Madam Hou

Chapter 76

Fangzhou came out of Qiuhuai's room, stood in the veranda, looked at the red lantern with the word "囍" on it, thought for a while, then went back to his room, took out a key from his neck, and opened the bed. There was a cabinet door next to his head, and he took out a few account books that were neatly placed without any creases, and found a mahogany box painted with gold, and hurried to the main courtyard.

When Fangzhou arrived at the main courtyard, the door of the inner room was still closed. One could tell from a glance that the young master and the young mistress hadn't woken up for their lunch break, and Qinghua and Qingteng beside the young mistress were standing in the outer room waiting for orders. Xia He was not there, presumably because Waiting in the inner room.

Although it was in the outer room, charcoal was also burned inside. The high-quality silver frost charcoal baked the whole room warmly, without sound, color or smell, unlike ordinary white charcoal or low-grade black charcoal used by servants like them. Either it is easy to be damp and cannot be ignited, or it smells of charcoal, or it often makes a crackling sound when burning.

Seeing Fangzhou coming, Qingteng hurried forward, and asked with a soft smile, "Is it Miss Fangzhou?"

Fangzhou's eyes dimmed. In the past few days, when she heard Qingteng and Qinghua call Xiahe and Qiuhuai, she called her "sister" or "sister" one by one, but when she called her, she only called "girl". It means that she is the person in the house of the young master, but it is also a sign of closeness.

But soon Fangzhou withdrew his thoughts, cheered up and asked Qingteng with a smile: "Sister Qingteng, are the eldest young master and eldest young mistress awake?"

Qingteng also smiled and said: "I'm still asleep. Miss, is there something urgent to find the eldest young master or eldest young mistress, or else I'll go in and let you know?"

What he said was just a polite word, and he said he wanted to report but he didn't mean to go in. Fangzhou couldn't see it, so he replied with a smile: "It's nothing urgent, I'll just wait outside."

Qingteng glanced at the box held in Fangzhou's hand, but didn't ask much, raised her head and continued to Fangzhou: "All right, I'll move a stool for the girl, girl sit and wait." Went to bring a stool for Fangzhou, Fangzhou thanked with a smile.

Fangzhou sat on the stool a little bored, looking down at her toes.The surroundings were quiet and silent, and occasionally a few little maids came in and out, but they were also light-footed.

Perhaps it was because it was too quiet, but Fang Zhou actually heard the woman's murmuring voice suddenly coming from the inner room.The voice was so low that Fangzhou didn't hear what she said clearly, and she was a little childish in her sleepiness, as if she had just woken up.Then came the voice of the young master, who seemed to be replying a few words, also with the deep and hoarse voice of just waking up, as if it was the magnet in the black iron, which could suck the hearts of those who listened.

After a while, Xia He, who was serving in the inner room, came out to open the door, Qingteng and Qinghua went in, followed by rustling voices.Then, it was Qingteng who came out and said to her: "Miss Fangzhou, the eldest young mistress invites you in."

Fangzhou followed Qingteng in.

In the inner room, a nine-leaf red sandalwood carved cloud dragon pattern inlaid jade seat screen separates the inner bed from the outside, and a Hunan embroidery double phoenix hanging curtain hangs where the inside and the outside connect.On the wall outside the screen, there is an arhat couch that can sit and lie on. On the couch is a Kang table, and on the table is a tureen with pastel flower and bird patterns on the green space of the official kiln.At this time, Yin Niang, who was wearing a water-red double-breasted embroidered bird jacket, was sitting on the side of the Arhat couch. When Fang Zhou came in, she was yawning sleepily.

Fangzhou glanced inside the curtain, then knelt on the ground respectfully worshiped the mistress, and then offered the box in her hand: "This is the account book of the young master's courtyard. There is no mistress in the courtyard, and there are no seniors. Well, Madam handed it over to the maidservant. Now that the young lady has entered the door, the maidservant should be handed over to the young lady according to the rules."

Yinniang opened her eyes vigorously to cheer herself up, and then said to Fangzhou: "Get up, the ground is very cold." After speaking, she asked Qingteng to help her up, and moved a small stick for her sit down.Only then did Qingteng take the box and hand it to Yinniang.

Yinniang only glanced at the box, but Fangfo didn't care and didn't look much.Then he said to Fang Zhou: "You have worked hard to take care of the young master's accounts all these years!"

I don't know why, it's obviously a childish voice, but Fangzhou still felt majestic when the voice was spoken.

Fang Zhou lowered his head and said, "Slaves dare not take credit." But he dared not say that it was his job.

Before the young masters get married, the accounts of the inner courtyard are usually handled by their nanny, and if there is no nanny, they are usually managed by the head of the courtyard.Lin Fengqi's nanny had been killed by Mrs. Lin Hou long ago. After what happened to Mrs. Lin Hou, wouldn't she like to put qualified people in the young master's yard, lest they rely on their experience and play tricks to deceive the master.Therefore, whether it is Lin Fengqi, the young master, or the second and third young masters, there are big maids in the courtyard who manage the accounts.Although this is the general practice of the Hou Mansion, it doesn't mean that she, a maid, manages the accounts properly.

Yin Niang said: "You don't have to be humble, this should be your credit, and I should reward you."

Lin Fengqi lifted the curtain from the inside and came out, just in time to hear the word "credit", so he asked: "What credit?"

