Ignoring the sadness of the aunt-grandma, Mrs. Xie glared at the simple wallet in Mrs. Wang's hand, embroidered only with the word "Ping'an", her eyes reddening with the urge to snatch it and see how much Silver it contained.
Mrs. Wang clenched the wallet, feeling no hard objects inside, presumably all silver notes, then said: "Mother, since you still allow me to manage the household, shall I take full authority then?"
Old Mrs. Qin nodded wearily.
"Sister-in-law, quickly check how much Silver is inside? We'll need to buy two more servants, right?" Mrs. Xie urged eagerly.
Mrs. Wang glanced at her but did not open the wallet, instead reporting to Old Mrs. Qin: "The family encountered a sudden incident; we don't have much wealth. Yesterday, I had Uncle Li find some people, and for the time being, we've hired a wet nurse for our younger sister and brother and two coarse workers for miscellaneous chores and laundry."
"A wet nurse?" Old Mrs. Qin frowned.
Mrs. Wang explained: "Given the urgency, we could only find this one; she just had a baby two months ago and is in good health, enough to feed two children. I've already asked Uncle Li to look for another suitable one. Moreover, Ju'er will also serve only our younger brother and sister."
Old Mrs. Qin nodded: "That works. She gave birth to Qi Xingzi prematurely and greatly damaged her Primordial Qi, she cannot be left alone; let Ju'er stay and serve her. Also, instruct the kitchen to prepare some nourishing dishes for her, she must have a proper postpartum recovery. As for us, we can eat simpler meals."
The daughter-in-law had children untimely and it affected her health significantly; taking care of her is a priority, otherwise, how would the body recover, and what would happen to the younger brother's children later?
Mrs. Wang reassured: "Rest assured, I will instruct everyone accordingly, and neither your nor our younger sister's daily needs will be neglected."
Mrs. Xie felt anxious, what about them?
"Sister-in-law, should we not buy some maids to serve us as well?"
"Second sister-in-law, the Qin family has been seized, all our possessions are confiscated, where do we get the Silver from? Are you looking at this little amount?" Mrs. Wang raised the wallet in her hand, saying: "Father and my husband's younger brother are on their way to exile; we need Silver everywhere. We need to manage daily expenses and also think of ways to save, how can we afford to buy servants?"
Old Mrs. Qin stared at Mrs. Xie with displeasure and coldly said: "If you cannot endure this hardship, go back to the Xie Family, I suppose they won't lack a meal for you."
Mrs. Xie's face paled, and she knelt down begging for forgiveness: "Mother, I dare not harbor such thoughts, I am a daughter-in-law of the Qin family in life and a ghost of the Qin family in death."
Before her marriage, she was under her stepmother's care, and it was due to favouring from this aunt and catching the eye of Mr. Qin that she married into the Qin family, enjoying several years of prosperity.
Even so, she had concubines in her quarters, but this did not affect her position as a principal wife. If she were to return to her family, disliked by stepmother and estranged from brothers, she would face a dead end.
Old Mrs. Qin huffed heavily: "If that's the case, then gather yourself. You're capable, can't you manage on your own? If you can earn Silver and wish to buy some maids, that is your own ability. But this Silver is for the entire family's expenses and is more importantly needed for facilitating things for your father-in-law and others, put your mind to rest soon, shut those greedy eyes and stop thinking about this little money."
"Yes." Mrs. Xie meekly lowered her head.
As Old Mrs. Qin was about to speak again, her youngest granddaughter, Qin Mingbao, ran up crying, saying her mother was unwell, causing everyone's expression to drastically change.