Union

Chapter 65 Drunk
Yunying originally thought that when she appeared in her new clothes in a few days, Qiu Ning and Mu Jin would find out and probably come to make trouble for her.

She had already thought of how to explain it, but before she could even put on her new clothes, Qiu Ning and Mu Jin came over the next day while Yun Ying was having her meal.

Neither of them looked well, especially Qiu Ning, whose face was so dark it looked like her house had been robbed.

Their home wasn't robbed, of course; they only learned from the maid that the Second Master had given Yunying cloth and jewelry.

When Qiu Ning questioned Yun Ying, Yun Ying thought to herself, "Here it comes." But on the surface, she remained calm. She asked Qiu Ning, "Did you hear what that maid said?"

Yesterday, she had dinner at Second Master's place, drank some digestive tea, and chatted with him at length in official jargon before returning home.

At that time, there were hardly any people on the road; she had specifically chosen a secluded path. And indeed, they hadn't encountered anyone along the way yesterday. So the question is, who saw their movements and deliberately provoked them?
Whether it's clothes or jewelry, they'll eventually be worn in public, and Yunying had long been prepared for Qiu Ning to come knocking. But Qiu Ning's arrival so early, with such a terrible attitude and a sour face, made Yunying wonder if the maid and servant who specifically told Qiu Ning about this was secretly hoping to see some kind of drama.

Such a person cannot be kept in the county government office; he is too talkative, and should be kicked out as soon as he is caught.

After asking the question, Yunying paid close attention to Qiu Ning's movements, and then Qiu Ning reflexively looked at Mu Jin.

This is not self-inflicted.

Yunying raised an eyebrow at Mujin. Mujin knew she had been exposed, so she held the handkerchief in her hand and smiled gently, saying, "It was Qiuning and I who told you."

How did you know about this?

Mu Jin steadied her rapidly beating heart and said, "Yesterday, when I was about to go to sleep, I asked the maid to lock the courtyard gate. The maid heard a noise outside and came out to see what was going on. She saw the guards beside the Second Master carrying some cloth and following you and your servants into the courtyard."

Yunying understood; it turned out that the real culprit was Mujin.

But Mu Jin was shrewd and wouldn't be the first to speak out, so she told Qiu Ning about it. She probably also whispered many unspoken words in Qiu Ning's ear, encouraging her to cause trouble.

It has to be said, Yunying was right.

Qiu Ning seemed to realize in an instant that she had been used as a pawn by Mu Jin. Her anger immediately turned towards Mu Jin, and she snorted angrily several times, her eyes blazing with fury.

Seeing this, Mu Jin quickly comforted Qiu Ning, saying that they had come with no ill intentions and were just there to ask about the situation. Didn't you think so, sister?

Qiu Ning choked, her face turning red and purple.

She felt like she was a complete idiot, being fooled and manipulated, and she even stood up for others and spoke out for them. She was such a fool.

The fool Qiu Ning sat in the chair sulking. Yun Ying had a maid serve her tea and then brought up the matter of the Second Master rewarding her yesterday.

But Yunying couldn't possibly tell them that the Second Master had asked her to sort out the yamen's accounts. So she said, half-truthfully, "There are some accounts that need to be summarized. The Second Master hasn't been able to find the time lately, and Suiyun and the others are also extremely busy. The Second Master knows that I'm good at this, so he asked me to go and help out."

"Help me with the accounts?" Mu Jin asked thoughtfully. "Could it be that the expenses in Yun Gui County over the past six months have been too high, and Second Master is short of money?"

Yunying didn't know why Mujin had this idea, but that didn't stop her from looking at Mujin with a serious gaze.

She always knew that Xiaoyi's gentleness was just a label that Mujin presented to the outside world. In fact, she was the most thoughtful and the most composed person.

This can be seen from the fact that she repeatedly pushed Qiu Ning to the forefront while she herself remained hidden behind the scenes to achieve her own goals.

Mu Jin is a very secretive person.

Given her deep thoughts, it's not surprising that Mu Jin would guess she was calculating Second Master's expenses in Yun Gui County.

