Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 36 Stop talking, I choose a family of scholars!
Lai family.

As a maidservant serving Lady Jia, Nanny Lai was the most respectable person in Rongguo Mansion. Even the wives of King Xing and Lady Wang had to give her some face.

Now that Nanny Lai is old, she rarely serves in the mansion anymore. She has been given the title of Old Madam and is living out her days at home.

Nanny Lai has two sons.

A man named Lai Da, who worked as the chief steward in Rongguo Mansion, was known as Grandpa Lai.

There was a man named Lai Er, who worked as the chief steward in Ningguo Mansion and was known as the Second Grandpa.

It happened that the mother and her two children were all there that day.

Lai Da looked at Lai Er and said with a smug smile, "Old Er, why don't you come back at night recently? You've been so busy in the mansion over there, but you haven't brought back any money all year round. You might as well come here and follow me. I guarantee you'll have good food and good drinks."

Lai Er didn't care, but smiled and said, "Our family is a scholarly family, and our master is the Minister of War. Naturally, some of the rules are different from yours. If you stretch your hand too far, you may not be able to take it back. It's good enough to be able to work safely."

As the chief steward of the Ning Mansion, he had thought about making a fortune, but every time he saw what happened to Master Zhen, he would quickly give up the idea.

Lai Da chuckled disdainfully and said, "You are just a coward. If that's the case, Qingwen should come to our house. If she can serve in Baoyu's room, I will be more comfortable there in the future."

Lai Er shook his head, indicating that he would not give in.

"No, Baoyu is only from the second house, and who knows what he will be like in the future. Master Rong in our house is the grandson of our great master, and will inherit the Duke's Mansion in the future. You should be able to tell the difference between the two of them, right?"

Lai Da waved his hand and said, "Second brother, you are wrong. Everyone in the mansion knows that our old lady likes Baoyu the most. This Duke's Mansion will probably belong to Baoyu in the future!"

"Brother, are you kidding?"

Lai Er was shocked, his eyes wide open. He didn't expect his elder brother to have such unrealistic ideas. Could it be that after staying in the mansion for too long, his brain became defective?
"Who is joking with you?"

Lai Da was about to get angry when he saw Lai Er's expression.

Lai Mama above waved her hands and said, "Alright, you two brothers, stop fighting. Qingwen, we also raised you as a half-daughter. Tell me where you want to serve."

Below stood a slim young girl with a tall figure, an oval face, a slender waist, a cherry-like mouth, and bright eyes.

Lai Da looked at Qingwen and said with a smile: "Qingwen, you have also met Master Bao. He is famous for his good temper, filial piety, good looks, and he is also interested in girls. When you go there, just be a deputy lady..."

"Grandpa Lai, please stop talking."

Qingwen raised her little face and said, "I choose to go to Ning Mansion!"

The Ningguo Mansion is a family of scholars, with a master who is a Jinshi official in the court, and Uncle Rong is the legitimate son and grandson. How can they be compared to the 'poor family in the west'?

Even though she is just a girl, she is very ambitious.

Lai Er clapped his hands happily!
"OK!"

"Girl has good taste!"

Lai Daqi was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He pointed at Qingwen and gritted his teeth and said, "With your temper, how dare you go to the East Palace? Don't you know how strict the rules are over there? They will beat you up and kick you out in less than two days!"

Qingwen raised her little face and said stubbornly, "Don't worry, Grandpa Lai. I will behave well when I get there and follow the rules. If Master Rong tells me to go east, I will never go west. If Master Rong tells me to sit, I will never stand."

It’s not like she hasn’t been to the East Palace to play before. Isn’t Xiaoxiao, that girl, dancing with a sword all day long, fine?

"Okay, okay, you wait!" "Okay, boss."

Lai Ma waved her hands and said, "It's natural for Qingwen to want to go to the East Palace. After all, it's a scholarly family. But I heard that the master of the East Palace is very strict. Rong'er only has a maid by his side. Second brother, are you sure Qingwen can enter Rong'er's room?"

Obviously, the shrewd Nanny Lai also wanted to place people in the Ningguo Mansion. After all, the Rongguo Mansion was in this state. Although it could make more profits at the moment, in the long run, it was certain that the East Mansion would overwhelm the West Mansion in the future!

Lai Er hesitated.

He was not sure whether Master Rong wanted Qingwen or not. After all, Master Rong didn't care much about the beauty of the daughter of old Qin Ye's family. Although Qingwen had more features, she was still not as good as Miss Qin.

"Mother, I can't guarantee that either. But the entrance exam will be held in April, and Grandfather has already said that if Master Rong can pass the exam, he will definitely have someone to serve him. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we don't fight for it, other families will send us in."

"Humph!" Lai Da said disdainfully, "There's still a chance. If Qingwen goes to our house, I guarantee she can go straight into Master Bao's room!"

Lai Er chuckled disdainfully and said, "Of course you can enter the chicken coop at will, but the phoenix will not roost unless it is on the phoenix tree."

"Good!" Lai Daqi gritted his teeth and said, "Second brother, you are capable. You still have literary talent in the East Palace!"

Lai Er smiled softly: "How about becoming the chief steward of the East Palace? Qingwen, what do you think?"

How could Qingwen go to the chicken coop?

"Second Grandpa, I am willing to serve Master Rong." Qingwen's voice became more firm.

"OK!"

"When you have time, come with me to the East Palace and show yourself in front of Master Rong first."

"Humph!"

Lai Qi snorted coldly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Nanny Lai smiled and advised, "Don't worry, sir. Wait until they don't want her anymore. Then you can take Qingwen to the West Mansion, right?"

Lai Da: “…”

What do you mean?
It turns out that they in the West Palace specialize in picking up the junk that the East Palace doesn't want, right?

Lai Da's eyes were red as he said, "Mother, I brought home a full fifty thousand taels of silver last year, but my second brother only brought back a few taels. How did we get such a huge fortune? It was all saved up by me bit by bit, and now I have to use the leftovers. I might as well quit my job in the mansion and come back to live with everyone else!"

After saying that, he sat down on the chair at the back with a broken jar, feeling aggrieved and silent.

Nanny Lai also felt sorry for her eldest son. She called the little maid beside her, took her hand and said to Lai Da with a big smile: "You also know this girl Cui Lu. She is my favorite among these girls. She is as good-looking as Qing Wen, and she is gentle, well-behaved, sensible and considerate. She was originally hidden at home to be Shang Rong's maid. I will bring her to the mansion to show the old lady someday, okay?"

In fact, this is in the best interests of the Lai family.

Their family has always bet on both sides. No matter which of the East Palace or the West Palace becomes successful in the future, the Lai family will inevitably benefit from it.

"There's just one thing. Shang Rong might not be willing to do it. Boss, you should talk to him about it later. A girl is just a girl after all. If this one is gone, there will naturally be other options."

Lai Shangrong is the phoenix of the Lai family. He was brought up in a pampered environment with seven or eight maids serving him. Cuilu has been flirting with him for a long time. Nanny Lai naturally sees it in her heart and understands it very well.

……

(End of this chapter)