The Red Mansion Big Liar

Thinking of her widowed status, even if Zhang Yun逸 wanted to rekindle her old relationship, she was afraid that there would be many inconveniences.

It was not easy to make so many arrangements last time, and we can't mobilize so many people every time.

Moreover, even if it is such a perfect method, it will inevitably arouse suspicion if used too much.

She secretly plotted how to rekindle their past relationship.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he thought of the convenience that Lady Jia had provided for Yingchun's trip.

Since Grandmother Jia is willing to make things convenient for him, she will certainly not hinder him from entering and leaving. If he can take the opportunity to move into the garden, wouldn't he be able to benefit from Yingchun as well?

However, when Lady Jia asked the girls to move in, she used the excuse that she wanted to share in Yuanchun’s good fortune. How could a widow like herself share in that kind of good fortune?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel regretful. She had learned from Youshi earlier that if she had made an excuse to move in when Wang Xifeng just proposed it, she wouldn't have had the trouble today.

Now we can only wait until Yuanchun gets married before finding an excuse.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 193 Preparing for a Hot Spring Trip

Spring Festival.

There is not much difference between ancient and modern times, it is nothing more than visiting relatives and friends.

There was a constant stream of guests coming and going at the Rong Mansion, and they were busy for seven or eight days before they hurried to return the gifts.

Jia Zheng still remembered Prince Ning's instructions, asked about the progress of the garden project, and took the time to go to Prince Ning's mansion to report.

As the Ning Mansion had lost its power, few people came to visit.

On the contrary, people kept coming to visit Zhang Yunyi.

In addition to his colleagues in the inner court and subordinates in the Tiangong Academy, Jia Yucun also brought Jiao Xing to pay a visit to Feng.

However, he had just entered officialdom and rarely made friends with others, so he became quiet after three or five days.

It happened to be the tenth day of the lunar month, and Ping'er came to tell Zhang Yun逸 that the ship carrying guano would arrive in Beijing the next day.

Zhang Yun逸 was also very quiet and wanted to move.

These bird droppings need to be turned over and dried to avoid rash use, which may lead to pests and diseases.

Although the first batch only needs to be considered for the spring ploughing ceremony and the usage of those few acres of land, we also have to consider storage and subsequent work.

Moreover, it is the first month of the lunar year now. Not only are the days short, but the temperature is also not high enough. It is impossible to just turn them over and dry them in the sun. I'm afraid it will have to be baked as well.

As for the location, the farm outside the city is the most suitable, as it has a large area and greenhouses for storing processed bird droppings.

Zhang Cheng can be asked to do the future work, but he will still have to provide some demonstrations for the first batch.

Years ago, because Li Wan delayed her trip to the hot springs, we can take this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Firstly, the two farms are outside the city, not too far apart, and there is no need to worry about going in and out of the city.

Secondly, the bird droppings have to be baked and dried, and the smell may be unpleasant. It is convenient to soak in a hot spring when you go back to get rid of the smell.

However, when discussing the itinerary with the girls, I encountered difficulties.

Although Jia Jing was not at home on weekdays, it was the Spring Festival now. According to past experience, he would not return to Xuanzhen Temple until after the fifteenth day.

You can't rush him back.

Qin Keqing is easy to arrange.

Internally, although she still holds the title, it is already a tacit understanding among the people.

To the outside world, she had been pretending to be sick and not seeing guests. No one would come to see her. As long as she continued to pretend to be sick, she could get away with it.

But Youshi's identity is awkward.

Originally, Zhang Yun逸 planned to use the same trick again and let Jia Zhen and his son temporarily stay in the farm in the greenhouse and announce to the outside world that they were traveling with him.

Now, not only is Jia Jing at home, but it is also the end of the year, so we have to keep someone in the mansion.

Seeing that everyone was eager to try, and Zhang Yunyi had something important to do, Youshi could only say angrily: "Forget it! Don't spoil everyone's fun just for me, you guys go!"

Qin Keqing covered her mouth and smiled, "Uncle, please make it up to mother-in-law tonight, and we won't cause any more trouble."

