Everyone in the banquet room was laughing with Old Madam Qu, and suddenly a maid wearing a pink silk and cotton armor quietly walked in, leaned over and whispered a few words to Fang.

Lu Jiayue naturally knew that it was the Fang family's eldest maid Baotian.

I don't know what Bao Tian said, but I saw that Fang's face immediately sank, his thin eyebrows frowned slightly, and said, "It's just that she doesn't have the eyesight to see it, and now you're also stupid?" I didn't see that I was serving the old lady, but I hurried to ask for something at this time! ”

It was not loud, but it was heard by all.

Mrs. Qu asked what was the matter.

Fang Shi hurriedly replied with a smile: "It's Zheng Wang's family, because the eldest sister-in-law has added a few maids and sisters-in-law, she doesn't know how to distribute the monthly money, but she rushed to ask Baotian to ask me - she is also an old person, and now she is more and more confused." ”

Fang's family is the person in charge of the middle feed in the Qu Mansion, and Zheng Wang's family is her companion room, in charge of the monthly money of the people in the inner courtyard of the Qu Mansion.

When Meng Shi heard this, she understood in her heart that what Fang Shi said was the few maids and women who were added to serve Lu Jiayue, and she didn't want to make more trouble about this matter, so she said: "There is a fixed number of people in each room, and since there are more people in my courtyard, their monthly monthly money will be transferred from my share of silver and distributed to them." ”

Old Madam Qu frowned slightly, and was about to speak, but it was Fang Shi who smiled first: "Whatever the sister-in-law said, it is all the flesh and blood of the family, what do you do so clearly?" If even this little bit of the maids-in-law's monthly money has to be crossed from the sister-in-law's share, then outsiders will know about it, and they are afraid that they will make fun of our Qu family's stinginess. As he spoke, he instructed Baotian, "Go and tell Zheng Wang's family, just send it according to the rules." ”

The Meng family is not short of these micro silver taels, so naturally they don't want to take on the reputation of being cheap among the white officials, and if they want to excuse themselves, Mrs. Qu said: "The fourth daughter-in-law is right, if the eldest daughter-in-law refuses again, then you will see the outside." ”

Since Mrs. Qu had spoken, Meng had no choice but to respond.

Lu Jiayue sat on the side with her eyes and nose, seemingly silent, but her heart was clear and transparent.

In her previous life, she knew that the fourth lady Fang's shrewd and tactful person in charge was not ordinary, and the four masters of the Qu family, the eldest master Qu Hong and the second master Qu Xian were born by the old lady of the Wu family who died in the early years, and the third master Qu You was born as a concubine, only the fourth master Qu Ning was the biological son of the old lady Qu, and the fourth daughter-in-law of the Fang family was naturally the most favored by the old lady Qu. With Mrs. Qu as her backer, she has the means to take care of her family affairs like a fish in water, and she is at ease.

Bao Tian is a big girl who has been by Fang's side for many years, how could she be so blind, when Fang's was serving Old Lady Qu, what did she ask for when she came in? The scene in front of him was mostly just a little trick that Fang had ordered Bao Tian to play in front of Old Madam Qu in the morning.

In order to be a good person in front of Mrs. Qu, she has a good reputation for being a good housekeeper and tolerant and generous, and by the way, let Meng owe her a favor.

However, although the Fang clan is scheming and good at using methods, fortunately, his heart is not bad, at most she is a woman in the inner house who has quite a city government.

Everyone laughed with Mrs. Qu for a while, and when they saw that it was early noon, lunch was to be prepared in each room, and everyone came out.

Lu Jiayue saw that the chrysanthemums in the courtyard of Ju'an Hall were blooming really well, so she couldn't help but take a few more looks, Qu Ying saw it, and said: "There are also in the back garden, they are all cultivated in the flower room, if you like it, I'll take you to take a look?" ”

The back garden of the Qu family, in the past, was actually the garden of an official surnamed Zhao, and later the official surnamed Zhao left Beijing and returned to his hometown, and sold the mansion. The original area of the garden is not small, and built exquisitely, there are many pavilions and water pavilions, streams and rockeries, as for the grass, trees and flowers and trees are even more lush and luxuriant, after the Qu family bought it, it was repaired again, carefully cared for, and now the scenery is getting better and better.

In her previous life, Lu Jiayue didn't go to the back garden, but today the weather is fine, but she wants to go for a walk, so she nodded with a smile.

Meng Shi was recovering from Lu Jiayue's serious illness, and stayed in the house all day long, and was depressed about her, and was very happy to hear this: "It's a good day, just let your cousin Ying take you to take a walk in the back garden, in the morning I asked the small kitchen to prepare dumplings filled with cress and mutton, and I will come back to eat with your cousin Ying later." ”

*

To go to the back garden, you have to pass through the courtyard of the third room, Lu Jiayue and Qu Ying walked hand in hand, and before they reached the front of the courtyard of the third room, there was already a noise from afar.

Qu Ying stopped and listened for a moment, then sighed, "This must be the second sister-in-law who is quarreling with the second brother again." ”

The second brother in Qu Ying's mouth is the second young master of the Qu family and the only son of the third master Qu You.

In addition to the three masters of the Qu family, Qu You, the other three masters all have official positions. However, when it comes to money, it is the richest in the third room.

The third old man, Qu You, did not like to study since he was a child, his knowledge was mediocre, and he had no chance to take the imperial examination, so he helped take care of the shops in the Qu family and learned some ways to do business. Later, when she became an adult, she married the Huang family, who was born in the family of Jujia in Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi, and is now the third lady. Huang's mother's family has been a businessman for generations, and after the two got married, Qu You simply followed the people of the Huang family to do business, and after more than 20 years, now the money and property under his name are more than what the Qu family officials have accumulated in the past dynasties.

Businessmen are highly profitable, have low status, and have always been despised by others. What's more, the Qu family is also a family of eunuchs, and although they are rich, they are also rich but not expensive because they are rich, and they feel weak-hearted. Qu Huai is also a person who can't read, and his career in the third room is hopeless, so he can only make a fuss about his daughter-in-law in order to seek some face. However, some officials from a few families have to rely on their status and refuse to marry merchants.

Later, after a lot of searching, he spent a lot of money to marry Hu Shi, the daughter of a six-grade master of Jingzhao Yin Mansion, as his daughter-in-law, and became the second young grandmother of the Qu family.

Sanfang thought that he had married an official lady and entered the door, which could be regarded as a gloss on his face, who expected that Hu Shi was arrogant and arrogant, partial and squirming, often messing with flowers and grass outside, Hu relied on his identity as an official lady, and had a fearless temper with Qu Huai, Qu Huai couldn't take her, Qu You and Huang didn't dare to wronged this daughter-in-law from an official family, and the two young couples were always noisy, and they could only go by the Hu family.

Hu's shouting and shouting continued to reach his ears.

Lu Jiayue didn't want to listen to it anymore, and reached out to hold Qu Ying's sleeve, "Sister, the husband and wife are noisy, I'm afraid that there are some words that we can't hear, let's go away quickly." ”

Qu Ying nodded, took Lu Jiayue's hand and walked away, but when she was far away, she still couldn't help but sigh again, "I just think that the second brother is pitiful, such a dignified seven-foot man was actually called by a weak woman in the second sister-in-law." ”

"What's so pitiful about this?" Lu Jiayue smiled disapprovingly, "This is called a willingness to fight, a willingness to suffer, and only those who are in it can understand it." ”