Chapter 2: Monthly Allowance

Jia Cong went to the clan school to study three years ago, and those classmates all sat several yards away from him, also fearing him to the point of being unable to do anything.

Those who could enter the Jia clan school were all descendants of the eight branches of the Jia family in the capital.

Although the Old Mistress gave a harsh order not to let the talk of Jia Cong's tough fate spread outside,

the Ning and Rong Prefectures had many people and loose lips, and there was no wall in the clan that didn't leak wind.

Most of these children who studied had been nagged by their families to stay away from Jia Cong, lest they be hindered.

Fortunately, the Jia Prefecture was a wealthy and noble family; although Jia Cong was not decent from birth, he was after all a legitimate descendant, and the clever house-born servants in the prefecture wouldn't be his turn.

When a capital official got into trouble that year, the steward Lai Da casually bought some house-born servants and sent them to serve Jia Cong, which also saved gossip from reaching the Old Mistress's ears and causing the whole family to lose face.

Thus, year after year, although Jia Cong didn't have half the dignity of a young master, he grew up in a muddled way inside the black-oiled gate of the East Courtyard.

Zhi Shao helped Jia Cong onto the kang to lean, and Zhao Mama leaned over to the desk to take a look and said, "The characters the young master writes are really good. Why didn't I know before? With such ability, he will eventually enter school and become an official. In the future, let's see who still dares to look down on others."

Zhao Mama continued to nag, "Tomorrow, Young Master, please write a couplet for me too. I'll take it home to paste up for the New Year and show off for once..."

Every time Zhi Shao went to get food, she was given leftovers and coarse food, and sometimes even the rice was sour.

Hearing Zhi Shao's words, he stopped his brush helplessly and rolled up the crude raw xuan paper and put it aside.

"Tomorrow, Mama, when you go back to the courtyard, ask her to go out and buy some. Do we still have any silver in the money box?"

Not only was she much sharper, but her behavior also had a sense of measure. She had served the master since she was a child, and he couldn't write such good characters before.

Last month, Jia Cong was severely injured by the Great Master. To nourish his body, Zhi Shao took the monthly allowance silver she had painstakingly saved and went to the kitchen to ask for some good meat and vegetables, even giving up her own private savings.

Although she went with silver, those women in the kitchen still put on a face for others to see.

One must know that outside, an egg cost at most ten wen at a sky-high price.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "No need for tomorrow; I'll write it now, and Mama can take it now."

If he hadn't been short of money, he would have practiced more.

But the Cong Sanye had never been loved since he was a child, and he had no high-level calculations in his heart. He was very cowardly in front of people, his eyes even dodged, and his reading and writing were all sloppy. Where was this aura he had now?

She also had some doubts in her heart; the Cong Sanye had changed a lot since he woke up.

Jia Cong looked at the snowflakes flying outside the window, thought for a moment, picked up his brush, wrote two couplets, and gently blew the residual ink dry.

The elders in the prefecture said that the Cong Sanye resembled his deceased concubine mother, with a first-class appearance, even better than the Precious Second Master by the Old Mistress's side.

Zhi Shao looked at the paper box on the bookshelf and said, "Cong Sanye's raw xuan paper doesn't have many sheets left; we need to buy new ones."

Jia Cong had just pulled out a sheet of raw xuan paper; he practiced five large characters every day, which was the homework he had set for himself.

Zhi Shao looked at the characters on the paper; they were really better than those hanging on the walls in the prefecture.

Zhi Shao frowned her delicate eyebrows and said, "There are only a few copper coins left, and the monthly allowance silver for last month hasn't been received yet."

Those women in the West Prefecture kitchen were all dog-eyed and looked down on people; they had never treated Jia Cong and his servants as human beings.

Zhao Mama took the couplet with satisfaction and left the courtyard, saying that as soon as she got home, she would have Jia Cong's milk brother paste it up.

Zhao Mama smiled with wrinkles all over her face, and Zhi Shao was busy grinding ink.

Every time Zhi Shao asked for a bowl of fresh egg custard, the Zhang woman who helped the Liu family could ask her for one hundred wen.

Added to other better meat dishes and fresh vegetables, after a month, Jia Cong and Zhi Shao's savings were almost all filled in.

If it weren't for the fact that the daughter of the Liu woman in the kitchen was close to Zhi Shao and often stole some things to help them out, their silver wouldn't have lasted even a month.