After hearing this, Youshi felt better.

You Erjie took the opportunity to say, "Since my eldest sister is not going, there is a vacant room in the house. My younger sister has been begging for quite a while. Can you take her with you, sir?"

Originally, Zhang Yunyi wanted to temper Third Sister You's temper and had always used the limited housing as an excuse. Now that You's position is vacant, it would be bad to act too deliberate.

"Go back and tell her that you can take her there, but don't cause any trouble. Otherwise, don't blame me for sending her back early."

After giving You Erjie some instructions, he finally felt relieved.

After getting the confirmation, You Erjie was overjoyed and hurried back to report the good news.

Qin Keqing also tactfully withdrew, making room for him to help Youshi relieve her resentment.

It was a rare opportunity to eat alone, and Youshi ate a lot, which swept away all the resentment in her heart, so let's not talk about it for now.

But You Erjie returned to Doufengxuan and hurried to tell her sister the good news.

"Little sister, little sister! Fortunately, my elder sister is not going this time and has the room free, so I am willing to take you with me. You must behave yourself when you go."

She chattered on and on, conveying Zhang Yunyi's instructions again.

He also reminded her: "It's a rare opportunity for us to go to the hot springs, and I always like new things. In the evening... no, when he's here, don't go to the hot springs, so as not to spoil my mood."

Third Sister You was not happy at all. She pouted and said indignantly, "What? It's my turn because my eldest sister didn't go. My brother-in-law is too partial to me!"

Old Lady You, who was standing by, was not happy and sneered, "Just be content! If it weren't for your sister, would you have such a blessing? Not to mention the hot spring, even this garden and this glass house, are you able to enjoy them?"

This statement undoubtedly stepped on the tail of Yu Sanjie, who has always had a high opinion of herself and has been unwilling to admit that she has benefited from it.

But Old Lady You was still insistent, "Your elder sister at least knows how to behave. She knew from the beginning that this mansion is unreliable. She hooked up with your brother-in-law, and this mansion will fall into decline in the future. With her fleeting romance with your brother-in-law, she doesn't have to worry about the future. But you, can you still rely on your sister and brother-in-law for the rest of your life?"

Third Sister You was not convinced and said indignantly, "Who am I relying on? When did my brother-in-law ask for something and he didn't give it back from me?"

Old Lady You sneered, "With the few pounds of flesh in front and behind you, your brother-in-law can find it everywhere. Why would he need to take advantage of you?"

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Third Sister You, and said with disdain, "In the past six months, the money you've spent is enough to make you lose weight. Even if I used the money to beat a grown man like you, I think it's enough."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands in front and behind her, and her meaning was obvious.

"Mother!" Seeing this, You Erjie hurriedly advised, "Master doesn't care about that little money. I'm not an outsider, so just spend it!"

It would have been better if she hadn't advised him, but this advice had the opposite effect.

This was tantamount to admitting that Zhang Yunyi did not care about the expense and treated her well for her sake.

Third Sister You's face flushed, her chest heaving, she stamped her feet and gritted her teeth, "Who... who wants to waste his money!"

"Hmph!" Old Lady You snorted coldly, "You are such an ungrateful person, what else can you do but waste your money? Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Third Sister You stood up angrily and said, "Don't provoke me with your words. Aren't you just hoping that I will be like Second Sister so that you can secure this rich husband?"

Old Lady You sneered, "Oh! I originally thought so, but you are a hopeless case, how can you be counted on? I've brought you there and you're still nitpicking, refusing to eat steamed bread to save face. If you have a backbone, you should ask your sister to reject your brother-in-law."

"I won't!" Third Sister You stamped her feet and said angrily, "Just wait! The time you expect will come!"

Having said that, he slammed the door and walked out.

"Mom! Why are you doing this?"

When You Erjie saw her sister slam the door and leave, she couldn't help but complain.

Third Sister You has always been strong-willed. She was worried about something going wrong and was about to chase after him, but Old Lady You grabbed her and said, "Don't go! Think about it for her. She has to change her mind on her own. I can only help her so far."

