Being a second wife is difficult

Wang's mother kept her head down, her hands folded in front of her, her posture very humble, but her eyes were slightly raised, as if she were secretly observing Jiang Wan's expression.

Jiang Wan pointed to an embroidered stool for her to sit on, and then had Qinghe serve tea. Wang Mama picked up the cup and took a sip, her fingertips trembling slightly as she let the tea swirl around the rim of the cup.

"I looked through the records left by Granny Ding," Jiang Wan said bluntly, her tone flat. "You've been in charge of personnel registration for sixteen or seventeen years, haven't you?"

As if she hadn't expected Jiang Wan to start with this, Mrs. Wang nodded: "Replying to Madam, it has been seventeen years and four months."

"Were you in charge of the scheduling, promotions, and transfers of the maids at the end of the year?"

"Yes." Wang Mama's answer was more composed. "When Granny Ding was here, this old servant kept track of the heads for her. She made the decisions, and this old servant wrote them down."

"Which department is short of staff, which person should be transferred, who should be promoted and who should be demoted, it's all done after Granny Ding gives her approval. I only write down the details, I don't make the decisions."

Jiang Wan nodded: "After Granny Ding left, no one has taken over personnel matters. Will you be able to keep those maids and servants under your command in the next few days?"

Madam Wang was silent for a moment. These words hit her sore spot. Her lips twitched. She looked up at Jiang Wan, then looked down again. She quickly weighed the matter in her mind and lowered her voice: "This old servant dares not hide it from Madam. I can't keep it a secret any longer."

"When Granny Ding was around, the maids below, though each had their own thoughts, still outwardly obeyed her. When I relayed messages and carried out tasks for her, they all listened. But once Granny Ding left, their hearts were scattered. Some were eager to find another patron, while others cowered and dared not step forward. When I said something, they would agree to my face, but then turn around and do what they always did."

"This old servant knows that I am but a nobody, and I can't hold back any longer." As she said this, her tone revealed just the right amount of weariness, as if she really couldn't hold on any longer after a few days, but without sounding pathetic.

Jiang Wan's mind raced, and he understood Wang Mama's implication. She was originally Ding Mama's second-in-command. If she was someone of little influence, then there were very few people in this mansion who could truly be considered important.

But she didn't respond immediately. Instead, she picked up her teacup, took a sip, and watched as Wang's mother's expression gradually became tense. Then, she slowly put down her teacup and said, "You can't control her because you don't have a proper title."

Wang's mother looked up at her, and there was a faint glimmer in her eyes.

"You've managed personnel affairs for so many years. The people under you respected you because Granny Ding trusted you. Now that Granny Ding is gone, you have to watch your words and actions, so naturally the people under you won't listen to you."

As Jiang Wan spoke, she took out a token from the box on the table, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Wang Mama. "Take this token. From now on, you will continue to manage the personnel registration. Just do as Ding Mama instructed you before, but there is one thing that needs to be changed."

Mrs. Wang's gaze fell on the card, her Adam's apple bobbed, as if she had caught a breath, and she didn't dare to answer. Instead, she asked, "Which matter does Madam mean to change?"

"In the past, when Granny Ding handled personnel matters, she was too lenient in some things. Whoever wanted to enter which room, or whoever wanted to change to a better job, as long as the money was enough and the connections were made, she would mostly turn a blind eye. This will no longer work."

"The card in your hand is only for registration and scheduling. Anyone who wants to be transferred must first get through to me. You are not allowed to write anything without my approval."

After listening quietly, Madam Wang looked down at the pair of cards on the table and steadily accepted them: "This old servant understands. From now on, whenever there are personnel changes or new hires, this old servant will definitely consult with Madam first and will never dare to make decisions on my own."

"There's one more thing," Jiang Wan's tone softened slightly. "Those maids and servants under you have been with you for a long time. The pair of tokens you hold is not only the authority to manage them, but also the support they have for you."

"Take this back with you, and the maids below will naturally know that your words are not empty talk. Whether their hearts are scattered or not depends entirely on how you bring them back together."

Madam Wang tightened her grip on the mahjong tiles, and her voice became more steady: "This old servant knows what to do, Madam. Don't worry, I'll go back and call over those stewards and explain everything clearly."

She stood up and bowed again, this time much more politely than when she entered. Her knees landed steadily, and her voice did not tremble: "On behalf of the maids below, this old servant thanks Madam for giving us a way out."

Jiang Wan waved her hand: "Go ahead."

When Wang Mama left the main courtyard, her steps were much faster than when she came in, and her back was straighter. She walked through the corridor to the corner, paused for a moment, and looked down at the pair in her hand. The copper surface gleamed warmly in the sunlight.

She carefully tucked the pair of cards into her sleeve, gathered the cuffs, and continued walking forward.

Qinghe stood under the veranda watching her walk away, then turned and asked softly, "Madam, is Wang Mama a suitable person?"

"It's usable for now," Jiang Wan said. "She's been in charge of personnel registration for nearly twenty years, and all the maids and servants there know her."

"With Granny Ding gone, this is precisely the time when she fears being purged along with everyone else. Besides, she knows in her heart that when Granny Ding was around, she was the one who was suppressed. Now that Granny Ding is gone, it is actually an opportunity for her to turn the tables."

