High-class maid

Meanwhile, inside the old lady's room, the first wife and her son were happily discussing the upcoming engagement with the old lady.

"Mother, your daughter-in-law went to the temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha today. The day after tomorrow is an auspicious day," the First Madam said happily.

The old lady nodded and said, "That's very good. But when you go the day after tomorrow, you should ask someone to send a message to Yongchang Prefecture. Otherwise, if you go rashly, it might be impolite." The old lady reminded her with concern.

"I know, Jiu Chuan has already sent a message through someone today, and I expect to hear back soon," the First Madam nodded and said.

As soon as she finished speaking, a maid announced from outside the door: "Madam, Madam, someone from the master's side requests an audience."

"Please come in quickly." The old lady sat up straight, waiting for the person next to her son to come and reply.

"Greetings, Madam, Young Master." Shen Kun bowed as he entered, offering respectful greetings.

"Stop with these formalities. What did Yongchang Prefecture say?" the First Madam asked impatiently.

"Reporting to Madam, the master of Yongchang Prefecture said that you may do as you please, as he happens to be on leave at home the day after tomorrow," Shen Kun replied.

"Good, good, good. It's good that the message has been sent. Are everything prepared?" The old lady turned to ask Liu.

"The betrothal letter, gift list, and wedding invitation are all ready. Here is the gift list, please take a look." After the First Madam finished speaking, Madam Wang, who was standing behind her, handed over the gift list.

“I’m old and my eyesight is failing me. Yi’an, you read it to your grandmother.” The old lady waved her hand, and Wang Shi turned around and handed the gift list to Xiao Yi’an.

Xiao Yi'an took the gift list and read it aloud: "One kingfisher feather hairpin, one sapphire blue kingfisher feather hairpin, one jade flower and bird comb, one pair of pearl and tourmaline earrings, one red gold ring with a jade ruyi and jade, one red agate bracelet with intertwined branches, one gilded silver sachet, one pair of double fish pendants, one white jade phoenix ring, one jade ruyi, one love lock, and one love knot."

The old lady nodded and said, "That's right. The preparations are both polite and show that you value Yongchang Prefecture. Is it twelve gifts?"

“That’s right. Ordinary families follow the traditional three letters and six rites. Since Xinyu will be the mistress of our Minister’s Mansion in the future, I think the twelve rites would be better,” said Madam Liu.

"Excellent, you handled this matter very well," the old lady praised.

"Luo Sheng was also involved in this matter. Now that she's getting older, she'll inevitably have to face these kinds of things in the future, so I want her to learn how to manage a household." The First Madam didn't forget to praise her daughter in front of the Old Madam.

"Even if Luo Sheng is not successful in the future, she will still be the mistress of the house. You have handled this matter very well. Have the wild geese arrived yet?" the old lady asked again.

In ancient times, wild geese symbolized unwavering love and the virtue of keeping promises. As migratory birds, they migrate annually with the seasons, symbolizing the loyalty and responsibility that couples should have in their marriage.

Therefore, when getting engaged, the groom would bring a wild goose that he had personally hunted.

"Not yet. I'm planning to go out of the city with Yizhou tomorrow to catch wild geese," Xiao Yi'an replied.

"That's good. It's a good thing that you have your brothers in your heart. Although Yizhou is your cousin, he is also a brother besides Luosheng. He always does things in a well-thought-out manner. I feel at ease knowing that you two brothers are together."

The old lady talked a lot in one breath. Seeing this, Danxue quickly handed her a cup of hot tea to moisten her throat.

"The day after tomorrow, bring a few reliable maids with you, and also send a few of the maids from my own courtyard, so they can broaden their horizons," the old lady said.

"What does Mother mean?" Liu asked, as if she had guessed something.

"I haven't managed the household for many years, and I've always been kind and gentle. I never imagined that the maids I've raised would become so ambitious. I'm getting old, and I don't need so many maids anymore," the old lady said.

"Does Mother mean to select a few capable maids, and the rest..."

"The rest of you, go to other courtyards. Those who are of marriageable age can get married if they want, and leave the manor if they don't want to get married." The old lady was clearly too exhausted to deal with it, and she said weakly.

Seeing his grandmother like this, Xiao Yi'an felt very sad. He said, "Grandmother, don't worry. Qianying's matter was just an accident. It happened at the critical moment of my engagement, so we had to make a big deal out of it. In the future, those who have big ambitions will all be dealt with!"

“Yes, Mother, even if we reduce the number of maids in my daughter-in-law’s courtyard, we can’t reduce the number of maids in yours! If Jiu Chuan finds out, he’ll be heartbroken for you,” Liu Shi also advised.

Logically speaking, the old lady's courtyard should have one hairdressing nanny, one makeup nanny, four maids (four second-class maids, four third-class maids), two cleaning maids, and four kitchen staff in the tea room and small kitchen.

Although the old lady's courtyard is quiet, this is the grandeur of our ancestors, and there's no reason for it to become less and less.

"You don't need to try to stop me. My mind is made up. I'll just tell everyone that I'm getting old and want some peace and quiet. Even if Jiuchuan finds out, he won't say anything," the old lady said, waving her hand.

"I wonder how much Mother plans to reduce the budget? I hope my daughter-in-law can prepare in advance," the First Madam asked.

"Danwen in my courtyard got engaged years ago, and now I don't want her to stay in the manor until she's in her twenties. I'll let her leave the manor in a while. Also, Danjin has always liked accounting, so let her go to the shop to manage the accounts. As for Danruo... let her go to my clothing shop."

In just a few words, the old lady had assigned the head maids to their respective places.

"The second-class maids... let them all be dealt with," the old lady said.

"What? They've all been dealt with?" Liu and Xiao Yi'an exclaimed in surprise.

"Of the second-class students, only Green Fruit is still good. The other two are too competitive and should be dealt with as soon as possible." The old lady said this to Danxue.

Danxue nodded, offering no defense for them.

"Won't that leave no room for second-class maids? Should we promote them from the third-class? Or should your daughter-in-law find someone suitable for you?" Liu asked.

“These third-class maids are all good. I had Danxue observe them for a few days, and they never argued or quarreled. Even when they went to Jinling, they were always courteous to each other. Wasn’t Chen Shan and Shen Kun’s daughter just promoted to third-class maid this year? Let Jinglin and Jingyue be second-class maids.”

"That's fine too. Chen Shan and Shen Kun's daughter is still young. Let her serve as a third-class maid for a few more years," Liu Shi agreed.

Xiao Yi'an had never been interested in these kinds of things. He nodded, saying that as long as his grandmother was happy, anything was fine.

As a result, only Danxue and the newly promoted Lüguo remained as the head maids in the old lady's courtyard. The second-class maids were Jinglin and Jingyue, and the third-class maids were still Shen Xing'er and Shantao. After such a selection process, only these six maids remained.

"What are the names of these maids?" Liu asked.

“Chen Shan and Shen Kun’s daughter is an adopted child, so naturally her name can’t be changed. Let’s call her Dan Guo.” The old lady had obviously already made up her mind and said it without even thinking.