Chapter 16
"I was pregnant in ten months and gave birth to Brother Qing. I went hungry and nursed him up so that he could study and read."
"My adoptive father is dead. Brother Qing and I depend on each other. He is my lifeblood."
"I would rather die than bear brother Qing to suffer a little injustice. I am my darling, and I want him to succeed more than anyone else. He can take the imperial examination and go to high school."
Lu Zhengliu listened to Ge Baoer's ramble for a long time, and it took him a long time to recover from what Lin Yunwan said.
"I know everything."
Ge Baoer, with eyes like walnuts, choked up and said: "Obviously he is my biological son, but I...I am like an outsider."
Lu Zhengliu frowned coldly: "Who said you are an outsider?"
Ge Baoer was very sad when he recalled the scene of their family reunion.
Lu Zhengliu thought about her coming alone, and his voice softened: "You are not an outsider. I will make you a member of the Lu family."
After saying that, he immediately went to find the old lady.
Mrs. Lu knew that the matter was over, but she didn't sleep yet.
She said with a cold face: "She can't even tolerate Yun Wan's child's initiation gift. I want to hear how you want to excuse her!"
"There is no excuse for this matter. Bao'er did something wrong."
"But please grandma be considerate."
"Bao'er was born in a rural area and has short-sightedness, but her nature is not bad and she has never meant to harm others. What happened today was just out of her grievances as a mother, and she did not mean to instigate it in front of you."
"Grandma, Bao'er could have come back without bringing Brother Qing. It was me who had been searching for seven years and forced her to return to the Lu family. If it weren't for Brother Qing's future, she would have no name and no status in the house, and she would feel uneasy. Nothing like today would happen.”
"She is my grandson's woman. If anything is wrong, it is all his fault. If you want to blame, blame me."
"Since I promised her to come to you to fulfill her filial piety, I don't want to break my promise, so I ask my grandmother to fulfill her promise."
Mrs. Lu looked at Lu Zhengliu quietly.
What he said was not too much.
After getting along with her these days, she could also see that Ge Baoer didn't have any deep intentions, he just had some small thoughts. Although it was not on the stage, it was still human nature.
Even though she doesn't like him, she won't be ready to beat him to death.
After all, she is Brother Qing's biological mother and Lu Zhengliu's sweetheart.
Mrs. Lu's face looked much better and she said: "I know what I promised to her before. But these things are her own fault and she can't blame anyone else. Don't excuse her! If you look carefully, I will not indulge her ambitions." Be kind and gentle.”
Lu Zhengliu said: "Grandma, I have a sense of propriety."
"You know the severity, so that's the best."
"Grandma, there's something I need to do..."
"Is there anything else?" Madam Lu thought it was Ge Baoer's business and looked displeased.
Lu Zhengliu suddenly changed his words: "Nothing happened." Grandma may not know what happened before Lin Yunwan got married.
"You should rest early, grandson, please leave."
the next day.
Lin Yunwan was managing accounts in Chuisi Hall, her bright eyes were cold and she said nothing.
There was a servant girl standing in the yard waiting for the right cards, muttering.
"Nowadays, it is getting harder and harder to repay the money. This is an indispensable expense for the old lady. The madam refuses. When it comes to the old lady, I can only tell the truth."
"Isn't that right? Even the Marquis is short of money..."
Pingye glared at them, snorted coldly, raised the curtain and entered the room, saying, "Madam, those women are here again."
Lin Yunwan raised her pen, scribbling, and gave out two pairs of cards.
When Pingye saw it, she almost lost her breath and said, "Madam..."
Lin Yunwan said calmly: "Go ahead. I have a way to deal with it."
Pingye went there reluctantly, and as usual, gave them the right cards and asked them to collect the money. As for whether the expense was really spent on the master, it is difficult to say.
The women took the right cards and left happily.
Pingye spat at their backs.
