Chapter 583: Private Quarters Discuss Marriage

Count's Mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

The night was heavy, and lanterns with bright tiles hung under the eaves, their brilliant candlelight dancing silently.

In the courtyard, the white magnolia tree was already covered in branches of pure white buds, and a refreshing, rich fragrance permeated the air.

Inside the main bedroom, the pink silk quilt on the side couch was pushed aside. Qingwen, wearing a red undershirt and red silk trousers, nimbly jumped off the bed and put on her red sleeping shoes.

She ran to the window like a playful horse, her beautiful eyes flashing with charm and wit. Through the lattice, she could see the study on the left, where bright lights were still shining.

Jia Cong was reading at his desk under the candlelight, occasionally picking up his brush to write a few strokes. She could also see the graceful figures of Zhen Ying Lady Lian and Lingguan moving about.

They would occasionally help Jia Cong change his tea, and at other times help him find books on the shelves.

Qingwen looked at the Western-style table clock in the room, calculating that it would take at least another hour for Jia Cong to return to the room to rest.

In not many days, the Cong Sanye would be taking the Spring Imperial Examination. He had been studying increasingly hard these past few days, and she feared the time would be even later than usual.

Originally, Qingwen was a straightforward person with a carefree mind, and she had never had much on her heart.

Because she was alert while sleeping at night and moved lightly, every time she was on night watch, she would wake up to serve Jia Cong if he got up or wanted water.

And every time she entered the room for night watch, since Jia Cong was usually still reading in the study, she would help him tidy the bed or warm the quilt, then return to the side couch to lie down, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Today, however, she lay down but couldn't fall asleep. Seeing that Jia Cong was still reading in the study, she could only wander around the bedroom, her mind filled with restless thoughts.

She was still thinking about how the Second Grandmother had suddenly called the Cong Sanye to talk today and had specifically mentioned that she was too young and still like a child. What was the meaning of that?

Although Qingwen had a direct temper and sometimes lacked strategy, she was not truly stupid. Having stayed in the Jia Mansion for so many years, she naturally knew many things about the household.

For example, the rules for when the young masters of the Jia family reached the age of fifteen and first opened their private quarters...

She had become Jia Cong's maid at the age of ten. Although she hadn't reached the age of womanhood, her heart had already awakened to love, and her thoughts this year were much more sensitive and contemplative than before.

Because Wu'er knew the origin, she could guess the whole matter. Although Qingwen didn't know the root cause, she had some intuition and vaguely guessed the meaning behind Jia Cong's joke that morning...

She furrowed her delicate brows, sat down on Jia Cong's bed, and cursed softly: "You shameless little hussy, always thinking about this. Does no one want you? Truly shameless..."

While talking to herself, she threw herself onto Jia Cong's bed in a fit of pique, turned over, and grabbed the quilt to cover her head.

In any case, she often made the bed and warmed the quilt, so she was long used to sleeping on Jia Cong's bed.

The bedding still held Jia Cong's scent. With those distracting thoughts swirling in her mind, Qingwen felt increasingly hot and embarrassed.

She hadn't fallen asleep on her side couch, but now, wrapped in Jia Cong's quilt, her mind became dazed, and she muddled through until she fell asleep with her head covered.

She didn't know how much time had passed, nor the reason, but Jia Cong's bed seemed particularly comfortable.

Although Qingwen was sleeping soundly with her head covered, her habit of being alert while sleeping remained. In her daze, she suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor, and she recognized them as Jia Cong's.

She woke up with a start, her face flushed red. She hurriedly tidied Jia Cong's bed in a mess and lay back down on the side couch.

Jia Cong returned to the bedroom to find the candlelight flickering and everything quiet. Qingwen was on the side couch, wrapped in a silk quilt, appearing to be in a deep sleep. He felt slightly strange.

Usually, when Qingwen was on night watch and he returned to the room after reading, Qingwen would mostly be asleep as well.

But she was alert at night; as long as he pushed the door open and entered, she would surely wake up, help him undress and loosen his hair, lift the quilt, and let down the bed curtains, performing her duties as a maid meticulously.

Today, however, she was sleeping like a log. Although Jia Cong was somewhat surprised, he didn't wake her and prepared to retire after undressing.

When he got into bed, he found the bedding somewhat disheveled. Touching it with his hand, the quilt was warm, fragrant, and permeated with a lingering, soft scent.

Every winter before going to sleep, his bedding would be warmed by the maids first; he naturally knew what this was about.

But now it was the third month of spring, and the weather was already very warm; there was no need to warm the quilt. Could this Qingwen be muddled in the head today?