After all, this was the only matter that seemed to be within the reach of a minor steward in the inner quarters.

As for things like the county government's accounts, not only women in the inner quarters, but even accountants and tutors wouldn't have access to them. It's normal that Mu Jin wouldn't guess that she was handling these things.

Leaving aside these digressions, let's focus on the present. Yunying nodded in agreement with Mujin's guess, and then said, "I specifically learned this skill at the manor before, but I never expected it would come in handy one day."

Yunying's words finally changed the subject, and Mujin and Qiuning couldn't think about anything else at the moment, both of them were filled with regret.

Previously, at the estate of the Marquis of Chang'an, the matrons there did indeed teach accounting. However, this was an "elective course," not a compulsory one.

Qiu Ning and Mu Jin shared the same idea: they preferred to devote more energy to music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and tea. At the very least, learning a musical instrument or practicing dance would be better than learning accounting skills.

After all, no matter which noble family they were sent to, all they could do was serve as concubines or maids who used their beauty to please men.

Putting aside the fact that the masters in the mansion wouldn't let them manage the household, what aristocratic family doesn't have many stewards, both inside and outside?
For them to wrest control of the household from those shrewd people is probably harder than climbing to heaven.

Because of these thoughts, neither Qiu Ning nor Mu Jin learned how to use an abacus.

Although they believe they have learned the skills of housekeeping, there is a big difference between housekeeping and bookkeeping.

Moreover, settling accounts for half a year is no small matter; it will likely keep us busy until the end of the year.

When Mu Jin and Qiu Ning found out exactly what Yun Ying was doing, they looked dejected.

They wanted to see the reward Yunying had received yesterday, but time was short and Yunying was in a hurry to go to the front yard to settle accounts. So she could only make an excuse that she would show it to them when she had time. Then she saw the guests off, changed her clothes, and went to the front yard.

For the next few days, Yunying would arrive at the study in the front yard on time every day to report for duty.

Sometimes she would see the Second Master in the study, but most of the time, he wasn't there.

From the servants, Yunying learned that the Second Master had been leaving early and returning late these past few days. Sometimes, after taking a bath, he would sit in his study, or read books and practice calligraphy.

But more often than not, when the Second Master returned to the mansion, it was already past midnight, so he would simply wash up and go to bed.

Yunying hadn't seen the Second Master for several days. She had almost finished sorting out the accounts and would be done in another day or two. One morning, she entered the study and found the Second Master sitting in his usual spot.

The dazzling sunlight fell on the Second Master's cold and handsome face. He seemed like a god descending to earth, or a god enshrined on a Buddhist shrine, free from desires and wants. For a moment, Yun Ying was stunned and wondered if she was seeing things.

It was the Second Master who saw her and beckoned her over.

Yunying then came to her senses, bowed to the Second Master, and walked to the table.

The Second Master was sitting in a grand chair, looking through the account books that she had already checked.

These ledgers, some large and some small, all had some problems, which Yunying carefully marked. Second Master looked at them intently, patiently flipping through one before finally putting the ledger aside.

"You've come so early, have you had breakfast yet?" Second Master asked Yunying first.

Yunying nodded; she had naturally eaten breakfast before coming over.

And because the cook made her favorite shrimp wontons today, she had a great appetite and ate a whole big bowl.

Yunying spoke her mind, but only after she finished speaking did she suddenly remember that the person in front of her was Second Master, not Qiu Ning, and certainly not Sui'er. Would Second Master find her words annoying?

Yunying carefully observed the Second Master's expression, but saw that he did not show the slightest impatience. Instead, he rested his chin on his hand, looked at her leisurely, and asked again, "Shrimp wontons, how come I've never had them at the manor?"

"Oh? Didn't the cook serve you any?" Yunying quickly tried to cover for the cook, "Perhaps the cook thought the food was too coarse and not suitable for a refined meal."

The second master glanced at her sideways. She was always considerate of the servants, worried that they might anger him and cause him trouble. In reality, when did he ever have the leisure to care about such trivial matters?

