Tianliangyuan

Chapter 93 Everyone’s thoughts

Because there were so many people, everyone chatted and joked around, and the time passed quickly.

However, the old lady was clearly not so easily fooled.

When the old lady said she was tired and wanted to rest, she left Xu Zhaozhao alone in the room to talk, and the rest of the people took their leave.

As Wang Ruolan left, she looked at her daughter with questioning eyes, afraid that she might suffer any more grievances.

Xu Zhaozhao could guess what the old lady would say to her; it was only a matter of time.

Since Xu Lin has already become envious and has started to have her own ideas, she will definitely not give up easily.

"Zhaozhao, tell your grandmother the truth, how much do you earn in a month these days?"

After asking the question, the old lady felt it was inappropriate and added, "Grandmother will not covet your property, much less take your money. She just wants to know if your current business is going well and whether it will arouse jealousy."

"Granddaughter understands. The income is actually not stable now. For example, the income from Yan Nian wine and Jin Hua wine has only started in the last two months. Before that, we spent money to prepare various materials and even hired a famous winemaker. In terms of profit alone, we are not losing money on winemaking now."

As for the other businesses, the income has been relatively stable. Grandmother may laugh at me, but although my income is considerable, my expenses are also high; these past few months, I've basically been using it all to support my father.

The old lady was startled: "How could this be? The Marquis's estate is quite large, and isn't it all managed by your mother?"

"Grandmother, Mother's family is indeed not in debt, but they are just maintaining normal expenses. Father has been short of money these past few months, and it's a big shortfall. Some of the guards in our Marquis's mansion are old, and some are suffering from recurring old illnesses. If we force them to stay, they will not be able to protect the Marquis's mansion. It would be better to let them go home."

The old lady was puzzled, as the personal guards had never been under her jurisdiction, so she didn't understand.

"The personal guards can lay down their arms and return to their fields, but only if they have land. Besides, they've followed their grandfather and father for half their lives. If they can't even settle down at home, who will be willing to risk their lives for the Marquis's mansion in the future?"

The old lady thought for a moment and then understood.

Giving people a resettlement allowance is indeed a considerable expense.

Even if each person receives ten strings of cash, if there are a hundred people, that would amount to a thousand strings of cash.

Moreover, judging from Zhao Zhao's words, it's not just her personal guards, but also the palace guards, who need to be subsidized.

When the soldiers returned to their fields, the imperial court would provide some subsidies, but not much.

Moreover, generally speaking, those in positions of power will personally subsidize a portion of the cost, even if it's just to win people's hearts, so as not to let people leave empty-handed.

I fought alongside you in battle, and now you won't even let me say a good word about you before I leave?

"I understand. Does your mother know about this?"

“My mother had already given my father a thousand strings of cash. Later, my second uncle’s family returned to the capital and needed to renovate their house, which required money everywhere. So my mother had done her best to spare this amount.”

What Xu Zhaozhao didn't say was that her mother had only taken a thousand strings of cash from the public funds, but it was impossible for her mother's dowry money to be used to supplement the Marquis's mansion.

When Wang Ruolan married into the family, her dowry was indeed substantial, and coupled with her business acumen, it has multiplied several times over the years. However, she also has many children.

Wang Ruolan planned to give Xu Zhaozhao a dowry, and then give one to each of her other three sons. So, although the dowry looked like a lot, it was actually not much after being divided up.

When the old lady learned that although Xu Zhaozhao had made money, she hadn't actually been able to keep much of it, she felt a little guilty, but also strangely satisfied.

She felt that Xu Zhaozhao was too young to be in charge of such a large sum of money.

Now that she knows that most of the money went to the Marquis, she feels at ease.

She even felt that this was how it should be; what was the point of an unmarried young girl holding so much money?

The old lady was satisfied when she learned that Xu Zhaozhao didn't have much money. Most importantly, the money was going to the Marquis, which was equivalent to indirectly saving the Marquis's expenses.

However, the old lady still offered a reminder.

“Your aunt’s family is having a hard time right now. Your cousin may get married next year, and your cousin can’t live without medication. If you have the means, please help your aunt.”

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Grandmother is right. A few days ago, I heard someone mention a famous doctor who had a secret recipe for removing scars. However, I am not capable enough to find out where this famous doctor is now."

The old lady was completely unaware that the topic had been steered off course.

"If it really works, your aunt's family will definitely be grateful for your kindness in the future."

"Grandmother, you're speaking too soon. I also hope that my cousin can recover soon and find a good husband."

On the way back, Dingxiang asked with slight doubt, "Miss, are you really planning to find a famous doctor to treat Miss Biao?"

"As her cousin, it's natural that people will talk about me seeking medical treatment for her. As for whether she can be cured, that's not up to me!"

Dingxiang chuckled softly upon hearing this, "That's more like it."

We've hurt Miss so many times already, how can we possibly let her go back to normal?

Xu Zhaozhao released this message simply to make Xu Lin behave herself.

If Sun Qian's face can recover, it means there's still a chance she could rise to a high social status.

Therefore, even for the sake of her children, Xu Lin would surely behave herself.

The Prince of Su's residence, the main courtyard of the heir apparent.

Enraged, Liu Huaien kicked the kneeling servant in front of him over: "Useless thing! It's all wine and spirits, how come the Jiang family, after decades of running a business, is still not as successful as a small fruit orchard?"

"Your Highness, the taste of the Longevity Wine and the Golden Flower Wine is indeed unprecedented. Master Jiang and his winemakers all believe that this must be because Miss Xu has invited a master to guide them. The ingredients seem simple, but the key is the recipe. Even if the difference is only one or two ounces, the taste will be worlds apart."

"Nonsense! Why would I need him to teach me!"

After a while, Liu Huaien's trusted servant came out to smooth things over, saying, "Young Master, why get angry with him? He's just a errand boy. Don't ruin your health over a servant."

Liu Huaien then gave a heavy snort, turned around, and sat down on the couch.

The servant gave him a signal, and the errand boy quickly retreated.

"Young Master, although the wine brewed by the Jiang family is not as good as that produced by Baiguoyuan, it has the advantage of large quantity. No matter how good the taste of Yannian Wine and Jinhua Wine is, it is not something that ordinary people can afford. However, most people who like to drink alcohol still mainly drink ordinary wines."

Although the money the Jiang family sent this time isn't much, consider this a long-term investment. In the future, you'll have this income every month, and during festivals, every household will need to prepare food and drink; at that time, the Jiang family's gifts will certainly be even more generous.”

Liu Huaien's expression softened: "Give the order that they will stay at Aunt Jiang's place tonight."