On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Nian Fu refused the carriage sent by the Ping Ning Marquis's mansion to take her back and returned all the gifts sent by Madam Ping Ning. Madam Ban breathed a sigh of relief, then replied to the Marquis Ping Ning with a disappointed and sad expression.
The Marquis Ping Ning waved his hand, "Sincerity can move mountains and stones; care for her more, and she will eventually recognize your kindness."
"This concubine understands."
"Since you understand, you may withdraw. Pay more attention to your daughter. She has just arrived in the capital and needs guidance from her own family."
Madam Ping Ning obediently agreed.
When it concerned money, Madam Fang acted with unprecedented speed. Within a few days, she had tidied up Shang Lan Courtyard. "Alright, go to Hulu Street and pass the word to that debt-ridden scoundrel to move back quickly. What is he doing living outside? Outsiders might think I, his legitimate mother, can't tolerate him."
Wasn't that the truth?
Yi Cui dared not voice her thoughts and merely suppressed the internal question. "Madam, didn't you say that the young master would be living in Ting Xue Pavilion?"
"Ting Xue Pavilion is a bit small. I don't want him to find any more faults."
The salary of the Grand Censor was not high, but his position carried great weight. In the future, there would be no shortage of people sending gifts. For this reason, she had to keep Gu Yan Chen, this god of wealth, well-pleased. Otherwise, if he found an excuse to move out again, she would be the one at a disadvantage.
On the fifth, the snow cleared, and the sky was bright, a good day for moving.
Qing Miao, along with Qing Ya and Mian Er, packed the daily necessities of their two masters into three chests and loaded them onto the carriage. Lu Nian Fu then took out the formal gifts she had previously prepared for the Marquis and Madam Guang Ling.
Gu Yan Chen held her hand, "What are you doing? Didn't you already give the gifts?"
Lu Nian Fu said with a smile, "Before, Mother used the side gate and the shabby courtyard to annoy us, so we could use shoes as gifts to slap her face. But she is, after all, the legitimate mother. It's not worth falling out with her over a little money. Don't you care about your reputation anymore?"
Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues. Once labeled unfilial, no official could withstand it.
Gu Yan Chen snorted, "What are you afraid of? She can only gossip behind my back."
"No, she can also send someone to the Emperor to gossip. Don't forget, her father is a Censor."
Gu Yan Chen: ......
Lu Nian Fu pulled him out, "Don't be unhappy. You're usually not a stingy person, so why are you bickering like a woman of the inner chambers now? It's just a few worldly possessions. Consider it buying a good reputation."
"When I think about how she treated me before, I don't want to give her a single coin."
"Don't worry, I'll be watching. How much advantage can she take?"
Gu Yan Chen pointed to the gift box in her hand.
Lu Nian Fu: ......
This was terrible. When she was in Yangzhou before, he was clearly very generous, often treating his brothers in the military camp to meals. When any subordinate was in trouble, he would also generously help out, which was why he had to spend all his salary and dividends and even wrote a pile of IOUs to her.
Lu Nian Fu found it difficult to accept the sudden transformation of a usually free-spending person into a miser.
Fortunately, Gu Yan Chen's miserly demeanor was only seen by her. When they arrived at the Marquis's mansion, he returned to his normal self.
Lu Nian Fu took a walk around Shang Lan Courtyard and then went alone to thank Madam Fang.
As for Gu Yan Chen, she decided not to bring him along, lest he get upset seeing her give gifts to Madam Fang.
After paying her respects, Lu Nian Fu handed two gift boxes to Madam Fang and personally opened them. The rare books and hair ornaments inside improved Madam Fang's mood considerably, and even her smile became visibly more genuine. "Why are you giving gifts again for no reason?"
Lu Nian Fu said obediently, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since your daughter-in-law has married into the capital, she naturally should follow the customs of the capital."
"Your kind intentions are accepted. From now on, you will live in the mansion well. If you lack anything, just come to me. Oh, you're new here and don't have anyone to serve you. Shall I pick a couple for you?"
"No, no. When we came to the capital, my husband said we would likely settle here. So, he brought all the servants from the mansion to the capital. Your daughter-in-law has no shortage of people to serve her. I'm only afraid that the courtyard arranged by the mansion is not large enough."
She could really boast. Afraid the courtyard wasn't large enough? A person running a rouge shop, how many servants could she possibly have? Madam Fang waved her hand dismissively, "Bring in as many people as you have. If Shang Lan Courtyard is not enough, I will allocate Qin Fang Pavilion next door to you as well."
"That's truly kind of you, Mother," Lu Nian Fu said gratefully, then began counting on her fingers, "Granny An stayed in Yangzhou to look after the house, so I only have three personal maids. Besides them, there are two stewards, four cooks, and four seamstresses. Their families also worked in the mansion before, and it wouldn't be right to separate them from their spouses, so I brought them all to the capital."
Madam Fang almost choked on her tea. "You alone command so many people?"
"Is this considered a lot?" Lu Nian Fu asked innocently, lying with her eyes wide open. "Mother probably doesn't know, we Jiangnan people like to put on a show. My husband is a high-ranking official, and he's in charge of the garrison and recruitment camps. If his household has too few servants, people will laugh at him. What is the usual practice for a third-rank official's household in the capital? If their number of servants is not large, we can also reduce ours, as we are following local customs!"