The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Hua Sirong acted like a shy young girl, which brought tears to Wang Mama's eyes, and she cast a grateful glance at Shen Shi.

Madam Shen was in a good mood today and, unusually, spoke a few more words to Hua Sirong. "Are you doing well at Qingwu Courtyard? If there's anything you're not doing well, just tell your aunt."

"I am very happy living in Qingwu Courtyard. There is nothing wrong with it. Thank you for always thinking of me, Aunt."

Seeing that Hua Sirong was sensible, Madam Shen explained a few more words, "Qingwu Courtyard looks a bit far from the main courtyard of the mansion, but Auntie's choice of that location was also based on consideration."

Wearing mourning clothes, you can stay in Qingwu Courtyard for two reasons: firstly, it's quiet there, and secondly, it's only three gates away from the back gate of the Marquis's mansion. Almost all the servants living in the alley outside the back gate are hereditary servants of our Marquis's mansion.

Therefore, while Qingwu Courtyard belongs to our Marquis's residence, it's not exactly where the masters reside. If anyone in the manor were to use the pretext of mourning affecting the fortune of the Marquis's masters, they would have to think twice.

"Thank you for considering my situation, Aunt." Actually, some servants in the mansion said in private that Qingwu Courtyard had previously imprisoned concubines of the Marquis's family who had made mistakes, just like the Cold Palace in the palace, but Hua Sirong didn't care about these things.

"It's good that you can understand your aunt's good intentions. You and your servants live in the Marquis's mansion. If you need to buy something, you can just call the steward in charge of the mansion."

"If you don't mind the trouble, Wang Mama can go out to shop through the back door herself." She specifically mentioned this to Wang Mama, which meant she didn't agree to Hua Sirong leaving the mansion at will.

However, for this one thing, Hua Sirong and the others were extremely grateful. What they feared most was having money but nowhere to spend it. This allowed Wang Mama to legitimately go out and buy some things, which was a great convenience for them.

"Thank you very much, Aunt." Hua Sirong thanked her sincerely. She had originally wanted to mention that she had to send Wang Mama out to buy some things every month. She couldn't rely on the Marquis's mansion for everything, especially the pills she had to take every day.

I never expected my aunt to be so thoughtful; it was a pleasant surprise.

"No need to thank me, just remember to let the steward of the manor know when you go out." Madam Shen said that she could go out to buy things, but it's not like she can come and go without restrictions every day. What young lady in her boudoir has so many things to do that she needs to go out to do every day?

If we don't arouse suspicion from outsiders and they say something unpleasant, we'll be letting down Shen's good intentions.

"Yes, Auntie, don't worry. I know the rules." I won't do anything reckless.

"Okay, I'm glad you understand. Is there anything you're not used to in the daily meals? The food and supplies in Xishan are quite different from those in the capital. I don't know if you're used to them. Would you like the kitchen to prepare something special for you?"

"No need to make anything else. The meals brought from the kitchen every day are excellent. It's just that because of my situation, the cooks in the kitchen have to make vegetarian dishes every day, which wastes their time." She's not a proper mistress of the house, so how could she order whatever she wants to eat?

Even the second and third wives in this household might not receive such treatment, she was still self-aware.

Besides, now that Granny Wang can go out a few times a month, she can provide some snacks for the mistress and servants, which is already very kind of her.

Madam Shen covered her face with her handkerchief and chuckled, "You're worrying for nothing. The cooks aren't just making vegetarian dishes for you."

The matriarch of our household is a Buddhist, and now that she's quite old, she's a vegetarian for many years. There's a chef in the household who cooks for her, so having you along won't be a problem.”

Originally, the old lady didn't use much each day, but the kitchen couldn't reduce the amount of food prepared. Now that there are a few more people in the mansion eating vegetarian food, it avoids waste.

It was really just an extra set of bowls and chopsticks in the Marquis's residence.

"Then I'm really benefiting from the old lady's kindness, as I eat a variety of exquisite dishes at every meal." Except for those few days when it's just plain water, the rest of the time, even without any meat, the taste is definitely not bad, and the nutrition is well-balanced. Even if I eat like this for several years, I don't have to worry about malnutrition at all.

"Next time you see the old lady, you can go and thank her yourself."

"Yes, Aunt." Hua Sirong understood that she wouldn't need to go with Madam Shen to pay her respects to the old lady later.

The aunt and niece talked for a while longer. After considering for a moment, Hua Sirong decided to speak up, "Aunt, I have something to ask of you."

"What's the matter?"

“I’ve been in the capital for some time now, but my status makes it inconvenient for me to go out. However, I can’t just leave no message for my maternal grandparents.” Hua Sirong spoke sincerely, and carefully observed Shen’s expression, noticing a moment of surprise on Shen’s face.

He continued, "I'm wearing mourning clothes, so I definitely can't go to their house in person. Even if my maternal grandparents don't mind, I can't be indifferent myself."

Because of my matter, I have already troubled my aunt, and I cannot go further to disturb my maternal grandparents' home. Therefore, I can only trouble my aunt to help explain the situation. After my mourning period ends, I will go to the Shen residence to apologize to the elders.”

Madam Shen was also worried that Hua Sirong would ask to go to the Shen residence, and as her aunt, she couldn't stop her.

Besides, her sister-in-law from her maternal family probably couldn't wait for Hua Sirong to come to their door.

Hearing what Hua Sirong said next, Shen's smile became even more sincere. It's good that she didn't go; she was worried that she wouldn't be able to hold onto the money she had just received for the shop.

As for going after the mourning period, by then the shop would have been staffed by her own people, so who could take it away?

"Don't worry, your maternal aunt came to visit yesterday and I mentioned you to her. Don't worry, your maternal grandparents are very good people. Knowing your special circumstances, they would never blame you."

As for your aunt coming to the house but not mentioning seeing you, her niece, she won't say anything more about it; you can figure it out yourself.

The two chatted for a while longer before Madam Shen affectionately sent Hua Sirong back, telling her to take another nap.

After watching the master and servant leave, Madam Shen told Wenqin to put the box away, and she felt perfectly justified in doing so.

With 12,000 taels of silver in hand, there's no need to be frugal with the household expenses in the spring.

This year's flower viewing banquet at the Marquis's residence could be upgraded to a higher level, but it's a pity that Rong-jie won't be able to attend.

The most important thing is still those two prime shops. The Marquis's mansion is not short of money, but all the money earned has to go to the public funds. There are many people and many things to do in the mansion, and the expenses are already high. When the men of the mansion go out, the money is spent like water.

Even though the Marquis's family had accumulated a considerable fortune, it still couldn't withstand the squandering of so many people's wealth.

Unlike the two newly acquired shops, which are now entirely in her hands, and even the money has to pass through her hands.

If she wants to give money to the people in the mansion, then she will.

If she doesn't want it, then it's their private property.