Poor Family

Shi Fuyin's birthday is over, Shi Zhenghe and Jin Yue'e don't want to tell others, now that their family no longer eats at Yixiangtang, they just let the kitchen cook two more things on October 27th Shi Fuyin likes to eat dishes.

Unexpectedly, just because he cooked two extra dishes, it caused a storm in Shifu.

"The fourth lady ordered two extra dishes today?"

Mrs. Shi listened calmly to the kitchen steward Lai Mama's report.

Lai's mother nodded with a bitter face: "Ma'am, the food specifications are set by each room. The fourth lady only asks to cook more dishes, but does not give money to the kitchen."

Mrs. Shi snorted coldly: "I think you have fallen into the eyes of money. It's just two dishes, so the kitchen can't cook them?"

Lai's mother's expression tightened: "It can be done, it can be done."

Mrs. Shi's face softened a little: "This is the first time for the fourth lady to open her mouth, even if the kitchen sticks in, she has to do it."

Lai's mother hurriedly said: "This servant also knows that as soon as the Fourth Madam sends someone to pass the message, I will immediately order the cook to prepare. I am not afraid of this servant. After the first time, there will be a second and third time." ?"

Mrs. Shi was silent: "Fourth Madam probably doesn't know that you have to pay for extra food in the kitchen, I will tell her when I find a chance."

Hearing this, Mama Lai breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as Mama Lai left, Mrs. Shi sneered: "It's only been a while, and I've learned to enjoy it. Isn't eight dishes enough for a meal?"

Gu's mother smiled: "The Fourth Madam's family must have had enough hardships in the border, so they suddenly entered the rich nest, so it is naturally a bit difficult to control."

Mrs. Shi is too lazy to take care of this kind of trivial matter, if she didn't see that Mrs. Shi really cares about the fourth room, she would just let the kitchen do business.

"Go back and find Mama Zhang. If I show up, I'm afraid the fourth sibling will lose face. It might be better to let Mama Zhang tell her."

Mother Gu nodded in agreement.

I thought it was over like this, but unexpectedly, during lunch, Cui Zhu, who went to the kitchen in Yiguiyuan to fetch food, quarreled with Mrs. Zhang in the kitchen.

"The rose pickled in sugar and the steamed duck fermented in wine are what I specifically ordered when I came here this morning. Why did you give them to others?" Cui Zhu looked at Mrs. Zhang angrily.

Mrs. Zhang relied on her daughter as a maidservant in Dingrong's courtyard when she was a grandfather, and she was not afraid of Cuizhu, so she said directly: "Who told you not to come here sooner."

"The rose marinated in sugar is what grandma wants to eat, and the duck that is steamed with fermented rice and fermented rice is what Master Shi wants to eat. If they want to take it away, even an old woman like me can't stop it."

"Besides, these two dishes are what you asked for in excess of your quota. According to the rules, the kitchen only needs to prepare eight dishes for you. What right do you have to make trouble here?"

Cuizhu flushed with anger: "You are just a dog who sees people as inferior and bullies our Yiguiyuan." As he said, he stomped his feet, "You wait for me, today is the third girl's birthday, and the fourth lady specially gave it to the third lady." You gave the dishes made by the girl to others, and I will go back and tell my wife."

Seeing that Cuizhu didn't take any food and left directly, Mrs. Zhang felt that the matter was a big deal, hesitated for a while, and ran to tell Mama Lai.

As soon as Mama Lai heard that today was Shi Fuyin's birthday, she knew she was about to suffer. She gave Mrs. Zhang a hard look, picked out twelve good dishes and put them in the food box, and took Mrs. Zhang to Yiguiyuan quickly.

Yiguiyuan.

Shi Zhenghe, Jin Yue'e, and Shi Dingxuan took out the gifts they had prepared, and Shi Fuyin was very happy to receive the gifts.

When the family was happy, Cui Zhu came back angrily. After entering the house, she first apologized, and then told what happened in the kitchen.

After hearing Cui Zhu's words, Shi Zheng and his family were silent, and the smile on their faces disappeared.

Shi Fuxin looked at Cui Zhu with a smile: "Did you quarrel with the people in the kitchen?"

Cuizhu thought that Shi Fuxin was blaming her, and felt a little uneasy, but she still bit the bullet and said: "The servants were really angry at that time, they were too bullying."

Shi Fuxin smiled: "Good girl, you have done a good job, if you encounter similar things in the future, you have to be so stubborn, and I will support you when something goes wrong."

As he said that, he took out a silver peanut from his purse and gave it to Cui Zhu.

Cui Zhu held the silver peanuts and looked at Shi Fuxin's smiling face, only then did she know that the sixth girl really didn't blame her, and the fourth master and fourth lady at the side didn't stop her, and her uneasy heart finally calmed down.

