The 31st time

  "Did she really say that?" Lin Yiniang had changed into a half-new stone-blue embroidered white jade lan flower satin jacket, with a honey wax drop-shaped red gold hairpin on her head, leaning against the kang head holding a volume of books, but her eyes were looking at her daughter beside the kang.

  Mo Lan nodded, slowly leaned against the other end to rest, her expression somewhat uncertain. Lin Niang's eyes flashed with a few points of praise, and she smiled: "I didn't expect that a sparrow would hatch a phoenix egg, Wei Niangniang is so weak and timid, yet she has such a daughter; after all, it was the old lady who taught her."

  The curtain moved, and a maid brought in a small tea tray made of wenge wood, carrying a golden-rimmed bowl. Mo Lan took it and drank a sip lightly, praising: "This tastes good, last time the mistress sent those swallow's nest bowls to the Yulan Pavilion, they were too small and fragmented, without any flavor at all." She then waved her hand for the maid to leave, put down the bowl, and said softly: "Mother, what do you think about Minglan? Can she be trusted?"

  Madam Lin stroked her temples and hummed softly, "It's true, yet not true. I know the old lady's temper, in her eyes, no good people come from rich and noble families. If Minglan turns out like that in the future, it would be a match made in heaven for you, but who knows? In recent years, just look at how the old lady dotes on that little maid, she's become more lively, doesn't even eat vegetarian food anymore, and her personality has become more vibrant. Isn't it all because she's afraid she won't live to see Sixth Miss get married, so she's taking care of herself with all her might?"

  Mo Lan's heart skipped a beat as she said, "Mother, today the mistress sent two people over, could it be..."

  Madam Lin looked at Mo Lan with pride in her eyes: "After all, it's my son, clever and intelligent, one point and it's clear! Since Minglan entered Rongguo House, that old lady no longer pretended to be noble; she spoiled that little maid... Tsk, tsk, today making new clothes, tomorrow making new hair accessories, the jade from Cuibao Studio, the crystal from Liuli Pavilion, the silk from Ruihe Xiang, what's not being sent to Rongguo House like it was free? Even if it exceeded the allowance and she had to pay out of her own pocket, it wouldn't affect the household account, so Madam couldn't say anything."

  Mo Lan thought of the decorations in Wu Cang's study, although not many, but each one was exquisite and elegant, looking at it was a story to tell, and she couldn't help feeling a little angry. Lin Niang also became more and more annoyed as she spoke, saying disdainfully: "Hmph, I was blind back then, thinking she was a virtuous and chaste woman, giving all the property to her illegitimate son, and herself retreated to eat vegetarian food and recite Buddhist scriptures after retirement, but unexpectedly, she still had a trick up her sleeve! And every day, she puts on an air of being a great benefactor, pretending to be poor and simple to intimidate people. If I had a rich dowry, who wouldn't want to marry me? If she hadn't hidden it from me back then, how could I...?"

  This time, Mo Lan didn't say a word, looked at her angry mother-in-law and just moved the corner of her mouth, thinking: You're surnamed Lin, the old lady is surnamed Xu, the family is surnamed Sheng, she took out her own savings to give you as dowry...?

  "Ah, well... these past few years, the old lady has been spending a lot of money on Liu Yatou; but it's like trying to get into an iron fortress - no matter how hard I try, I just can't figure out whether she has any money or not. The only way is to start with Liu Yatou..."

  Mo Lan heard this and felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart, smiling: "Let's call the madam to investigate, it's not all advantageous for that little girl, even if Old Madam dotes on her, she still has to follow the rules. In the manor, there are more than one Miss Sheng, I and Rulan can't be the only ones who won't succeed, we can't let everything go to her alone!"

  "Gold and silver mountains aren't that easy to come by," Lin Yiniang shook her head. "When the old master passed away, he left behind a lot of messy affairs to be settled. After the old mistress registered everything in the old master's name, she had a fierce lawsuit with the third old master, almost alarming the authorities, and lost a lot of family property in the process. Later, she returned all the assets to the old master, but even if the old mistress has money, where can she go? Just watch, the way the mistress is hoarding silver and trying to seize power will eventually provoke the old mistress again! Haha..."

  Lin Yiniang leaned on the pillow and laughed for a while, slowly suppressing her laughter. She looked serious at Mo Lan and said: "From now on, don't confront Liu Yaotou, today it seems she's not someone to be trifled with. You should get along well with her as sisters, Master and Mistress will like that. Don't learn from Ru Lan who always beats people and scolds dogs, making everyone dislike her... However, if you can make friends with Wu Yaotou and have a falling out with her, that would be the best."

  Mo Lan's eyes lit up and she said, "Mother says so. Wu Yaotou and the mistress are just alike, with a temper like firecrackers - once they're ignited, it's hard to put them out! They're easy to fool!" Suddenly, her expression turned somewhat gloomy, "But big brother is completely different from her, he's deep-thinking and cautious, his studies are excellent, but he's also rather frivolous. Master Zhuang also says that his learning isn't solid, he doesn't study hard for the exams, but instead likes to socialize with those pretentious scholars."

