Gourmet Red Chamber: A Chronicle of Baochai's Rebirth

Chapter 80
Jia Mu motioned Yuanyang to take the account book, and Yuanyang held it to Jia Mu's hand.

The account book clearly remembers when and what items were sold, how much silver was obtained, and even has accompanying pictures, many of which she can recognize at a glance.

Wang Xifeng waited quietly for Jia Mu to finish flipping through, then said, "If you include these treasures and antiques, the total deficit of the mansion over the past 30 years is 210 eighty taels. This is the account book, ancestors, please take a look."

Jia Mu took it, turned it over and put it aside, sighing, "I'm still a bit close to myself, you follow the mandarin duck and check it out."

If you have anything that doesn't matter, sell it and make up some of the shortfall first."

Wang has been in charge of the Rongguo Mansion for 30 years, and it’s not like she doesn’t know that her hands and feet are not very clean.

Just because I prefer the second house, thinking that the second house can't inherit the title and will always have some money with me, I just turn a blind eye.

She didn't expect that Wang's appetite would be so big, and it would directly damage the foundation of the Duke's mansion!

Wang Xifeng hesitated for a moment and then spoke decisively, "Old lady, our family has long been paying out more and taking in less. Now we have so many shortfalls. Just relying on the old lady's subsidies is not a long-term solution.

The only solution for now is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. We women at home can’t help with this issue, so we have to be more frugal. This is also a plan for future generations.”

Jia Mu murmured, "Be more frugal——"

She married into the Duke's palace when it was at its peak, and she liked luxury and liveliness by nature. She had never known the word frugality in her life, but now she actually heard these two words from her grandson's wife.

Wang Xifeng was well aware of Jia Mu's temperament and hurriedly said, "My granddaughter-in-law said frugality is because we, the younger generation, should be frugal. We cannot let our ancestors suffer too."

Jia Mu was in a daze for a long time, then sighed dejectedly, "Since we must be frugal, we should start from my old lady, otherwise how can you, a little person, convince the public? Your wife will be the first to disobey."

Mother Jia really thought about this family and Wang Xifeng, so Wang Xifeng had no choice but to accept it and analyzed it carefully, "There are two main expenses in our family.

One is that all the masters have their quotas, but they often spend money outside the quotas without any restrictions."

Wang Xifeng specifically refers to Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang. After all, Mrs. Wang has always been in charge of the house, so how could she not allow herself to pay?
Among the other masters, only Jia She and Mrs. Wang would give some face.

It is extremely difficult for others to pay, including Mrs. Xing, Jia Lian, Wang Xifeng and Li Wan, not to mention the younger ones, such as Yingchun sisters and Jia Huan.

"The second is the expenses and monthly money of the maids and boys around each master."

Wang Xifeng looked at Jia Mu's expression and said boldly, "Since the old lady has handed over this family to me, I will never dare to hide it from the old lady.

I did a rough calculation before I came here, and found that the total number of women, maids, servants, and boys serving Brother Baoyu totaled 38.

This is because Qianxue who was driven out and Xiren who was released did not make up for the shortcomings for a while.

Calculated in this way, the people who serve in Brother Guangbaoyu's courtyard, chewing and monthly money, will have 50 taels a month, which is 600 taels a year.

It is equivalent to a Zhuangzi’s annual income, and this is not counting the casual rewards that Brother Bao usually gives.”

Jia Mu sneered, that's why even though she didn't like Wang's stupidity and greed, she still let her take care of the house.

If it had been anyone else, no, he would have been mean to her Baoyu before he even took office!
Wang Xifeng hurriedly knelt down and said, "The old lady clearly knows that everything my grandson said is true and she has no selfish motives!"

Jia Mu sneered again, "You certainly have no selfish motives, but the first of the three things a new official needs to do when he takes office is to find a significant person to burn. Otherwise, how can he establish his authority and convince the public?
Just stop staring at your dear brother, just because I am an old woman.