"Ah?" You Erjie looked confused.

"She is picky about clothes and food every day. She gets silver and gold, pearls and gems, eats fat geese and slaughters fat ducks. With such spending, how can an ordinary family afford her?"

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Old Lady You knows Third Sister You very well.

At this point, she paused, then sighed, "Besides, I think my son-in-law won't allow her to marry someone else. If I don't take the opportunity to wake her up, if my son-in-law gets tired of her, she will really have no way out!"

She was worldly-wise and could see through Zhang Yunyi's thoughts very clearly.

"Uh... Mother means..."

You Erjie had never thought about these things, but she finally understood after hearing them.

"This is a rare opportunity. When we get to the hot spring resort, don't restrict her too much."

"Hey! Hey! My daughter understands!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 194 Bargaining

The next day.

After having brunch, Zhang Yun逸 took Qin Keqing, the You sisters, and two maids, and boarded three carriages. They drove out of the corner gate of Ning Mansion and headed straight for the hot spring villa outside the city.

Because there was a night banquet at Rong Mansion during the Lantern Festival, this trip to the hot springs could only last four days.

In the hot spring villa, all necessary supplies are already available, so you can move in right away.

Even so, several people still had bags of all sizes piled up almost filling up the car.

Zhang Yunyi was surrounded by these fragrant packages.

Originally, according to his idea, two cars would be enough, and he could ride with Qin Keqing and You Erjie, and also find some excitement in the car.

It seemed that he was more looking forward to the evening's activities, and in order to let him retain his energy, both of them insisted that he stay with the package.

Just as I was thinking about what to do for the evening, I heard Xier's voice outside.

"Master! I went to my aunt's place yesterday and told her that I would be there today. I have arranged for someone to clean the house again."

The last time I went to the dock to pick up the boat, I saw Lin Zhixiao and thought of the complicated relationship between the servants of the two mansions.

After returning, he asked Youshi to inquire about the servants who came as dowry.

As luck would have it, Xier, who was driving his carriage, was the nephew of the maid who came as a dowry with the original owner's biological mother.

"Is Aunt Wu okay?"

"Good! The master gave me a lot of severance money at the time, and now you are thinking about me, which is great."

The master Xier mentioned was naturally his late cheap father.

Now, he considers himself a servant of the Zhang family.

Clothes are never as good as new, and people are never as good as old. People like Wu Ma have been in the Zhang family for many years and have worked diligently.

Zhang Yun逸 felt more at ease with this, so he asked Youshi to ask her whether she was still willing to follow him.

In addition to Aunt Xier's family, there were two other families. One was an old servant of the Zhang family, who was arranged by Zhang Yunyi to live in Ning Mansion. The male servant was in charge of the warehouse in the front yard, and the female family members were in charge of the access control in Huifang Garden.

Wu Ma's family and another family that came as a dowry from the Ning Mansion were arranged by him to live in two different farms.

Firstly, they had some connection with the Ning Mansion, and they also wanted to avoid taking advantage of past friendship to deceive their superiors and subordinates.

Secondly, letting them manage the affairs of the farm from outside, they can be managers of some size and learn more skills.

" The treatment is naturally very good. Not only is the salary twice as high as that of the manager of Ning Mansion, but it is also twice as high.

Zhang Yun逸 also promised that any capable younger generations among the families would be given some support.

As for the future, it depends on each person's luck.

When one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit. It is probably just like this.

It is now the first month of the year and it has not snowed for a while, so the roads are much easier to travel on.

Even so, it took the carriage an hour to travel the more than ten miles out of the city.

When they arrived at the hot spring villa, Wu Ma had already led the women of the farmers and were waiting in front of the villa.

"Master!" Seeing Zhang Yunyi getting off the car, Wu Ma shed tears. "Master and Madam are still alive. They will rest in peace knowing that Master has achieved such success now."

Zhang Yunyi has no feelings for his parents, whom he has never met.

Although he could not empathize with them, he still pretended to be sympathetic and put in enough superficial efforts.