The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

When Nanny Qian heard the news, she went to the main room. Jia Min already knew about it. Her face was a little pale, and she stared blankly at the green leaves outside the window.

Under Madam Qian’s distressed gaze, Jia Min wiped her eyes and said, “Madam, let’s go to Lanxin Courtyard.”

Nanny Qian agreed, and she was determined in her heart. She promised that the heir of the Lin family could only come from the belly of their Jia family!

She must be fully prepared for her lady!

In Lanxinyuan, Lin Ruhai was in high spirits.

Compared to when he heard the good news from Aunt Mei, he was more restrained now but still happy.

This was the first time that Yun Shuyao saw his joy for herself so clearly.

In a sense, as an employee, she is now realizing what is considered the most important value of this era, so it is natural for the chairman to be happy.

Lin Ruhai held her hand and said, “Shuyao, what do you want to eat? Last time you said roast duck was good, would you like one? If you don’t want a roast duck, there is also jasper soup, which tastes good too.”

Compared to Aunt Mei’s severe morning sickness, Yun Shuyao was normal, except that she was a little sensitive to the taste of mutton.

Therefore, Yun Shuyao accepted it with a smile: “Thank you, Master.”

She knew that the time had come for her to enjoy a feast.

There is a set schedule for aunt’s meals, and Yun Shuyao was reluctant to use her three taels of monthly salary to buy herself extra meals every day. She wanted to save money and enjoy delicious food at the same time, and she could only satisfy both when Lin Ruhai came.

The head of the household had a much larger share than hers.

Now that she is pregnant, she doesn’t like to drink expensive bird’s nest water, but there is enough meat—all kinds of meat.

To be honest, eating meat is more economical than eating a bird’s nest.

Seeing Yun eating happily, Lin Ruhai also smiled.

Being able to eat is a blessing.

Seeing her eating so happily, Lin Ruhai, who had been restless for a while due to Aunt Mei’s severe morning sickness, was very relieved.

The old lady came and saw that the table was full. She smiled too, and two deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.

If Yun Shuyao hadn’t said that was enough, she would have ordered more dishes.

“It’s a blessing to know how to eat. Give the order and follow me for the rest of the Yun family’s share.” Her share was the best, but she worshipped Buddha and basically only ate vegetarian food.

Nanny Wang: “Yes.”

Like Aunt Mei, the old lady had two large boxes carried over, her eyes full of kindness: “If you need anything, just ask. By the way, you must be missing your mother, so I’ll send a message to ask her to come and take care of you.”

The old lady treats everyone equally.

Giving Yun Shuyao the same treatment you gave Aunt Mei.

Nanny Wang and her two maids, Yushan and Yuchan, were also assigned to Lanxin Courtyard.

Nanny Wang was the one who came to ask her if she was willing to become a concubine in the Lin Mansion. She was experienced and steady. Yushan was good at cooking and knew medicinal food, while Yuchan was good at needlework, which she inherited from her mother.

They are all talented.

When Jia Min saw this scene, her face remained calm.

With the example of Aunt Mei before her, she had already anticipated this.

But…she looked at Aunt Yun.

She was laughing and happy, but she was much more restrained than Aunt Mei.

The attitude towards her has not changed, and the respect remains.

This made Jia Min’s impression of her improve a little. She was also from a family of scholars, so she knew more about the rules than the merchants.

Then she looked at the old lady, struggling over how to start.

When the two concubines came into the house, they were not chosen based on their beauty or family background, but on the horoscopes obtained by the old lady.

Now that both concubines are pregnant, Jia Min has to believe that the old lady has met a master!

Then, can the master also help her have a child?

Having thought of this on the way here, Jia Min was mostly focused on this.

They didn’t stay long. As the night was getting darker, the old lady asked everyone to leave, saying that she needed to rest early.

After the people left, Yun Shuyao looked at the happy people in Lanxinyuan and couldn’t help but smile.

Happy, indeed happy.

One was that she had a blood-related child, and the other was that she became rich overnight.

Yun Shuyao gave the three new recruits who were on short-term loans a welcome gift, and then she couldn’t wait to open the two large boxes sent by the old lady.