Suddenly, he saw the slender body wrapped in the silk quilt on the side couch, seemingly wriggling uncontrollably.

Having been accompanied by this maid for many years, Jia Cong naturally knew her temperament very well. She wasn't asleep at all; she was clearly feigning sleep.

Otherwise, why wouldn't she have woken up from the significant noise he made when he entered just now?

He smiled and teased: "Qingwen, you are truly diligent today, even specifically helping me warm the quilt."

Qingwen on the side couch blushed, stopped feigning sleep, and sat up all at once.

Jia Cong was slightly stunned and laughed: "What's wrong with you? Acting so strangely. Has someone provoked you again?"

Qingwen's pretty face flushed red, and she blurted out: "Cong Sanye, I am not convinced. I am the same age as you. What right does the Second Grandmother have to say I am still like a child?"

"She says I need to be raised for another year or two. Have I become a little girl? Isn't she just twisting words to mock me!"

Jia Cong almost laughed out loud when he heard this and said: "It was just a joke this morning, and you are still keeping it in your heart."

Qingwen's eyes turned red, and she said unconvincingly: "I know, you treasure everyone else. I have a quick temper and am careless, so you dislike me."

Jia Cong didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said: "When have I ever disliked you? Didn't the Second Sister-in-law also say you were born pretty and charming? These are good words; she hasn't praised other maids like that."

Jia Cong knew that Qingwen was born with a direct temper and a competitive nature.

However, among the maids around him, Hearing Zhi Shao and Wu'er were broad-minded, and Zhen Ying Lady Lian had a naive and gentle nature. In such an environment, Qingwen's temperament had become much more harmonious.

She also got along well with the sisters in the courtyard daily, and her natural explosive temper rarely had a chance to flare up. It was truly as if she had exhausted the sorrows of her past life in this one.

But having been in the mansion for many years, she must know the rules about the young masters of the Jia family reaching the age of fifteen.

She had served him for so many years; whether it was psychological dependence or the awakening of love and admiration in her heart, they had long been inseparable.

She wasn't stupid; the joke in the morning must have made her realize something, and the unbearable sense of loss in her heart was why she was acting so out of character.

Jia Cong looked at Qingwen carefully, seeing her in a fiery red undershirt and silk trousers, which set off her snow-white skin and beautiful face, making her appear even more vibrant and pretty, catching the eye.

Although she hadn't reached fifteen, her slender and graceful figure had already grown into a curvaceous and moving form...

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said: "Qingwen, you know that the laws of the Great Zhou state: men reach the age of fifteen, and women reach the age of fifteen, and then they may marry."

"That is to say, men reach the age of sixteen, and women reach the age of fifteen, before they can be matched in marriage."

Qingwen was originally angry, but hearing Jia Cong suddenly talk about marriage, as if he had guessed her thoughts, her pretty face instantly turned fiery red.

But she had a somewhat bold and unrestrained temper, and she muttered: "The government officials are so idle. They even have to manage other people's marriages. It makes no sense..."

Jia Cong laughed: "The government's regulations are not because they are idle or unreasonable, but because there is great significance behind them."

"Because only after men and women pass the age of fifteen or sixteen can their bones and blood be considered stable, and marriage can lead to the harmony of yin and yang without harming their lifespan or fortune."

"If one wants to be even more proper, it is more suitable to be a little older, especially for women who need to bear offspring and pass through the gates of life and death during childbirth; it is even more necessary to be older to be safe..."

Jia Cong lay on the bed, patiently popularizing physiological common sense to this little girl who wasn't yet fifteen. Of course, he skipped over the more shameful details using flowery language.

Even so, Qingwen felt her whole body go soft, and she could no longer sit up, having already lain back down on the side couch, too embarrassed to do anything but cover her pretty face with the quilt.

However, she still revealed those beautiful eyes filled with autumn water, showing a curious look, listening to Jia Cong talk eloquently there, seemingly finding it very interesting.

In her heart, she thought, the Cong Sanye is truly thick-skinned. Talking about these embarrassing things without even changing his expression. Could it be that these things are also in the books for the imperial examinations?

Jia Cong explained in a roundabout way and said earnestly: "Now you finally know why the Second Sister-in-law said that Qingwen should be raised for another year or two."

"You must have heard that maids in the mansion are only sent out for marriage when they reach a certain age; it is the same principle..."

Qingwen suddenly pushed aside the quilt and asked with a sobbing tone: "Cong Sanye, you won't raise me for a year or two and then send me out to marry some boy, will you? Even if I have to bump my head and die, I won't leave this door!"

