Tongbenfu
Yue Ruyan glanced at the dishes on the table and threw away her chopsticks.
He lost his temper and said, "Why are these again? Didn't Butler Yu say there were fresh vegetables and fruits yesterday? Are these the rare things he said? Are you thinking that my aunt is so easy to fool?"
The maid who helped her with the dishes lowered her head tremblingly, not daring to speak.
But I couldn't help complaining in my heart, and I didn't look at what the year was like now? There are two meat and two vegetables, as well as good white rice. To be disgusted with such a meal, the eldest lady really doesn't know the sufferings of the world.
Another clever maid stepped forward and said flatteringly: "Miss, I will go and ask Butler Yu how he bought it. With these two dishes every day, Miss has no appetite for food."
"Huh, tell him, if he doesn't do his best again, I will ask my mother to replace him."
"Yes, Miss." The maid went to deliver the order with her head held high.
Yue Ruyan glanced at the dishes on the table and waved her hands in disgust, "Take them all away! It makes me sick to my stomach."
The maids in the room were very happy after hearing what she said. If the eldest lady didn't like the food, they could share it.
Since last month, the servants in the mansion have been given a steamed bun for every meal. Where can they get enough to eat?
Those of them who serve personally are better off. They can share the leftovers left by their masters.
But those who do menial work are miserable. The daily work is not much at all, and even the buns for each meal are getting smaller and smaller.
These maids look forward to having more leftovers from the ladies every day so that they can have one more bite.
In fact, everyone knows that Tongpan Mansion is not short of money and food, and there are two warehouses for storing food, but Mrs. Tongpan is stingy and treats her servants meanly.
Even when the year was good, the food given to the servants was clear soup with little water, but at that time, there was still ordering food, and the black noodle steamed buns were enough to satisfy them.
But after the drought, food prices increased, and Mrs. Tongpan began to reduce the food for her servants.
From two steamed buns per meal to one per meal now, the steamed buns have become smaller and smaller in the past two days.
The servants dared not speak out when they were angry, so they had to tighten their belts and work.
Housekeeper Yu was eating at home, thinking while eating, how to get the big cart of stuff from yesterday?
If he could buy such good fruits and eggs at a low price and then go to his wife to report a higher price, he would be able to make a lot of money this time.
"Is Housekeeper Yu here?" A clear female voice sounded outside the door.
"Put away the things on the table quickly." Butler Yu ordered his wife.
His wife quickly put the two plates of meat and vegetables on the table into the cabinet, leaving two bowls of brown rice and a plate of fried vegetables.
Then he opened the door with a smile and greeted warmly: "Hey, it's Miss Lily, come in and sit down."
"Ms. Xu, is Butler Yu here? I was ordered by the young lady to come to him to ask something."
"Here, we are having dinner. Miss Lily, have you eaten? Why don't you use some here?" Madam Xu said politely.
As soon as she finished speaking, Butler Yu came out of the room with the door wide open.
Lily looked over and saw a plate of vegetables and two bowls of rice on the table.
She curled her lips inwardly, how could she have the nerve to ask others to eat such a meal?
She is not one of those rude women. The food left by the lady every day is much more exquisite than this. She will not eat the leftovers of a housekeeper.
She smiled lightly and said, "I've already eaten. Butler Yu, the lady asked me to ask you, didn't you say you wanted to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables yesterday? Why didn't you see them today?"
Butler Yu sighed and said helplessly: "Miss Lily, you don't know something. The meat, eggs and fruits sold by that store are very fresh and of high quality, but the price is really ridiculously high.
I negotiated the price with them for a long time, but nothing was agreed upon. Those guys didn't show mercy at all. They were taking our Tongpan Mansion as the main culprit! I suspected that they were targeting our house intentionally, so I didn’t buy it. "
Lily said angrily: "How dare a small vendor be so arrogant that he doesn't even look down on our Tongxuan Mansion? Are they so brave that they have eaten the heart of a bear?"
"Oh, that's right. I'm going to report to my wife to see if I should buy it or not?" Butler Yu said pretending to be helpless.
"Butler Yu, I wonder which vendor it is? Wait until I get back and report it to the lady."
Butler Yu said truthfully: "I don't know them either. I have never seen them in Qingzhou City before. I was introduced to them by the purchaser of Chen Mansion."
He didn't dare to lie about this matter. The eldest lady was very favored in the house and her temper was not very good.
He didn't buy the food that the eldest lady liked today, which already made her very unhappy.
Now you have to follow her in everything, otherwise you won't be able to eat and walk around in circles.
Lily asked doubtfully: "Introduced by the Chen family?"
"Yes, Miss Lily." Butler Yu told everything about the purchasing incident of the Chen family yesterday.
"I know, I'll go back and tell the lady right now." After Lily asked clearly, she ran back excitedly to take credit.
After hearing Lily's words, Yue Ruyan took her maid to the upper room.
After telling her all the grievances she had suffered during this period, she started acting coquettishly.
"Mom, I haven't eaten fresh fruit for a long time. My daughter is tired of eating the same dishes every day. Things are more expensive. It's not like our family can't afford it. Ask Butler Yu to buy them for me. ."
Mrs. Yue touched her daughter's face. She seemed to have lost a little weight. She said distressedly: "Okay, okay, no matter how expensive it is, as long as my family Ruyan wants to eat it, then we will buy it."
He ordered a nun next to him: "Aunt Yu, go and call your boss over and ask what kind of fruit it is? How expensive is it?"
Butler Yu came very quickly and explained the matter clearly in a few sentences.
Mrs. Yue's face was ugly. She didn't expect that a small businessman would dare to act wild in their house.
How dare you sell six apples for twenty-six taels of silver, and even sell eggs for twenty-six taels of silver each. How brave you are.
"Yu Gui, tell me about this. Someone is maliciously driving up prices in Qingzhou City. We can't just sit idly by and ignore them."
After thinking for a while, he ordered: "Go to the Chen Mansion again and ask where those people are from? Do they have anything to do with their family?"
Although Chen Shimei was just a businessman, his sister was Mrs. Ru, the prefect of Qingzhou. She also gave birth to two sons and a daughter, and the prefect loved her very much.
Therefore, the Chen family cannot be offended.
We need to first ask if it has anything to do with the Chen family? If so, then they have no choice but to endure this tone.
If it doesn't matter, then let a few small vendors know what the consequences will be if they offend the Tongxuan government?
"Yes, ma'am, I'm going to Chen Mansion now."
When Butler Yu arrived at the Chen Mansion, Chen Sanzheng came back from outside. After hearing his purpose, he thought to himself: "Oh no, this is causing trouble for those little brothers."
But he couldn't tell the truth. If he offended the Tongxuan Mansion, I would never forgive him.