Let's forget about the shrimp wontons for now. Second Master noticed that Yunying was standing opposite him without moving. At first, he didn't realize what was going on, but then he suddenly remembered that Yunying usually sat here with him.

She felt more at ease while he was away these past few days.

Perhaps because she felt cold, or perhaps because she felt uncomfortable sitting for too long, she added a cotton cushion to the armchair... Was she waiting for him to give up his seat?

Thinking of this, the second master couldn't help but chuckle and stand up. "I'll go to the county government office. You can sit down and continue doing the accounting."

As the second master spoke, he walked out the door, leaving Yunying staring blankly at his retreating figure.

So, what exactly was Second Master laughing at when he gave that lewd smile?
It took Yunying another two days to finally finish sorting out the accounts.

She stretched and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Suddenly, she felt that the sky had cleared up, the earth had expanded, and even the chirping of the birds outside sounded pleasant.

After finishing the accounting work that day, Yunying treated herself to a good meal.

She took out three hundred copper coins from her meager savings and asked Sui'er to go to the kitchen to order her some side dishes.

That's right, Yunying wants to splurge and have a nice meal.

She earned herself five bolts of silk, and she also earned two sets of jewelry and headdresses.

If converted to silver, she already has several thousand taels in savings. If she pawned these things, she would definitely be able to save enough money to redeem herself.

Yunying was overjoyed at this thought. However, Yun Gui County was too poor, and even if she sent good things to pawn, she wouldn't get much money. So she decided to wait until she went to the prefectural capital to exchange the cloth and jewelry for silver.

Thinking that she was one step closer to leaving the manor, Yunying was overjoyed. That evening, she ate some side dishes and drank the fruit wine offered by the cook. In the end, she drank herself into a stupor and slept until noon the next day.

Even so, she was still awakened by Sui'er.

As Sui'er helped her get up, she hurriedly said, "Second Master is looking for you. He sent Guard Suiyu to find you. I told him you weren't feeling well and were still sleeping, so Suiyu went back to tell Second Master first."

"Miss, please hurry up, don't keep Second Master waiting too long. Otherwise, if Second Master finds out that you've been drinking and causing trouble, he might punish you."

Yunying was still quite drunk and her head was spinning. But she took Sui'er's words to heart. She quickly got dressed, washed up, and then took Sui'er to the front yard.

It was her first time being hungover, and the effects of the alcohol hadn't worn off yet, so she felt weak and limp. She had no strength at all, and it took her a long time to walk three steps and catch her breath before finally reaching the front yard.

Now, when Yunying goes to the front yard, she doesn't need to announce herself. Even if she wants to enter the study, the four of them, including Suiyun, won't ask any questions.

However, today it was Suiyu who was guarding the gate. Suiyu was the youngest and the most lively. When he saw that Yunying had taken so long to come over and that her face was still drunk, he stared in disbelief. Then, with a grin, he mouthed "You're finished" to Yunying.

Yunying hadn't seen clearly, so she stepped closer, wanting to ask Suiyu what she had said. Just then, the Second Master in the study said, "Now that you're here, what are you lingering outside for?"

Sui Yu grinned, revealing her large teeth in a silent laugh. Yun Ying gritted her teeth, turned around, and pushed open the door to go inside.

Inside the study, the Second Master watched Yunying approach step by step, his gaze heavy, making Yunying's heart pound.

Yunying bowed, but before the Second Master could tell her to get up, she felt too weak to stand. So she stood up on her own as if nothing had happened, coughed lightly, and asked the Second Master, "I heard you were looking for me. Is there something you need me to do, Second Master?"

The second master didn't reply. Instead, he frowned as he looked at Yunying's flushed cheeks and her still slightly drunken eyes.

Her skin was already fair, but now it was flushed, making it stand out even more. Coupled with the misty look in her eyes, she seemed to be still hungover. Remembering what Sui Yu had said earlier, that she had drunk some wine last night and was still tipsy.

The second master chuckled and said to her, "You're living quite a carefree life, always making yourself some drinks and eating. If you're so good at drinking, at least make sure you don't get drunk."