Jia Cong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This girl with a direct temper had a different way of thinking than ordinary people.

He said somewhat angrily: "Who said anything about sending you out to marry some boy? I wouldn't suffer such a loss. You have to be my maid for a lifetime; I won't allow you to leave!"

Qingwen broke into a smile through her tears, jumped up from the couch, and said: "The Cong Sanye's words are truly sincere. Don't go back on them. Let's sleep early; we have to get up early to study tomorrow."

She suddenly was no longer the little girl with a sense of loss, but returned to being a diligent and pretty maid, quite attentively helping Jia Cong tuck in the quilt and letting down the bed curtains on both sides.

Jia Cong saw Qingwen's slender and moving figure swaying above his head, her fragrance alluring, and he suddenly felt the urge to pull her into his arms.

However, the persona of the earnest educator he had just established was too lofty and upright, so to avoid ruining his image, he endured it...

Half a bed of snow on the brocade couch, the quilt is fragrant and soft, the deep dream is sound; one night passes without a word.

The morning light in the east was faint, the bed curtains moved, and Qingwen also got up nimbly.

She was half-wearing her red sleeping shoes, her hair bun was a bit disheveled, and she didn't have time to put on her skirt. In her fiery red attire, she helped Jia Cong dress and tie his belt, and helped him tie his hair into a bun.

Jia Cong couldn't help but yawn, but seeing Qingwen's rosy face and spirited appearance, which made her even prettier, he thought she must have slept comfortably and peacefully last night.

She smiled and asked: "Cong Sanye, why are your eyes red? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Jia Cong was somewhat listless and replied: "Yes, I talked too much with you last night. I coaxed you into a good mood, but I didn't sleep well myself. You, on the other hand, slept like a log."

Qingwen giggled, remembering Jia Cong's words from last night. Her heart felt warm and settled, and she felt a surge of affection, taking a comb to carefully groom his hair.

The warm spring sun shone on the two of them through the window. Qingwen's soft silk red undershirt turned into fragrant and soft red fire clouds in the sunlight.

Jia Cong felt the comb on his head, seemingly gently massaging his scalp. Those slender fingers, supporting his neck with a warm and soft touch, made him suddenly feel sleepy and drowsy. I don't know how much time passed, but footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the door, followed by a knocking sound. Jia Cong woke up from that fragrant and soft state.

He saw Wu'er entering with a copper basin of hot water, and from the silver-backed dressing mirror, he saw Qingwen's pretty face flushed red, her watery eyes looking at him, charming and dripping.

Qingwen was very good at combing hair; he had actually fallen asleep for a moment just now...

After washing up and entering the main hall for breakfast, he saw the table filled with various kinds of food, which seemed to have many more varieties than usual, appearing somewhat different.

Among them was a plate of square naan bread, with a unique shape, baked to a charred yellow color, emitting an alluring fragrance.

Another plate of white soft cakes, cut into thumb-sized pieces, arranged neatly one by one, exuding a pleasant sweet smell...

Several small plates of emerald green pickles, golden and oily preserved goose eggs, and smoked and dried fruit were all laid out on the table.

Jia Cong curiously picked up a piece of naan bread, only to find it crispy and delicious, with tender mutton and vegetables stuffed inside, the taste very refreshing and tasty.

Wu'er smiled: "Knowing that the Cong Sanye will soon be taking the Spring Imperial Examination and will have to stay in the examination cells for a full nine days, the food and sleep there cannot compare to home."

"Now that the third month has passed, the weather is warm, and fresh dishes cannot be kept for long. Lingguan and I got up early to make a few new foods that are easy to store."

!

"Cong Sanye, eating this kind of baked bread is learning from the Ili naan bread sold outside. The fresh mutton inside is slightly marinated with salt water, so it can be kept for several days without any problems."

"There is also this plate of ginseng and poria cakes. The rice flour used is packed tightly, making it both filling and sweet, and it can also be stored for seven or eight days, which can serve as dry rations for the Cong Sanye..."

"Other small dishes like pickles and smoked eggs can also be preserved for many days. Cong Sanye, try the taste of each. Whichever kinds you like, we will prepare more, and then we can let the Cong Sanye bring them into the examination hall to satisfy his hunger."

"No one in the family has taken the Spring Imperial Examination for many years. I asked my mother to specifically inquire outside, and they said the food in the examination hall tastes extremely poor and is very expensive."

"We thought it would be better to prepare enough ourselves. If we let the Cong Sanye eat unsatisfactory things and delay his writing of essays to win the top scholar position, that would be too terrible."

Jia Cong saw that Wu'er and Lingguan both had tired looks on their faces, and he figured they must have gotten up before dawn to get busy.

