"You're welcome. You deserve this. I didn't expect you to grow up so fast." Xie Wanyu said with a smile and pointed to the chair next to the stove, "Sit down."
"Yes." Xiao Zhi sat down on the chair obediently, without squinting.
Xie Wanyu looked at him. He was really a smart child. He knew what it meant to provide help in times of need. She had always liked smart children.
After a while, Xie Wanyu said, "I'll give you a chance, are you willing?"
"Madam, please tell me." Xiao Zhi said seriously, "If there is an opportunity, I will seize it. Only in this way can I repay Madam's kindness and change my current life."
Because he is very clever in doing things and is close to Xie Wanyu, Xiao Jinmin is very jealous of him and often suppresses him.
Xie Wanyu knows all this.
She just wanted Xiao Zhi to be oppressed by Xiao Jinmin, so that he would know that he should seize the opportunity instead of becoming a servant who can be humiliated at will.
"Okay, I will tell the old lady when I have time to let you become my adopted son. In this way, you will live in the North Courtyard with Xiao Jinmin and be equals." Xie Wanyu said leisurely.
Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up when he heard the words "sitting on equal footing".
He knelt down and said, "Thank you, madam. Madam, I will be better than the second young master."
This sentence alone made Xie Wanyu feel that her choice was not wrong.
Xiao Zhi was very calm. After putting away his clothes, he went back. In the following time, he still treated Xiao Jinmin with respect and did not show any pride.
After a few days, it was time for the whole government to distribute monthly payments.
Madam Xiao looked at the account book with a sad expression on her face, "I have known for a long time that Wanyu used her dowry to subsidize her, but I didn't expect that she would have to subsidize so much every month."
She got a little excited and coughed again.
Aunt Feng hurriedly helped her calm down, "Okay, old lady, don't get so angry."
"If I continue to make up for it like this, within a year, my coffin will have to be put into it." Mrs. Xiao was a little helpless, "This housekeeper's job must be returned to her."
The scene in the West Courtyard is quite different.
Xue Xuening used a lot of good medicine, just to make her injuries heal quickly, so that she could get the power of housekeeper from the old lady. The first thing she would do was to whip Xie Wanyu a few times.
After entering late winter, the snow fell even more heavily.
Xie Wanyu's health has not been so good since taking detoxification medicine, because most of the detoxification medicines use poison to fight poison, which is difficult for her body to bear.
So she spent most of her time lying in her room.
Mrs. Xiao was about to give out the moon silver again, and she didn't want to contribute any more of her own money, so she sent someone to tell her that she had found a new cook who was very good at making pastries and asked Xie Wanyu to try it.
Xie Wanyu did not refuse and took Zhufang and Pei'er with her.
The two people supported Xie Wanyu slowly towards Tai'antang, one on the left and the other on the right.
Tai'an Hall.
"Grandma, I have been here for several days, but I see that you are getting thinner and thinner. You have to worry about these troublesome things like housekeeping." Xue Xuening said helplessly.
Mrs. Xiao didn't answer, she still held the string of Buddhist beads in her hand.
"Grandma, I am also considerate of you. You see, I am also idle when I am idle. How about I help you figure it out?" Xue Xuening said.
As soon as her wound scabbed, she started looking for Mrs. Xiao, mainly because she wanted to take over the housekeeper's matter, but Mrs. Xiao never let go.
Because of this, she lost her temper with Xiao Jing.
Fortunately, Xiao Jing doesn't care about this.
Mrs. Xiao looked at her and said, "The wound is not healed yet, so I can't keep it in the yard and worry about it."
"Grandma, don't I have a filial piety?" Xue Xuening said unhappily.
At this time, Xie Wanyu came.
She greeted Mrs. Xiao with a smile, and then greeted Xue Xuening, "The eldest sister-in-law is here too. It seems that the beating was not severe last time. I have been feeling guilty for a long time."
Xue Xuening's expression changed, her lips moved, but she said nothing in the end.
Xie Wanyu didn't expect her to say anything, so she looked at the old lady and said, "Grandma, what kind of cake are you talking about?"
"Mother Feng, go get it quickly." Mrs. Xiao smiled very kindly, "You don't know that the cook is very good at her craftsmanship, and the pastries she makes are sweet but not greasy, even for someone like me who doesn't like sweets. Everyone can eat several pieces."
"There is such a craft, so I must try it." Xie Wanyu said.
Xue Xuening sat here knowing that she was bored, but she had no intention of leaving.
She came here just to take over the role of housekeeper. Even if Mrs. Xiao doesn't want to see her now, she refuses to leave.
Xie Wanyu ate the cakes, praised them all, and chatted and laughed with Mrs. Xiao.
After a while, Mrs. Xiao saw that Xie Wanyu was eating happily, and then she said, "It's really good for you to be young. You eat a lot and are in good health, unlike me, who is old and in poor health."
"You are not old even if grandma says anything. Even if she says you are my mother, some people will believe it." Xie Wanyu said with a smile.
Mrs. Xiao smiled from ear to ear, "Your mouth is filled with honey."
Seeing their elders' kindness and their younger ones' coquettishness, Xue Xuening couldn't help but sneer. She wanted to see how long they could stay harmonious.
After eating for a while, Mrs. Xiao once again brought the topic to the housekeeper's affairs, "It's winter, and my health is no longer good. Now I'm dazzled just by looking at the account books."
As she spoke, she was watching Xie Wanyu's reaction.
Xie Wanyu's expression remained unchanged, she took a sip of tea and continued to eat pastries. It wasn't until she finished the last pastry on the plate that she sighed with satisfaction, "Grandma, this cook's skills are really good."
"If you like to eat, I'll just ask her to cook it for you every day, but..." Madam Xiao made up her mind to throw the hot potato away, "It's up to you to take care of the housekeeping, I'm not in good health."
Xie Wanyu was not surprised. She had known for a long time that Mrs. Xiao would not stay in charge of the house for too long.
After all, who in the entire family is richer than Xie Wanyu.
"Grandma, I want to discuss something with you. Didn't we call for five children? There are four more children studying in our yard. One of those four children is quite smart. I plan to adopt him as an adopted son." Xie Wanyu said.
Mrs. Xiao did not react for a moment.
While we were talking about the housekeeper, why did she suddenly jump to this issue?
"No!" Xue Xuening refused without waiting for Mrs. Xiao's answer, "Becoming the adopted son of the Hou Mansion, is that something that can be done by any cat or dog?"
Mrs. Xiao also said, "Yes, we don't know what the child's character is."
"When I adopted Min'er, I didn't know what his character was like. As a result, he hated me so much that he doesn't even call me mother now. Grandma Marquis has a child. When you found an adopted son for me, Isn’t it so that I can have someone to rely on?”
"That's true." Mrs. Xiao said.
Xie Wanyu nodded, "Now that this child is unreliable, of course I will find another one."
Mrs. Xiao looked at the account book and knew that if she did not agree to the adoption, Xie Wanyu would definitely not take care of the house.