Upon hearing Second Master's words, Yunying's cheeks flushed redder and hotter.

She awkwardly rubbed her nose, protesting her innocence, "I wasn't planning on drinking. I just felt relieved after finishing the accounts, so I asked the cook to prepare a few dishes to treat myself. But the cook was so kind and gave me a bottle of her homemade fruit wine..."

"Second Master, please don't disbelieve me. It really is fruit wine. If I utter a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning." Yunying swore, "I didn't drink much, just two small cups. Who knew that fruit wine would have such a strong aftereffect? ​​I got drunk right away."

Upon hearing this, Second Master chuckled and scolded her, "You're really pathetic. How much of a lingering effect can fruit wine have? You can't even handle two glasses of fruit wine, and you still have the nerve to try drinking?"

Yunying lowered her head, covered her eyes and brows, and sobbed, "I'll never drink again. Drinking leads to trouble. Really, I'll never drink again."

"You can still drink." The second master became more agreeable at this point. "I'll have a couple of drinks with you another day when I'm free."

Yunying quickly waved her hand, but the Second Master said in an unquestionable manner, "Practice your drinking skills so that you won't get easily drunk when you go out for social events in the future."

"Second Master, you must be joking. I'm just a maid, why would I need to go out and socialize? I said I wouldn't drink, and I really won't, Second Master, I keep my word."

The second master didn't argue with her about the issue; seeing that she was still somewhat unsteady, he simply had her sit down in a chair. Then, he explained to her the purpose of having her come.

"I plan to host a banquet for the gentry and elders of various villages and towns in Yungui County on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. The banquet will be held at the county government office. You are in charge of making the arrangements."

Upon hearing that it was a serious matter, Yunying immediately became serious and readily agreed.

Although she had little experience in organizing banquets, Aunt Ding had explained the general rules to her.

Aunt Ding also gave her a booklet with notes, which included, but was not limited to: taboos for various banquets such as weddings and funerals, the arrangement of dishes, the selection of drinks, the placement of seats, the preparation of the banquet hall, the arrangement of guest rooms, clean rooms, recreational facilities, etc., as well as other miscellaneous things that are easy to forget but are especially important.

Yunying immediately had a plan in mind, but in order to handle things perfectly, she did not leave. Instead, she asked the Second Master about the number of people who would be attending, their preferences for the dishes, and whether it was necessary to prepare a carriage for transportation.

Because the matter was of great importance, Yunying discussed it with the Second Master. Even after returning to her own courtyard, she didn't rest. Instead, she pondered the matter further. Since most of the guests would be elderly, she didn't forget to invite a doctor in advance. In addition, most of the elderly were afraid of the cold and their speech was not very clear, so she had to be careful when choosing a venue. She also had to remind the head chef to make the dishes soft and tender. There were also the maids who would serve the food and attend to the guests, as well as the tea and porcelain for entertaining them.

Oh, right, porcelain.

This is the most crucial point right now.

Because the county government has never hosted a banquet before, the porcelain, tables and chairs in the mansion are definitely not enough, so they have to go out and buy a horse now.

Yunying didn't trust anyone else to handle this matter, so she had to make the trip herself. After selecting the porcelain and tables and chairs and arranging a delivery time, she also met with several skilled chefs to come to the county government office the next day to taste the dishes.

In short, Yunying has been busy ever since she learned about the banquet.

She was so busy she barely had time to breathe, and the maids in the mansion were constantly being bossed around by her.

But none of the maids or servants complained.

The county magistrate is hosting a banquet to entertain all the prominent figures in the county—this is a momentous occasion. For them to participate, even if it's just sweeping the floor or wiping the tables, is a great honor, something that would inspire envy and admiration.

Everyone in the mansion was busy and bustling about, which made Qiu Ning and Mu Jin seem quite out of place.

Ever since Yun Ying humiliated her last time, Mu Jin has been constantly visiting Yun Ying. As for Qiu Ning, she's shameless, or perhaps just clueless. Maybe she's got Yun Ying's personality figured out, thinking that even if she offends Yun Ying, Yun Ying won't bother with her. So, even though she had a falling out with Yun Ying, it didn't stop her from continuing to run to Yun Ying's place.