Anyway, I'm old, I can eat as much as I want, and how many people can serve me, so I can't let you manipulate me? "

Wang Xifeng kowtowed repeatedly, "My ancestor's words made my grandson's daughter-in-law feel ashamed, but her grandson-in-law wouldn't dare, she wouldn't dare!"

Jia Mu didn't answer. Seeing Wang Xifeng kneeling on the ground, she didn't ask her to get up. She just sneered.

Time passed little by little, and Wang Xifeng knelt on the hard marble floor. The pain in her knees became more and more painful, and her legs gradually lost feeling.

She also grew up in a noble family. Although Mrs. Wang didn't care much about her, she never was mean to her, let alone abused her.

This was the first time that she had been punished to kneel and had to kneel for such a long time.

The pain in her knees and the numbness in her legs made Wang Xifeng gradually lose the sense of time.

She didn't know how long she had been kneeling. She only knew that when Jia Mu asked her to get up, she couldn't get up at all. Yuanyang came over and helped her sit down on the small stool.

She couldn't spread her legs and feet while sitting on the stool, and she felt even more uncomfortable than before.

Then, she suddenly felt aggrieved.

In the Xue family, her aunt would never ask her to sit on a small table!
She would always be placed on a soft chair or a royal couch, where she could sit or lie down comfortably, eating melon seeds and chatting with her aunts and sisters, instead of sitting on a table like a servant!

No, most of the time, she is not even as good as a servant who has a face, she has to stand and wait!

"Girl Feng, everything else is up to you. Don't move here with Baoyu. The worst is, all his expenses will come from me."

Wang Xifeng responded respectfully, but she laughed to herself. The most expensive things in this family were the old lady, the second master, the empress in the palace, and Baoyu.

The old lady and Baoyu can't touch each other. How dare she touch the second master and the empress?
Wang Xifeng couldn't help but think of what Xue Baobao said to her the night before returning home.

Yu Xin gave her two choices, either step back and move into the Grand View Garden and become the director of the family, or offend Jia Mu and insist on being in Rongxi Hall and become the director of the family.

Xue Baobao gave her a third choice.

She said, "Sister Feng, everyone in the Rongguo Mansion is a Buddha who cannot be offended. Even if you use your brother's power to return to the Duke's Mansion, you may not really be able to take charge of the family.

My aunt has gone to chant sutras and worship Buddha, but the old lady is still here. As long as she favors the second wife, you will have a hard time.

According to me, your one-third of an acre of land is still a piece of rotten land, and there is nothing to exploit it. How much benefit can you gain from it?
You are not short of money, and the title of the Duke's Mansion now belongs to the eldest master.

A hundred years from now, the old lady will definitely be gone. No matter what, she will never fall to Baoyu, she will still be yours.

If I were you, someone who didn't lack a title or money, I would beg my brother to find a job for Mr. Lian.

Go outside and be a real housekeeper and feel comfortable.

Maybe once you feel comfortable and at ease, you can have a few more children. Isn't it better than waiting for this and that in Rongguo Mansion? "

Wang Xifeng smiled miserably, and most of her previous ambitions had long since faded.

Sister Bao is right, the Rongguo Mansion has been empty for a long time. In addition to the huge deficit, there are also big Buddhas who cannot be offended. What benefits can she get out of here?

Anyway, she is rich, and Lian Er has a title, so why should she serve others here? She is not good at everything. She is scolded cruelly by this, mean by that, and even forced to kneel down!
If she takes a step back, what does it matter if her eldest cousin has been fighting for her for so long?
No, she won't retreat!

Although she, Wang Xifeng, is not a good person, she will never let down other people's kindness towards her, let alone let down her elder brother's kindness!
Big brother gave her two ways, Sister Bao gave her a third way, and she wanted to take the fourth way!She, Wang Xifeng, is definitely not someone who will retreat!