Seeing Jia Cong roll up the raw xuan paper in his hand, Zhi Shao felt a bit sour in her heart, as if he couldn't bear to use it anymore.

She twisted her slender waist, turned around, and walked out of the room, walking along the pebble path in the courtyard and through the winding corridor.

The East Road Courtyard where Jia She lived was originally built by partitioning off a part of the Rongguo Prefecture's back garden.

Although the East Road Courtyard didn't cover a large area,

Jia She was a playboy who sought pleasure, and as the legitimate eldest son, he was moved out of the Rongguo Prefecture by the Old Mistress, so the Old Mistress also felt a bit guilty in her heart.

She let him draw silver from the public treasury to build the small East Road Courtyard into an exquisite and elegant place, with scattered houses and winding paths leading to secluded spots.

The various courtyards were decorated elegantly and wealthily, and the garden was filled with fragrant trees and strange flowers, lush and green all year round.

Although the scenery was not as magnificent as the Rongguo Main Prefecture to the west, it was even more exquisite and beautiful.

After walking for half a cup of tea, she arrived at a bright and tidy small courtyard; this was the account room and warehouse of the East Road Courtyard.

Although she knew Wang Shanbao's wife would make things difficult, Jia Cong needed money for his recovery, so Zhi Shao couldn't let it go and decided to come and ask again.

Lady Xing's legitimate daughter-in-law, Wang Xifeng, didn't manage the East Road Courtyard of her legitimate husband's family, but was asked by the Old Mistress to manage the West Prefecture.

Things like planting flowers inside the wall but having them fragrant outside the wall in wealthy and noble families were really not often seen.

Lady Xing came from a small family, was narrow-minded, greedy for money, and power-hungry, and she had always been wary and disliked Wang Xifeng, who was shrewd, capable, and came from a big family.

She was afraid that this formidable daughter-in-law would take away her face and control her silver and wealth.

Plus, this daughter-in-law was the own niece of the one in the second branch, so she had long regarded this daughter-in-law as an obstacle.

Once the Old Mistress revealed her intention to let Wang Xifeng manage the West Prefecture, she couldn't wait to push her out.

She just managed her own affairs in the East Road Courtyard, closing the door to be the female king.

Any silver or wealth that fell into the East Road Courtyard was swept under her own feet, and every bit of income and expenditure was controlled by her; it was truly the first-class proud thing.

That Wang Shanbao's wife was Lady Xing's personal maid, her left and right arm, and her personality was just as tricky and ungrateful as her master's. She stayed in this small courtyard all day when she had nothing to do.

Zhi Shao's crisp and pleasant voice rang out in the courtyard:

"These days, Cong Sanye Cong has been injured, needing medical treatment and care, and the expenses for food are larger than usual. The savings in the room have been used up, and Cong Sanye's monthly allowance silver hasn't been received for more than two months. There's really no other way, so I've come to beg Mama to show compassion and issue Cong Sanye Cong's monthly allowance..."

Wang Shanbao's wife's orange-peel-like old face was full of meanness. Looking at Zhi Shao's beautiful and exquisite appearance, a sense of jealousy arose for no reason.

"Cong Sanye Cong is young; what is this little injury worth? You little hoof, you hang it on your lips every day. Who in the prefecture doesn't know his background? Heh heh, relying on how delicate he is, who are you trying to fool?

Don't think I don't know that you have the Liu family cook mountain and sea delicacies every day to serve that person who can't be brought to the table. Even the Great Mistress doesn't have this kind of extravagance.

Wasting things like this, even a mountain of gold and a sea of silver would be squandered. No wonder the Great Master and Mistress are angry. At this time, you still have the face to ask me for the monthly allowance. I'll go and report this to the Mistress now and let her judge this reason."

Zhi Shao's face turned pale with anger, but she still endured it and said:

"Cong Sanye Cong has injuries on his body, so he asked the kitchen to cook some fresh soup to nourish his body. We absolutely don't dare to be reckless. Moreover, Cong Sanye is still studying, and daily brush, ink, paper, and inkstone also need silver. I beg Mama to show compassion and make it convenient."

Wang Shanbao's wife was slightly topped by Zhi Shao, and her face became even more ashamed and angry: "Hmph, just him and his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He won't need to study in the future, and he won't need these items either."

Zhi Shao's face changed: "Mama, what are you saying? Cong Sanye won't study anymore?"

