MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 40

Glossary

· Qin Yuan: The female protagonist, Marquise of the household.

· Gu Jinghui: The male protagonist, the Marquis.

· Old Madame Gu: Gu Jinghui's mother.

· Sixth Madame Gu: Wife of the sixth son.

· Gu Jingjun: The sixth son, husband of Sixth Madame Gu.

· Cai Mama: A stewardess in charge of repairs.

· Gu Shiliu: Gu Jinghui's personal attendant.

· Huang Yiniang: Concubine of Gu Jingjun.

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Chapter 40: In the Future, the Old Madame Will Be Disappointed

"Hah," Sixth Madame Gu's expression turned even uglier. She put down the bead bracelet she was stringing heavily. Her daughter, standing to the side, pouted and said, "Mother, the one you made isn't pretty. It's not as pretty as Little Sister's."

The 'Little Sister' she referred to was the daughter of Concubine Huang.

Concubine Huang was from the Suzhou-Hangzhou region, clever and deft with her hands, often making little things to please the children.

These words only added fuel to the fire, making Sixth Madame Gu even more irritable. She scolded sharply, "If you think what your mother makes isn't good enough, go find someone who can do it better."

Her daughter's little mouth quivered, on the verge of tears.

Gu Jingjun opened his eyes displeased and said irritably, "No peace all day long."

He beckoned his daughter over. "Don't upset your mother. She's like a lit firecracker today."

Cai Mama heard everything clearly from outside and could guess why Sixth Madame Gu was in a bad mood, but she had no choice but to brace herself and wait.

She needed the signed slip to withdraw materials from the storeroom.

The Old Madame was currently in high spirits, and everything had to be prioritized for Wutong Yuan. Of course, she needed to get this done quickly.

After waiting for a good while, a maid finally came out and let her in.

Sixth Madame Gu's face was dark, but she didn't refuse outright. She just scribbled a slip carelessly and then went into the inner room.

Cai Mama took the slip to get the materials but was unable to withdraw them.

The storeroom said the format of the slip was wrong. The household had changed the standard form not long ago; perhaps Sixth Madame Gu had forgotten. She was told to go back and get a new one.

Cai Mama had to run back and forth under the hot sun, building up a lot of frustration, but she could only endure it.

This time, Sixth Madame Gu was apparently busy with something else again and couldn't spare the time to see her.

Cai Mama was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.

Truly, when immortals fight, it's the little devils who suffer.

A long time later, Sixth Madame Gu finally let her in. With a dark face, she snorted coldly, "Stewardess Cai is very quick when it comes to building the small kitchen. But I told you to rebuild the screen wall, and you've been dragging your feet."

Stewardess Cai's heart sank. "Sixth Madame, it's not that this old servant isn't doing the work. Rebuilding the screen wall requires moving the foundation stones. The funds allocated by the household for procurement aren't enough to start the work. This matter has already been reported to you, Sixth Madame. The materials for the small kitchen can be drawn directly from the household stores, so naturally, it's faster."

"Enough, enough. You people are no good at doing the work, but you're full of excuses when talking. You'll do anything to curry favor with those above you."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Sixth Madame Gu hastily wrote out the slip and tossed it in her direction. Before Cai Mama could catch it, it fluttered to the ground.

Stewardess Cai, stifling her anger, picked up the slip from the floor and checked it carefully. "Sixth Madame, the quantity of bricks and tiles listed is a bit short. I'm afraid it won't be enough."

Sixth Madame Gu's face was gloomy. She snorted, "You think I don't know? Isn't this the usual amount?"

Stewardess Cai said, "Wutong Yuan has never had a kitchen before. Building a new small kitchen requires not just partitioning a space but also building a chimney and flue."

Sixth Madame Gu said impatiently, "Take what's listed first. Come back for more if it's not enough."

Stewardess Cai didn't move. "Why doesn't Sixth Madame allow this old servant to draw a slightly larger amount first? If there's any left over, it can be returned to the household stores. With just these bricks and tiles, this old servant wouldn't bother embezzling them."

Just as Sixth Madame Gu was about to lose her temper.

Her personal matron came over, coughed, and said, "The Sixth Madame isn't afraid you would embezzle, just worried about waste if too much is drawn. Stewardess Cai is an old hand in the household; you know the proper measure. How could the Sixth Madame not know that?"

