Tianliangyuan

Chapter 289 Home Management

Time flies, and it has been a month since Xu Zhaozhao married into the Duke of Huguo's mansion.

It was the first day of the lunar month, and according to custom, lunch and dinner were eaten together.

Now that there are many people living in the Duke's mansion, the entire flower hall is always full whenever they dine together.

Of course, Xu Zhaozhao's seat was definitely at the head table.

Those qualified to sit at the main table, besides the old lady, were the elders of each household, and then Xu Zhaozhao.

Since only the eldest, second, and fourth sons live here now, all of whom are brothers from the same mother, there are no separate seats for men and women.

This made Xu Zhaozhao feel somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, she wasn't familiar with the male elders of the Xie family, and she always felt that as a niece-in-law, it was strange to dine at the same table as her uncle.

However, the old lady liked lively atmospheres, and she was the one who set the rules for dividing the tables, so Xu Zhaozhao had no choice but to keep quiet.

We would eat together on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Of course, it's not always possible for the whole family to sit together.

For example, on the fifteenth of last month, Master Xie was absent due to other matters, so he was missing.

Xie Zheng sat next to Xu Zhaozhao and took care of her during her meal.

In this situation, Xu Zhaozhao was somewhat reserved and couldn't eat well. Instead, she had to constantly be careful not to lose her manners.

After lunch, Xie Zheng accompanied her back to Jinxiu Garden.

Jinxiu Garden now has a small kitchen, which has two kitchen maids and four cooks. Two of the cooks have been promoted to manager, including Chunxiang, the second daughter-in-law of Granny Lin.

The other person in charge of the small kitchen was Xu Zhaozhao's dowry maid.

The reason why Xu Zhaozhao's small kitchen could accommodate so many people was twofold: firstly, Xu Zhaozhao rarely ate the meals provided by the public treasury; and secondly, Xie Zheng often needed to eat again around midnight because he was on duty, so having extra manpower was perfectly reasonable.

Previously, Madam Xie had felt something was amiss and went to the old lady to report it, but the old lady rejected her.

joke!

Xu Zhaozhao is the future mistress of the Duke's mansion. What she wants to do is none of the business of people from the next room.

Besides, who doesn't know Xu Zhaozhao's abilities?

Even if the Duke's mansion is unwilling to pay for those people, can't Xu Zhaozhao afford to support them?

Ever since Chunxiang was promoted to head housekeeper, she's been walking with a spring in her step.

Granny Lin was the manager of Jinxiu Garden, and she was the junior manager of the kitchen. She lived a very comfortable life.

It was only after I was transferred here that I discovered that the Crown Prince's wife was not only kind-hearted, but also generous, casually giving away a string of coins as a reward.

Tsk tsk, which lady in the Duke's mansion could be as generous as her?

Xu Zhaozhao has finally sorted everything out and is looking forward to getting everyone to get along as soon as possible. Also, some of her businesses overlap with Xie Zheng's, so she could try to integrate them.

After having lunch, Xie Zheng only lay with Xu Zhaozhao for a short while before changing his clothes and entering the palace.

Xu Zhaozhao sighed. She really didn't want to dine with so many people; it was just too much trouble.

It wasn't even dinner time yet when a servant from the second wife's household came to invite her.

"It was the old lady who instructed me to come. The second and fourth ladies are also with the old lady."

"Alright, I'm coming right now."

Xu Zhaozhao tidied her hair accessories, then took lilac and perilla leaves.

The Duke's mansion was very large, and since the weather was getting cooler, Xu Zhaozhao directly boarded a heated sedan chair, enjoying comfort without suffering—this was Xu Zhaozhao's consistent style.

Xu Zhaozhao entered and greeted them, only to find that there were indeed no other peers.

"Sanlang's wife, come sit over here."

"Yes, grandmother."

Madam Xie is quite interesting; she always calls Xu Zhaozhao "Sanlang's wife," as if she's afraid that if she doesn't call her that, Xu Zhaozhao isn't a member of the Xie family.

"I've called you here today to discuss the household affairs."

Xu Zhaozhao immediately adopted a humble attitude: "Please give your instructions, Grandmother."

Madam Xie was very happy; the child was sensible.

Madam Yu smiled and said, "Zhaozhao, we were worried that you were new to the household and unfamiliar with many places, so we didn't entrust you with the management of the household affairs. Now that you've been married for over a month, as Sanlang's wife, it's only right that you take charge of the household affairs."

Xu Zhaozhao looked over and saw that Madam Yu's expression was very sincere, and she couldn't tell what other emotions she was feeling. However, the Fourth Madam on the side looked like she was a little upset.

Madam Xie the Fourth, also known as Madam Lin, was Madam Xie the Old Madam's cousin.

The old lady favors her youngest son, which is normal; her youngest son and eldest grandson are her lifeblood!

This is not just talk.

The old lady's favorite son was her youngest son, Xie Xiaowei, followed by her eldest grandson, Xie Rong.

It's a pity that neither her youngest son nor her eldest grandson will inherit the Duke's mansion in the future.

Xu Zhaozhao responded in a matter of moments.

"Second Aunt, I have heard that you have been in charge of the household for many years and that the family has always been very harmonious. My niece-in-law is a junior and has only been in the household for a short time. She is really not up to the task. Please, Second Aunt, rescind your order."

Xu Zhaozhao's refusal was within Yu's expectations. After all, Xu Zhaozhao had considerable assets, and a woman like her would certainly not have her vision limited to the trivial matters of the inner quarters.

“I know you find it troublesome, but don’t say you can’t handle it. Your mother and I know your capabilities perfectly well! Don’t try to fool us!”

Xu Zhaozhao choked for a moment, then laughed and said, "Second Aunt is praising me! But I really don't have the energy for it right now. I'm sure Grandmother knows that my Yunqi Manor isn't finished yet, and people come to report things there almost every day. I'll have to go to Lantian County again. If I were in charge of the household affairs, and I were gone for half a month or twenty days, wouldn't the manor be in chaos?"

Ms. Yu laughed heartily: "It's not as exaggerated as you say! I think you're just trying to slack off."

Xu Zhaozhao immediately followed her words, saying, "Since Second Aunt has seen through it, then please forgive me this time. It's also Second Aunt showing some affection for her niece-in-law."

The playful banter made the old lady laugh along with it.

Madam Xie raised her eyebrows slightly, her lips curving upwards, her smile seemingly carrying a deeper meaning.

"Alright, Second Brother's wife, since Third Brother's wife has said so, then you can take care of it for now. If you feel that you can't manage it all sometimes, then let Fourth Brother's wife help out."

"Yes, mother."

Since the old lady had spoken, Madam Yu naturally wouldn't refuse any longer.

"By the way, I remember that Dalang's in-laws are going to hold a banquet, aren't they?"

Madam Yu immediately nodded: "It's because Dalang's mother-in-law is celebrating her birthday, so she wants to host a banquet for guests."