The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 203

Although Qin Niangzi wanted to discuss countermeasures with Xu Fengjia this time, Mr. Xu did not cooperate at all.

"After dinner, don't talk about serious business!" Xu Fengjia's tone was unquestionable, "In case you have something on your mind and can't sleep well."

Seventh Lady couldn't help but rolled her eyes, "You are busy outside all day long, and you don't discuss after dinner, why do you have to get up early to discuss housework?"

Mr. Xu thinks this is a good idea, "Why don't you get up early to practice boxing like me from now on. I'll ask Mr. Zhong tomorrow, if you can afford it, I will give you a set of boxing techniques to strengthen your body. If you do a set of punches every day, you may see your body get better."

Seventh Lady hurriedly shook her hand, "Don't tease me, with my body, if I walk a few more steps, I will be out of breath and punching..."

Thinking of herself standing beside Xu Fengjia and fiddling with fists and feet, Qin Niangzi laughed herself.Not to mention Xu Fengjia, who was already laughing while talking.

After laughing, Qin Niangzi hugged Xu Fengjia's shoulders compromisingly.

"Okay, anyway, I know what's in my heart, and I just want to tell you that I will take care of the family affairs, so you don't have to worry about it." She promised softly, "Let's concentrate on the outside affairs!"

With Xu Fengjia's personality, he can't handle the internal struggles in the deep house well, and he won't be willing to deal with it. Seventh Lady also doesn't want her husband to be an expert in civil wars and an outsider in foreign wars. His world is in the broader political arena.

Xu Fengjia's eyes also darkened, he swallowed obviously, then nodded and said, "Okay, I know, let you handle these things in the future!"

After the incident with Concubine Xu, maybe he also meant to intervene in the inner courtyard's family affairs, but Qin Niangzi thought that Xu Fengjia was somewhat frightened by the meticulousness of the Fifth Young Madam's plot.

If it wasn't for me, if someone else was in the position of Mrs. Shizi, I'm afraid the result of this battle would be that Mrs. Fifth Young Master would have the last laugh.

Qin Niangzi's thoughts sank again, and countless trivial matters rose from the bottom of the heart lake...

Xu Fengjia suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly.

"Didn't you agree? After dinner, don't think about these annoying things anymore!" His tone was also a bit rude. "You put in as much heart as you like during the day—I can't control you now, but don't think about it at night, will it work?"

Qin Niangzi was angry and funny, so she nodded, "Okay, don't think about it if you don't want to."

Only then was Xu Fengjia satisfied.

He lowered his voice again and sighed lightly.

"Now that this level has passed, in the future, you won't be so tired."

Seventh Lady couldn't help but startled.

She didn't delve into it, but just smiled and comforted Xu Fengjia, "Although I'm tired now, it's much easier than living at my mother's house."

Xu Fengjia suddenly fell silent.

After all, the eldest wife was his own aunt, and Seventh Lady didn't mean to speak ill of Xu Fengjia about her, so she quickly changed the topic.

"Since you don't allow me to think about things, and you don't allow me to discuss with you, what should I do now? Read a book, and the lights are too dark... Besides, there is nothing to see. Writing and drawing, I don't have the spirit—or we Are you going to fight Shuanglu?"

"Playing Shuanglu? It's a kid's thing, thanks to the fact that you still like it!" Xu Fengjia couldn't help laughing loudly, "I've never played chess with you before. I'm not boasting that anyone in Forty-Nine City can beat me. I'm afraid there aren't many, and in terms of chess, I'm afraid you will lose."

Seven Lady gave Xu Fengjia an angry look. "Of course I have to lose. I don't know how to play. I will lose with whomever I play with."

Xu Fengjia seemed to have choked an egg into her throat. "You can't play chess? Just for your name, and—"

"Chess is for those who live a leisurely life and have nowhere to solve their problems." Seventh Lady had no choice but to explain to Xu Fengjia. "My life is already very tense. Even if I use all my scheming in the personnel and affairs around me, it is not enough. If I want to study my mind on the chessboard, I will not have the spirit... When I was at home, my father also taught me I have done it a few times, but I am very stupid, and I can’t learn it anyway.”