He tasted all the newly made foods on the table, and naturally, each one was delicious. He wasn't just coaxing them to be happy; they were indeed very well made.

Jia Cong picked up a piece of naan bread for both Wu'er and Lingguan and smiled: "Help me prepare two thicker bamboo tubes. Before I enter the examination, fill them with cooled boiled water, and they can be used for several days after I enter."

"You don't know, the examination hall doesn't open for examinations even once a year. The water wells inside have been left unattended for a long time, filled with fallen leaves and dust, and the well water is extremely hard to drink. If I drink it, I might even get a stomachache."

"Help me prepare a small stove as well, so I can bake the dry rations in the examination cell."

"Although the food in the examination hall tastes bad, the rice is all the same. When the time comes, I will just buy the rice, and with the food you prepared, there won't be any mistakes."

Lingguan suddenly said: "Cong Sanye, I heard from the old woman in the inner courtyard that a new southern goods store has opened north of the city. The owner is from Jinling and specializes in selling southern sea and lake goods."

"Let's go buy some high-quality marinated sea fish and seaweed. I often saw these when I was in the south. They are fresh, fragrant, and delicious, and they won't spoil even after being kept for several months."

"Before the Cong Sanye enters the examination, steam and boil them first and let them dry. When the time comes, bring them into the examination cell, and they can be eaten after being baked with the stove."

Jia Cong laughed: "Southern sea goods are good things. Follow your idea and let the steward pick some good ones to buy, and we will taste them ourselves first."

"However, aren't you preparing too richly? I am taking the Spring Imperial Examination to study, and this food and usage are almost catching up to home."

A few words made the dining table burst into laughter...

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's courtyard.

In the main hall, early in the morning, Wu'er hadn't come over from the East Mansion yet. Lin Lin Zhixiao was reporting accounts to Ping'er, and Wang Wang Xifeng was leaning on a Luo Han bed listening.

Because the middle of the third month was approaching, the expenses for the West Mansion this month needed to be calculated. After the twentieth, all expenses needed to be closed and controlled, and the monthly allowance silver for each room this month also needed to be distributed one by one.

Ever since Jia Cong was demoted to inherit the title of Second-Class General, the Lady Rongguo title property was also demoted and reduced by five hundred shi.

Even though Wang Wang Xifeng followed Jia Cong's wishes and significantly reduced the population of the West Mansion, the monthly public income and expenditure were barely balanced. Every month was almost a one-time deal, and the surplus was very meager.

Once a major expense occurred in the mansion this month, it basically had to be drawn from the next month.

This situation of tightening public silver flow was quite an oppressive situation for a housekeeper like Wang Wang Xifeng.

As the saying goes: Better to be hungry for a meal than to be anxious for a meal.

Therefore, it often prompted her to rack her brains to reduce expenses from all sides.

As Lin Lin Zhixiao reported the expenses from all sides, Wang Wang Xifeng didn't say anything for the previous items, until Lin Lin Zhixiao reported the monthly allowance expenditure for Jia Baoyu's room.

Wang Wang Xifeng frowned and asked: "I hear that the monthly allowance silver for Jia Baoyu's room is extremely high, almost catching up to the Old Grandmother's room."

"In the past, I didn't look into this item in detail, but now that Brother Cong has inherited the title, the mansion's title inheritance has been reduced, and a large amount of title property income has been lost."

"If we are not careful about everything, and there is no method for spending silver every month, it won't take two years for this Lady Rongguo Mansion to become extremely poor. We cannot just watch and do nothing."

"Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife, tell me about the details of this item, what exactly is going on?"

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife said: "The amount of monthly allowance silver used in Jia Baoyu's room is large, mainly because there are too many people under his command."

"There is one first-class maid, which is Sister Sister Xi Ren, and seven second-class maids, which are Musyue, Meiren, Qiuwen, Bihun, Qixian, Tanyun, and Xiaoyan."

"In addition, there are six third-class rough-work maids, which are Jiahui, Zhuier, Zixiao, Liang'er, Zhuan'er, and Chunyan."

"These total fourteen people. A first-class maid's monthly allowance is one tael, a second-class maid's is one diao per month, and a third-class maid's is five hundred cash per month."

Ping'er was a bit tongue-tied when she heard this. She also knew that Jia Baoyu had many maids around him, but Jia Baoyu used to be the Treasure Heavenly King of Lady Rongguo Mansion, so she subconsciously didn't calculate it carefully.

Now that she heard Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife counting them like family treasures, she was truly startled. Calculating by this number, the monthly allowance silver for the maids in Jia Baoyu's room alone would cost more than ten taels."