  Lin Yiniang picked up the book from the kang and smiled: "Don't listen to Mr. Zhuang's nonsense, he's capable, how could he not pass the imperial examination? People say that it's easy when you're young, but not necessarily when you're old; I think your brother is not doing well; those who are 30 or 40 years old still have to take the exam, and your brother is only a few years older, so it's better for him to make more friends, which will be helpful in his future official career."

  Mo Lan slowly drank from the swallow's nest cup, a bit worried: "Whether or not to make friends is no big deal, Big Brother is about to take the spring exam, who knows, he might just pass with one stroke. But what I'm looking forward to is that two years later, in the autumn exam, Brother will also be able to pass."

  Lin Yiniang suddenly furrowed her brow, thinking of the little demons like maidservants in her son's room, who dressed in red and green every day, applying lipstick and powder, and feared they would seduce her son; it was better...

  The next day after Yinxiao and Jiuer entered the Musou Study, Old Lady Sheng spoke up: The lady is absolutely right. With Liu'er being surrounded by old and young people who are not capable of handling matters, she also assigned Cuimiao, a second-class maid from Shou'andang, to serve Liu'er. By the time several important tasks were arranged, Xiaojing would be just right to take over.

  Minglan sat on the right side of the heated platform, surrounded by a group of maidservants. On one side were Cuiwei and Jiu'er, who had just arrived, while on the other side were Danju and Xiaotao. At her feet stood several third-grade maidservants. Minglan smiled and said: "From now on, I'll have to rely on all of you sisters. The ones by my side are people I've grown up with since childhood, and I haven't taught them much, so they don't understand etiquette very well. All three of you sisters are favored attendants of the old lady and the madam, so please help me out a bit. Although our courtyard is small, it has all the necessary components, and every move we make must follow the rules. Cuiwei sister was trained by Housekeeper Wang herself, so I'll trouble you to take care of the younger sisters below from now on."

  Cui Wei's face was as white and smooth as a goose egg, looking at her made one feel steady and calm. She said: "Listen to me, sisters, from now on we are all living in the same courtyard, I rely on Old Lady's favor to be a bit arrogant, but I hope you won't mind me." Although she was speaking to the group of maids, her eyes were fixed on Yin Xiang and Jiu Er.

  Yin Gao's delicate face was slightly pale, Jiu'er lowered her head, and when she looked sideways, she saw that she had pouted her small mouth.

  Danju glanced at Xiaotao, only to see that she was still silly. Then he looked at Minglan again, and saw her sitting upright in the upper seat, perhaps because of the exhaustion from moving house and the difficulty of parting with Old Lady, after the New Year, she had lost a lot of weight. Her originally white and plump small face had become slender and beautiful, revealing a delicate and elegant neck, and a pair of eyes that seemed very large, dark, quiet, and deep. What kind of thoughts were hidden behind such clear and lively eyes? When they first moved out of Shou'antang, Old Lady wasn't unaware that the people around Minglan had broken ranks, and she, Xiaotao, and the four greens were all about the same age as Minglan. Cui's mother was burdened with family, and couldn't stay in the inner house day and night, so Old Lady wanted to assign someone to come over at the time, either Cuixi or Cuimei, but unexpectedly, Minglan refused.

  "...Wait a minute, I'll get back to the old lady later, it's not certain yet." Minglan's face flashed with a mischievous childlike expression, but her eyes had a hint of bitter smile, "We have to wait for them to make their move before we can respond."

  At that time, only the old lady and Fang's mother understood it, and they shook their heads with a bitter smile. Danju was confused until now, but finally understood that Mrs. was the birth mother of all the brothers and sisters, so it was natural for her to intervene in the affairs of the Wu Cangzhai, even the old lady couldn't say anything; The young lady at home had expected that Mrs. would send someone over, so she had reserved this move.

  As expected, on the first day, Taotao sent someone over to pay respects, and Yinxiu and Jiuer entered Wusongzhai, immediately putting on airs as older sisters, and being Taotao's representatives, Danju had to hand over power within Minglan House. Fortunately, upon receiving news from Shou'antang, they promptly dispatched Cuimiao, whose age and seniority were just right to suppress Yinxiu and Jiuer, and she was also from the old lady's side.

  Tangerine took a deep breath, and when they were at Shou'antang, the younger ones would often follow Cui Xi to learn things. Now that she was familiar with the place, she wasn't afraid anymore. In her heart, she had even more admiration and affection for her own daughter.

  "...leaving this empty position, so that Madam can appoint someone suitable; if from the beginning, she had left Cui Xi or Cui Wei in the twilight pavilion, Madam would have appointed someone even more experienced, wouldn't Grandmother add another person to suppress her? Wouldn't that be a fight between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? I hope I'm just being overly cautious." Minglan said slowly, word by word, holding the old lady's hand, with an innocent expression and a slightly bitter tone.

