A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 12 Sister Liu?

Since home wasn't the place for conversation, and they had already said most of what needed to be said on the way, Wang Qing led Nie Chong to the door without inviting him inside.

As soon as I got home, I saw the old woman from that morning leading a simply dressed, pretty woman to greet me.

Seeing that the woman looked unfamiliar, Wang Qing assumed she was someone who had come to do laundry and asked, "Is the matter settled?"

"All done, all done, it's all washed and hanging to dry in the backyard."

Wang Qing nodded and walked straight to the backyard, only to see Granny Liu leading people into the backyard.

He turned around, puzzled, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Sir, this is my daughter-in-law. Her granddaughter was sick the other day, so she took leave and didn't see you yesterday."

As she spoke, Granny Liu pulled her sister-in-law forward a step: "My wife used to work at Pear Fragrance Courtyard. Later, when the concubine moved into Pear Fragrance Courtyard, there was no need for anyone from our household, so she was transferred here to manage the kitchen."

Unlike us clumsy folks, if the master needs her to serve tea or water, he can simply ask her.

She deliberately emphasized the tasks in the kitchen, and while speaking, she grabbed Sister Liu's wrist, turning her pale, waterlogged hands over and over in front of Wang Qing.

It wasn't that Granny Liu had any ulterior motives because her daughter-in-law was somewhat attractive.

It's because they're family members who know their own situation. Although they've temporarily calmed everyone in the courtyard, no one is a fool. Once people discover that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are skimming profits in the kitchen, they might get jealous.

Sister Liu was parachuted into the courtyard. After arriving, she continued to collect her monthly allowance without doing any work because of her granddaughter's illness.

Originally, it wouldn't have been so bad if Wang Qing hadn't moved in and the kitchen was empty. But now that the courtyard has been supplemented with supplies, he's rushing back to claim the lucrative spot, which inevitably arouses jealousy.

Small favors are clearly not enough to shut these people up.

The best way is to use her as a shield, making people think that Wang Qing treats her differently.

Serving tea and water, a task that allowed him to frequently appear in front of Wang Qing, was obviously the perfect fit.

Wang Qing never imagined that Granny Liu had so many hidden thoughts in her mind.

To be honest, when he saw Granny Liu's calloused hands in the morning, he was genuinely worried that he would get calluses from eating them.

Wang Qing nodded with satisfaction: "In that case, it's settled then. By the way, what are your names?"

Although Wang Qing wouldn't categorize people into different classes, Ping'er was used to the rules of the mansion. As a lowly servant, she rarely had the chance to appear before her master. Yesterday, she was also upset because she was thinking about Wang Xifeng, so she left in a hurry and didn't have time to introduce her to Wang Qing.

Wang Qing also felt that getting to know too many people at once would inevitably lead to misidentification, and since he still had luggage to pack yesterday, he was too lazy to call out names one by one and planned to get to know them gradually before asking them one by one.

Now that we've made an impression on this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and they'll be around us quite often in the future, it's natural to want to address them in a convenient way.

Granny Liu was about to reply, but hesitated for a moment and then gave her daughter-in-law an encouraging look.

Sister Liu then slowly stepped forward, lowering her eyes and saying, "My husband's surname is Liu, so please just call me Sister Liu, sir."

"From the Liu family?"

Wang Qing thought to himself, "Could this woman in front of me be Sister Liu from the Little Kitchen?"

Speaking of which, Liu Wu'er was also among the Golden Hairpins. Since Grandmother Jia refused to give her anything, she had no choice but to take the initiative herself.

He asked calmly, "What illness does your daughter have? Coming back to work won't interfere with getting her treated, will it?"

When Wang Qing asked casually, Granny Liu assumed he was worried about catching her granddaughter's illness, and quickly replied, "No, no, no! It's just a headache and fever. She's already seen a doctor, taken medicine, and been taken to her uncle's house. It's nothing serious."

Aunt Liu looked worried and added, "Don't worry, sir, I absolutely won't pass my illness on to you!"

Seeing this, Wang Qing had no choice but to give up asking questions and instead comforted him, saying, "That's good. I can't let you work for nothing. From now on, your monthly allowance will not apply, and I will give you an extra five hundred coins."

Wang Qing was not a spoiled brat who would not eat meat porridge; he still vividly remembered the calluses on Granny Liu's hands.