Shi Fuxin: "Let me ask you, when Grandma and the people in the Seventh Madam's yard went to pick up vegetables, did you know that we wanted rose marinade marinated in sugar and steamed duck fermented in wine?"

Cuizhu nodded: "I know, I was one step behind them, and when I saw that they wanted to pick up the food, I told them right away."

Shi Fuxin's mouth twitched into a sneer: "But they still took it regardless."

Cui Zhu nodded again.

At this moment, Lai's mother's voice sounded in the yard.

Shi Fuxin signaled Cuizhu to stand behind Jin Yue'e, and looked at Mama Lai and Mrs. Zhang who were full of guilt as they hurried into the room with a half-smile.

As soon as she entered the door, Mama Lai immediately apologized to Shi Zhenghe and Jin Yue'e.

"The kitchen is really too busy today, that's why I made such a big mistake, please don't blame the fourth master and fourth lady."

"The main reason is that everyone in the mansion is too extravagant and wasteful, and each yard has its share."

"Today, Yiguiyuan ordered two extra dishes. According to the rules of the kitchen, the dishes that exceed the quota have to be paid for by each courtyard, and then registered."

"Ms. Cuizhu came in a hurry this morning and didn't register. That's why the dishes were taken away by people from other yards."

"Anyway, it's all the negligence of the kitchen, please forgive the fourth master and fourth wife."

Listening to Mama Lai's words of shirking responsibility, Shi Fuxin laughed outright.

Lai's mother froze for a moment, and looked at Shi Fuxin for some reason.

Shi Fuxin looked at her with a smile: "Mom, I don't quite understand what you mean. You mean we ordered two extra dishes, and we need to pay for these two dishes?"

Lai's mother nodded: "It's always been the rule in the kitchen."

Shi Fuxin let out an 'oh', and continued: "According to what you said, each courtyard has its own share. We order more rose marinade marinated in sugar and steamed duck fermented in wine, but why can others take it away? what?"

Mama Lai was stunned.

Shi Fuxin looked at her curiously: "Mother, what are you talking about? Is this question difficult to answer? Do you have cash for taking extra dishes from other yards? Or... your kitchen rules are only for Yigui Yard?"

These words directly show that the kitchen is treating Yi Gui Yuan differently.

Lai's mother's complexion tightened, and she hurriedly said: "Fourth Master and Fourth Madam, the kitchen definitely has no such intentions."

Jin Yue'e also understood Lai's mother's thoughts, and she didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and she didn't want to take responsibility, so she just found a perfunctory excuse to dismiss them.

Considering that it was Mrs. Shi who was in charge of the housekeeping, she was holding on to the fault in the kitchen and making a big fuss, which was undoubtedly hitting Mrs. Shi in the face. After thinking about it, Jin Yue'e didn't plan to pursue it any further.

"You are also unintentional, just don't make mistakes in the future."

Mother Lai felt relieved, and quickly said: "No, definitely not next time." As she spoke, she motioned for Mrs. Zhang to lift up the food box, and placed the twelve dishes on the table herself.

"Today is the kitchen's mistake. The four extra dishes should be the kitchen's honor to the fourth master, fourth wife, and young masters and girls."

Shi Zhenghe said suddenly: "Take away the extra vegetables."

Mama Lai was stunned, and looked to Mama Zhang for help.

Ms. Zhang was in a dilemma. She had come to Yigui Courtyard to serve her for so long, and she could see that the fourth master usually didn't express his opinions easily.

Mama Lai was even more disturbed, and just as she was about to order something more, Shi Fuxin said, "Mom, my father told you to take away the dishes, so you broke the rules of the kitchen. I don't want to blame you. I mean, you can leave now."

Seeing this, Lai's mother had no choice but to take away the extra food.

Walking out of Yigui Courtyard, Mrs. Zhang was a little apprehensive: "Old sister, is this matter over?"

Lai's mother looked back at the yard: "It's just eating two less dishes. It would be too much for the fourth master's family to make a fuss over this matter."

Mrs. Zhang nodded: "That's right, it's Grandma and Mrs. Seven who are going to leave the food. They don't dare to come if they think about it."

Mama Lai glared at Mrs. Zhang, and Mrs. Zhang didn't dare to speak immediately: "It's not for us to participate in the affairs of the masters. Today you caused trouble in the kitchen, and you will be punished for washing dishes for a month."

After finishing speaking, he ignored Mrs. Zhang and left.

On the other side, at the dinner table, both Shi Dingxuan and Shi Fuyin were looking at Shi Fuxin.

Shi Fuxin was speechless: "Brother, sister, don't eat well, what do you always watch me do?"

