Chapter 9

At Fushoutang,

Lady Wang, the first wife, brought her biological daughter Xu Cuitaoh and her two daughters from a different mother to pay respects to the old matriarch. As soon as they entered, they noticed that Lady Liu, the second wife, was already there. Seeing Lady Liu's smug face, Lady Wang felt extremely uncomfortable.

Everyone in the room stood up to greet them, and Lady Liu also nodded and smiled warmly.

In front of the old matriarch, Lady Wang naturally approached warmly and said, "I have come to pay my respects, Mother, and to congratulate my sister. I heard that her third uncle has been appointed by the court to serve as a magistrate in the north. The north is cold and snowy for half the year, which is quite worrying. Fortunately, I still have a few fine fur coats at home, originally intended for the children. Now, I will give them to Third Uncle as a farewell gift. I will have someone deliver them to you later."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law, I will accept the gifts," Lady Liu smiled and sighed. "It's a matter of necessity. It was the fourth uncle from the other side of the family who made great efforts behind the scenes. After all, serving under the Yan Prince's watchful eye, the family can look out for each other. This is all thanks to the old matriarch's blessings. The Yan Prince's wife, my elder sister, has written to Mother, promising to take good care of him."

The old matriarch chuckled and said, "It's commendable that the Princess still thinks of me. Sigh, among all the children in our Xu family, your elder sister is the most well-mannered and intelligent, and she is also very beautiful. She has always been praised by the elders. When your second uncle was away on military campaigns, and your aunt was unwell, the young Princess managed everything inside and outside the household. It was thanks to her that the household was well-organized, and everyone praised her. Sigh, it's a pity that she is far away in the north with the Yan Prince, and we can't see her often. When you go back, remind the third uncle to visit the Yan Prince's household as soon as he takes office, and to visit often, whether there's something or not."

"Yes," Lady Liu replied, smiling. "Mother, there's no need to be sad. Every year, my elder sister returns to the capital with the Yan Prince for a family reunion. It's already August, and in a few months, we will see her again."

"Hmm," the old matriarch smiled. "I have no daughters, but your second grandfather's three daughters are like my own. At first, I and your second grandfather and grandmother were always thinking of them, but gradually, I lost that sentiment. Not seeing them is better than seeing them."

Lady Liu and Lady Wang both smiled in understanding. Xu Cuitaoh, seeing this, asked in confusion, "Why?"

Lady Wang smiled and replied, "Why else? Your three aunts are all princesses. When they return home for a visit, even your second grandfather and grandmother have to perform grand ceremonies before they can reunite with the family. Moreover, the royal court has countless rules, and each visit exhausts the entire family. In the long run, it's less stressful not to see them."

"Oh, I see. That's why the aunts haven't come home in recent years," Xu Cuitaoh and her sisters all realized.

The old matriarch nodded and said, "Your aunts are considerate of the elders, and there are other reasons as well, which are not suitable to explain to you children. Just live your lives peacefully."

"Mother is right," Lady Liu looked outside and said, "Why hasn't the second sister-in-law come yet? She must be troubled by some trivial matters."

Lady Wang seized the opportunity to laugh and say, "We are all one family, but she is always so competitive and unwilling to yield. Why bother?"

The old matriarch smiled but said nothing. However, her confidant, Old Lady Xu, suddenly said, "Perhaps the two ladies have guessed wrong. Last night, the second lady informed the matriarch of some good news. The second master and the third master have opened a silk shop together, which can earn two thousand taels of silver a year."

"What, is that true?" Lady Wang's heart tightened, and she felt uneasy.

To say that the eldest branch has always been the most affluent, but Lady Wang, from a humble background, and her husband, a military man, were not good at managing finances. Over the years, apart from secretly purchasing a hundred acres of good land, the couple spent a lot on maintaining their social status and on the numerous relatives. They had little savings.

