The general kneels on the washboard again

After Yu Hemei confirmed that the goods were really lost, her face turned as bitter as a bitter gourd.

"How am I going to explain this to the Duke's wife?"

Fu Shiqing was covered in mud and didn't even bother to wash off. "Boss Yu, can you give me another day?"

"I can give you some time, but can the Duke's wife give you some time?" Yu Hemei was not polite either.

At this time, Fu Shiqing regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. Why did he insist on taking this order, which brought him trouble? He turned around and glared at Yue Niang, as if he wanted to eat her alive.

Yue Niang avoided his gaze like a frightened deer.

Seeing him staring at Yue Niang, Yu Hemei intervened and said, "Master Fu, with that look in his eyes, could it be that this girl lost the goods?"

Fu Shiqing glanced around and thought it was feasible. After all, the little property this girl had was enough to pay compensation.

But Yue Niang wouldn't give him the chance to throw dirty water on herself, and quickly took over the conversation: "No, no, no, I know nothing. Those robbers were so terrifying. As soon as they drew their knives, my limbs went cold and I lost consciousness. If Boss Yu doesn't believe me, the government's case file also says so."

Yu Hemei ignored Yue Niang and went to ask Fu Shiqing, "Boss Fu, do you recognize this written in black and white?"

Fu Shiqing bent his body slightly and said, "I admit it."

Yu Hemei immediately put on a businesslike expression: "Then pay the money! After the compensation is paid, I can go to the Duke's Mansion to report. I'll go and save face and exchange it for a different kind of perfume."

Fu Shiqing nodded and bowed: "Yes, yes, yes." But he did not move for a long time.

Yu Hemei sneered, "Businessmen are most concerned with operating with integrity. Besides, the Fu family has just become one of the top ten richest merchants in Lingzhou. They can't afford to go to court."

Hearing this, Fu Shiqing didn't dare to delay any longer and said to Fu Shichuan, "Shichuan, go to the accounting office and withdraw it."

He reluctantly compensated Yu Hemei.

Yue Niang took this step because she wanted to see the financial situation of the Fu family. Now seeing how readily they gave money, it seemed that it would take time to empty his money.

But this ten-to-one payout is just the beginning.

After Yu Hemei left, Fu Shiqing didn't give Yue Niang any face anymore and told Tian: "You go and arrange a place for her to live. I'm leaving with bad luck."

Tian is now the mistress of the house, and she no longer has the fawning attitude she used to have towards Yue Niang.

He looked Yue Niang up and down with cold eyes: "Is Yunzhou a place that can support people like this?"

Yue Niang smiled softly and said, "Thanks to Aunt Tian, I didn't starve to death."

When Tian heard Aunt Tian's words, she angrily scolded her, "Didn't your grandmother teach you etiquette? You should call me mother now."

Yue Niang pretended to be surprised: "Mother? Grandmother is my father's elder sister, and she doesn't even know when my father changed his wife."

Lingzhou is located in the south of the Yangtze River, and it rains continuously at this time of year.

Tian looked at Yue Niang like this, and in a trance, her momentum fell: "Well, well, let's go, don't stand there."

Yue Niang followed her obediently.

Behind the hanging flower gate, two long hedges opened up a marble-paved path, with several courtyards on both sides.

As they walked, Yue Niang didn't say anything and just listened to what Tian said.

"There's been a lot of things to do at home lately, and I haven't been able to tidy up your Yuechen Courtyard yet. You should stay in Yuanniang's Chuyu Courtyard for the time being."

Chuyuyuan is a newly secluded courtyard.

As they got closer, Yue Niang realized that this was Fengqiyuan, which used to belong to the Xu family.

Fu Yuanniang was already waiting outside the courtyard. Seeing Yueniang, she greeted her warmly, "Big sister."

Seeing this, Tian frowned and said, "You just recovered from a cold, and it's raining."

Yuanniang said in a soft and gentle voice, "Summer rain in Lingzhou is nothing to worry about."

Yue Niang looked up and saw that Fu Yuanniang had a slim figure, wearing a light yellow dress, with lightly drawn eyebrows. As she grew older, she looked neither like Fu Shiqing nor Tian Jingjiao.

Mrs. Xu was a kind person and treated these illegitimate children equally. Fu Yuanniang was two years younger than Yueniang, so she still remembered some of Mrs. Xu's kindness.

Some scenes of playing with Fu Yuanniang when she was a child also emerged in Yue Niang's mind.

Tian pushed Fu Yuanniang into the yard and said to Yueniang, "Yuanniang is living in this main house now. You can choose another one."

Yue Niang followed him in, looked around, and pointed to a secluded room at the back and said, "Let's go with that one. Thank you, Aunt Tian."

Tian Jingjiao said unhappily to her personal maid, "Why don't you go and clean up the room for the young lady?"

Yue Niang continued, "Madam Tian, as for the maids, there's no need to bother arranging new ones for me. Just ask Madam He from my mother's courtyard and Dong Zhu from my courtyard to come."

Yue Niang always remembered Dong Zhu with tears in her eyes when they parted.

Tian paused for a moment and said, "Mother He? A few years ago, a nanny named He did go missing from our family. I'm afraid she's been lost. I don't have much impression of this Dongzhu either."

Tian played dumb, and Yue Niang also put on a smiling face: "Then I won't bother you, Auntie."

Tian said proudly, "Then you should just make do with it for now. I'm sure you're used to taking care of yourself in Yunzhou."

After saying that, he left in triumph.

Fu Yuanniang spoke for her mother: "Sister, mother is just like this, don't blame her. Liuxin, do you know Dongzhu?"

Liu Xin was Fu Yuanniang's personal maid. After hearing the young lady's instructions, she thought for a moment and said, "I vaguely remember that there was a maid in Huanyixuan with this name."

"The Washing House?" The Washing House is the courtyard responsible for washing clothes in the Fu Mansion. The clothes of the entire Fu Mansion, even those of the servants, are washed in the Washing House.

Huanyixuan also has a mature operating system. Knowing that Dongzhu is still in the mansion, Yue Niang is a little less worried.

He said to Yuanniang, "Thank you, sister."

Yuanniang took advantage of the situation and held Yueniang's hand: "Sister, come sit in my room. Liuxin, take them with you to clean up the room for me."

Unable to tell what was good or bad, Yue Niang pulled her hand away: "Don't bother, sister. This yard is very clean and doesn't look like it needs much cleaning."

The expression on Fu Yuanniang's face dimmed.

Fu Yuanniang stretched out her hand and said, "Sister." She felt very lonely.

Even so, Yue Niang still felt uncomfortable with the fact that she was Tian Jingjiao's daughter, and deliberately avoided her aggrieved look.

He hurried into the house.

This room seemed to be prepared for a maid, but it was a maid's room for a wealthy merchant after all.

The beds were all carved from birch wood, and there were tables, wardrobes, and even jewelry boxes in the room. The furniture was complete.

As I recall, Xu really liked birch wood, and that jewelry box seemed to be very valuable. Could these be Xu's belongings?

At this time, Liu Xin also followed in: "Miss, these are the sheets and beddings that the second lady gave you."

Yue Niang took it, her heart in a mess: "Thank your Second Young Miss for me. By the way, Liu Xin, are these things my mother's?"

Liu Xin affirmed: "Yes, it belongs to the late Madam."

Yue Niang looked at these strange yet familiar things, and Xu's face in her memory became clear again.

Yue Niang went to look for the jewelry box, but apart from some jewelry that Xu often used, the marriage certificate was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, you go down first and thank your second young lady for me." Yue Niang knew that it was useless to ask, and it must have been looted by Tian.