Chapter 68

Hongye leaned on the table, supporting her small head with one hand, while the other hand held a brush, making strokes on the paper. Xu Hao, intending to train his younger sister, was about to leave.

Suddenly, Hongye said, "Brother, can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Xu Hao turned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hongye replied, "Sister asked me to sleep in Lüzhu's room and give the bedroom to the two Wang sisters, but I don't want to sleep with Lüzhu. Last night, she ground her teeth and talked in her sleep, which was really annoying."

"Ha!" Xu Hao immediately thought of his cousin Xiao Yuying's habits; she didn't like sharing a bed with others, and the two pampered Wang sisters were probably the same. So he said, "Why don't you and Elder Sister and Yuying stay in my room temporarily, and let the guests stay in Tianxiang Pavilion? I'll go stay with Mother for a few days."

Hongye said, "Elder Sister and Yuying have already moved over, and I don't want to see Cousin's face, so Elder Sister asked me to go to Lüzhu's room."

It was like that. The second floor of Tianxiang Pavilion had three bedrooms, just enough for the three guests. Xu Hao laughed and said, "You don't want to stay there, so you can sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep in the study."

Satisfied, Hongye unceremoniously took over the bed, but she didn't forget to give her brother a sweet smile before lowering her head to think about her own matters. Xu Hao shook his head helplessly, suddenly remembering Qiuxiang's illness. He didn't feel anything was wrong, so he had let Qiuxiang sleep in the outer room. Now that his younger sister and a few maids were moving in, he would have to move Qiuxiang to the side room.

He walked through the corridor to the outer hall and saw Qingwen carrying several gift boxes coming in. Xu Hao stopped and asked, "Who sent these?"

Qingwen pouted and said, "Who else? Naturally, it's those mothers who are thinking of good things. With Sister Zhulan coming here, half of the old lady's maids are gone. Who can sit still?"

Xu Hao asked curiously, "Why are they sending gifts to me? Why not go to the ladies?"

Qingwen suddenly realized, "You weren't home today, so you didn't know! This morning, the First Lady was scolded by the old lady for spending too much money, and even the monthly allowance couldn't be paid this month. The monthly allowance for the main house will be halved until the deficit is made up. So, those mothers are thinking of sending their daughters to be maids in the old lady's room, earning twelve taels of silver a year."

"That's not right!" Xu Hao frowned. He had already ordered the accounts to be sealed and prepared enough copper coins to pay the monthly allowance for the whole family, and he had told his mother. She couldn't have said anything, so how did it suddenly reach the old lady's ears?

The old lady hadn't been involved in household affairs for a long time. Even more serious matters in the past hadn't been mentioned. Why did she suddenly flare up without any warning? It must be that someone had secretly reported it. In such a large family, there was no wall that didn't leak.

The informant was likely one of the three accountants, or they had told someone else! Xu Hao understood. Apart from Lady Liu, he couldn't think of anyone else who would be so idle.

Regardless, Xu Hao didn't plan to investigate the matter. However, it did remind him to be open and honest, and not to fear the machinations of small people if his heart was pure.

Xu Hao immediately ordered the gifts to be returned, then went to check on Qiuxiang's condition. After taking the medicine and lying down for two days, she had broken out in a sweat and was basically fine. After giving some instructions, he headed straight for Fushou Residence. When he entered, he saw his mother and Lady Liu and the other concubines accompanying the old lady.

The old lady seemed to still be angry, her face cold as the women tried to flatter her. When she saw Xu Hao walk in, she immediately smiled.

Xiao Shi, dissatisfied, said, "We've been flattering you for so long, and it turns out you prefer your precious grandson? Your heart is too biased. Let's go, we'll leave, and in the future, let Hao stay with you."

"Go, all of you, I don't need you." The old lady smiled and beckoned to Xu Hao, "Hao, you've made your grandmother proud. Who else should I favor? But you're too kind, hiding such a big matter from me. That's not good."

Lady Liu subtly sneered, thinking that the third son was becoming more and more favored. She needed to call her son back quickly, or else the old lady would forget about him.

"I know I was wrong," Xu Hao said. He knew why, and he didn't want to speak well of his mother-in-law. He walked up and said straightforwardly, "A few days ago, Brother Zhu helped me get a government contract for a hotel. I thought of transferring it to my sister and Hongye to manage. It can serve as their dowry when they get married, so they won't have to rely on their husbands for money. It's also my way of showing my affection as a brother. What do you think, Grandmother?"