This old woman would rather send her sick granddaughter to her uncle's house to be cared for than not call her daughter-in-law back to do chores. She even took the initiative to do the work of serving tea and water for her, clearly eyeing the lucrative business in the kitchen and afraid that someone would take advantage of her vulnerability.

Since he was ultimately benefiting from the Rongguo Mansion, Wang Qing didn't care about such petty calculations.

Moreover, he always regarded the women as his own fishpond, and the two of them were very likely Liu Wu'er's family.

Upon hearing that she could earn an extra monthly allowance, Sister Liu was overjoyed. Without waiting for Granny Liu to urge her, as if afraid he would change his mind, she quickly bowed deeply and said in a trembling voice, "Thank...thank you, sir!"

Unlike the grease and grime left in the laundry and kitchen, this was something Wang Qing specifically named and gave extra to.

Even if others are envious, they have nowhere to say it.

Thinking of this, her original dissatisfaction with her mother-in-law for taking on responsibilities for her had long since vanished, and she looked at her with admiration.

Unexpectedly, Granny Liu gave her a look of anger at her lack of ambition, and said humbly, "Sir, you don't know, we only have a monthly allowance of five hundred, which is just for small things like serving tea and water. The amount you give us is too much, it's too much for us to handle."

At this point, she suddenly changed the subject, saying, "My daughter-in-law is quick and efficient, and hardworking. If you don't mind, sir, let her tidy up your house as well. We'll feel more at ease taking the money, won't we?"

An income of five hundred coins is certainly considerable, but it also arouses even more envy.

The best way to solve this problem once and for all, and to make those envious and eager people in the courtyard hesitant to act against it, is to create some rumors.

Of course, if Wang Qing wanted, she wouldn't mind if her daughter-in-law slept with this man.

He who eats another's food is bound to do so, especially when it's stolen food.

The family was already overwhelmed by the burden of paying for their granddaughter's medical treatment. Wang Qing was an official, and she had more than one son. If she could solve the problem of her granddaughter's medical expenses once and for all, and also help her eldest son, in Granny Liu's eyes, this was a sure-fire deal.

Wang Qing could easily spare more than two taels of silver for laundry expenses, so even if he was putting on a show of wealth, he must have some financial resources.

Earlier, although Wang Qingjiang had given her a lot of money, he made excuses and held back.

At this moment, he would serve tea or water, and with a wave of his hand, he would voluntarily contribute an extra month's salary.

With Jia Baoyu as a precedent, Granny Liu couldn't help but wonder if the man before her was also like Jia Baoyu, looking at people with two eyes and only being kind and gentle to young and beautiful girls and wives.

Although his wife had already married, in Jia Baoyu's eyes she was nothing more than a dull, lifeless pearl. But how could Wang Qing be compared to Master Bao?

Wang Qing never imagined that his unintentional act would actually embolden the other party.

Although I've been transported to the evil old society, I have no choice but to adapt to local customs.

However, as a modern person, he always judged people by their appearance and would not look down on anyone because of their status as a maid.

For now, it's not bad that the maids who haven't gotten any opportunities can temporarily take over as cooks, as they are clean, presentable, and quite pleasing to the eye.

Moreover, the other party might be related to Liu Wu'er, and since they often hang around, it would not only be convenient to inquire about Liu Wu'er's situation, but also, once they get to know her, they could seize the opportunity to bring her to their side, killing two birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, Wang Qing glanced at the apron around Liu's waist and feigned concern, saying, "She still has things to do in the kitchen, and she also has to serve tea and water. Won't she be a little overwhelmed?"

Seeing this, Granny Liu quickly said, "Don't worry, sir. My dead son died young, and now my granddaughter is staying at her uncle's house. There's nothing to do at home. Whether it's serving tea and water or making the bed, please feel free to ask me to help."

Upon hearing that Sister Liu was still a widow, Wang Qing became even more pleased.

Although the most important part of tidying up a house is making the bed and folding the blankets.

But when these words came from Granny Liu's mouth, they took on a slightly different meaning.

But then I thought, what mother-in-law would act as a pimp for her daughter-in-law?

Pretending not to hear her careless words, I waved to the two of them and said, "Do as you say, you can go now!"

……