This time, Qiu Ning came to Yun Ying and asked her to at least give her some work to do.

"Everyone's so busy, but the two of us are just sitting around doing nothing. We sit from morning till afternoon, and from afternoon till night, either inside the house or in the yard. My butt is practically calloused from sitting so much. I do like to be idle, but I'm envious when I see you all so busy and bustling around. Good Yunying, you should give me some things to do, so I don't just sit here like a useless person all day long."

Qiu Ning spoke her pleading words in a drawn-out tone, her voice sweet and delicate, with dimples appearing and disappearing at the corners of her lips. How could Yun Ying resist such soft and coquettish behavior?

Finally, Yunying assigned Qiuning the task of overseeing the cleaning and tidying of guest rooms.

A little later, Mu Jin came over, and Yun Ying didn't give her the cold shoulder. She then asked Mu Jin to oversee the cleaning and setup of the banquet venue.

With both of them busy, no one came over to chatter in Yunying's ear anymore, and it became much quieter around her.

This gave Yunying an idea: she could not only arrange for the maids and servants to do things, but she could also arrange for Qiu Ning and Mu Jin.

Qiu Ning and Mu Jin had different statuses, so when they spoke up to discipline the maids and servants, none of them disobeyed.

Their current relationship is somewhat similar to that of a head steward, with Qiu Ning and Mu Jin as second-in-commands, and a group of maids and servants under their management...

That's good. She'll be the head manager, and from now on, all the small, messy tasks will be left to Qiu Ning and Mu Jin.

That way, once they get work, they won't bother her for no reason, and she can do less work and save herself some trouble.

This is a win-win situation. Why did she always think about ordering around maids and servants, but never about ordering around these two? She's really inflexible in her thinking.

It's another busy day. Today is the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month. The next day is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the Little New Year in the north, and the day after tomorrow is the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the Little New Year in the south.

Early that morning, while it was still gloomy outside, Yunying got up and went to the outer courtyard.

Second Master had just finished his morning exercise.

On a slightly chilly winter morning, Yunying wore an extra silver fur cloak to keep warm, while Second Master was only dressed in a dark cross-collar, narrow-sleeved short brown suit, with large dark sweat stains on his chest and thighs.

He was radiating heat, and even as Yunying spoke to him, hot beads of sweat kept rolling down his face.

As the second master watched Yunying walk forward, he asked her, "Why are you here at this time?"

Yunying was truly surprised to find that the Second Master was doing his morning exercises at this hour, and it seemed that he had been practicing for quite some time.

Thinking about it carefully, it does seem to be this time—Sui'er had told her before that she had a high fever that day, and Sui'er went to ask for a doctor. It turned out that it was also this time that the Second Master was doing his morning exercise here.

Judging from Second Master's sweaty appearance, his morning exercise was clearly not just a simple kicking of his arms and legs. No wonder when I applied medicine to him earlier, his muscles were thin but looked very solid; it turns out Second Master actually has martial arts skills.

But that makes sense. After all, if Second Master's kung fu wasn't superb, he probably wouldn't have been able to arrive so quickly when Ruizhu pushed her out to shield her from the knife, and kill the thugs who were surrounding her with a single blow.

But that's getting off-topic. To put it simply, Yunying didn't come to see the Second Master on purpose; she just wanted to check if the carriages and horses were ready.

She was halfway there when she heard the commotion. She glanced over and her eyes met Sui Yun's.

It would seem inappropriate not to come and pay respects to the Second Master.

Yunying greeted the Second Master and then explained her purpose: "Today is the twenty-second of the twelfth lunar month. According to the previous arrangement, the county government's personnel will set off early this morning to go to those remote villages and towns to invite the elders and gentry of those villages and towns to stay at the county government office. I came to check if they have set off yet, and to remind them to put an extra layer of mats in the carriage, and to place a charcoal brazier, as well as some food and drink."

(End of this chapter)