Chapter 295: It Is the Same
The cart stopped. Li Jinzhu lifted the curtain and her eyes first fell upon two wheelbarrows blocking the entrance. The wheelbarrows didn’t hold much, and a young wife sat in one of them, nursing her child.
The young man driving the cart, from the Li Clan, recognized the young wife at a glance. He turned back and said to Li Jinzhu, “It’s Mei Jie’s nephew’s wife, Liang Dasaozi.”
Li Jinzhu quickly jumped off the cart. Li Yuzhu followed closely behind.
Liang Dasaozi had already seen the Li Jinzhu sisters and quickly stretched her head out, shouting, “Mother! The owner is back!”
Li Jinzhu had already hurried across the threshold.
Behind the screen wall, Mei Jie’s brother and sister-in-law, her younger brother and his wife, her nephews and nieces, and several older grandnephews were crowded together.
Mei Jie spread her legs apart, gripped the mop with both hands, and blocked the second gate, guarding it with a fierce gaze. Seeing Li Jinzhu, she let out a long sigh of relief and plopped down on the threshold.
Seeing Mei Jie so frightened, Li Jinzhu became a little angry and asked, “What are you all doing?”
“Owner, owner,” Mei Jie’s brother said with a smile, “The owner is now an official. It’s definitely not enough to have just Mei alone serving. My wife and I, no, no, Mei’s sister-in-law and I discussed it and came over. Our own people are always better than outsiders.”
“Did Tang Weng Weng know you were coming?” Li Jinzhu immediately understood and asked with a cold face.
“No matter how much Tang Weng Weng does, he can’t control the owner,” Mei Jie’s brother said, pulling his eldest son over. “Quickly kowtow to the owner!”
“Da Yan, go invite Tang Weng Weng over,” Li Jinzhu called out loudly.
Leaning against the doorframe, craning his neck to watch the excitement, Da Yan excitedly replied, “Aye!” He tied the mule to the hitching post and ran like the wind to fetch Li Shikuan.
Mei Jie’s brother looked a little flustered. “Owner, owner, this is a family matter. Look, since we’re here, everyone is here, the whole family is here. You can’t do this. We’re family, right, Mei?”
Mei Jie glared at her brother and spat fiercely, “I never knew you were so shameless before!”
“Mei Jie, go inside and boil some water to prepare tea. Tang Weng Weng will be here soon,” Li Yuzhu said, standing beside Mei Jie.
“Okay, here, take this,” Mei Jie shoved the mop into Li Yuzhu’s hand and turned to go inside.
“I’ll go help! Mei can’t possibly manage alone,” Mei Jie’s sister-in-law stepped forward, about to push past Li Yuzhu.
“I wouldn’t dare. Sister-in-law, please wait outside,” Li Yuzhu blocked Mei Jie’s sister-in-law.
Li Shikuan’s house was very close and he arrived shortly. Standing outside the threshold, he looked at Mei Jie’s brother and sister-in-law, her brother and his wife, and two large families crowded in the courtyard, his face stern. “All of you, get out and go back immediately!”
“I thought Mei couldn’t manage alone, and now she’s an official,” Mei Jie’s brother explained vaguely, sidestepping Li Shikuan.
“Go back now! You are not allowed to stop on the way, nor are you allowed to delay. When you get back to Li Family Market, you and your wife, and you and your wife! Go kneel in the ancestral hall! Shameless!” Li Shikuan was truly furious.
Seeing Li Shikuan’s anger, Mei Jie’s brother and sister-in-law retreated in a panic, quickly gathered the children onto the wheelbarrows, and pushed them away, walking and running.
“Tang Weng Weng, please come in for a cup of tea,” Li Jinzhu invited Li Shikuan inside.
Li Shikuan followed Li Jinzhu into the second gate but didn’t go further in. He sat under the corridor and discussed with Li Jinzhu, “Regarding the matter of hiring people for your household, I wanted to discuss it with you. Originally, I thought of selecting some sensible and dutiful people from the clan to send over, but Master Hong and Master He both said that using clan members is not suitable. What do you think? Should we buy some young girls to train, or buy experienced ones from the real estate agency?”
Li Jinzhu looked at Li Yuzhu. Li Yuzhu shook her head, “I don’t need anyone to serve me.”
