Chapter 305: Tanchun Re-Housekeeping
Still in the house next to Li Wan's residence, Tanchun rubbed her forehead and looked at the account book in front of her, and said to the secretary beside her, "I never thought that our family had so much deficit last year!"
"This is because we raided the homes of the servants and replenished a lot of money. Otherwise, I'm afraid the treasury in the palace would be empty now! Several major events last year all cost a lot of money."
"During the New Year holidays, the gifts sent by various mansions are more than in previous years, so naturally our mansion also sends back more."
"The farm only brought in a few thousand taels of silver, and most of the shops are still running out of money. We have prepared money in advance for several major events in our house in recent years, but there are always unexpected events. We can't save any money, and we have to spend more and do it better."
The maid said to comfort her, "Young lady, why do you have to worry about this? Now the old lady just asked you to manage the household temporarily. When the second lady recovers from her illness, she will have to take care of it again."
"It's probably not been just one or two years since the family has been in this state. Since we've gotten through it in the past, and now our house is a little better than in the past, is it possible that we can't survive? Besides, isn't it said that the Third Master has a business, so isn't that also a share of the Second Master's?"
"That's true!" Tanchun nodded and said, "I've seen that although it's only been less than half a year, the amount of money that has been brought in is tens of thousands of taels. If this year is still the same, this amount alone will bring in hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!"
"Ah!" Tanchun sighed softly, "After all, isn't it my third brother who supports this family?"
"If it weren't for my third brother, I really don't know how this family would survive."
"Third brother not only works for the court and supports the family inside and outside, but he is also so outstanding in business! Second brother Bao hates these things the most and can't even help. It's just hard for third brother..." Tanchun said with some heartache.
What couldn't she see clearly? Among the two families, Jia Cong was the one who suffered the most and was the most tired, and sometimes he was not well-liked.
"That's it!" said the secretary. "Everyone knows that the Third Master is the closest to the girls. Now that the Third Master is backing up the mansion, the officials from various mansions who came over a few days ago were full of praise for the girls. Some even asked the old lady about the girls' horoscopes."
"A few days ago, the Zhen family entered the mansion, and even the old lady of the Zhen family wanted their grandson to marry the girl, but the Third Master seemed to dislike it and directly helped the girl to refuse."
Tanchun glared at the secretary and said, "Stop talking nonsense here . You dare to make fun of me?"
In fact, if there is a suitable family that can really help the Jia family, Tanchun is willing to marry. Or, regardless of whether she is willing or not, the old lady or the second wife will make the decision directly. As a concubine's daughter, how can she have any chance to choose? Fortunately, she has the protection of the third brother now, which can be regarded as giving her some room for maneuver.
If they really are not from a good family, I just need to ask my third brother for help. I think he will not just sit there and do nothing.
"How could I tease you, young lady? Everyone outside would say the same thing. Besides, I am the eldest maidservant beside you, so why shouldn't I be on your side? If it were up to me, I would say that the Third Master is the best one. Young lady, don't you know that Miss Lin and Miss Bao are both obsessed with the Third Master? Even Miss Yun is close to the Third Master, isn't she?"
"Ptck!" Tanchun spat fiercely, "If you dare to say that again, I'll let Sister Zhuangxiu beat you with a stick!"
"How did I say that I was wrong?" The maidservant said, "The Third Master never gave less gifts than Miss, and even gave slightly more than the Second Miss and the Fourth Miss. Moreover, knowing that it is not easy for Miss to manage the household, he specially asked the eunuchs and maids from the East Palace to come and help. If Miss gives a word, even the Third Master's personal soldiers will come. Is there anyone in this mansion who cares more about her than the Third Master?"
Tanchun was so angry that she hit the secretary's head hard, "Third brother is nice to me because I am your younger sister! Besides, there are so many sisters, which one has Third brother been mean to?"
Tanchun suppressed her rebellious thoughts and continued to check the accounts in her hand. However, no matter how she looked at it, she felt a little upset...
"Hello Miss Bao!"
A maid's voice came from outside the door. A moment later, Baochai came in.
"Sister Bao is here!" Tanchun stood up to greet her. Because it was not suitable to get together all the time recently, the sisters tried to avoid each other.
"I knew that Third Sister was here, so I came over to talk to her." Baochai said with a smile, "Isn't the eldest sister-in-law here?"
"Sister-in-law just took a look around and went back to force Lan'er to study!" Tanchun said helplessly, "Didn't Third Brother say before that Lan'er and Qin Zhong from the Qin family would be allowed to study in the academy in the spring? Sister-in-law was afraid that Lan'er would slack off, so she didn't dare to relax at all."
"Huan'er has made a lot of progress since he entered the clan school!" Baochai said, "Although he is not good at literature, he has made a lot of progress in martial arts! After studying for a few years, let Cong'er arrange a job for him. He will have a decent livelihood and won't have to worry about you all day long."
When she heard Baochai mention Jia Huan, Tanchun also smiled a little, "Isn't it all thanks to Third Brother? He was disciplined a lot in the past, but he was still useless? Fortunately, Third Brother was thoughtful and gave him a hand."
"Unconsciously, since my third brother was conferred the title, considerable changes have taken place in the whole house," Tanchun said admiringly.
She had wanted to change things at home before, but even though she wanted to, she didn't have the power to do so. Jia Cong directly cleaned up the servants in the mansion, which greatly improved the atmosphere in the mansion.
"It's a pity that my third brother has been adopted into the East Palace. Otherwise, with my third brother in charge of the palace, everything would be much better!" Tanchun thought secretly.
"Sister Bao has found a good man. In two years, she will marry Third Brother, and she will have a good life from now on!" Tanchun said enviously.
Not only does Jia Cong dote on Baochai, but there are no serious elders in the East Palace, so there is no need to follow any rules. This is an unimaginable good marriage.
"Why? Third sister, are you envious and anxious to get married?" Baochai said with a smile. All the sisters knew what she was thinking, so she didn't hide it. "It's hard to say. Brother Cong is the closest brother and sister. When Brother Cong comes back, I will go and speak for Third sister."
"With Third Sister's ability, all the powerful people in Shenjing can be picked. No matter which one you like, Brother Cong will definitely get it for you!"
"Tsk, Sister Bao is talking about me too!" Tanchun said in embarrassment, "I won't marry. When you come into our family, I will be your aunt for the rest of my life, and bother you all day long and ask you to take care of me. Let's see what you can do."
