allonlinenovel Chapter 230 Afraid of Poverty
Chapter 230 Afraid of Poverty
Chapter 230 Terrified of Poverty
"Miaomiao, why don't you give it a try..."
"Little girl... don't run away..."
Jiang Miaomiao ran ahead, and Liu Yuniang chased after her.
I saw the little girl running forward with her short legs. Don't let her small, chubby appearance fool you, she runs quite fast.
We can't catch up anymore.
Liu Yuniang, panting heavily, took the small stool handed to her by her daughter, sat down, and took a sip of tea.
Looking at her daughter with a frustrated expression, she said, "What's wrong with Miaomiao? How come she doesn't like such a pretty coat?"
Jiang Qiao'er pursed her lips, took the coat and folded it up, saying to her mother, "Miao Miao... doesn't like anything too flashy."
She used to like it, but now she doesn't like flashy clothes anymore, always feeling they're a bit tacky.
Besides, her mother wants Miaomiao to wear it to her wedding banquet; no wonder the little one wouldn't want to wear it.
"Fancy? Don't all little girls like flowers and such? You liked them when you were little too." These days, kids start getting picky as soon as life gets better. Liu Yuniang sighed helplessly.
Jiang Qiao'er: ...
How could she not like it?
Back then, getting a piece of clothing without patches would make you happy for days, let alone one with flowers.
"Mom, Miaomiao will wear this jacket..." but she will never wear it when there are many people around.
The little guy is still very concerned about his image.
Jiang Miaomiao looked at the floral jacket but couldn't bring herself to say no, so she could only run away.
It's fine to wear it at home on a normal day, but forget about it at a banquet. With so many people, you'll easily become the center of attention.
They'll steal the bride's thunder.
Listening to her aunt's incessant chatter, Jiang Miaomiao only felt a sense of liveliness.
Since my aunt and Princess Rong'an returned to the capital, the house has become much quieter.
My mother and aunt were busy running the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, while my brothers continued to go to school every day, regardless of the cold or heat, day after day, year after year.
Studying is not easy, and to have a teacher like Cui Taifu, a renowned scholar and Confucian master, is almost like being favored by heaven.
Therefore, the brothers cherish it very much.
Even the eldest brother, who disliked studying, never dropped out of school and was very diligent.
Studying in ancient times was much more difficult than it is now.
Books are a precious and scarce commodity. People who have the opportunity to read books are usually quite well-off.
For an ordinary family to support a scholar, it would require the combined efforts of the entire family, or even the entire clan.
Once you graduate and become an official, it will bring glory to your family.
So even though their scumbag father didn't repay his uncle's family after becoming an official, they tolerated it and never thought of ruining his reputation.
One very important reason is that they are also indirect beneficiaries.
Once someone passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, their family could be exempted from land tax on fifty to eighty mu of land, as well as from corvée labor and poll tax for two people.
I guess that stingy grandmother thought that the money she owed her eldest uncle's family could be used to pay off the debt.
It's already been paid off.
But that's not how you calculate debts of gratitude.
My uncle and aunt brought two large truckloads of gifts to our home when they came to Jiangzhou this time.
They were all brought by the villagers of Taoxi Village, and they were all homegrown fruits and vegetables, chickens, ducks, ham, cured meat, and the like.
Two large trucks were fully loaded, without any hesitation.
Such gifts are sent in truckloads during holidays and festivals.
Mother and brothers naturally reciprocated.
My mother would find seeds of various fruits and vegetables to take back to my uncle, and my brothers would have my uncle take the books they copied back to the village school for the children.
Then every time my uncle brought something, he would bring not only fruits and melons, but also a box of letters, all of which were letters from the village children to their older brothers.
Some had messy handwriting, some were crooked, some were neat, and some could only write the two characters for "brother".
The eldest and second eldest brothers were going to be amused for days.
So these past few days, even my older brother, who wasn't very happy before, has been smiling like a fool.
The reason why the eldest brother was unhappy was because his godfather, Mu Yunji, had left quietly without taking him with him.