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room that had just become active became dull again, Qin Niangzi sighed.

"Look." She spread her hands mockingly. "I told you earlier that I am a very boring person."

What she said is also true: Qin Niangzi is indeed not interested in any kind of game that requires calculation.She has already exhausted her calculations in real life.

Xu Fengjia pursed her lips, and the lines on her face became a bit cold again.

"You are not boring." He was slightly displeased. "You... are called helpless."

For a while, neither of them spoke again.

Seventh Lady lowered her head again, and after a long silence, she whispered, "Thank you!"

She never dreamed that the arrogant and playful little boy who was well-clothed and well-fed back then would be able to say such considerate words after more than ten years.

And yet he was able to be considerate of Seventh Lady's self-esteem, without showing any pity for her...

Xu Fengjia raised his eyebrows at her in surprise, and asked her a wordless question, as if he didn't understand why Qin Niangzi's thanks came from.

Qin Niangzi shook her head again, and changed the topic, "I actually don't want to play Shuanglu...how about you tell me something about your military service?"

Her own past was gloomy, full of countless unbearable memories, countless regrets, and countless sorrows.However, Xu Fengjia's past may not be like this. Although there are also sorrows and ups and downs, the final result must still be bright. Only after the words were spoken, Qin Niangzi suddenly realized that she was indeed very interested in learning about Xu Fengjia's past.After all, the fleeting glimpses that she once had were not enough for her.

Xu Fengjia curled his lips and glanced at Qin Niangzi. He seemed not very enthusiastic about the proposal. He said indifferently, "Do you really want to hear about the beatings and killings? This is not a joke. Back then in the Northwest, we But many people died."

Qin Niangzi made a rare face at Xu Fengjia, "Whoever wants to hear about the Northwest, can't you tell me something about Guangzhou? I heard that life in the world is the most difficult time, and Guangzhou people don't worry about not having enough to eat." Well, tens of thousands of ships dock in Guangzhou every year...is there such a thing?"

Xu Fengjia's face turned pale. "I thought..." He shook his head, "Actually, I didn't enjoy living in Guangzhou too, the weather there is really humid."

He told Qinianzi little by little that he had gone to Guangzhou to find the traces of the eldest prince for the emperor.After the second watch, he urged her, "It's time to go to bed."

Qin Niangzi was about to enter Hong Kong, but for a while she was reluctant to end, "I can't sleep now, can you say more, at least let's talk about what happened after going to sea."

Mr. Xu was unmoved, "You are not tired, I am tired. I have been sleeping on the kang for the past few days, and I feel uncomfortable all over my body."

He lifted his body out, what else could Seventh Lady have to say?I had no choice but to obediently wash up and go to bed with Xu Fengjia, and listened to the Zhongyuan Dragon Boat Festival outside when the two blew out the oil lamps, closed the windows, and exited the room again.

The tent immediately became dark, Qin Niangzi stared at the intricate patterns on the top of the tent, and she coughed in embarrassment.

"Sheng..." She opened her mouth shyly, planning to ask something she had never planned to ask.

The words were just out of the mouth, but Qin Niangzi suddenly stopped talking.

She could feel that the moment Xu Fengjia touched the pillow, Xu Fengjia's breathing became even.

Qin Niangzi stood up carefully and looked at his face.

Sure enough, this person had already fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing was long and slow, and there was even a little relaxation that was usual in deep sleep on his face.

In the past few days, I have been busy outside, and I have to take care of myself at home, and I can't sleep well... After a busy day, I have to rush back from Tong County to visit myself.

It seemed that this young general with boundless energy was really tired.

Seventh Lady suddenly felt a little guilty: She is usually exquisite, but tonight she just couldn't see Xu Fengjia's fatigue, otherwise, she would have been clamoring to go to bed and rest.