Moreover, in recent years, there were no wars, and Xu Yaoyu did not want to be a hereditary military leader in the border region. Apart from serving as a general in the Wei Guogong household and receiving a salary, he was essentially idle at home.

Lady Wang had always been proud that most of the family's wealth was earned by her husband, and her in-laws were meritorious nobles, giving her a sense of superiority over her sisters-in-law.

Now, suddenly, the third uncle became a magistrate, and the third branch was thriving. Lady Liu, who used to be subservient, now treated her as an equal, which was already infuriating.

To make matters worse, the usually low-key second branch had quietly opened a silk shop. Although she didn't understand much about business, she knew that opening a silk shop required a large capital investment, far more than a simple grocery store. Just the transportation alone would be a significant challenge, with numerous checkpoints along the way.

Is the second branch going to surpass me? Lady Wang felt that the looks people were giving her were no longer filled with respect but with ridicule and sarcasm.

Lady Liu's reaction was different. She immediately asked, puzzled, "Where did the second master get so much silver? I didn't hear any rumors beforehand."

Old Lady Xu shook her head and said, "I don't know."

Lady Wang exclaimed, "Could it be that the second couple embezzled funds?"

Lady Liu inwardly sneered and glanced at her sister-in-law with disdain, thinking that if that were true, the second sister-in-law would have gone mad to come and tell the old matriarch. She was foolish.

"Don't speak nonsense," the old matriarch looked at the two women and said slowly, "The second sister-in-law is very shrewd. Over the years, she has saved a thousand or so taels of silver by being frugal. Think about it, Hao Ge, Qing Lian, and Hong Ye only have one maid each, and she manages them strictly. The three children and the second master never spend money recklessly. In contrast, who in your households doesn't have a large entourage and spends lavishly? The second sister-in-law borrowed another thousand taels from various sources and pawned her dowry to raise the five thousand taels needed for the capital. You should all learn from her. Sigh, you don't know the value of money until you manage a household. One day, when I am gone, you will have to manage the family's affairs. Don't let the family decline."

"Yes," Lady Wang and Lady Liu quickly stood up to apologize. Lady Wang felt a burning sensation on her face, as if the old matriarch was speaking directly to her. Lady Liu, however, was in high spirits and did not pay much attention to the old matriarch's words, treating them as a passing breeze.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard outside, "The second lady has arrived."

Everyone in the room looked up, and they saw Lady Xiao, dressed in plain clothes, enter with a smile. "What interesting topic are you discussing? Poor things, it's so hot, and the courtyard is full of young maids. Old matriarch, please be merciful and quickly choose the candidates, or some of them will faint."

Lady Wang grunted and lowered her gaze. Lady Liu, however, smiled insincerely and said, "Oh, Second Sister-in-law, you are so important that we couldn't make a decision without you. Who doesn't know that you are now the family's biggest financier?"

"This is not right. I admit I was late. Please forgive me," Lady Xiao smiled and bowed to the old matriarch.

The old matriarch said irritably, "You are the one who filed the complaint first. If it weren't for waiting for you, those poor girls wouldn't have stood for so long. Alright, let the managers responsible for this come in."

Four elderly women then entered the room, standing with their hands down. Xu Hao, who had come in with his mother, was seeing this for the first time and mixed in with his brothers, looking curious.

However, the old matriarch, despite her age, had sharp eyes. She pointed at her grandsons who were eagerly waiting and frowned, "This is a woman's matter. What are you men doing here? Get out."

Xu Wen and the others immediately scurried out, causing most of the women in the room to laugh. However, Xu Hao not only did not feel embarrassed but said, "One doesn't learn without experiencing things. Unless you are going to strip and examine them in public, why should I leave?"

"Ah!" The old matriarch, who had never seen Xu Hao challenge her openly, found it interesting and said, "With so many girls in front of you, aren't you embarrassed?"

Xu Hao stood tall and said loudly, "I am a man, why should I be afraid of them?"

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