The first thing that caught her eye was a white jade statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbearing, which was as long as her arms. It was wrapped in red silk, which further highlighted the warm luster of the jade. In addition, Guanyin had a kind face, and the fat baby in her hand was extremely lifelike. Although Yun Shuyao didn’t know much about jade, she could tell that it was of great value. She estimated that it would cost at least one or two thousand silver coins.

In addition, there are ruyi with pomegranate patterns, expensive fabrics with gourd patterns, vases in the shape of rolling melon vines, and a complete set of headwear in the shape of lotus flowers… These things are, of course, valuable, but they are all related to the meaning of having many children.

The only thing that didn’t matter was a small box of gold and silver beads.

It can be said that this is the lowest-value item, but it is also the only thing she can use directly.

Yun Shuyao: “…”

She couldn’t help but blink.

There are tens of thousands of taels of silver here, but the most convenient and useful cash is only five hundred taels, which is a huge difference.

If she was short of money, could she pawn the things given by the old lady?

However, Yun Shuyao was already very satisfied.

Her net worth skyrocketed from a few hundred taels to tens of thousands of taels in one day. Besides, is five hundred taels a small amount?

The entire Yun family emptied their savings and only had about five hundred taels left.

This is still the scholar’s home.

If an ordinary family has a house passed down from their ancestors, they would be considered a wealthy family if they had a hundred taels of silver in savings.

Many people have to work for a month to ensure their food supply for that month.

Five hundred taels was enough for her to buy a shop or some land.

After her happiness wore off, Yun Shuyao quickly started planning how to spend the five hundred taels.

She doesn’t have the right to use the other items, but the five hundred taels were cash paid directly into her account.

It’s equivalent to her bonus.

It is a waste to keep the bonus in the account.

At this time, in Meixiangyuan, Aunt Mei was upset by the news that Yun was pregnant. Her appetite, which had finally improved, was ruined again. She couldn’t eat anything and was very irritable.

She looked angrily at the person who was sitting at the table drinking tea and said, “Auntie!”

Gao put down the teacup, sighed, walked over, and touched her head, comforting her: “Ruixue, why are you so anxious? She is already pregnant, and there is nothing you can do. Listen to your aunt, don’t think too much, and give birth to a son. This is the most important thing. You know, will your aunt hurt you? Just bear with it for now.”

Gao was also anxious.

There is a huge difference between the only one and the only two.

My daughter’s advantage was suddenly eliminated.

But now, there is no need to rush.

Gao knew her daughter’s temper and repeatedly reminded her of the importance of this pregnancy. Finally, she calmed down and fell asleep on the bed.

Gao sat by the bed, looking at her daughter’s face, which had become much thinner since she became pregnant. She frowned in the night, thought for a while, and then sighed softly.

Her daughter’s luck is indeed a bit bad.

However, there is still a long time.

Counting the dates, my daughter will give birth a month earlier than the one in Lanxinyuan, so the baby she gave birth to will be the eldest son.

The eldest son has a different meaning.

Don’t be impatient.

It’s easy to lose your sense of proportion when you’re anxious; she needs to think carefully…

That night, there was one more person named Jia Min who went to the ancestral hall. After burning incense for the ancestors, she couldn’t wait to ask who had given her the horoscope.

Lin Ruhai also wanted to know.

He had never believed that there was anything special about this horoscope before, and he just followed his stubborn mother’s lead. But now, he felt that his mother might have really met a master.

If they are lucky, perhaps the curse of the Lin family’s single-line inheritance can be ended.

The old lady twirled her Buddhist beads and closed her eyes. “I met the master in Zhutang Temple. He only left me his date of birth. Then he traveled around the world and has not returned yet. I can’t contact him.”

Lin Ruhai thought thoughtfully: “Is it Zhutang Temple in Qingyun Mountain?”

Old lady: “Exactly.”

Jia Min was cheered up: “Perhaps other masters will know where he is traveling.”

The old lady shook her head: “Master Zhiliao is not from Zhutang Temple. I happened to meet him when he was temporarily resting in Zhutang Temple.”

The old lady was also very sorry about this.

Jia Min did not give up and planned to ask someone to investigate.

The old lady saw it but said nothing more.

Jia Min wanted to have a child. Even if the old lady had a lot of dissatisfaction with the Jia family and was angry with Jia Min, she would not be dissatisfied with the child she gave birth to.