She inspected Xu Fengjia inch by inch with her eyes again, and after a while, she sighed silently, lay back on the pillow, pushed all thoughts out of her mind, and focused and silently urged herself to fall asleep as soon as possible.

#
The next morning, Qin Niangzi finally showed her face in Leshanju.

Although she suffered from a minor illness, she recovered quickly, and she was in good health. Her face was radiant, and everyone said, "The sixth younger siblings look delicate and timid, but they are actually in good health. If they are burnt like that, this It took a few days for a reply."

Mrs. Tai was even more kind, "You still think you have to rest for ten days and a half months! Is it better? If not, don't be brave!"

Seventh Lady couldn't help being even more surprised.

Her illness has delayed her time for almost a week. The farms in the south may have begun to harvest. If they continue to rest, and the cashiers are busy with the outsiders to settle the accounts after the autumn harvest, I am afraid that it will be difficult to check the accounts. It will be delayed again, and the difficulty will be even greater.Mrs. Tai's question is undoubtedly secretly hoping that Seventh Lady can rest for a few more days so that the above-mentioned situation can be created.

It seemed that she was really worried that she would find any unfavorable evidence in the accounts against Wufang.

Could it be that Mrs. Tai didn't know anything about Mrs. Fifth Young Master's plans?
"Xiaoqi just didn't sleep well all this time, and suddenly developed a fever. Actually, it's okay. It used to be like this in Suzhou. Mr. Zhong prescribed a sleeping prescription. After a few days of sleep, everything will be fine." She smiled. The wind was light and calm, as if he didn't notice it at all, and turned to the Fifth Young Madam. "Speaking of which, I had to return some accounts to the accountant long ago, but due to my illness, the Mingde hall was in great chaos... It was delayed for a few days, and I asked someone to return the accounts when I turned around. Look at the fifth sister-in-law. , Is it convenient to check the accounts on the first day of next month?"

As soon as she recovered from her illness, she couldn't wait to hand over power, and even arranged it in front of Mrs. Tai, which was indeed a bit reckless.The young master looked away and stared at the golden brick floor without speaking, while the young lady glanced worriedly at Qin Niangzi, Xu Fengjia frowned even more - but did not speak.Only the fifth young lady's eyes flashed, and she said with a smile, "Okay, as long as the sixth sibling is convenient, I don't have any inconvenience."

Seventh Lady nodded, and smiled again, "I looked at the accounts, and then I realized that this thing is not something we can understand. I also asked the old mother, and then I found out that the accounts of the family have always belonged to Wu Xun's family and Cai Le's family. , with a human interrogation. Grandma will watch this time..."

Mrs. Tai remained calm, "Xiao Gui, Cao Sui, let's do it this way, I can't be wrong. ——Ms. Zhang, what do you think?"

On the contrary, Mrs. Fifth Young Madam's eyes flashed a trace of inexplicable emotion, so she lowered her head again and acted obediently, "Grandmother says what she says."

Seventh Lady glanced at Fifth Young Madam, then turned to look at Xu Fengjia, and smiled at him.

#
Now that the time for checking the accounts has been set, Qin Niangzi must of course start to make her own preparations for officially taking over the housework.

She spent the whole morning making watches with Bai Lu.Put all the girls and women who are available to the whole family into the form, and make various explanations based on the information Bai Lu has inquired about.She has been working on this booklet since May of this year, and in the past two months, it has produced a large and thick book. It is densely packed, and it records all the details of the people in the Pingguo government, and there are conflicts among the families. , There are also relatives of all the people, and Qin Niangzi even drew a relationship map herself, trying to express the intricate relationship between the respectable servants in the mansion with lines.

"Oh, there is really no one simple person who can be a mother in charge." Qin Niangzi sighed with Bai Lu while watching. "On the occasion of the birthday banquet, among the eleven women in charge under my command, which one didn't have a lot of relatives behind them? I think some of them are not at odds with the fifth sister-in-law. In the past five years, my position Still sitting as firm as Mount Tai."