She then signaled Sixth Madame Gu with her eyes and said, "Sixth Madame, building a new small kitchen from scratch uses different materials than renovating an existing one. Stewardess Cai hasn't overestimated."

"Oh, oh," Sixth Madame Gu, following the matron's hint, rewrote the slip. Cai Mama took it, thanked her repeatedly, and left.

"Why did you do that?"

Sixth Madame Gu asked, puzzled.

The matron said, "The Sixth Master said her husband has recently gained the Marquis's favor. There's no need to offend her over such a small matter. This old servant feels you've vented enough. If you push her too far and she makes a scene, it won't look good for anyone."

The servants in the household were mostly hereditary, their ancestors having followed the old Marquis through life and death, and they held considerable face. If a scene were made, it wouldn't reflect well on her either.

Sixth Madame Gu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is the Sixth Master?"

"He went to Wutong Yuan to see the Marquis," the matron said. "The Sixth Master said he's going to discuss a business deal with the Marquis and the Third Madame."

"Hah," Sixth Madame Gu rolled her eyes disdainfully. "What business could he possibly have? All he does all day is recite poetry with those scholars or go boating with a bunch of singing girls."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

The matron said with a smile, "It's about the pepper. Since the Third Madame wants to spend a fortune stockpiling pepper, the Sixth Master remembered someone mentioning a batch of goods available recently and is looking for a buyer."

Gu Jingjun was finding an excuse to curry favor with the Marquis.

Sixth Madame Gu couldn't help but laugh. "Even Manager Leng said it's a bad business venture, but the Old Madame and the Marquis dote on her so much they're letting her do it. I think this money is truly going to be thrown down the drain."

Her personal matron said, "The Third Madame is good at winning favor. However, if she loses money this time, the Old Madame will be even less likely to trust her with managing the household."

Sixth Madame Gu's expression immediately improved considerably. "When the Sixth Master returns, warm a pot of wine for him. I'll have a good talk with him."

Wutong Yuan.

After returning from the main house, Qin Yuan went for her afternoon nap.

Gu Jinghui, meanwhile, called Gu Shiliu to apply his medicine and also to ask some questions.

"Was Madame given a hard time by those shop managers?"

Gu Shiliu looked at the cane wounds on the Marquis's buttocks with concern. While applying the medicine, he said, "Master, you aren't fully healed yet, and you sat for so long. This will require a few more days of rest to recover."

"It's fine," Gu Jinghui said, completely unconcerned. He asked again, "Following Madame today, what did you think of those managers?"

Gu Shiliu said, "They were all seasoned managers who treat people based on their status. But Madame is very capable; she handled them so well they were completely docile. She didn't need this lowly one's help at all."

"Tell me, how did she handle them?" Gu Jinghui became interested.

His little wife, who could charm his mother to the point of placing her above her own son, and could also handle a bunch of slick old managers so well that even Gu Shiliu praised her skill—she was truly impressive.

He was very curious.

But Gu Shiliu hadn't witnessed it himself and couldn't fabricate a story.

Gu Shiliu rolled his eyes and said, "This lowly one was sent by Madame to buy pastries for you, Marquis. From Madame's tone, it seemed she knew there would be a long queue at Meixiang Zhai and was afraid she wouldn't be able to buy the hibiscus cakes, so she sent this lowly one."

"When this lowly one returned, those managers had already been thoroughly subdued by Madame and were very respectful. This lowly one could tell it wasn't an act."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Sure enough, Gu Jinghui didn't blame him. Instead, he beamed with joy and said, "Madame specifically sent you to buy hibiscus cakes for me? And she was worried you might not get them?"

Gu Shiliu nodded emphatically, wearing a serious expression. "Yes. Madame mentioned early on that you like Meixiang Zhai's hibiscus cakes, Marquis. When we arrived at the place, Madame looked over the account books and then sent this lowly one to buy the pastries. She said other kinds could be bought casually, but the hibiscus cakes and the pastries the Old Madame likes must not be missed. When this lowly one returned, Madame even said she thought the queue at Meixiang Zhai would take a long time."

Gu Jinghui smiled. "It seems Madame does care about me in her heart."

(End of Chapter)

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