Wang Wang Xifeng, however, sneered slightly. She was not as kind as Ping'er. From the first day Jia Cong let her manage the mansion, she had thought of this matter.

It was just that the Lady Rongguo Mansion had just changed masters, and it wouldn't look good to immediately settle accounts and make trouble, so she had dragged it out for several months. She had been polite enough.

Because Jia Baoyu was pampered by the Old Grandmother, all his expenses were excessively extravagant. In the past, even if someone in the family had complaints, they buried them in their hearts and didn't say anything.

But now that the Lady Rongguo Mansion had changed its sky, could Wu'er and Jia Cong not see what Wang Wang Xifeng could see? They were just temporarily seeing through it without saying it.

When Jia Cong first handed the West Mansion to Wang Wang Xifeng to manage, he had said in advance that the silver flow and expenses of the East and West Mansions were to be accounted for separately and were not related to each other.

That is to say, if a deficit appeared in the West Mansion's expenses, the West Mansion had to find a way to make up for it itself; there was no reason for the East Mansion to fill the hole for the West Mansion.

This was because Jia Cong saw through the West Mansion's long-term extravagant expenses. It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality. In the long run, the West Mansion would eventually fall into a state of dire circumstances.

The West Mansion's title was not something he had begged for; it was just because of the imperial power and holy decree. He didn't want to have a mess that would hold him back because of this.

Jia Cong established the family rule of separating the East and West Mansions to prevent the West Mansion from being extravagant without restraint, not knowing how to wake up and discipline itself, and instead eating into the East Mansion.

Wang Wang Xifeng was extremely shrewd, and she naturally understood Jia Cong's intentions very well. From the perspective of the long-term continuation of the family business, she also agreed with Jia Cong's intentions.

She believed that with the Old Grandmother who had managed the family for a lifetime, she wouldn't fail to see the situation in Jia Baoyu's room, but the Old Grandmother never mentioned it.

It was nothing more than the Old Grandmother's pampering of Jia Baoyu, and the Old Grandmother was accustomed to wealth and extravagance, viewing it as a matter of course.

But Wang Wang Xifeng had taken over the management power of the West Mansion, and she couldn't keep turning a blind eye. Because in the long run, if the West Mansion's deficit increased, she would have to find a way to fill the hole.

If she couldn't fill this kind of hole, what face would she have to continue being the West Mansion's housekeeper?

If Jia Cong sent a steward with a strange face, as long as the Old Grandmother was provided for, who else would care about face?

Losing the management power of the West Mansion, what could Wang Wang Xifeng, the wife of a banished soldier, count for in the Lady Rongguo Mansion...

Therefore, she had held this matter in for several months, and she had to speak up eventually. Regardless of whether this bird that sticks its head out could be taken down, or whether the Old Grandmother would interfere.

However, as long as she brought up this topic, at least she would have an explanation for Jia Cong...

That Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife was also an extremely shrewd person. She knew the details of the family affairs even better than Wang Wang Xifeng.

In addition, Lady Wang had driven her daughter, Xiaohong, out, so the grudge between their couple and the Second Room had been settled.

Now that she heard Wang Wang Xifeng's tone, how could she not know what she wanted to do?

She smiled slightly and continued: "Second Grandmother, what I just said was only the expenses for the maids in Jia Baoyu's room. There are other expenses in his room, which are not small items either."

Wang Wang Xifeng understood in her heart and said: "You just tell me in detail, and we can calculate it together."

Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife said: "Besides these fourteen large and small maids, Jia Baoyu has ten other little boys who listen to orders inside and outside."

"They are Mingyan, Chuyao, Saohong, Moyu, Yinquan, Saohua, Tiaoyun, Banhe, Shuangrui, and Shuangshou."

"The monthly allowance for these little boys is the same as that of a first-class maid, which is also ten taels per month."

Even Wang Wang Xifeng was stunned when she heard this. In the past, she knew about Mingyan and Chuyao, the two little boys who often went out with Jia Baoyu.

She couldn't even remember the names of the others.

Every time the monthly allowance was distributed in Jia Baoyu's room, she noticed that the consumption was extremely large, but after all, she was the First Room's Grandmother, and she wasn't clear about every single one of these dog-fart-and-messy things below.

But Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife was a proper housekeeper. She knew exactly which room the servants in the mansion belonged to. This knife she added was extremely accurate and extremely ruthless...

Wang Wang Xifeng was surprised for a moment, but then laughed out loud and said: "Brother Bao's display, what can one say about it!" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 584 =====