Wang Shanbao's wife's face was gloomy: "The Great Master said he is a lowly seed, doesn't know etiquette, wastes wealth, and isn't worthy of studying. Feeding the silver saved to dogs would be better than this. The Great Master has already told Grandfather Dairu in the school that he is not allowed to go study anymore."

Zhi Shao felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her pretty face turned pale. Even if the Cong Sanye wasn't liked, he was after all a biological son. What kind of father in the world would say that about his own son?

The Cong Sanye had been trampled on in the prefecture since he was a child, and only by studying and entering school could he hope to achieve a status in the future. Now that he wasn't even allowed to study, wouldn't his whole life be ruined?

She remembered the way Jia Cong had injuries on his back and was still struggling to write, and a twitch of pain went through Zhi Shao's heart. Tears burst from her eyes, and she covered her face and ran out of the small courtyard.

A middle-aged man walked towards her, his face pale, with short whiskers under his cheeks, wearing a brown-yellow money-patterned Shu brocade wide-waisted official robe.

Zhi Shao's face stiffened slightly, and she bowed: "Great Master."

This person was exactly the eldest son of Old Mistress Jia of the Rongguo Prefecture, Jia Cong's father, Jia She.

Jia She's eye sockets were slightly swollen, and there were a few bloodshot eyes in the whites of his eyes. He stared at the pretty Zhi Shao, his gaze revealing an amazing and lewd look.

Zhi Shao panicked in her heart and walked away quickly like a fire.

Speaking of which, Jia She had never really seen Zhi Shao properly before.

In this East Road Courtyard, Jia She's lust was known to everyone; any maid with some beauty was pulled into the room by Jia She.

Later, Lady Xing also learned to be obedient; any maid who was added to the East Road Courtyard later was chosen for her mediocre appearance.

In the past, Jia She disliked Jia Cong the most, and the two father and son were like mice hiding from a cat, not seeing each other a few times a year.

Consequently, Zhi Shao only appeared in Jia Cong's courtyard, and many outside matters were run by Zhao Mama.

So Jia She hadn't really met Zhi Shao, and besides, Zhi Shao was just a yellow-haired girl a few years ago and wasn't eye-catching.

Now that he saw such a pretty maid appearing in the East Courtyard, whom he had never known before, Jia She felt like a cat was scratching his heart.

He turned his head and stared hotly at Zhi Shao's slender and graceful back.

Now that he was older, he became even more greedy for this kind of green onion-like grace.

Could it be a maid from the Old Mistress and Baoyu's side? But he had seen those few over there, and none were like the one in front of him.

Seeing Jia She flash past the courtyard gate, Wang Shanbao's wife saw him and hurriedly stepped forward to fawn.

"Whose room is that maid from? Why haven't I seen her before?"

Wang Shanbao's wife was a clever person and knew that this master was a hungry ghost in lust. Seeing his expression, how could she not know his thoughts?

She knew that Lady Xing was always fawning over her husband, and in order to consolidate her own position, she even helped her own man find concubines.

This kind of behavior was called not jealous if said nicely, but if said thoroughly, it was because she had no confidence in her heart. A mistress without dignity, doing this kind of fawning and kneeling thing.

Although Wang Shanbao's wife was a servant, her personality was poisonous. If her own man were this lustful, she would have long ago exposed his stinking skin.

Although she felt some disdain for this old lecher in her heart, on the surface, no one could compare to her obedience to her master.

"Reporting to the Master, this is the maid Zhi Shao from Cong Sanye Cong's room. She has started to grow tall this year and has become quite spirited."

Jia She's face was angry: "Is this beast worthy of using such a person? I am lazy to deal with worldly affairs, and you are becoming more and more reckless. Is this how you handle things?"

Wang Shanbao's wife was speechless, knowing he had taken a fancy to Zhi Shao. Lady Xing didn't know about this yet, so she didn't dare to answer casually.

"You were brought into the house by the Mistress. The Mistress cannot bear the hard work, so you should also put your heart into the affairs of the prefecture..."

"I don't have anyone useful by my side, but you have arranged that beast's affairs properly. Hmph!"

Wang Shanbao's wife accompanied him with a smiling face, thinking in her heart, why don't you have anyone useful by your side? It's just that they have all been pulled to the bed to be concubines.

She was saying strange things in her heart, but she was also gloating. At this moment, that goods raised by the prostitute, and his maid, were going to have bad luck.

(End of chapter)