Chapter 49

The capital city is densely populated, with bustling prosperity everywhere, which goes without saying. Even this metropolis with a population of nearly a million is one of the most magnificent and splendid cities in the world during this era, but in Xu Hao's eyes, there's nothing particularly outstanding about it; it's just like being in a brand new ancient city.

Late at night, Xu Hao quietly returned to the Xu family residence. No one knew what he had done in the capital, and the whole family was very curious. However, the elders were in a bad mood due to matters at the manor and had no interest in asking him.

The next morning, Xu Qingtang set off for the south with a group of people. Before leaving, he earnestly instructed Xu Hao to take good care of his mother and sisters and to handle external social engagements.

As soon as he left, Lady Wang, the first wife, claimed she was unwell and entrusted the management of the household to Lady Xiao. Lady Xiao did not refuse and gathered all the house managers to give a public lecture, managing the household affairs in an orderly manner.

The garden became more lively with the arrival of Xiao Yushi. The old lady liked this gentle and sensible young girl very much and assigned two maids to serve her. According to the custom for granddaughters, she received two taels of silver as monthly pocket money.

Xu Qinglian and Xu Hongye lived in the Tianxiang Pavilion on the west side of the garden, not far from Xu Hao's Bamboo Garden. The sisters' bedrooms were on the second floor, facing each other. In front of the small building was a spacious quadrangle courtyard, where most of the maids and housekeepers lived in the side rooms. Xiao Yushi and Xu Qinglian ate and slept together, did embroidery, discussed poetry, and traveled around with the sisters. In just a few days, Xiao Yushi became very attached to her considerate cousin.

The two illegitimate daughters of the first wife, Xu Cuiyun and Xu Cuiliu, lived in the Peony Pavilion on the east side of the garden. The size and layout were similar to the Tianxiang Pavilion, but the number of servants was far fewer. Lady Wang used her son's marriage as an excuse and gave each of them two maids and two housekeepers, even cutting their monthly pocket money in half, which caused much resentment among the servants.

The young ladies usually ate either in the old lady's room or with the lady of the house. Sometimes, the main kitchen would send food boxes. Most of the maids ate the leftovers from their masters, while the more important maids could order a few dishes from the kitchen. Most of the servants ate from a communal pot.

During this period, Xu Hao stayed at home. He found it troublesome to run around and, being a boy, got hungry quickly. At night, he wanted to eat some late-night snacks but didn't want to send the little maids to the main kitchen in the dark. Therefore, he discussed with the old lady and Lady Xiao and set up a small kitchen in the Peony Pavilion's courtyard, bringing in two middle-aged cooks.

Thus, a certain proportion of rice, flour, meat, and vegetables were delivered daily, making it convenient for the girls in the garden to have three meals a day. Moreover, Xu Hao was well-liked in the village, and the village manager sent him fresh eggs, duck eggs, wild vegetables, and other delicacies every few days. The girls, being greedy, would finish them all.

This left Xu Hao himself with nothing to eat, which made Qiuxiang very dissatisfied. She always wanted to set some rules to prevent people from asking for food at will. However, Xu Hao didn't take it seriously, thinking that if they wanted to eat, they should eat, as they were all in the growing stage. He didn't want Qiuxiang to make such rules, giving a simple reason: eating wouldn't make the family poor.

Of course, he didn't want anyone to secretly hide things and take them out. He instructed the housekeeper to keep a close eye on the gate. If any family members needed eggs or other items to supplement their health, they should go to the eldest sister, who would handle it appropriately.

Through this benefit, Xu Hao's popularity in the garden increased significantly, and the maids became very close to him.

The loss of silver and grain from the Xu family's manor had a moderate impact on the Xu family. After all, the Xu family was far from the capital, with little interaction with the nobles and officials in the city, and relatively fewer expenses for social obligations. Most of the distant relatives and old friends were in Fengyang, so the burden from the clan was not significant.

The Xu family was basically self-sufficient in food and clothing, and other expenses had doubled. The money and goods needed for Xu Wen's marriage had been prepared long ago. The most pressing issue now was the dowries for the girls, but with some effort, they could manage. Not everyone would marry into the royal family, and there were age gaps. In fact, a dowry of over a thousand taels of silver was already quite generous.

From this perspective, there wouldn't be any major problems at home in the short term. In the long run, the family's resources would gradually be depleted, and annual fixed income would decrease. After deducting various expenses, Xu Hao didn't know how much silver would be left, and there might even be a deficit. He could only hope that his stepfather would have some gains this time.