However, he was left with a letter and a sword manual. The letter said that his elder brother was still young and not tall enough, and he needed to be sixteen years old before he could join the army.
Mother stroked her eldest brother's head, "It's alright, practice some more. This sword manual is your godfather's treasure, it must be one of his collection of martial arts secrets. If you practice hard, you'll be able to fight alongside him in three years."
Upon hearing this, the elder brother beamed with joy.
It's not that we don't want him to go, but he's not old enough yet.
Jiang Miaomiao: ……
The eldest brother was easily manipulated by his mother again.
My godfather is a general, so whether I can get in or not is entirely up to him. I may be a bit young, but that doesn't mean I can't get in.
Ultimately, it's because my older brother is still young, and my mother is worried about him.
Not only was her mother worried, but everyone was concerned, especially Princess Rong'an, who secretly spoke to her mother about it in private.
Jiang Miaomiao was also reluctant to let her older brother go. That was no ordinary place; the battlefield was dangerous, with swords and spears flying everywhere.
Little Miaomiao was relieved that her older brother couldn't go.
Actually, that sword manual wasn't a martial arts secret at all. It was drawn by my godfather himself, and it wasn't just random scribbles; it was compiled based on his own learning.
But the older brother cherished it like a treasure and practiced with it every day.
We have guests at home today, so we slaughtered a sheep.
Aunt Xiuxiu cooked herself, and her aunt went to help.
The maids and servants in the kitchen could only stand there helplessly; they never saw a master cook for himself while the servants just stood around.
I'm going to lose my job.
They looked at their master with some trepidation.
"If there's nothing else, you can go help out at Baihuazhai across the street," said Lu Qingyao.
There weren't many servants in the house, and they all had their own duties, but sometimes they would do other things as well.
In my daughter's words, it's like moving bricks wherever there are bricks.
"Sister-in-law, how come you only have so few servants in such a large mansion?" Liu Yuniang asked, puzzled.
She understands why Xiuxiu cooks for herself, and Xiuxiu's cooking is delicious.
But she had seen other ladies surrounded by servants, while her younger brother's wife's family only had so many people, though they seemed very efficient and obedient in their work.
Unlike the others in her family, who are always cheating and shirking their duties.
Lu Qingyao smiled and said, "We're not some wealthy, high-class family. We just live our own lives behind closed doors. There's no need for any fancy gestures. We only have so much work to do at home. It's enough to get by. It's a waste of money to have too many servants, isn't it?"
Therefore, Lu Garden does not support idlers, but the monthly allowance is still very generous.
"Sister-in-law, you don't know, there are many impoverished nobles in the capital who are obsessed with appearances. They have a large number of servants at home, and they even set up gardens to support opera troupes and Buddhist halls to support nuns and monks. In fact, they have long since squandered their wealth and have no substance left."
"Really?" Liu Yuniang's eyes widened, it sounded like something out of a play.
Jiang Miaomiao ate walnuts while listening intently.
She felt that her mother was using this incident to teach her aunt, Qiao, how to manage a household.
Because Sister Qiao had complained about her aunt in front of them, saying that her mother was stingy, greedy for cheap things, and concerned about appearances, so she bought a lot of useless servants.
They are either old, still children, or lazy.
Few of them are truly capable of getting things done.
My uncle dealt with this several times, and his solution was to sell the old stock and buy a new one.
The new food is much better, but we still hear the servants complaining: "Madam can't bear to throw away leftovers, so she reheats them and eats them. But reheating them makes everyone's stomachs upset..."
The lady doesn't like to bathe; she smells bad...
The lady was withholding their monthly pay...
Qiao'er had a terrible headache after hearing this.
Qiao'er knew that her mother was afraid of being poor and was used to being frugal.
She couldn't say anything, she could only tell them: "Madam can do whatever she wants, just go along with her. As for cooking, just cook enough to eat, don't give her a chance to leave leftovers."
She secretly made up for the monthly allowance.
……