Wang Xifeng took a deep breath, held back the tears in her eyes, and said respectfully, "The old lady taught you the right lesson, my grandson-in-law just thought wrong.

Brother Baoyu is still young and weak. How can he do it without a few people to take care of him?
Our family has a big business, how can it be possible without him? "

This is what Jia Mu often talks about. Sure enough, Jia Mu smiled with satisfaction when she heard it, "That's right. As the mistress of everyone, you need to be more grand and don't always focus on small money and make people criticize you." Xiaojiaziqi.

Furthermore, Baoyu is your biological cousin and Lian'er's biological cousin, so it is right for you to love him so much."

Wang Xifeng nodded repeatedly, "What the old lady taught me is that my granddaughter-in-law has learned a lesson."

At this time, her usual love and respect for Jia Mu had cooled down. After a few perfunctory words, she left Jia Mu's yard on the pretext that she had something to do.

Jia Lian was still waiting with Leng Zixing in custody. When he saw Yuanyang and the two little girls carrying Wang Xifeng out on their backs and hugs, he was shocked and turned pale, and hurriedly came forward to ask.

Wang Xifeng's face turned pale in pain, and she couldn't bear to talk to him. She ordered her maid to call a slide pole to carry her back.

Ping'er had received the news early and called the doctor to wait. When he returned to the house and took off Wang Xifeng's pants, he saw that both of Wang Xifeng's knees were bruised and swollen, and tears immediately fell down.

Jia Lian's eyes were also red, and he could hardly believe his eyes, "Is this the old lady who punishes you to kneel? The old lady actually punishes you to kneel!"

Wang Xifeng burst into tears again when he asked her question and just ignored him.

Jia Lian was anxious and angry, but it was hard to yell at her, so he was so anxious that he walked around the room.

Seeing his true feelings revealed, Wang Xifeng's heart softened, but she also knew that if she directly spoke her true feelings, Jia Lian would not necessarily share her heart, so she cried more and more sadly, "The house has lost more than 200 million silver, take it." Leng Zixing, I can’t get this money back.

The old lady said that she would use her own money to subsidize part of it first. I guess even if the old lady used all her money, she would only be able to get 100 million at most.

There is still a shortfall of more than 100 million that cannot be made up at all, and our family has been unable to make ends meet, as you know.

I just told the old lady that I wanted to cut expenses and reduce the number of people at Brother Bao's place, and the old lady made me kneel down!
God is my witness, how dare I target Brother Bao and use him as a chicken to scare the monkeys!Others don’t know it, but you, Second Master, know it best! "

Jia Lian sneered again and again, "I just said that the old lady is so confused. It turns out that you touched Baoyu!"

She touched Wang Xifeng's purple and swollen knees distressedly and said, "Old lady, this is how long you have to kneel as punishment, and you have to kneel like this!"

Wang Xifeng burst into tears, "Second Master, you have seen what the old lady meant, and you have also seen the situation in the house.

If one day a creditor really comes to visit, the eldest master will never take the money, let alone the second master. Touching those rare calligraphy and painting copies of his will cost his life!

The old lady is out of pocket again, so it’s just you and me who have to pay!
To tell you the truth, I have been a bit considerate over the years, but now my house is a bottomless pit. What can I get from my little money?
It’s hard to say that it’s not even enough for Brother Bao’s one-year-old agate plate! "

Jia Lian suddenly became anxious, "What should we do? Now that you have taken over this family, it was your eldest cousin who finally got it for you. You can't just say you don't care about it all of a sudden, right?"

Wang Xifeng then whispered her plan, "The old lady told me not to tell the eldest man that the house was in such a huge deficit.

It's not that I don't respect my ancestors, it's just that the second master, the empress and Baoyu are the ancestors who spend money. People say that our master only drinks with young wives every day. Compared with the second master, he is simply infinitely better.