"Now that we've given her a pair of cards and a way out, she's more willing to work hard than anyone else."

Qinghe thought for a moment: "But after all, she was originally Ding Mama's person. What if she still sides with Ding Mama..."

"If she were still on Ding Mama's side, she wouldn't have knelt in front of me today and said 'I can't hold her back anymore'."

"People follow the wind. Granny Ding is the wind of the past. She won't go against the current wind just because a wind that has already dissipated."

Qinghe didn't ask any more questions.

Wang Fu returned to his tent and closed the door.

He didn't sit down right away. He stood behind the door for a while and listened to the sounds outside. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he feel at ease and walk to the table to sit down.

The young shop assistant was working on the abacus at the counter when he noticed Wang's troubled expression. He put down his pen and leaned over to ask, "Uncle Wang, what's wrong? What did Madam say?"

Wang Fu picked up the glass of iced tea on the table and took a sip: "She didn't say anything."

The young waiter was taken aback: "Didn't you say anything?"

"Yes, I asked her about Granny Ding's matter, but she didn't answer." Wang Fu put the teacup on the table and tapped his fingers on the surface twice.

"The more she doesn't respond, the more uneasy I feel. Either she knows what's going on and is waiting to take me down, or she's still investigating and will make her move once she's done enough."

The young waiter's face paled for a moment: "Then... how about we patch up the hole in the account first?"

"Make up for it?" Wang Fu glanced at him. "What are you going to use to make up for it? That money has already been spent. You just told me last month that the accounts for that batch of materials didn't match up, and you asked me to find a way to balance the books."

"Now that Madam has that pile of old records from Granny Ding, she'll turn the pages one by one and sooner or later uncover the things you and I did in collusion with Granny Ding."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly, "Now we can only gamble that she'll take care of the Mid-Autumn Festival shopping beforehand, and once she's done with this busy period and things calm down, we can figure out a way to balance the accounts."

The young waiter rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Uncle Wang, do you think Madam... might have already obtained something?"

Wang Fu didn't answer. He sat at the table, tapped his fingers on the surface twice more, and then said, "First, finish what you're doing at hand. Go through the Mid-Autumn Festival shopping list again, make sure the numbers match up, and don't leave any loose ends. As for the rest, we'll take it one step at a time."

The young shop assistant responded and turned back to the counter, where he bent down to work on the abacus.

Wang Fu leaned back in his chair and stared at the old account book spread out on the table for a long time. His gaze fell on the corner of a certain page, the edge of which was worn and faded, as if it had been turned many times.

He closed that page and didn't continue reading.

That evening, Wang Mama called several of her subordinates to her room. The door and most of the windows were closed. She sat at the table, holding the pair of cards in her hand, and did not speak in a hurry. She first asked the men to sit down.

An oil lamp was lit in the room, casting a small, dim yellow light on the wall. Wang Mama placed the mahjong tiles on the table, their copper surfaces reflecting the light.

"This is what Madam gave me today," said Madam Wang in a soft voice, but her tone was different from this morning, carrying a familiar, long-lost steadiness.

"From now on, I will still be in charge of personnel matters. Now that Granny Ding is gone, the rules need to be changed. Anyone who wants to change jobs or climb the ranks must first get past Madam. You subordinates should keep your hands clean and don't cause me any trouble."

The group exchanged glances. A tall, thin old woman sitting at the front spoke first: "Aunt Wang, does Madam mean... that you're still in charge of this business?"

"I have the cards, so who do you think is in charge?" Wang's mother glanced at her, her gaze carrying a hint of her former authority.

"Granny Ding is Granny Ding, and I am me. If you want to live peacefully under my supervision, you'd better do your jobs properly and don't try to take shortcuts like before."

"Madam is not like Granny Ding; there are some things she won't turn a blind eye to."

The tall, thin old woman shrank her neck and didn't say anything more. The others nodded in agreement, saying, "We understand" and "We'll listen to Mama Wang."

Mrs. Wang tucked the pair of cards into her sleeve and waved her hand, saying, "Everyone, you can leave now."

Several people got up and left one after another, and the door closed behind them. Wang's mother sat alone under the lamp, looking down at the back of her hand, where the veins were visible under the skin and her rough knuckles were slightly bent.

She added some more oil to the oil lamp, and the light flickered for a moment before settling back down.

At the same time, Jiang Wan was sitting under the lamp, looking through a roster that Qing He had just compiled. The roster recorded the personnel changes that Ding Mama had handled in the past three years, listing who had been transferred in, who had been promoted, and who had left.

She turned to the middle page, her gaze lingering on a name for a long time. Qinghe brought in hot water and, seeing her absorbed in the reading, softly asked, "What are you looking at, Madam?"

Jiang Wan closed the booklet and placed it on the table without answering. She picked up her hot water and took a sip: "It's nothing. Just keep this list safe."

Qinghe acknowledged and took it, putting it in the cabinet and locking it. Jiang Wan stood by the table without moving, the teacup in her hand still warm, her fingertips touching the inside of the cup, before finally putting it down after a while.