Bai Lu also said, "After all, it is a century-old family. It is unstoppable for the servants to marry each other. It is not as simple as our Yang family. On the contrary, there are not so many twists and turns. Speaking of it, it means that the Dong family has some roots. .”

When mentioning the Dong family, Qin Niangzi's eyes darkened, and she asked casually, "Qiqiao is already on his way?"

Bai Lu shook her head and smiled, "Not yet, she will wait until September, and go south with the people we sent to check the accounts. Miss Madam, forgot? You still said that at that time, the monthly payment will be calculated for a few more months , it can be regarded as rewarding her happy money."

Seventh Lady was startled, and then remembered this arrangement. She waved her hand nonchalantly, and said with a smile, "Okay, now that we've talked about it, let's reward another 20 taels of silver. It's not easy for this child to be with me for a few years. As usual, giving a little more in addition to a dowry would be considered shocking."

"Young madam is really merciful." Bai Lu followed her up with Qin Niangzi, then lowered her voice again, "Speaking of which, I think of Yufen and Yufang."

It has been several months since these two servant girls were sent to live in a side courtyard.

"What?" Qin Niangzi's expression changed, "Recently, the two of you have become a little restless?"

Bai Lu shook her head hastily, "That's not true... You know, they can't even get out of the courtyard gate, no matter how restless they are, where can they go?"

Usually, Seventh Lady controls the scope of action of the maids very strictly. Not to mention the house maids, even the ordinary big girls are never allowed to leave Mingdetang if they have nothing to do.That is to say, Bai Lu has been allowed to go around and inquire about news.If Yufen and Yufang slipped out of the courtyard, they might not even see Xu Fengjia's figure, and they would be arrested and returned to the side courtyard to wait for their punishment, which would not be much fun.As long as these two servant girls have any brains, they should know to live in peace and wait for their own opportunities.

Seventh Lady hummed, and then asked, "Those are two aunts, are you restless?"

"It's not true either... Those two aunts value their identities, and usually look down on Yufen and Yufang." Bai Lu flashed a glance at Seventh Lady. "It was you who arranged Mr. Zhuang and Mr. Ji to live in a side courtyard. Although the two gentlemen rarely leave the house, somehow, Yufen found out their origins...begged me behind the back of someone, and said I want to learn from these two gentlemen and be an accountant for you——she is also well-versed in books, and can do accounts and keep accounts."

Seventh Lady was silent for a long time before sighing. "She's a smart girl!"

She recalled this young girl with a vague face, but she only vaguely remembered her charm. For a moment, she was really moved.

No matter how unfair this society is to women, no matter how many people are trampled in the mud, there are always some people who will never give up the chance of self-salvation.

"Let her live in the alley with the two gentlemen." She lowered her eyes and casually added a sum to the account book. "Also keep company with the two gentlemen, and learn the skills of bookkeeping... In the future, Xianxiufang in the south of the Yangtze River will always be short of account rooms!"

Bai Lu smiled in relief, "Young Madam, be merciful!"

Qin Niangzi smiled slightly, and was about to speak, when Li Xia's hurried footsteps sounded outside the house again.

"Young Madam!" She pushed the door open and entered the room, glanced inside, saw only Bai Lu standing under the kang, she took a few steps closer, and said softly, "Madam Sun has already sent her to the small courtyard in the alley!"

"So fast?" Seventh Lady couldn't help being a little surprised. "Second Sister is really resolute."

She told Li Xia, "Then you go with Bai Lu yourself, and say that you are going to the Sun's house to deliver things, and ask your father to drag you to the small courtyard, and lock the house after watching the bills be delivered to the house." , don't let anyone out... It's taboo for this thing to be seen by others, you understand?"

Li Xia gasped for a while, she nodded calmly.

(End of this chapter)