Xiao Shi and the other concubines were stunned, and Lady Liu quickly said, "How can that be? The business is yours and belongs to our family. Even if you want to help your sisters, you can give them more dowry. How can you give away your own business to outsiders?"

Xu Hao was a bit unhappy but said humbly, "You're right, but I've already promised Hongye, and I don't want to break my word to her."

Lady Liu said dismissively, "Once Hongye marries, she'll belong to her husband's family. Even brothers and sisters should be clear about accounts! Third Son, you're too kind. Let Auntie do the dirty work for you. Qinglian is sensible and can be persuaded. As for Hongye, she's stubborn, but as her elder, I can't believe she won't listen to reason."

The old lady was also surprised, thought for a moment, and nodded with a smile, "Your aunt is right. Our family isn't rich, but we don't covet your business. You want to use the hotel to support your sisters in their husbands' homes, but you don't know that once they find out, they might take it over. Such people are unreasonable and might even accuse us of causing trouble in their homes."

"Exactly," Lady Liu, seeing the old lady agree with her, was invigorated and immediately began to plan, "I suggest giving half of the hotel to your sisters. The rest of the profits can be kept at home. When they need money, they can send someone to ask, and we'll secretly send the money to them. Isn't that a win-win? What do you think, Mother?"

The old lady smiled and nodded, and Xu Hao had to admit that his aunt was more thoughtful than he was. He wasn't selfish and immediately responded, "Then the other half can be divided among the other sisters. Second Sister is in the Prince's Palace and won't lack money, but Lüzhu and the others can be included."

Lady Liu, seeing Xu Hao's generosity, was deeply moved. This might seem like a small matter, but it already showed that the third son had a better vision and broader mind than his peers. At such a young age, he was already thinking about his sisters' futures, showing how thoughtful he was. By openly telling his elders, he showed his integrity and eliminated any worries. His quick acceptance of her advice and his ability to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one, without offending any of the elders, showed his diplomatic skills.

Most importantly, he wasn't greedy for material things. It wasn't that he disliked money, but he clearly knew that a single hotel was nothing to him. His idea to purchase ancestral property showed that he had the means to become wealthy.

Indeed, among the four brothers, only he had quietly befriended the Prince of Yan's heir, easily securing his future. The third son was not an ordinary person, and he couldn't afford to offend him in the future.

Thinking of this, Lady Liu was relieved that she had reported on her sister-in-law earlier and had changed her mind due to the old lady's praise. Otherwise, she would have offended both her sister-in-law and her seemingly promising nephew, which could have had serious consequences.

With this in mind, Lady Liu quickly said, "It's hard for Hao to think of his sisters. I'll thank you on their behalf. Your uncle sent back some fine furs. I'll sew you some new clothes and a cloak, and have your sister deliver them to you. Your old sable cloak has been worn for years and is already old. You can give it to someone else."

Xiao Shi, surprised, thought, "What's going on? My usually frugal sister-in-law is suddenly so generous. Could she really be moved by her son's actions?"

Xu Hao smiled and nodded in thanks, then said to the old lady, "Grandmother, you're short of maids. Shouldn't we replenish them?"

"That's what we were just talking about. It's thanks to your filial piety that you remembered," Xiao Shi quickly said, gently massaging the old lady's back. "Your kindness in saving money is appreciated, but can our family really be impoverished by four maids? If we say that, won't people outside laugh at us for being stingy with our parents? And what about the rest of the family? You just added maids, and now you want to dismiss them all? What kind of message does that send?"

"Exactly," Lady Liu immediately added, "Mother, you're kind and experienced. You know that reducing the number of maids means fewer opportunities for girls. They'll either marry into poor families or beg their sisters-in-law to sell them as maids. Otherwise, they'll be an extra mouth to feed, and the whole family will suffer. We know we were wrong and will be more frugal in the future. Please relent."

Xu Hao also said, "Grandmother, rest assured. Uncle and Third Uncle are officials, and I will help Father manage the family business. Our family will surely prosper."

Finally, the old lady, with mixed feelings, sighed, "Well, well, since you all understand, what do I have to worry about? Tomorrow, we'll replenish the maids as usual."