Madam rubbed her forehead wearily: "What choice do I have? My children and grandchildren are good-for-nothings, and the female relatives in the inner house are all like this; I can only just make do."
After Qingping finished serving Old Madam and had some free time, she saw Hong Xian and Huang Su waving at her.
Qingping walked over with a smile, and Hong Xian took out a few pieces of pastry, sharing one with Qingping; the three of them sat down in the corridor, idly chatting.
"Sister Qingping, why did Second Mrs. give up her stewardship?"
Hong Xian was a maidservant who was very close to Cui Ji. Now that Cui Ji had given up the stewardship, Hong Xian felt very uneasy.
Huang Su was also pondering over this matter, thinking that maybe she should get closer to the Guan Group.
Qingping curved her lips: "I know what you two are thinking. We three have grown up together, naturally our bonds are deeper than others. I won’t keep you in the dark about many things. In the future, don’t rush to curry favor with the Guan Group. They are not an easy one to flatter, and getting too close might just attract trouble. Also..."
Qingping pointed towards the direction of the main house: "You both know Old Master’s character the best, he is just like... the Old Master and the Master from the main house are of the same nature. Before Granny even entered the door, there were already several concubines inside, and within a few days of Granny’s arrival, two of her accompanied maids were taken away for use. That’s just someone who wouldn’t let go of any decent girl; if you’re too close to the main house, be careful that Master sets his eyes on you."
Her words turned the two maids’ faces pale.
The thoughts of Qingping, Huang Su, and Hong Xian were the same; they did not want to remain servants for life.
Having served in Old Madam’s quarters, the three had seen too much of the filthy business in the back house. Many maids thought of becoming a concubine as their life’s goal, but these three did not wish so. They knew the outcomes of the old concubines of Old Master, and also the state of the concubines in Old Master’s and Second Old Master’s quarters. How could they ever consent to become concubines?
They only wanted to please their masters to save up some money and in the future go out to marry into a well-to-do family as a principal wife.
Qingping chuckled: "How old is Second Mrs.? How old is Granny? Second Mrs. is much more astute than Granny. If she decides to give up the household stewardship, that shows this home is truly difficult to manage."
Speaking of which, Qingping let out another cold laugh: "I don’t know what the Master is thinking; he must be sick in the head. He always suspects that Second Mrs. has embezzled a lot of money from the family treasury, or that she’s transferred the treasury’s goods to her own quarters. Truly..."
"The Master actually thinks that?"
Huang Su also felt shocked; it seemed the Master might have been kicked in the head by a donkey.
So many people live in this mansion, not to mention the masters, but even the servants number two or three hundred. With so many eyes watching, each as sharp as a fighting cock’s, if Second Mrs. could empty the treasury under such scrutiny, she must be an immortal.
The stewardship initially under the care of the second household was always under scrutiny from the main house. In recent years, Old Master and Madam closely watched the second household, eager to grab any excuse to seize its stewardship. Furthermore, the Cui Family living under the back corridor and the mansion’s servants also had intricate connections; they too were watching.
If under these circumstances, Second Mrs. had managed to amass a fortune, what a formidable ability she must possess.
Qingping nodded: "What’s most laughable is that the Master has even ordered an investigation into the affairs of the ancestral land in Jinling. He actually believes Second Mrs. could convince the Jinling clansmen to sell the ancestral land. I really don’t know who told him this, or if he came up with it himself. Does he think Old Madam is blind? Do the old and Second Old Masters truly not care about the mansion’s affairs? Does he think all eight branches of the Jinling Cui Family are Second Mrs.’s lapdogs? Even if they were close to Second Mrs., who would agree to sell the ancestral land? That is the very root of a family."