Yunchu had just returned to the Xie Mansion.
The old lady's side Zhou mama then invited her to Anshou Hall.
Old Mrs. Xie sat in the main seat, and at the bottom sat Xie Ping, the eldest young lady of the Xie House.
"There you are." The old lady spoke in a faint voice, "Sit down first."
Yunchu sat down, and mom Zhou served tea.
She tasted it, it was the same tea that the Emperor had rewarded the Yun family with a few years ago, her mother had had it sent to her, while she had paid her respects to the old lady.
The old lady had been hiding it for years before she was willing to take it out and drink it.
She put down her tea, "I wonder what the old lady wants me for?"
"Chu'er, Granny Li, who manages the yard, said that the entire yard will be planted with date palms this year?" The old lady speaks faintly, "Is this what you mean?"
Yunchu nodded, "I ordered it down."
"Mother!" Xie Ping couldn't help but open her mouth, "Our family holds a flower-appreciation banquet every spring, and if we plant jujube trees this year, won't the flower-appreciation banquet not be held?"
Old Mrs. Xie frowned.
In the face of a first-class general's first daughter, the annual flower-appreciation banquet has a lot of big families of the wife of the thousand gold to come to join in the fun.
For this year's Flower Appreciation Banquet, she had privately prepared a lot, but now, with the flowers gone, what kind of banquet was there?
It's hard not to enjoy date palms. Wouldn't that be a joke?
But within her heart, Yun Chu was not a person who did things without rules, she slowed down her tone and said, "Chou Er, why is this?"
"Our Xie family has so many masters and so many subordinates, does old madam know how much silver is spent in a day?" Yun Chu sighed, "More out, less in, if we don't cut back on spending, we won't be able to live these days any longer. The reason why I let Mrs. Li plant jujube trees is because they are cheap and easy to feed, and you don't have to change the flowers when the seasons change in the future, so you can save five to six hundred silver taels a year. Furthermore, when the jujube fruits are hung, they can also be sold, which counts as an income."
The old lady was astonished, "Those few stores of our Xie family do extremely good business, how could they possibly enter less?"
Xie Ping followed, "The Xie family's powder store is one of the best in Gui Hua Alley, and the shopkeeper says it can earn more than a thousand taels of silver a year, so how come it can't even afford to plant flowers?"
"More than one thousand two silver ..." Yunchu laughed, "Ping sister, you are not home do not know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt, more than one thousand two silver silver even the Xie family can not support a month of life, where there is still free money to plant flowers? If I hadn't filled in the dowry, how could the flower-appreciation banquet last year have been as lively as it was the year before last?"
Xie Ping said incredulously, "Mother used her own dowry to make up for the empty Xie family?"
The old lady heavily put down her teacup, "That's impossible, it's impossible for my Xie family to use my daughter-in-law's dowry, Chu'er, there are some things you can't talk nonsense about."
They are a bookish family, and they are extremely cheeky. If this gets out, how will Jingyu be able to make a name for himself in the official world?
Yunchu raised her hand, "Listen to Frost, the ledger."
Hearing Frost hastily presented the various books that had been organized long ago.
"This is Xie Fu's account book, every month's expenses and incomings are clearly written." She asked Listening Frost to place the account book in front of the old lady's desk, "Every month is more outgoing and less incoming, for fear that the old lady will worry about these common affairs, I have not said anything. Today is a rush of words, rather than being questioned, it's better to spread it out and make it clear."
The old lady has been inculcated to read only the Four Books and the Five Classics, and does not understand these things in business very well.
As for Xie Ping, a thirteen year old girl with no one to teach her, she naturally knows nothing.
"Let An Ge'er come." The old lady spoke up, "Mister said that An Ge'er is very good at planning things, so let him come and look at the family's books."
Using a daughter-in-law's dowry is a very humiliating thing, and you can't just say whatever Yunchu says.
Since they can't read it, let's invite someone who can.
Mother Zhou led the order and immediately went to the shrine to invite someone.
Xie Shi'an was still kneeling at the shrine, and there was nothing much going on around him, so he soon followed.
Along the way he had realized what was going on, and after coming over and greeting his elders, he picked up the ledger and looked at it quickly.
"Our Xie family, indeed, is unable to make ends meet ..." Xie Shian said in a slow voice, "Last year, a total of five thousand six hundred taels of silver, but the cost is as high as thirteen thousand taels of silver."
Old Mrs. Xie's entire body was shocked, "How could it be so much worse?"
Yunchu might have lied to her, but not Angele.
Xie Shi'an took the ledger and said, "The Xie family only has the income from the stores, father's salary, and the manor on the outskirts of the capital, none of this silver is on the books."
Old Mrs. Xie didn't say anything because it was the truth and she had no way to argue.
Listening to the wind standing behind Yun Chu, muttered softly, "The silver of the master and the adults should be confiscated account is right, how instead it seems like our lady a foreigner dowry confiscated public ..."
Her voice was low, but those present still heard her clearly.
Without waiting for the old lady to speak, Yun Chu directly stood up.
She walked to the center, slightly curtsied: "From the time I married into the Xie family, no matter whether it is to serve the elders, or to teach the children, no matter whether it is to help my husband to make connections, or to manage the Xie family's large and small common affairs, I ask that I do not have any wrongdoings. Now in order to save some expenses to plant jujube trees, but suffered so much interrogation ... old lady, the first child's talent is limited, this right to manage the house is handed back to you today."
Hearing Frost stepped forward and placed the box containing the pair of cards in front of the old lady.
The old lady frowned.
In the earliest days, there were only seven or eight maids and maids-in-law in the Xie family, and it was quite easy for her to manage.
But now, the grandson is an official, the Xie family is large, such a large mansion, so many people, it is not a simple thing to manage.
"Chor, you're overly concerned." The old lady has various thoughts in her mind, but on her face, she is very loving, pulling over Yun Chu's hand, saying in a serious tone, "In these four to five years, it is because of you that our Xie family is getting better and better, and you are a great contributor to our Xie family. Today this matter is grandmother is abrupt, grandmother to apologize to you, you also do not say angry words."
"Old madam, I didn't speak in anger." Yun Chu lowered her head, "An Ge'er read the account book, he should know what kind of situation the Xie family is in nowadays, if I continue to manage the house, sooner or later the dowry will be emptied out, and at that time I will have to go back to the Yun family to find my mother to get the silver, the old lady should not want to make a fuss about it to the Yun family either."
Old Mrs. Xie was a little embarrassed.
If you let the cloud family know that the Xie family has used the dowry of the cloud primordial, the consequences ... are light and no longer promote the Xie family members, and the heavy is on the zhangzhu impeachment.
It took three generations for the Xie family to make it to the capital, and nothing must go wrong.
Thinking about this, the old lady spoke, "Ange'er, calculate how much dowry your mother has filled in over the years."
Xie Shian had someone bring an abacus, crackling, and counted it out in a short while, "A total of twenty-one thousand two hundred and thirty-five taels."
Old Mrs. Xie's heart ached.
But she knew very well that the money she could no longer spare had to be made up.
The only thing that made her glad was that her granddaughter-in-law was devoted to her children, and sooner or later the money would come back to the Xie family.
She waved her hand, and behind her, Mama Zhou led the way, going into the inner room to bring out a thick stack of silver tickets.