  At that time, Danju was at the door and heard it. After listening, her heart was shocked and she felt a chill. Under the prestige of Sheng Lao Tai Tai for decades, even Hua Lan, who was once the most favored, did not dare to speak directly about everything. The little ancestor, oh, Old Lady is not just your grandmother alone, some words cannot be spoken directly; …… Who knew that Old Lady didn't get angry at all, but instead cherished and hugged Minglan for half a day.

  Later, Danju secretly asked Fang's mother if the old lady was unhappy. Fang's mother sighed and said: "Sixth sister is really clever."

  The old lady had lived for most of her life, and she had seen all sorts of people, but she didn't know what kind of ghostly things existed. Liuxiang was clever and sensible from a young age, but in front of the old lady, she was completely unguarded, whether good or bad, light or dark, revealing her inner thoughts clearly. This was only possible because she trusted the old lady deeply, as one would with a closest relative. The old lady had many grandsons and granddaughters, so why did she love Liuxiang so much? It was because Liuxiang was the only one who truly used her heart to care for the old lady.

  Tangerine listened and took it as a warning, for they were also maidservants.

  Yin Gao is a gentle and amiable person, who loves to talk, laugh and listen. She often follows Cui Wei around, flattering her, and is also willing to help with chores. After two days of getting along, she has become familiar with the young maidservants. Jiu Er has a bit of a spoiled temper, doing things on her own, but gets along well with Xiao Tao.

  "What do you think of Yin Gao?" Minglan sat in the right wing room, Cuiwei and Danju were collecting books on the bookshelf, while Xiaotao was threading a needle for her, she looked up and said: "The person is quite amiable, easy to get along with."

  "Silly girl, aren't you afraid of being cheated? Who knows if she's getting close to you with ulterior motives." Dan Ju retorted.

  "What's wrong? I didn't say a word to the girl, and I didn't spare any of Mother Fang's slaps." Xiaotao rubbed her palm, still feeling the pain.

  "Xiao Tao called Fang Mama to take charge of these years, and it's not easy to talk about girls' affairs." Cui Wei walked lightly to the door, lifted the curtain and took a look outside, then turned back and said with relief, "The girl only cares about Silver Gao, so don't worry about Jiu Er?"

  Minglan smiled and said: "You think carefully, who is Jiu'er's mother? What kind of background does Yin Xiao have?"

  "Ah, you're from a good family." Little Peach jumped down from the kang and pushed Cui Wei up to sit on it. Cui Wei declined at first, then sat down beside the edge of the kang.

  Jiuer was the youngest daughter of the Liu family, who was dearly loved at home. She should have been sent to the Weirui Pavilion to serve as a personal maid for Rulan, but Rulan had a bad temper and Jiuer was also spoiled. If things didn't go well, Jiuer would be punished and Rulan's mother would be displeased. It was absolutely impossible to send her to Molan, so only Minglan was left.

  Danju walked over, pulling Xiaotao to sit together on a small stool: "Housekeeper often says that Liu Mama is a wise and reasonable person next to the mistress. She thinks she just wants to find a suitable place for Jiu'er and won't send her daughter to do something shameful; it's actually Yinxiu who has no backing in the mansion, so she needs to do something to report her merits to the mistress."

  Cui Wei looked at Dan Ju with great admiration, thinking that she was indeed the confidante of Liu Gongzhu. Suddenly, Minglan said, "It's a pity for all mothers in the world, but having a mother like hers is also a blessing for Jiu'er."

  Tan Ju was still young, and her mind was preoccupied with the problem of silver apricot processing. Cui Wei, on the other hand, was already 15 years old, and her face turned slightly red as she thought: If Liu's mother wanted to climb high, she should have sent her daughter to the young master's side, but instead, she sent her to Liu Si's place, which meant that she didn't want her daughter to be a concubine. When Jiu Er grew up, she would find a good husband and marry her out of Mu Cang Zhai with great fanfare.

  Minglan looked at Cuiwei's thoughtful face, then at her sister-like Danju, and suddenly understood Xingyu's struggles. With a hint of melancholy, she said: "It's not easy for women to live in this world. We should all take care of each other. In the future, I will also try my best to find a good place for you, just like Old Lady treats Cuiwei."

  Cui Wei's face immediately turned red, while Dan Ju kept a straight face and glared at Ming Lan: "Still calling her master, teasing her own maid like this. Cui Wei sister is already engaged, it would be better if the young lady rewards her with more dowry later, that way Cui Wei sister won't have come to help the young lady from Shou An Tang in vain!" As she spoke, she glanced at Cui Wei with a sly and teasing gaze.

  Cui Wei listened to the first half of the sentence and nodded repeatedly, thinking that Dan Ju was a good girl. But when she heard the second half of the sentence, which was also teasing herself, she angrily said: "Miss, I don't want any dowry, just give this little hoof to my younger brother as his wife!"

  Tan Ju was furious, and rushed up to scratch someone. Cui Wei dodged behind Ming Lan, who immediately suffered the misfortune of being squeezed by the crowd. Everyone was rubbing against each other, laughing together in a heap.