Qinghua, Qingteng and even Fangzhou got up to salute Lin Fengqi.Yin Niang also stood up and said: "It's Fang Zhou who came to deliver the accounting books of the courtyard. I said that she has done a good job in handling the accounting of the courtyard, which is a great contribution. I was thinking about how to reward her."

Lin Fengqi sat on the other side of Luo Han's couch, and said indifferently: "Then give her ten taels of silver, what's the point of thinking about it."

Yin Niang originally wanted to reward her with a piece of jewelry. The difference between rewarding silver and rewarding jewelry is much greater. Rewarding silver really only means rewarding, while rewarding jewelry also expresses the gratitude and gratitude of the rewarder. value.Even the maids, if it is said that the master rewarded a piece of jewelry, it would be a very dignified thing to say.

According to Fangzhou's status, if she only rewarded ten taels of silver, it would be a disgrace to Fangzhou. Maybe people would think that the newly appointed mistress wanted to show her off.Sure enough, men think things are simple.

Yinniang smiled softly, and finally ordered Qingteng to wrap ten taels of silver, and found a silver hairpin she didn't like very much from her jewelry box and gave it to Fangzhou.Of course, although her jewelry is not very expensive, any one of them is worth more than ten taels of silver.

After receiving the reward, Fangzhou saw that Yinniang didn't intend to stay and serve her, so he went out as well.

After Fangzhou left, Yinniang took out the account books from the mahogany box, flipped through them casually, and saw that every income and expenditure was clearly written in it, and recorded the accounts in the form of a form. It is simple and easy to read, so that the people who read the accounts will not feel dazzled. Yin Niang couldn't help but praise it in her heart, thinking that she couldn't do better than this.

Lin Fengqi lay on the couch and saw Yinniang flipping through the account book, but ignored him instead, so he complained: "This Fangzhou is too impatient, we are just newly married, whoever cares about these dozens of taels of silver patiently, don't be here The higher-ups are exhausting, so just point to a girl to take care of it."

What the maids in the inner courtyard can manage are generally the monthly regulations issued by the young masters every month. Lin Fengqi, as the first-born young master in the mansion, has 40 taels of silver per month. 40 taels of silver may be spent for several years to ordinary people, but to the young master of the Hou Mansion, it is really nothing.

Yinniang thought to herself, Fangzhou is a smart person, she knows that she can't cover this account book for long anyway, and handing it over early can not only sell well in front of the new mistress, but also earn an honest duty in front of the other girl masters reputation.

Seeing that her husband was already looking at her sullenly and resentfully, Yinniang hurriedly closed the account book, crawled over from the couch and threw herself on him, and said coquettishly: "It can't be helped, there is only such a thing in this yard, I don't care about it. What are you doing?"

Lin Fengqi pointed to himself, and said: "You can serve your husband and me!" After speaking, he leaned into Yinniang's ear, and said something in a low voice, which made Yinniang blush and held up the little fan He hit his chest lightly with his fist, and said angrily: "You are so annoying, I will ignore you."

Lin Fengqi was in a happy mood, and was delighted to hold Yinniang.

The two quarreled on the couch for a while, and after a while, Mrs. Lin Hou sent someone to ask them to go to Tangrong Courtyard for dinner.Yin Niang and Lin Fengqi got up, put on their coats and went over together.

When Yinniang and Lin Fengqi arrived at Tangrong Courtyard, the maids had already set up a meal, and several young masters and young ladies, as well as Lord Lin Houye, were there.According to the rules of the Marquis of Yongning, most of the ladies and young masters of the courtyards do not eat together, just because the three dynasties of Yinniang and Lin Fengqi's wedding have not yet passed, and according to the custom, the whole family must have dinner together in the evening.

The family got up and entered the table together, and then ate with their hands clean.The Xungui family pays attention to not talking when eating or sleeping, so a meal is eaten quietly.Except that Lord Lin Hou asked Lin Fengqi at the banquet: "When will you go back to work?"

Lin Fengqi put down the bowl and chopsticks, and replied to his father, "The Yali gave me a seven-day vacation, and I will go back to work on the tenth day of the lunar new year."

Lin Houye nodded, thinking that he didn't know the rules of the military office, so he casually told him, "Be good at your job." Then he stopped talking.

After dinner, several young masters and ladies looked at the time and bid farewell to Master Lin and Mrs. Lin Hou. Mrs. Lin Hou thought that it was freezing and she had nothing to do here, so she let them go back .Only Yinniang and Lin Fengqi were left behind.

Mrs. Linhou sat on the kang, took Yinniang's hand and asked, "Are the maids in Mu Detang serving with all their heart?"

Yin Niang replied with a smile: "Mother, the maids are serving you very well."

Mrs. Lin Hou nodded and said, "That's good. Now that you've entered the door, you have to take care of the personnel affairs in the Mude Hall. Before, there was no mistress inside, so it was always inconvenient to do things."

Yin Niang said: "Yes, Mother, I will definitely take good care of the inner courtyard and not let Xianggong worry about these things."

Mrs. Lin Hou gave a 'hmm', and said again: "After you return to the door, you can come and manage affairs with me every day. You know some of the things and rules in the mansion before. When you fully understand the affairs of the mansion After getting acquainted, I took over the middle-aged lady from the mansion. My daughter-in-law is hired in, so I, as a mother-in-law, can hide away and enjoy a few more days of happiness."

(End of this chapter)