bookcurios Chapter 234 Reasonable Feedback
Chapter 234 Reasonable Feedback
It has been a month since the Si family came to Beijing, and it has also been a month since Mother You followed Si Muyan.
She had already inquired about it. The mistress of the Marquis's mansion was in poor health, her brain was damaged and she couldn't remember things, so she couldn't manage the household. The Marquis didn't care about the housework. The three young ladies respected the eldest daughter. In the past, in the countryside, the eldest daughter was the one who took care of everything inside and outside the house.
So Mother You was extremely alert, thinking that since she was following the eldest lady, she must show her abilities and let the eldest lady see what she was capable of.
In addition, she was also clear about the arrangements made by her superiors. As long as the eldest lady behaved herself, everything would be fine. If she had any evil intentions, she could not blame her superiors for being cruel.
I didn't expect that after a month, let alone any evil thoughts, the young lady didn't even have any good thoughts! Every morning, there were rules and etiquette, and in the afternoon, homework, and at night, no one to restrain her, the young lady climbed into bed early and fell asleep.
At most, I would go to the second girl's yard to play with the little lady.
That's not doing anything serious.
Mother You was also worried. She had inquired with the other two girls. The second girl was very sincere and studied very hard during the day, and practiced calligraphy and read books at night when she had time. The third girl was also very diligent, afraid of making any mistakes.
Why is it different when it comes to her girl?
As for the housekeeper, she had never seen the eldest daughter manage the household, and she had never even asked a question. All household affairs, even the rewards from the palace, were directly handled by the mother next to the lady.
This……
Mother You was beginning to doubt whether the eldest daughter was really the smart and wise young lady who knew how to plan and strategize as the rumors said. Could it be that she had been replaced on the way back?
Until now, Si Muyan's question made Mother You feel different and made her very excited.
Mother You tentatively replied, "Miss, you don't know. Although I have been in Kyoto, I have always stayed in the inner house and am not very clear about what is happening outside..."
"Really?" Si Muyan didn't even raise her eyelids. "That means you can only do odd jobs around me. I can't count on you for important things?"
She tilted her head and scratched her forehead with her fingers: "Forget it, I don't expect you guys to succeed. Go and ask Yu Meng from Second Sister's yard to come over."
Yu Meng was He Lai Di. She thought the name Lai Di sounded a bit rustic, so she begged Si Muyan to change it for her. Si Muyan had no idea how to choose a name. She had originally wanted Si Xingzhi to choose, but Lai Di said that since she was her maid, it was the young lady's job to choose. So Si Muyan flipped through a book and randomly pointed out two characters that caught her eye.
Mother You only knew that Yu Meng was brought back from the countryside by the Si family. She was said to be a maid, but she was not even asked to sign a contract. Her food and clothing were comparable to those of the young master. She was free to come and go in the mansion and was very smart.
Although a little girl certainly couldn't find out about the affairs of a wealthy family, what if?
Seeing that she didn't move, Si Muyan's eyes became sharp, and he looked at her coldly and said, "It seems that your mother doesn't want to listen to what I, the master, say? It just so happens that our mansion is small and can't afford to support a big Buddha like you! Tomorrow I will have someone..."
"Miss, this is all my fault!" Mother You immediately knelt down and kowtowed. "I would never dare to disobey you. I hesitated just now because I was afraid that Miss Yu Meng would be accompanying the young lady to rest at this time, and I was afraid that I would disturb her rest..."
She raised her head and carefully glanced at Si Muyan's expression, then quickly added, "I am so stupid that I didn't know how to listen to what was happening outside. But I have been in Kyoto for many years, and I know a few old sisters. I work in several aristocratic families, and I occasionally have some interactions with them..."
There are connections between the aristocratic families, and there are also connections between the slaves of the aristocratic families. The levels are also very clear. It is impossible for personal slaves to have contact with menial servants.
In this way, if there is any problem between the noble families, it will be easier for them to communicate with each other, and the masters will not have to show up to exchange information.
Seeing Mother You come forward, Si Muyan continued, "The group of servants that came in half a month ago were trained by Aunt Jin. But Aunt Jin has been with us in the countryside for a long time, and she doesn't quite understand many of the rules in Kyoto. She's only been teaching for half a month. Plus, Aunt Jin is the housekeeper and has to take care of my mother, so she really doesn't have the time. The servants haven't been trained well, and when I think about it, I'm quite worried..."
Mother You knew that this was a case of giving a red date after a beating. Of course, when the stick came down, she was just being tactful and had not really shown her own value to the young lady, so she could only look at the red date but could not eat it.
"Young lady, don't worry for now. I believe that Sister Jin is smart and capable, and will handle things with ease. Plus, there aren't many things to do in the mansion right now, so the servants sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are more than enough. However, we need to carefully consider who will be a good match for us. It won't be too late to make a selection when you're free."
Si Muyan then looked at Mother You and smiled: "You are right, let's get busy first."
Mother You is a smart person. No matter what she says, she can immediately understand her intention. She also knows how to advance and retreat without being greedy. Such a person is very easy to use.
Of course, loyalty was the most important thing. Mother You was definitely assigned to monitor her; if she wasn't loyal, she wouldn't have used her.
The next day, preparations for the flower viewing banquet were underway. Since the governess and the tutor were both absent, the three young ladies had some free time. The second youngest sister went to the bookstore early in the morning to buy some books, while the youngest sister also took her mother out for a visit, bringing Xiaoxia along to play.
Si Xingzhi asked Si Muyan, "I've been in Kyoto for a month, and I haven't really gone out yet. Today is a free day, and your two sisters are going out, so why don't you go?"
Si Muyan shook her head: "I've been tired for so long, it's rare to rest, I don't want to toss and turn. I want to count the gold, silver and jade that the Empress Dowager gave me before."
Aunt Jin didn't need to worry about Xiaoxiaer, and asked Yumeng to come and take care of the lady. She ordered people to carry the two boxes of good things given by the Queen Mother to Si Muyan's yard and counted them one by one for her to see.
"These have been registered and placed in Madam's storeroom. There are two maids in charge of the storeroom. They count and hand over the items every day. I also have a key here."
Si Muyan shook her head: "Aunt Jin, I trust you to do the work. What I want to know is which of these things can be used, how much have been used, and how much is left?"
"The gold and silver jewelry are all very nice, but most of them are out of fashion. I had someone go to Xingbao Pavilion and invite a professional craftsman to take a look. He kept a few of the best ones and asked him to take some and re-fry them into fashionable styles. They won't be back until tomorrow, and they'll be perfect for the flower-viewing banquet, so the three young ladies will need them. As for the money withdrawals, the second young lady has more money from the courtyard. She practices calligraphy every day and loves books. I didn't want to use anything too bad, so I didn't hold back."