How much is wine worth?A painting by the second master can buy our master a lifetime of wine!
Nowadays, our family has long lost its previous situation. If we continue to be dragged down by the second house like this, sooner or later we will be extremely poor!

We don't need to be the first to make the rafters ourselves. We just quietly look for an opportunity and ask others to tell the elder and let the elder and his wife go and make trouble with the ancestors.

It's best to separate the two families, so that we can completely get rid of the second house! "

Jia Lian squinted, "Now can you tell the difference between our master and the second master?"

Wang Xifeng glared at him, "There's one more thing. Come closer and I'll tell you quietly..."

……

……

Now that Wang Xifeng had made up her mind, she excused herself to stay behind closed doors because she felt uncomfortable.

Jia Mu just thought that she was feeling uncomfortable and wanted to take Qiao's property, so she sent Yuanyang to deliver some medicinal materials and left it alone.

No matter how powerful Wang Xifeng is, how can he get out of her palm?
In the past two years, Wang Xifeng often asked the Sanchun sisters to draw flowers, clothes and jewelry styles for her. After receiving interest from the Xue family, she would reciprocate the favor, buying some things for the Sanchun sisters and secretly giving them money.

The Sanchun sisters have become much richer in the past two years. They are very grateful for Wang Xifeng's kindness. When they heard that she was sick, they all came to visit her.

Wang Xifeng had no intention of being a little daughter-in-law who suffered silently. When they asked her what was wrong, she showed them her knees and said that she had said the wrong thing and had knelt for too long.

Xichun grew up day by day, and already had the shadow of the lonely person he would become in the future. When he saw it, he said angrily, "Is it the old lady who punished you? It was clearly the fault of the second brother Lian that day. What happened to the second sister-in-law who went back to her parents' house for a few days? Why did she just use it?" Have you tried this method?
The eldest maid in our family will not hurt her skin and bones easily! "

After all, she was still young and had no idea about the recent changes in Rongguo Mansion. She just assumed it was because of Wang Xifeng's birthday.

Tanchun was smart and capable, and with Aunt Zhao behind him, he had heard some rumors. After hearing this, he patted Xichun's hand comfortingly, frowned and said, "Second sister-in-law, rest in peace. Later we will go to eat with the old lady, and we will prepare for the second sister-in-law." My sister-in-law is begging for mercy."

Wang Xifeng waved her hand, "You little girl, you don't need to interfere. The old lady is just angry for a moment. Can she still bear my grudge?"

Tan Chun had no choice but to give up, but Xichun had been depressed, feeling unjust for Wang Xifeng and hurting herself.

Wang Xifeng was very prominent in her family. She was from a good background, could speak well, and was able to do things. She was also very popular with the old lady. If she was treated like this, let alone her?
What's more, if she leaves the cabinet in the future, she will definitely be even more miserable than Wang Xifeng...

The Sanchun sisters had a conversation with Wang Xifeng. They were afraid of disturbing her rest, so they said goodbye and left. After a while, Li Wan came.

Wang Xifeng also showed her the injury on his knee. Li Wan was stunned for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears and cried, "You are still like this, how can I have a way out?"

Wang Xifeng was stunned and quickly comforted her, but Li Wan cried more and more sadly, "At that time, Uncle Lin clearly wanted to accept Lan'er as a disciple, but the old lady insisted on giving Baoyu a gift.

Uncle Lin didn't like Baoyu and didn't dare to openly offend the old lady, so he had to reject it together with Lan'er.

Later, when the empress came back to visit her relatives, even Shi Yatou came forward to ask a few questions, but Lan'er didn't even ask.

From that moment on, I knew that we, mother and son, would never make it through.

After all, I still have extravagant hopes. I didn’t expect to see you end up like this today. I don’t even need to have those extravagant hopes.”

　I landed in Lanzhou yesterday, and I am going to follow the path that General Wei and General Huo walked back then. I was so excited that I forgot to update it. I will make it up now~

　　
　
(End of this chapter)