Buying too much land could invite criticism, as good land couldn't be hidden. The best way was to engage in secret business. Xu Hao had an idea to set up a business in Suzhou and Hangzhou, with branches in the capital and Beiping, thus transporting goods from the south to the north and vice versa.

He needed to carefully select a chief manager and some trustworthy family members to escort the cargo ships. As for the accountants and clerks, he could hire experienced outsiders.

Xu Hao didn't plan to become a prominent merchant. The fate of Shen Wansan was a warning that being as rich as a country wasn't a good thing in ancient times.

Setting up a business would take time, and Xu Hao didn't have the money. He decided to follow the plan step by step, as rushing wouldn't help.

As for the current worries at home, they were the responsibility of the elders. He believed his parents were better at calculating than he was.

"Clouds cover the moon on the 15th of August, and snow covers the lanterns on the 15th of the first month." On the 14th of the first month, a heavy snow fell, covering the capital and the countryside like a blanket of clouds and jade. The pavilions and terraces were all dressed in silver, and the trees were covered with layers of ice, like crystal umbrellas.

Xu Hao, wearing a dark blue fur-lined cloak, stood at the gate, watching the boys build a lantern tower and a sea turtle mountain. The sea turtle mountain was a large firework frame, filled with various fireworks and firecrackers, shaped like a large turtle, about two people tall.

Compared to the huge sea turtle mountains in the capital, which looked like small mountains, the Xu family's was a miniature toy, costing no more than fifty taels of silver. However, it was the largest in the entire Xiao family village. It was said that the sea turtle mountains in the capital cost at least a thousand taels of silver, with the largest one exceeding ten thousand taels of silver. When lit, the dazzling fireworks covered the sky, causing a sensation in the entire capital.

However, a few days later, the officials who initiated this were beheaded by the frugal Zhu Yuanzhang, a classic case of flattery backfiring.

Xu Hao smiled as he walked from house to house, seeing different styles of lanterns hanging in every household, all very beautiful. Wealthier families, like the Xu family, had lantern towers and sea turtle mountains in front of their doors. One could imagine the magnificent scene of the capital city, with lights everywhere.

The doors were open, and the outer hall was prepared with snacks and tea for women to rest and socialize. Familiar female guests were invited to the inner quarters.

"I wonder if my mother will come out for a walk this year. With so many things to do, she probably doesn't have the leisure."

Xu Hao watched and thought to himself. Seeing that the construction was almost complete, he instructed the head housekeeper, Wang Fu, "Uncle Wang, send people to guard it. If any mischievous child lights it secretly, be careful to prevent the fire from spreading and don't burn down the neighbors' houses."

"Rest assured, Third Young Master," the sixty-something Wang Fu smiled and nodded. He was a distant relative of Lady Wang, loyal and honest. After the old lady's trusted head housekeeper died, he was appointed as the head housekeeper and had been in the position for almost twenty years.

Due to Xu Qingtang and his wife taking charge of the household affairs, Xu Hao's mother's trusted manager, Old Li, was recently promoted to the second housekeeper. Qiuxiang's status in the inner quarters rose with her grandfather's promotion, and the little maids vied to curry favor with her.

Lady Liu, the third wife, did not want to be left behind and replaced the third housekeeper with her trusted family member, Liu Wusi. The old lady seemed to have no reaction. According to Xu Hao's guess, Wang Fu was likely already the old lady's person.

Walking into the gate with Lai Bao, the master and servant walked for a while. Suddenly, Lai Bao asked, "Are we really not going into the city tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Hao looked at him and saw Lai Bao's face turn red as he smiled and said, "I want to secretly take Qiuxiang into the city to see the lantern festival. I hope the young master will help me."

Xu Hao was surprised and said, "Didn't you dislike Qiuxiang? Oh, now that her grandfather is a housekeeper, you're thinking of currying favor? Don't dream about it. If I let you take Qiuxiang out, wouldn't I be taking the blame for you? Don't even think about it."

"Don't, please," Lai Bao followed behind Xu Hao, pleading, "Qiuxiang and I are not young anymore. My parents plan to ask the lady to betroth her to me next year. Since we will get married eventually, please do me this favor."

Xu Hao stopped and shook his head, "Qiuxiang will make her own decisions. Go back and tell your parents that I will protect the people in my house. Asking the lady won't work, even if the old lady agrees, it won't happen."

Lai Bao became anxious and stubbornly said, "Marriages have always been decided by elders. Why are you stopping it?"

"This is my territory, and I make the rules. We'll see about that," Xu Hao smiled confidently and walked toward the inner quarters with his hands behind his back.

Lai Bao stood in the snow, squinting his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Could it be that he likes Qiuxiang? I need to tell my mother."