Mrs. Qiao said solemnly: "Say hello to me before moving anything in the warehouse. The Marquis's house is not so poor that it can be used as a banquet. I have money here."
An Qi'en's expression was always calm, even a little happy. She said warmly: "Grandma is a role model for Qi'en who wholeheartedly serves the Hou Mansion. My granddaughter-in-law must learn from her grandmother and manage the Hou Mansion well."
"By the way, my grandmother's rice shop's latest batch of grain was robbed by gangsters before entering the city. She lost about 220 taels. The rice shop has no grain in stock. It is estimated that it will cost a total of 500 taels. It is estimated that the warehouse will Excluding the things needed for the banquet, I still have about 150 taels left, and I have to rely on my grandmother’s help for the remaining 350 taels.”
Mrs. Qiao's face turned even more ugly. She actually asked her mistress for money!
"Shop, don't you get a lot of rent from 100 acres of fertile land?" Mrs. Qiao did not agree to take the money first, but started to interrogate the revenue.
An Qien replied calmly: "My granddaughter-in-law only manages one hundred acres of land. Half of the tenant farmers pay ordinary grain as rent, and the rent of half of the tenant farmers is not more than twenty taels. The monthly rent of the shop is forty taels." , even with the prince's salary, we can barely maintain the operation of the Hou Mansion every month. Grandma and other granddaughter-in-laws have detailed records, you can tell by reading the book carefully."
Mrs. Qiao's face became heavier and her brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Qiao Jianghong's salary was relatively low among officials. The Marquis's house was a large family, and he kept taking concubines again and again.
Especially that brothel girl, she actually spent five hundred taels of silver. Mrs. Qiao felt panicked when she thought of this.
She said: "I heard that many refugees from other places have come to the city recently, and food is becoming more and more scarce. When the time comes, the well-known people in Beijing will definitely build porridge shacks to help the victims. The Hou Mansion can also help Jiang Hong by taking action at this time. Build a good reputation in front of His Majesty."
Speaking of this, Mrs. Qiao felt even more worried. She needed money everywhere but could not make ends meet. She became even more determined to let Madam Liu enter the Hou Mansion.
Shen Shuli offered some advice: "Old Madam, since the Hou Mansion is currently in a difficult period, I think it is better to reduce the expenses. The aunts will reduce the monthly expenses, and the monthly salary of the maids, servants and mother-in-law will be reduced by half a tael of silver every month. In this way As a result, the house can save a lot every month.”
Mrs. Qiao thought this was a good idea and had already planned to do so. Unexpectedly, she heard An Qien's voice before she opened her mouth.
"The monthly salary of the maids and wives of the Hou Mansion is the lowest in Shangjing. If it goes any lower, they will not be able to survive, and the Hou Mansion will not have a good reputation."
Mrs. Qiao frowned: "Then what do you think we should do?"
An Qi'en said calmly: "Grandma, the prince's family is not afraid of doing business, but the prince's official career is not going well. As a woman, Qi'en must remember the ancestral precepts. Women are not allowed to appear in public. The grandson's daughter-in-law is interested in the shop but has no power. The second young master has nothing to do in the house, so why not Let him take care of it."
Mrs. Qiao still frowned: "Business won't get better for a while? The urgent need right now is that the Hou Mansion needs money."
An Qi'en added: "Haste makes waste, things have reached this point, and the government is not unable to unravel the pot. Grandma is not worried, and so on."
After talking for a long time, I still couldn't figure out the reason.
Mrs. Qiao was very puzzled. An Qien used to be very smart. During the three years when Qiao Jianghong was ill, she not only treated him wholeheartedly, but also kept the house in order. She was also in charge of the shop business at that time, and the business was very prosperous. I made a lot of money.
Later, it was Mrs. Qiao who told her not to show up in public and just take care of the house with peace of mind. Unexpectedly, the days after she left the Hou Mansion became worse and worse day by day.
An Qi'en only made superficial suggestions that were of no use at all. If the Marquis got better, it would be of no benefit to her at all.
"Grandma, Qi'en is still busy with some banquet matters, so my granddaughter-in-law will leave first."
"Go ahead."
An Qien stood up, knelt down and left.
As soon as she left, Shen Shuli started to provoke again: "Old madam, I feel a little strange about this poor concubine. The young madam's natal family and her brother-in-law's family have a high position, and the other is a big businessman who has no shortage of money at all. If the young madam is really She is of the same mind as the Hou Mansion, even if she doesn't want to touch her dowry, she will help the Hou Mansion to make connections. The Liu Mansion is so good at business, so it is easy to give some to the Hou Mansion casually, but Madam doesn't seem to worry about the Hou Mansion's affairs. superior."
Mrs. Qiao was suffocating in her heart. She glared at Shen Shuli fiercely and angrily said, "You still have the nerve to mention the Liu family. It's not all because of you. The Hou family has been completely embarrassed in front of the Liu family!"
Liu Mansion was originally upset because Shen Shuli beat their legitimate son, and An Mansion was also upset because she looked down on Qiao Jianghong.
If the two families were asked for help because of this matter, the Hou Mansion would be really shameless.
Shen Shuli was so careless that she forgot about it! She was too frightened to say anything nonsense.
Mrs. Qiao was so angry that she picked up the tea cup and bang! He placed it heavily on the table and then scolded Shen Shuli: "Didn't you say that she can't give birth? If you don't provoke her for a day, your skin will itch, right?"
Shen Shuli fell to her knees with a frightened plop, and the Xiuhua shoe in her hand fell to the ground without holding it firmly. She begged for mercy in panic: "Old madam, I don't dare, it's the young madam who said she can't give birth." Yes, even if I had a hundred courages, I would not dare to deceive you."
Mrs. Qiao laughed angrily: "I'm so old and confused. I actually listened to your nonsense. How could a mistress tell a concubine that she couldn't have a baby? Even if she really couldn't have a baby, she wouldn't have a concubine with you." explain!"
Shen Shuli couldn't argue, feeling annoyed that she was a fool for not calming down. She had long suspected that it was a trap, but An Qien's stomach had been silent, and she felt that it was true!
"Old madam, this is what the young madam really said herself. The old madam and the young madam's heart is not in the Hou Mansion at all. If she had treated the Hou Mansion sincerely, the Hou Mansion would not be in the situation it is today."
Mrs. Qiao scolded her with a cold face: "Go to the ancestral hall and kneel for a night, and reflect on it!"
Shen Shuli: "......"
She couldn't help but pick up the embroidered shoe uppers on the ground, wiped her tears and knelt down in the ancestral hall...
In the evening, Qiao Jianghong was invited to Anhe Hall by Mother Wu as soon as his shift ended.
Mrs. Qiao talked about what happened during the day.
Qiao Jianghong spoke for An Qien: "Grandma, don't worry, your grandson and Qi'en will have children, and she still has to take care of herself. This won't happen in a short while."
How could Mrs. Qiao not be anxious? She was so anxious that she could no longer hold the Buddhist beads in her hand: "Without a child, she would not be devoted to the Hou Mansion. What a state this mansion has become, I think she wants to The entire Hou Mansion has been robbed!"
"She kept her dowry to keep her offspring, right? The Hou Mansion needs her dowry now. You are husband and wife. If you coax her dowry over, you can meet the Hou Mansion's urgent needs!"
