The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 31 Summation
Breakfast starts with a bowl of milk and poria cocos cream.

Shen Ning looks forward to waking up every day.

The food at the Jia family's house is so delicious.

There were three different kinds of porridge every day, but unfortunately, her belly was only that big, and the two midwives who came early to take care of her wouldn't let her eat too much.

The two were afraid that if she ate too much and raised the child to be too big, it would be difficult for her to give birth later, and they would not receive the maximum reward they had been promised.

For the sake of her own life, Shen Ning ate with gusto every day.

However, this milk and poria cocos cream became a daily necessity after Manager Chen of Huichuntang also recommended it.

Oops...

As the plum blossom soup dumplings dwindled in her bowl, Shen Ning ate more and more slowly.

This is a pattern made by pressing the prepared batter into a silver mold. What's special is that each plum blossom blooms in the soup, almost the same size as real plum blossoms, with different colors. Not only are they pleasing to the eye, but they also have a special aroma that whets the appetite.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the plum blossom soup dumplings were, she could only eat half a bowl.

I knew earlier...

Glancing at the third crystal shrimp dumpling that she wasn't allowed to eat, Shen Ning didn't dare say anything. After drinking the last mouthful of soup, she rinsed her mouth and got up as quickly as possible.

"Madam, the eldest mistress said that someone came from the estate today. Would you like to go and see them?"

"Hmm~, let's go take a look!"

With more than half of the servants gone, the mansion is now much emptier.

This time, not only did many people who could compete for the position of guards come, but also quite a few servants and maids.

Shen Ning strolled leisurely towards the front hall.

Upon receiving the news, Madam You came out to greet them early in the morning.

"Mother!"

She went over to pay her respects early in the morning, but her mother-in-law was still asleep. "I knew you would come, but it hadn't started yet."

At home, the one who gets up the latest is my mother-in-law.

The old man went to inspect the two estates that the father-in-law had returned from, while Rong-ge and Yun-ge followed the guards to drive stakes in the front yard early in the morning. Madam You's life was more comfortable than ever before.

"Have Rong-ge'er and Yun-ge'er chosen their partners yet?"

This time, they will each add two servants.

"Both the old man and Jiao Da said that whether it's the guards or their servants, they all have to train for a while first to see their physique and character."

"...That makes sense."

Shen Ning nodded, "Have Jiao Da come over later."

My daughter is about to be born. This world places too many restrictions on girls. On the surface, she won't encounter any danger in the inner quarters, but there's no guarantee that nothing might happen.

Having experienced the benefits of violent suppression, Shen Ning hopes that Jiao Da can train a few female bodyguards to serve in the household.

If we really can't train them, even teaching them a couple of fancy moves would be good. "Let's see if we can teach these girls some of those too."

When she leaves the manor in the future, she won't be bullied by any man.

"Yes!"

Ms. You naturally agreed.

She fed and cared for those six burly women who had gone on several missions with her, and made them do night patrols.

With the help of the Zhuangzi shop, You Shi no longer needs to be stingy with anything she does.

"Actually, even if my mother didn't say it, my daughter-in-law also had this idea."

She also wanted a maid who knew a few tricks.

"puff?"

Shen Ning smiled, "Since we've all thought of the same thing, if Jiao Da can't teach us, you can ask Zhen'er to come up with a solution for us."

Jia Zhen often traveled outside, so he must have seen female martial arts instructors and the like.

"Okay!"

With her mother-in-law's words, the eldest son couldn't object. Madam You found it amusing, and just as she was about to say something more, a maid rushed in, "Madam, eldest mistress, the old lady of the West Mansion and eldest mistress Zhu have arrived."

what?
Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were somewhat surprised.

Why did they come here?
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a glance, then, without bothering to choose another maid, went to greet her together.

Grandmother Jia was carried in in a sedan chair, with Li Wan following closely behind.

"I was wondering why there were magpies calling this morning."

After the formalities were completed, Shen Ning smiled and led the old lady into the hall, while also waiving Li Wan's formalities, saying, "Auntie, you can't leave today. Let your niece-in-law also pay her respects."

"I'm here today just to eat your food."

Grandmother Jia smiled and agreed. She first looked at the woman's belly, then at her complexion, and found that the woman had a rosy complexion and bright eyes, as if she had no pregnancy pains at all.

When the second daughter-in-law was pregnant with Baoyu, her face was still a bit swollen. "It seems the child is going to be well-behaved."

"right!"

Shen Ning smiled, "My niece-in-law also feels that this child has come to repay a debt of gratitude. Do you see that the wrinkles at the corners of my eyes have lessened?"

"Yeah, she looks like she's ten years younger."

It looks like it was before the incident at home.

Grandmother Jia felt slightly uncomfortable, but she also knew that if they didn't reconcile, the one who would suffer would be the one who was so angry that she collapsed in bed.

Anyway, the old lady didn't believe that such a coincidence could happen.

Zhou Rui was in charge of the spring and autumn rents for the manor, and he wasn't affected by the Lai family's big incident. In the end, he sent his whole family to jail.

"What? Are we selecting people to come up today?"

Grandmother Jia looked at the maids standing in the courtyard with some surprise.

In recent years, the maids in the two mansions have rarely been selected from the estate.

More and more servants were brought out from the estate generation after generation. They had sons and grandsons, and although many were driven away by Jia Zhen last time, there were still enough left to select people for the mansion.

“That’s exactly what we need to do,” Shen Ning replied with a smile. “As you know, there are far too few servants left in the manor.”

She doesn't plan to select people in the conventional way.

There are too many arrogant and domineering servants in Dream of the Red Chamber.

She had finally managed to clear out most of the Ningguo Mansion, and she didn't want to invite another group back.

“The servants on the estate are all old and have not had a way to advance in their careers over the years. This time, we will choose from among them.”

"...You are a kind-hearted person."

Grandmother Jia patted her hand, "Zhu'er, go and learn from your sister-in-law how to choose people." She casually sent You Shi and Li Wan away, clearly indicating that they had some private conversation.

"Go!"

When Madam You looked over, Shen Ning nodded slightly, "Choose a few more."

"Yes!"

Madam You curtsied and said, "Please sit down, Madam. My brother and sister-in-law and I will be right back."

Li Wan also hurriedly followed suit with a bow.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Auntie?"

Shen Ning waved for the maids to step back.

"..."

Grandmother Jia's face slowly turned sorrowful. "Ning'er, I still remember what you looked like when you first married into the family. Back then, Jing'er was studying at the Imperial Academy, just like Zhu'er is now."

She had high hopes for Jia Zhu and Li Wan. "I know you are saddened by Jing'er's current situation, but we still have to look forward. You know what the Jia family is like now. Your brother Zheng is wasting his time in the Ministry of Works, and although Zhen'er and She'er have inherited their titles, the titles are getting worse with each generation."

Only Zhu, like Jing'er back then, was able to take the exam and leave on his own.

She looked at Shen Ning and said, "For his sake, and for the sake of this old lady, please don't hold it against his mother, okay?"

(End of this chapter)