Tao Ye came over and said: "They are all old servants of the house who have been in the family for several generations. Many of them are related to the people around the old lady. The old lady cherishes her reputation and does not want to offend them. And they are the most troublesome. several."
Pingye sighed: "Can I not know? Isn't it weird..."
The two looked at each other and said nothing more, as if they were in a clear mind.
It's not all the old lady's fault.
Let Lin Yunwan manage the family and just give orders, regardless of the details. If someone on the other side of her family commits a crime or goes beyond the rules, they will always look down upon them.
When something went wrong or the debt couldn't be settled, how often did the wife not find a way to solve it herself?
Lin Yunwan is in a dilemma.
"Madam, Mother Yan is here."
Pingye comes to report.
Lin Yunwan probably guessed what was going on and went to Yushou Hall. Sure enough, she heard the old lady say to her: "Bao'er has been by my side for some time. She has served me well. I can't bear to have her go back and want to keep her here." By my side. Yun Wan, what do you think?"
"Cousin Ge seems to be quite old. If the old lady keeps her, why not find a good marriage for her."
Mrs. Lu sighed and said, "You don't know, this child... also has a hard life."
Lin Yunwan raised her eyebrows: "Why is your life so miserable?"
"My parents died at a young age, and I grew up with relatives. Don't think she is so sensible. She is so well-behaved because she has been watching others since she was a child."
"It took a lot of effort to find a good match with a drugstore owner. It turned out that the marriage went smoothly and life went smoothly. Who knows what happened next..."
Lin Yunwan frowned and asked, "What happened next?"
Mrs. Lu said: "The husband went out to buy medicinal materials and disappeared. The yellow flower girl has been delayed for several years. But the marriage has been decided, and the husband's family refuses to let her get married. Isn't this a life-long struggle? Is it the same as being a widow? How pitiful you think it is."
Lin Yunwan followed her words and said, "It's really pitiful..."
The experiences they made up for Ge Baoer were not even as miserable as her fate in her previous life!
Mrs. Lu looked moved: "You think this girl is pitiful, too! I thought, let her stay in our courtyard and give her a monthly salary, not much, just like the old rules for raising girls in the house. enough."
enough?
Lin Yunwan sneered inwardly.
To raise a girl in the house, you can get five taels a month, rouge and gouache for a year, clothes from the Western Season, gold and silver jewelry, at least maids from the Western Season, and the decoration of the wing, etc. This amount of money is enough for ordinary people to live in the suburbs of Beijing. I bought a small house with two liters.
That’s so easy to say!
Lin Yunwan looked embarrassed: "Old madam, I took over the accounts of the house from you, and you also know..."
Mrs. Lu's face is not pretty either.
Of course she knew that the Wuding Hou Mansion must be very wealthy compared to ordinary people.
However, if the mansion wants to maintain its former glory, it has long been unable to make ends meet.
If Lin Yunwan hadn't managed the business well in the past few years, he wouldn't have been able to even decently open an ancestral hall and have stepchildren.
"Yun Wan, I entrust the Lu family to you because I trust you."
Lin Yunwan thought about it for a moment and said: "There are a few irrelevant things that can be saved for cousin's expenses. But I still have to write it down in a booklet and ask the old lady to decide."
As long as the money can be freed up, it will be done.
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Just bring it."
Lin Yunwan made a booklet and came out.
"It's true, old madam. You want to raise a cousin girl, so why don't you provide money from your own warehouse? It will cause trouble for our madam."
Pingye read the booklet in her hand, widened her eyes and changed her words: "Husband, Madam, why did you include Mr. Qiao's errands in it?"
Tao Ye came in and said warmly: "If the old lady cuts off Mr. Qiao's errands and gives it to my cousin to pay for it, I'm afraid he will cause a quarrel."
Lin Yunwan said calmly: "Send it away."
Qiao Da, a well-known troublesome slave in the house, whom most people cannot afford to offend.
Pingye wished that Qiao would make a big fuss.
She volunteered: "Slave, go."
