Leaving Madame Gu's place, Qin Liusi returned to her house with Qihuang. As soon as she entered, her face darkened. It had only been a few days, yet so many distressing events had occurred.
"I don't see many more servants in the house. Did Uncle Li bring anyone?" Qin Liusi poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip to moisten her throat, then asked Qihuang.
Qihuang replied, "You gave the orders, how could they not be carried out? The servants have arrived. Madam made the decisions, and only signed up for one wet nurse and two rough maids."
Qin Liusi was surprised. "Two?"
Qihuang nodded. "Aunt Li is still in charge of the kitchen, and the two rough maids are responsible for general chores and washing. As for Little Xuer, Madam assigned her to the inner courtyard, preparing her to be a maid, but not specifically for one master."
Seeing Qin Liusi's frown, Qihuang reminded her, "Miss, the Qin family is different now, especially after the confiscation. Money is needed everywhere, and Madam wouldn't dare to have as many servants as before. You've also seen today's meals. Without money, we can only tighten our belts. Otherwise, how could Madam and the others behave like this?"
Qin Liusi narrowed her eyes. "I feel like you're trying to remind me of something."
Qihuang remained composed. "There's hardly any money left in the accounts. Uncle Li will soon come to discuss this matter with you."
In other words, it was time to get to work!
Qin Liusi's scalp tightened. If there was hardly any money left, did that mean she couldn't afford to procrastinate anymore?
"That's impossible. What about the savings I had before? You remember, right?" She had saved up some money one way or another in the past. It couldn't have disappeared so quickly.
Qihuang produced a ledger and a small abacus from somewhere and began to calculate. "Allow me to remind you, you've been lazy and refused to take on any work. Moreover, you've been hiding things. It's not nothing. Also, from time to time, you've been purchasing medicinal ingredients from Changsheng Hall. I remember last month, you bought a hundred-year-old ginseng. Oh, it was used in medicine, and you received five taels from Master Zhong on West Street. But that ginseng cost two thousand taels."
Qin Liusi's lips twitched. Did she have such extravagant spending habits?
Qihuang chuckled, a smile that said, "Not only do you indulge, but you do so frequently!"
Her young miss, often perceived as indifferent and aloof, had the softest heart. She treated patients based on their merits, their fate, and their karma. If someone was utterly reprehensible, she wouldn't save them even if they offered her a ton of gold. She'd even say, "Early death leads to early reincarnation." But if someone was poor and kind, she would not only save them for free but also provide assistance.
So, even if she had saved money before, it wouldn't stand up to her spending. It was simply that she was too generous.
With this generous approach, combined with her laziness and lack of income, even if she had millions, she'd still spend it all.
Qin Liusi rubbed her nose and asked, "How much money is left in the account?"
Qihuang flipped through the ledger and said, "There's only one thousand taels left. Oh, and Chenpi said that Changsheng Hall has received a new batch of medicinal ingredients. I heard they have the wind spirit flower you've been wanting for a long time."
Qin Liusi's eyes lit up.
Seeing her mistress's bright eyes, Qihuang poured a bucket of cold water mercilessly, "Miss, we have no money left."
Qin Liusi waved her hand. "I know, I know. Tomorrow, after Aunt San washes the twins, we'll go to the Daoist temple. Also, have Chenpi go to Changsheng Hall and have the shopkeeper set aside the wind spirit flower for us."
Qihuang nodded, about to speak, when they heard Madame Wang's familiar voice outside.
"Is Xier inside?"