Shi Fuyin: "You have a pretty good temper today, I thought you were going to scold that kitchen lady."

Shi Fuxin smiled: "So what if I scold you? It's not painful, what's the point? It's enough to clarify the problem, warn the kitchen, and tell them not to treat us as fools. The rest. The future will last forever."

Today's incident clearly shows that the kitchen staff is watching the dishes, but in the interior, it reflects the contempt for their family by other masters in the mansion.

No matter how warm and friendly they are on weekdays, they are actually not taken seriously in their bones.

Otherwise, how dare the servant girl openly take away the food from Yigui Courtyard?

"When you are incompetent, pursuing the so-called equal treatment is just a joke. I don't want to be the butt of others' jokes."

Shi Zhenghe silently picked up a chicken leg for Shi Fuyin: "When Dad finds an errand, Dad will buy you delicious food from outside."

He knew very well that it was because he did not stand up in the mansion that his wife and children were treated poorly.

Shi Fuyin smiled brightly: "I just like to eat chicken drumsticks from my father."

Yixiangtang, Mrs. Shi knew about what happened in the kitchen, and she waited until night. She didn't see the second son's family come to look for her, nor did Grandma Shi and Mrs. Shi Qi go to Yiguiyuan to apologize.

"Zhenghe's family is bigger than I imagined, but the rest of the family disappointed me."

She didn't believe Mrs. Shi, Grandma Shi, and Mrs. Shi Qi didn't know about the kitchen, but they didn't do anything.

Nanny An comforted her voice: "Old Madam, the Fourth Master's family has not been back for too long. After a long time, I think other people in the house will slowly accept them."

Mrs. Shi sighed: "Zhenghe's family just came back, and they don't know anything well. It's the time when they need their care and help. At this time, if they take care of them, they will definitely be grateful, but look at the people in the house. How did you do it?"

Saying that, she asked Mother An to go to the storeroom to marry a gold inlaid jade chrysanthemum pearl and shake it out, "Send it to Sister Yin, and tell her that the mansion neglected her birthday today, and give it to her next year."

Entering November, the capital began to snow one after another.

When Mrs. Shi finished handling all the affairs in the mansion, she walked out of the meeting room, and saw snowflakes falling down, and soon, a layer was piled up on the ground.

"Did the fourth master go out today?"

Mother Gu nodded, "It's been snowing for the past two days, but the fourth master still goes out every day." She said, shaking her head, "How can you find a job if you go out like the fourth master? Do you think the capital is a border gate?"

Mrs. Shi frowned. Before her husband saw his fourth brother going out every day, she thought of introducing him to an errand, but it was she who made him dispel the idea.

She did this not because she had a problem with the fourth brother, but because she was thinking about the relationship between the fourth brother's family and the Cai family.

The fourth brother's family is the savior of the Cai family. As long as they are willing to come to the door, the Cai family will definitely welcome them. It will not be easy to find a job by then?

As long as they have contacts with the Cai family, it is equivalent to the relationship between the Bofu and the Cai family.

Climbing to Cai's house is definitely a great thing for the Bo family.

The Cai family is the emperor's uncle's family, as long as the uncle's mansion has contacts with the Cai family, let alone other things, at least it can send a signal to outsiders, and the superiors will not suppress the uncle's mansion anymore.

But after returning to Beijing for so long, the fourth brother's family seemed to know nothing about the Cai family, neither came to the door by themselves, nor told the family.

The father-in-law and mother-in-law didn't ask too much about it.

"Just wait and see."

She didn't believe it anymore, she couldn't find a job all the time, the fourth brother's family could still live in stability, and she couldn't think of a way around.

Yiheyuan.

Shi Zhengde came back from outside patting the snow, and after drinking a bowl of hot tea, he called the porter to ask about Shi Zhenghe: "Did the fourth master go out today? When did you leave? When did you come back?"

Seeing that he cared so much about Shi Zhenghe, Liu Xinyu was surprised: "I didn't expect you to care so much about fourth brother."

Shi Zhengde gave her a blank look: "What do you know, the fourth brother has been looking for errands, but he doesn't think about it, he just came from the border, what kind of errands can he find in the capital?"

"If he can't find a job all the time, if my mother asks him to follow me to take care of the household affairs and know his whereabouts, I can avoid him."

When Liu Xinyu heard this, she suddenly realized, and then said nervously: "Mother will really let the fourth brother take care of the general affairs with you?"

Shi Zhengde shook his head: "I don't think so for the time being, but the fourth brother can't just do nothing all the time." He said, humming, "Big brother is really cruel, after all, he is a compatriot of the same mother, and he really doesn't care at all. in spite of."

