Red Mansion Daiyu, the Rise of the Lin Family

Grandmother Jia's gaze was like cold stars in winter, falling on Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng through the dim candlelight.

She took a deep breath and said, "Second son's wife, Feng girl, is there enough money in the mansion now?"

"Have we paid the interest on those mortgaged items on time?"

Grandmother Jia already had the answer in her mind, but she still asked without giving up. Sure enough, the man remained silent.

The candle flame swayed in the night wind, as if it would go out at any time. The black candle wick twisted in the flames, making slight sounds, just like the atmosphere at the moment.

The three women, three generations of mistresses of the Duke's Mansion, were like sculptures, with no expression on their faces.

Wang Xifeng suddenly stood up, breaking the dull silence. Mrs. Wang frowned and asked unhappily, "What are you going to do?"

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Wang Xifeng's face, and she replied softly, "Aunt, I just want to trim off the wick to prevent the light from getting dimmer."

"And I don't need to tell you about the situation in the mansion. The monthly salary has started to be delayed."

After saying this, Wang Xifeng walked straight to the candlelight and started cutting the lamp flowers.

Mrs. Wang glared at her but said nothing more.

"Are we really going to wait for others to come and collect the debt?"

Grandmother Jia asked a question that no one wanted to face.

Mrs. Wang’s voice was filled with anger: “How dare she!”

Today I really can't stand it anymore. From the empress in the palace to the relatives in the countryside, I have to worry about everything.

Now Jia Min is still forcing me to pay my debts. Is there any justice in the world?

"The Jia family raised her, and she is giving back to her mother's family. How can she face asking for a debt from her mother's family?"

Mrs. Wang looked straight at Lady Jia, waiting for her opinion.

Grandmother Jia sighed: "It was a business at first, but now it's about friendship."

"If she really wants to come to your house, you know what to do."

Mrs. Wang's eyes flickered, as if she was thinking about something: "If she really dares to come to our house, we will naturally have a plan to deal with it."

Grandmother Jia's eyes were as sharp as a knife. She glanced at Mrs. Wang and said, "Don't forget, we also have our own family. Is this how we repay our family?"

Mrs. Wang's heart tightened. Lady Jia's words seemed to have touched her mind. Her face changed slightly, but her heart was surging.

She said angrily: "At worst, I agree to let Jia Min's daughter marry Baoyu."

"I know that mother and master have always had this idea, but I don't like Jia Min's daughter. I don't agree."

A trace of surprise flashed in Jia's mother's eyes: "I finally understand why you let your sister live in Jia's house for a long time."

"Did you have this in mind as well?"

"Second daughter-in-law, you have such deep thoughts that you even hid them from me."

"How many families do you plan to have for your son?"

Mrs. Wang's expression changed slightly. "I don't understand what you mean, mother?"

Grandmother Jia's eyes were like lamps, examining Mrs. Wang: "Second daughter-in-law, you are really calculating.

"Be careful not to be too clever. Some people and some things, once you welcome them in, you can't get rid of them. Be careful not to shoot yourself in the foot."

"People are not afraid of being stupid, but they are afraid of thinking they are smart!"

"Stupid people make small mistakes, and smart people make big mistakes."

Mrs. Wang's heart tightened, and Lady Jia's words made her feel a little uneasy.

But her parents' home is her roots, how can she tolerate others speaking ill of her parents' home, even her mother-in-law?

Moreover, he uses his intelligence to make himself stupid, and he really thinks he is a fool who can't hear anything.

"Mother, you are exaggerating. Although my sister lives in the mansion, she has never spent a single ounce of silver from the mansion."

"If my mother can't tolerate our relatives, I will talk to my sister and ask them to move out."

"There's no need to argue back and forth with me."

Looking at this competitive daughter-in-law, Grandmother Jia felt helpless and a little disappointed.

"It's good that you know the situation. Besides, I heard that you asked your family's drama troupe to rehearse a new play."

"Is it for the Spring Festival?"

Mrs. Wang's new play hadn't come out yet, so she didn't mention it much.

Now that Grandmother Jia asked, she had to answer, "Mother, this is for the Queen Mother's birthday."

Grandmother Jia looked at her in surprise, and even Wang Xifeng turned her head.

This Mrs. Wang is really good at getting big things done without making any noise.

Grandmother Jia said rudely, "Why didn't you discuss this with me? The palace has already arranged a play for the Queen Mother's birthday. How can it be our turn to perform?"

Mrs. Wang had thought about this.

"Mother, this is not difficult. We can give it as a gift. The current emperor likes to practice Taoism. I think Buddhism and Taoism are inseparable. Our new play is "Fuji". "

"We express our wishes with the voice of heaven. I believe that the Queen Mother and His Majesty can see our sincerity."

Mrs. Wang finished explaining her reasons in one breath.

It is difficult to judge whether there will be any other follow-up at this time.

After hearing this, Jia's mother did not respond for a long time.

"Second son's wife, such a high-profile gift of a play is not as good as giving an object."

"The mouth is on someone's face. If you say something inappropriate, you will regret it later."

"You should think twice before you act. I'm old and timid."

Grandmother Jia has seen a lot, and many noble families have fallen.

Mrs. Wang did not take it seriously. She said directly to Grandmother Jia, "Mother, I have already informed the Queen and the Master about this matter."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help laughing out loud. It was true that a grown-up son is no longer under the control of his mother.

Do you really think I have Alzheimer's disease? Well, I'll just wait for your filial piety!

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but laugh at herself. She laughed at herself for caring so much for her children, but in the end she only received vigilance and resentment.

"Okay! Okay! Okay, you all go ahead, no need to crowd around."

"I'm old and sleepy, and I'm ready to close my eyes."

She just wanted to get rid of Lady Wang and the other two as soon as possible.

At this moment, Wang Xifeng suddenly interrupted,

"Aunt, grandmother, I have something I'm not sure about right now, so I want to discuss it with you two."

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang looked at Wang Xifeng with questioning eyes.

Wang Xifeng paused and took a breath.

"Aunt, we have many maids, servants, young ladies and gentlemen in our house, as well as guests, opera troupes, etc. The monthly salary includes the cost of some engineering repairs, etc."

"It costs about ten thousand taels a month."

"There are also some miscellaneous expenses that cannot be counted."

When she heard Wang Xifeng enumerate the expenses, Jia's grandmother's eyebrows jumped.

If we want to reduce the number of people, we can do it even if we reduce it by half.

But Wang Xifeng looked embarrassed.

"I know my grandmother and aunt might blame me for saying this."

"Someone asked me the other day that we could lend this money out and earn some interest."

"The monthly salary and expenses of the mansion will be deferred for one month, and it won't affect anything. The girls' rouge and powder are all available in the mansion."

"Food and clothing are all provided by the government. After the monthly allowance is issued, everyone just saves money. I wonder if it is feasible to save money a month later?"

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she immediately shouted, "You are crazy. We are the Madam's family. If we lend money without reason and find out, the Madam will be finished."

Wang Xifeng didn't say anything else. She had her own purpose in making such suggestions.

You only need to propose it, not set the standard.

But Grandmother Jia did not directly refuse with great righteousness.

Instead, he said directly, "Feng girl, there is something I have wanted to say for a long time."

"Lay off the people!"

"It won't have a big impact if we just lay off half of the people in the government. The historians have already laid off the needlework and other people who are not needed at the moment."

Wang Xifeng hadn't spoken yet.

Mrs. Wang's eyes widened in anger, "No!"