Chapter 288: Chapter 109: Not Short on Money Chapter 288: Chapter 109: Not Short on Money Yueyao listened to the cheerful chirping of the birds on the tree, looked up, and saw two birds flitting from one branch to another, chirping merrily. Yueyao felt a bit envious; being a little bird would be nice, content as long as one was well-fed.
Yueyao thought about how Lady Mo had people clean up the Upper Chamber. If it weren’t for the fact that it hadn’t been a hundred days yet, she probably would have already moved in.
Yueyao didn’t speak along the way, her demeanor heavy with thoughts. Naturally, the maid by her side also dared not speak.
When Yueyao arrived at the main house, she saw Yueying, Yuebing, and Yuehuan were there, as well as Maternal Aunt Su and Maternal Aunt Bu. Maternal Aunt Bu was very beautiful, brought to the Lian Mansion by Lian Dongfang after visiting a colleague’s home, but Maternal Aunt Bu was honest and unassuming, hardly noticeable in the mansion without having borne any children; perhaps that’s how she could live a peaceful life. Tingyuan was placed under her name to be taken care of by her.
Yueyao was unaware of what occasion had brought everyone together today, but since they were all present, it was just as well. Let them all see how Lady Mo mistreated her.
Lady Mo greeted her with a smile, “Has Third Girl come here for a reason?” Ever since the Old Madam passed away, the previously lax rules had been reinstated. The daily morning and evening greetings could not be missed, whether one was a young lady or a maternal auntie. The most leisurely and lax person in Lian Mansion was Yueyao, as she only came on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month and would leave after a short while.
As Yueyao was a niece, not a birth daughter, paying respects on the first and fifteenth was considered proper etiquette, and Lady Mo couldn’t fault her for that. Even if Lady Mo wanted to interfere in this regard, she couldn’t find a fault and had to let Yueyao be.
Yueyao was anything but subtle; she knew Lady Mo’s nature all too well. If you were subtle with her, she would lead you in circles, “Eldest Aunt, the green leafy vegetables delivered by the Procurement department today had already turned yellow, and there were lots of insects on them. The steward of the Procurement department must be going blind, not seeing the items I listed on the form I sent. Other than these insect-ridden leaves that not even a pig would eat, I didn’t see anything else that I asked for.”
Yueyao’s words were full of criticism, but she spoke them in a calm, plain manner, unlike others who would’ve been red-faced and flustered. Moreover, Yueyao’s remarks were not aimed at Lady Mo, but at the steward of the Procurement department.
As soon as Yueyao finished speaking, Hua Lei promptly presented the vegetables that the Procurement department had delivered. The moment these vegetables were placed on the table, several plump caterpillars crawled out from among them.
Yueying was so taken aback by the sight of those squishy creatures that she almost fainted, exclaiming, “Ah…”
Yuehuan backed away from the table, as she was most afraid of such squishy things.
Yuebing was slightly more composed, “Hurry and throw these things out.”
Yueyao was not about to let the matter rest so easily; she looked at Yuebing and said, “Second Sister, you see how she’s scared, but they sent these things for me to eat! Second Sister, think about how it would feel to have these worms in your stomach.”
Upon hearing this, Yuebing vomited on the spot, glaring at Yueyao as she did so. It was too disgusting — who could even think of such revolting things?
Yueying also retched.
Yuehuan thought Yueyao was too formidable.
Lady Mo, seeing the caterpillars on the table, had an extremely ugly expression on her face. In front of so many people in the room, she couldn’t just gloss over the incident without convincing everyone. Lady Mo called out loudly, “Someone, bring the steward of the Procurement department here.” She knew this maid would not refrain from confronting the issue, but she had not expected her to deliver such a potent weapon.
Maternal Aunt Su glanced at Yueyao and then quickly lowered her head again, yet she couldn’t help but admire Yueyao. Such a smooth move; the Madam would certainly punish the steward of the Procurement department harshly. That steward was Madam’s confidant.
The steward of the Procurement department, named Yuan Wang, would have excuses that vegetables were expensive now, and that it was not too bad to be able to get these. After all, the Third Young Lady had offended Madam; he was on Madam’s side and didn’t fear stepping on her toes.
After hearing the steward’s excuses, Lady Mo turned to Yueyao and said, “Earlier, I ordered a reduction in expenses, and the monthly allowance of silver was halved. Everyone’s food, clothing, and other needs have a set standard. Recently, I have been busy and didn’t realize that those serving had become so neglectful. Starting tomorrow, your small kitchen will be funded through my account.” The implication of Lady Mo’s words was that she would be paying for Yueyao’s extra expenses. In the entire mansion, besides herself, only Yueyao had a small kitchen, not even Yuebing.
Yueying looked at Yueyao with eyes full of jealousy. Now Yueyao alone had a small kitchen; before, it was the grandmother who had provided for it, and now it was her mother again.