ATPnovel Chapter 9 The Liu Family's Predicament
Chapter 9 The Liu Family's Predicament
Silent all night.
Early in the morning, Wang Qing got up, changed into short clothes, and went to the front yard.
Perhaps Ping'er's arrival last night had an effect, as the servants did not dare to slack off too much, but they did not expect him to get up so early.
Hot water and similar items are inevitably not prepared adequately.
Wang Qing didn't say much. He went back to the backyard and practiced two sets of boxing, working up a good sweat. After the servants brought hot water, he went back to his room to wash up, changed into a slightly worn robe, and dressed neatly again.
He grabbed his clothes, went to the main room, threw them on a chair, and said to the maids and servants who came in with a tray of food, "Take these clothes and wash them."
The two women exchanged a glance. The old woman glanced at the clothes on the chair and stepped forward, replying, "We're clumsy; we wouldn't dare ruin your fine clothes, sir."
Wang Qing plopped down in the main seat, his face darkening: "What do you mean?"
He had long anticipated the character of the servants in the Rongguo Mansion, but being a newcomer, he didn't want to bother with them for the time being.
Unexpectedly, they took advantage of my kindness and became arrogant.
He was tall and strong, and the old woman was startled when she saw his unfriendly expression. She hurriedly said, "It's not that we're being lazy, but our hands are covered in calluses, and we're afraid we'll snag your clothes."
Seemingly worried that Wang Qing wouldn't believe her, she quickly spread out her calloused palms.
Wang Qing was immediately speechless. He was a diligent martial arts practitioner and was naturally familiar with calluses on his hands.
However, he always paid attention to his health. Even when he was practicing with weapons, he would wrap his hands in a layer of brocade to prevent calluses from forming. He also often soaked his hands in white vinegar, which is why he did not develop calluses.
Unlike today, in ancient times, clothes needed to be washed by hand.
Silk and satin are quite valuable. Even though Wang Qing's clothes are not as well-made as those of the masters of Rongguo Mansion, they still cost several tens of taels of silver per set. It would be a real waste to ruin them by washing.
Seeing that his expression had softened, the old woman quickly explained, "So that you may know, sir, there are maids in the manor who are specifically responsible for washing clothes. As lowly servants like us, let alone washing clothes, we shouldn't even be allowed to enter this room."
Lin Zhixiao's daughter, Lin Hongyu, could only do odd jobs on the outskirts of the Yihong Courtyard because she was only a third-class maid.
Wang Qing knew the old woman was telling the truth and didn't want to make things difficult for them, so he said, "Then please take it to the mansion and have someone wash it for you!"
"Sir, you may not know this, but the clothes of all the gentlemen, ladies, and young ladies cannot be mixed together. Each household and courtyard manages their own affairs. Not to mention, it would be difficult to bring your clothes in, and how could we possibly persuade them to do so?"
The old woman explained with a wronged expression, then tentatively added, "Master didn't bring any personal maids. Why didn't he tell the old lady, the madam, or the grandmothers? He could have at least arranged for two maids to serve in the room."
When this matter was mentioned, Wang Qing was speechless. He dismissed the servants in his house not only because he was worried about revealing when he obtained the wisdom mark, but also because he wanted to play the victim so that he could get one or two maids with names and surnames. However, despite his scheming, he never expected that Madam Xing would ruin his good hand.
Of course, he couldn't possibly speak to Grandmother Jia, much less tell the old woman the inside story. He could only say, "I didn't think it through. I didn't expect there to be so many rules in the household."
He took out two taels of silver and said, "Nowadays, it's not good to bother the old lady with such a small matter. Since it's not convenient to send the clothes in, why don't we ask someone we know inside to come and help us?"
The old woman's face lit up with joy when she saw the silver. She quickly took it with both hands, weighed it in her hand, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, sir. Leave this to me, and I'll make sure it's handled perfectly for you."
Wang Qing still had to report to the Ministry of Personnel and settle the laundry matter, so he was too lazy to waste time. He picked up the breakfast that was delivered, ate it in a few bites, pushed the bowl away, and got up to leave.
As soon as he left, the maid looked at her with admiration and praised, "Grandma Liu really knows how to handle things!"
The old woman said smugly, "Even if he's a miser, we can still squeeze some money out of him."
The maid nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, glanced at the clothes on the chair, then at the silver in the old woman's hand, and hesitated, saying, "Why don't we not go inside to ask for help? Let's be careful..."
Before the word "wash" could even be uttered, Granny Liu raised her hand and slammed her knuckles against the woman's forehead, shouting, "Have you ever washed such fine fabric before? Or are you saying you can afford to pay for it if you ruin it?"
The maid seemed to be in pain but dared not object. Granny Liu pointed to the bowls and plates on the table and said, "Put these away, but don't touch the clothes. I'll go to the back corridor across the street and call Yun-ge'er's mother and Granny Bu to come and clean up."
Upon hearing this, the maidservant asked in surprise, "Didn't the master say he was going inside to fetch someone?"
"Go inside and ask someone?"
Granny Liu sneered, "Those people inside have heads on their heads. When you bring money over, they not only feel you owe them, but they also demand more. Although Granny Bu's favors aren't very effective, at least you don't have to beg for favors, and you can still get more money to share."
"Yes! Yes!" The maid nodded hurriedly when she heard that she could get a larger share of the profits.
Granny Liu then turned and left.