If there was any way for her to get pregnant earlier, the old lady would be happy to see it happen.

When Yun Shuyao woke up the next day, she found that the furnishings in the house had changed so much that she almost couldn’t recognize it.

All the things that the old lady gave were put out, the furniture in the house was covered with soft cloth, and all sharp objects were gone.

Her workbasket was gone, too.

There are some more books on the table.

Yun Shuyao asked: “Where did these books come from?”

Hong Xiu’s eyes turned into crescents as she smiled. “Master sent this to Auntie to entertain her this morning. There are also two sets of study treasures and some porcelain, Auntie. Especially this set of Empty Mountain and Clear Rain tea sets, Master got it by chance some time ago, and he  likes it very much.”

Then, remembering something, she said, “Auntie, don’t read books or practice calligraphy for too long in the future. It will easily damage your mind.”

“You can’t even move a needle or thread anymore. If you want to do anything, we are here for you.”

Nanny Wang came in with a jade fan and two large food boxes: “Auntie, this is today’s breakfast.”

Yun Shuyao looked at the crystal dumplings, scallop and shellfish porridge, bird’s nest and egg custard, steamed buns, shredded chicken porridge, golden silk soft cake… the whole table was filled with them.

This was her most sumptuous breakfast so far.

Nanny Wang took them out one by one, carefully observing Aunt Yun’s expression. If her face looked strange after taking out any of them, she would take them away immediately to avoid ruining her appetite.

Fortunately, when all the food was taken out, Aunt Yun had nothing but smiles on her face.

She has to say that Aunt Yun is easy to serve.

Nanny Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after Nanny Wu went to live with Aunt Mei, she lost several pounds due to worry. No one knew what she would look like after Aunt Mei gave birth.

The breakfast had a wide variety of dishes, but the portions were just enough for her to eat before, so she wouldn’t feel too full. Yun Shuyao finished eating and felt very satisfied. Food can really make people feel good.

After breakfast, Nanny Wang suggested that she take a walk, as Aunt Yun’s mother should be arriving soon.

——Similarly, from today on, she no longer needs to pay her respects to Jia Min.

The Song family got the news last night and was excited all night.

She was worried and anxious all night.

She chattered to her family about things she had no idea what she was saying while busying herself making some of her specialty dishes for her daughter. She packed up the underwear she had made for her daughter during this period and went out early in the morning.

She was brought here by the brothers Yun Heng and Yun Yan.

After being sent to the door, they still have to go to private school.

After hesitating for a while at the tall gate of the Lin Mansion, Song mustered up the courage to step forward.

Before she could speak, the gatekeeper asked with a smile, “Are you Aunt Yun’s mother? This way, please.”

Seeing this smile, Song felt more at ease: “Thank you for your trouble.”

She first went to pay her respects to the prefect’s wife.

After just a quick glance, she no longer dared to look directly at this noble lady, who looked like a fairy concubine, and her hands and feet became a little stiff.

However, the prefect’s wife was more amiable than she had imagined.

She was also treated to tea and snacks.

When Song left Bitao Courtyard, there was obvious relief on her face. The maids in Bitao Courtyard saw this, and some of them couldn’t help laughing out loud, which made Song hear and her face blush.

She’s old, but still so unstable. It’s no wonder people make fun of her.

When the maid laughed, Madam Qian was also beside her. She smiled and glanced at the little girl, who laughed out loud. She blamed her in her words, but her tone was very relaxed: “Don’t let the madam know about this. This is disrespectful.”

The maid smiled, knowing that Madam Qian was not blaming her: “Madam, I just smiled; how could it be considered rude? This is the wife of Mr. Yun. She is indeed from a small family.”

The clothes she wore were worse than hers.

After hearing this, Madam Qian raised her lips and said, “What are you talking about? Even if the family is small, it is still a scholar’s family.”

The maid giggled: “Mammy, that’s not right. There is a sixth-rank official in front of the prime minister.

The Lin family is a fourth-rank prefect, and they are from the Jia family, which is a duke’s family. There is no need for them to show much respect to a poor scholar’s wife.

The curve of Nanny Qian’s mouth deepened a little, and there was the same pride and disdain in her eyes.

It’s no wonder that a daughter raised like this is a cowardly wimp.