"It's not even as good as the old seven. After all, the old seven found a teacher for Wulang. Although that person is not valued in the Qianji Academy, he may still have some ability to become a teacher in the Qianji Academy."

Liu Xinyu also twitched her lips: "My elder brother and sister-in-law are used to hypocrisy, but in fact, they are the most selfish."

Shi Zhengde stood up: "Okay, don't worry about other people's business, I'll go to Aunt Zhou's to sit down."

Seeing her husband go to the concubine's yard again, Liu Xinyu suddenly became angry.

No matter how bad the elder brother and the seventh younger brother are, they respect the main wife the most, but what about the person she marries? The children of concubines are the most in the mansion.

On the fifth day of November, when Shi Fuxin and Shi Fuyin came back from get out of class, as soon as they entered the room, they saw their parents happily sitting on the kang by the window, talking softly about themselves.

"Father, mother, why are you so happy, tell us about it too."

Shi Fuxin smiled and leaned forward.

Jin Yue'e glared at her little daughter, then smiled and said, "Your father has found a job."

Hearing this, Shi Fuxin and Shi Fuyin showed expressions of surprise.

"Father, what job did you find?"

Shi Zhenghe: "During this time, I've been wandering around the inner and outer cities. After much deliberation, I think it's better to eat official meals. The only thing I can rely on to make a living is my martial arts."

"Just after the beginning of winter, theft and robbery cases frequently occurred in central Beijing. The soldiers and horses in Beicheng were short of manpower. They were recruiting Yamen servants, so I went to apply for them."

Shi Fuxin: "Father, do yachas have grades?"

Shi Zhenghe's expression froze, and he shook his head: "Not yet."

Shi Fuyin hurriedly said: "It doesn't matter, Yacha is also an official of the imperial court, and the soldiers and horses are responsible for maintaining the law and order in the capital. Dad's job is very good."

Shi Fuxin also nodded: "That's right, the most important thing is that this job can reveal Dad's strengths."

Shi Zhenghe was taken aback: "What are my strengths?"

Shi Fuxin smiled: "Father, you are so good at martial arts, can a thief escape you if they meet you?"

Shi Zhenghe smiled, he is also very satisfied with this job, mainly because he has hope, as long as he catches more bad guys, there is a possibility of promotion, as long as he has a rank, his wife and children can also hold their heads high in the uncle's house .

Jin Yue'e waited until the father and daughter had finished speaking, and then said, "Should I talk to my father and mother about this?"

Shi Zhenghe nodded: "Let's go, let's go to Yixiang Hall together."

When Shi Zhenghe brought Jin Yue'e and his two daughters to Yixiang Hall, he happened to meet Mrs. Han coming back with Mrs. Shi.

"The old lady is overjoyed, and the eldest girl is overjoyed!"

Miss Shi had been married for three years and hadn't been happy, which made Mrs. Shi and Mrs. Shi worry about her. Now when they heard that Miss Shi was pregnant, both of them were surprised.

Looking at Mrs. Shi who was holding Miss Shi to ask her how she was, Shi Zhenghe didn't find a chance to talk about himself until the end of dinner, so he had to leave to find another opportunity.

Mrs. Shi carefully escorted her daughter out of the house. On the way, the mother and daughter were talking about themselves in a low voice.

"It seems that the previous secret recipe for childbirth is working, no, I'm pregnant."

Miss Shi looked at her mother who was beaming with joy, and shook her head with a smile: "Mother, I am not pregnant because of the secret recipe for childbirth."

Mrs. Shi showed surprise on her face: "No?"

Miss Shi nodded her head: "The medicine is too bitter. It didn't help after drinking it for several months, so I stopped. I didn't expect to get pregnant after not drinking it for several months."

Mrs. Shi was stunned: "What's going on here?"

Miss Shi also didn't understand: "Perhaps it was because the lady who sent the child saw that I was sincere, so she gave the child to me."

Mrs. Shi nodded repeatedly: "It must be like this. After two days, I will go to the temple to burn incense and pray for my grandson."

When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, Mrs. Shi repeatedly told Mrs. Han to take good care of Miss Shi before watching them leave.

After returning to Han's house, Miss Shi had finished washing, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

When Uncle Han reached out to put down the curtain, Miss Shi saw that he was about to take away the purse hanging on the curtain hook, so she hurriedly stopped her: "Don't touch the purse, just hang it like this."

The medicinal fragrance in the purse smells very comfortable.

After hearing this, Mrs. Han laughed and said, "This purse is rough sewn, it's hard for you not to dislike it."

Miss Shi laughed and said, "After all, it's the fourth aunt's wish."

Hearing this, Uncle Han stopped talking and lay down beside his wife to sleep.