She left the courtyard, but instead of going to the back corridor, she entered the back gate of the Rong Mansion, made several turns, and came to a row of side rooms on the east side, where she went straight into a room.
The woman inside was sitting intently on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), counting her copper coins one by one. She was startled by Granny Liu's sudden intrusion, and the copper coins in her hand scattered on the kang, making a tinkling sound.
She was around thirty years old, with an unnatural blush on her cheeks, clearly wearing makeup, but her eyes held an unyielding sorrow.
Although she was dressed in the standard attire of a third-class servant woman of the Rong family, she had red lips and white teeth, and charming eyes and brows, making her quite attractive.
Seeing that it was Granny Liu, she visibly relaxed, then said with displeasure, "You old hag, why are you back at this hour? Do you suspect I'm having an affair and want to catch me in the act?"
Granny Liu said irritably, "If you can find a lover who's willing to spend money to treat Wu'er's illness, I won't stop you!"
Sister Liu seemed used to this kind of conversation, and retorted, "Then what are you doing here now? Aren't you afraid of scaring people away?"
Granny Liu glanced at the copper coins on the kang (a heated brick bed), stopped arguing with her, and instead asked, "How much more is needed?"
Upon hearing this, Sister Liu immediately deflated and said sullenly, "I only managed to scrape together a string of cash worth about two hundred coins, which my brother secretly borrowed without telling me. But Manager Hu of Huichuntang said the minimum is two taels of silver, and we're still short..."
At this point, she suddenly paused, then quickly asked, "Is Uncle still willing to lend money for Wu'er's medical treatment?"
"The eldest son has four kids! If we ask him to contribute more money, the family will starve!"
Upon hearing this, Sister Liu looked dejected.
Unexpectedly, Granny Liu pulled out a piece of broken silver as if presenting a treasure.
Sister Liu shuddered, then said indignantly, "You old hag, you have money but won't use it to treat your granddaughter's illness, you keep forcing me to plead poverty to my family, and you've been hiding it until today before you finally took it out!"
"Pah!" Granny Liu spat. "My meager savings for my coffin have long been emptied by you two. This is the money Master Qing asked me to take to have someone do laundry..."
Sister Liu was speechless for a moment, then looked at her mother-in-law with a blank expression: "Which Uncle Qing?"
"They just moved in yesterday, and they live in the compound where we work..."
Granny Liu recounted the origins of Wang Qinghe's money before saying, "This silver, two taels isn't too much or too little. You can take it to buy medicine for Wu'er first. As for this string of cash, I'll take it to invite Granny Bu..."
"What are you doing, sir?" Aunt Liu spread her hands, revealing a pair of fair palms. "These hands of mine can cook, so why can't they wash a few sets of clothes? Wu'er's illness has been on and off for over a year now, and I'm afraid... it will cost more money later. How can you turn down such a good job?"
"Do you think I'm senile? The Xue family moved into Pear Fragrance Courtyard and didn't need anyone from the manor, so they squeezed you in. But then Wu'er got sick, and for the past year or so, you've been taking care of Wu'er, just collecting your monthly salary without doing anything. People in the courtyard have long been fed up with you."
If I hadn't said all the right things and tried every possible way to support you, things would probably have escalated to the point of legal trouble long ago.
You're already a resident of the courtyard. If we ask you to do the washing, would Uncle Qing really be willing to pay extra for the laundry? Even if we can keep it from him, can we keep it from others? Who knows how jealous they'll get. If they expose this, will we be the ones who benefit?
"Why not give this task to Grandma Bu, take a share from her, and distribute the rest among ourselves? That way, we won't make anyone jealous, and we'll shut them up."
Upon hearing this, Sister Liu immediately fell silent, only staring longingly at the copper coins on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Granny Liu sighed and said, "Alright! I still have to go to the back corridor. You go and get the medicine for Wu'er. When you get the medicine, take Wu'er to the eldest son's house first and let your sister-in-law help take care of her. Then you can come back and do your work."
"How can this be allowed?"
"Why not? I almost shoved my old hands in Grandpa Qing's face while washing this silver. If he saw me busy in the kitchen, he probably wouldn't be able to eat."
Seemingly worried that she wouldn't be able to persuade her daughter-in-law, Granny Liu paused and then said, "You said it yourself, Wu'er's illness will probably cost more money. Yesterday, Miss Ping said that Master Qing is a martial artist, and his appetite will be bigger than others in the future, so his expenses will be more. If this job is taken by someone else, we'll really be starving in the future."
"But..." Sister Liu hesitated.
Granny Liu seemed to understand her concerns and quickly said, "Our family only has one girl as pretty as Wu'er. If she's cured, even if she can't be taken as a concubine by the masters, she can still be a second-class maid in the house. Wouldn't your sister-in-law be eager to have her?"
"Don't they know whose guts she crawled out of?!"
Sister-in-law Liu didn't think there was anything wrong with what Granny Liu said; on the contrary, she was quite pleased with herself.
She was still worried, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Let's send it to my brother's house!"
"Whatever! Go get the medicine!"
"Yes!" Sister Liu quickly agreed, clutched the silver, rummaged through the drawer of the kang table and found a prescription, carefully put it in her bosom, and hurried out the door.
Granny Liu then picked up the scattered copper coins, counted them again, and then put them into her bosom along with the string of coins she had already strung together.
Arriving at the inner room, he gently pushed open the door, stood at the doorway, and glanced at his sleeping granddaughter from afar.
After a long while, Fang sighed heavily and closed the door again.
……