“Mei is enough for the household. I don’t need to add anyone here,” Li Jinzhu said to Li Shikuan.
Li Shikuan hesitated for a moment. “Master He said the imperial grant decree should arrive around the Spring Festival. By then, you will have an official position. If you don’t have anyone to serve you, I’m not sure if there are any rules regarding propriety.”
“Master He said someone needs to serve? How many people?” Li Jinzhu asked with a frown.
“He didn’t say. Master He is at home, discussing the dowry for our A Nan. Why don’t we invite Master He over?” Li Shikuan suggested.
“I’ll go over,” Li Jinzhu stood up.
“Alright, we can just walk over.”
Li Shikuan and Li Jinzhu chatted as they quickly arrived at Li Shikuan’s house.
He Chengzhe and the Villa Steward, Uncle Hong, were both there. Hearing Li Jinzhu’s question, both of them laughed.
“There’s no such rule. Whether you want someone to serve you, and how many people, is entirely up to the Eldest Madam’s preference,” Uncle Hong said with a smile.
He Chengzhe added with a laugh, “The great-grandmother of our estate, who achieved immense merit, never used any servants in her life.”
“Indeed,” Uncle Hong continued, “They say the last cup of tea she drank before her meditative death was brewed with water she heated herself.”
Li Jinzhu breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’m relieved. After Yuzhu gets married, it will be best for Mei and me to keep each other company.”
“It’s all up to the Eldest Madam’s wishes,” He Chengzhe said with a slight bow and a smile.
The group continued to discuss the dowry for Li Xiaonan. After seeing everyone off, Li Shikuan entered the kitchen in the backyard, hands behind his back.
His wife, Old Aunt Tang, was slowly shelling lotus seeds. Seeing Li Shikuan enter, she quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and served a bowl of lotus seed soup to Li Shikuan.
“Drink a bowl to cool down. You’ve been staying up late these past few days. Are they all gone? Then get to bed early tonight.”
Li Shikuan took the lotus seed soup. “You drink a bowl too. If I stay up late, you’ll stay up with me.”
“I’ve already had some. Have you finished discussing?” Old Aunt Tang sat down and continued shelling lotus seeds.
“We still need a few more days to discuss. There’s something I want to discuss with you,” Li Shikuan said, taking a sip of the lotus seed soup.
“Go ahead,” Old Aunt Tang said, her hands not stopping.
“The matter of the imperial grant.”
“Didn’t you say before? You’re getting Second Rank? And now you’re not?” Old Aunt Tang looked at Li Shikuan.
“How could I not get it? I have a Second Rank, and you do too,” Li Shikuan said with a smile.
“Didn’t you say it was for Jinzhu?” Old Aunt Tang was surprised.
“Jinzhu is Jinzhu, but you have one too.”
“Oh!” Old Aunt Tang burst out laughing. “I have such great fortune? Oh my!”
“Our Pingjiang Prefecture doesn’t have any living Second Rank Madam yet. From now on, no matter where you go, you’ll be seated at the head of the table,” Li Shikuan said, looking at his wife who was laughing non-stop, and he also laughed.
“Thanks to our A Nan!”
“Jinzhu just came over and said that how she lives now is how she’ll live after the imperial grant comes. After the imperial grant comes, what about us? Tell me,” Li Shikuan said slowly.
Old Aunt Tang was bewildered. “If it’s not like this now, then what? What kind of life will it be?”
“You’ll be an official, Second Rank. A grand mansion, maids and servants, household staff and guards.”
“Living like that, money will just flow out like water! That won’t do!” Old Aunt Tang flatly refused.
“Don’t you want maids and servants fawning over you, serving you tea and water?”
“No, I don’t. What’s wrong with the way we live now?” Old Aunt Tang took the bowl from Li Shikuan and got up to pour him another bowl.
“If you think about it that way, then we’ll be like Jinzhu and live our lives as we always have,” Li Shikuan said, taking the lotus seed soup.
“I don’t even like this Pingjiang City. If I were home, right now, it would be great to have Wenhua catch some hairy crabs from the fields and stir-fry them with rice cakes!”
Old Aunt Tang sighed. She had seen hairy crabs when she went to buy groceries this morning but hadn’t bought them. The hairy crabs in Pingjiang City were too expensive; in their village, they were practically free!
