Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 144 I knew I deserved to die out there.

The two maids, determined not to be outmaneuvered by Dawn again, rolled up their sleeves and rushed forward.

Fuxiao seized an opportunity to dodge and ran towards Qixia Courtyard.

Lu Jia had just finished looking at the gifts Qinghe had prepared for everyone when Fu Xiao rushed in: "Miss! Granny Du is going to hit me!..."

Du Mama, accompanied by two maids, chased after her to Yixia Courtyard, only to find the gates already tightly closed. Not daring to act rashly, she glared at them fiercely before quickly walking to the main room to find Madam Jiang.

After a day of worrying, Jiang's chaotic thoughts had just calmed down. She instructed someone to prepare dinner, intending to rest early after the meal.

Since you've already entered the manor, there's no use in being anxious. Before Granny Du finds out Lu Jia's background, she plans to hold back for now.

"Mrs!"

Just then, Granny Du lifted the curtain and strode over.

Jiang, who was about to slump over, immediately sat up again: "You found out so quickly?"

"Not so fast, I just sent someone out. However, I also noticed how arrogant the servants around the young lady are!"

After she finished speaking, she recounted in detail what had happened in the front yard.

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang glanced at her and said, "You're in too much of a hurry."

This is only the first day.

However, beating a maid is nothing, especially since the maid seemed quite arrogant.

Lu Jia brought several people in with her. If everyone behaves like this, what rules will there be in the future?

Previously, I had wanted to place a few people in Yixia Courtyard, but I was unable to do so. If we let them run rampant, wouldn't the Lu family's inner quarters be turned upside down?

We need to set some rules for them first.

Just then, the curtain under the door moved. She thought it was someone bringing the meal, but instead, Longxiang walked in and said, "Madam! Just now, the eldest young lady went to the master's house crying. I wonder what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang and Granny Du exchanged a glance. Before they could speak, a maidservant hurriedly entered and reported, "Master invites Madam to the study to speak."

Jiang snorted angrily and stood up abruptly: "I haven't even asked her yet, and she's already accusing me first?"

"go!"

From morning until now, Jiang has suffered enough anger today. She has been furious all the way here, and no matter how much she tries to control herself, her face is as black as the bottom of a pot.

Granny Du followed her in a haughty manner and entered the study courtyard together. Immediately, they heard Lu Jia's sorrowful sobs.

"...I knew I shouldn't have come back. I should have died out there back then. How could I, a daughter raised by a merchant, be worthy of the status of a young lady from the Minister's mansion?"
"I'd better leave before I unpack my luggage; there's no place for me in this house anymore!"

"Alright," Lu Jie rubbed his temples, "Speak properly, why are you crying? You're my daughter, whose home is this if not yours?"

Jiang gritted her teeth and stepped over the threshold without saying a word: "I heard the master called for me?"

Upon entering, she immediately glanced at Lu Jia, who was wiping away tears with her head down under the desk, and then looked at Lu Jie behind the desk: "What happened? Who upset Miss?"

Lu Jie looked at Du Mama behind her: "Ask her why she beat the maid of Yixia Courtyard for no reason earlier?" "My lord, please see the truth!" Du Mama knelt down with a thud, "Even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to beat people for no reason!"

"I just saw that Xiao was at the door, so I asked her to deliver two pots of flowers to Madam's room."

"As a result, she made all sorts of excuses, and even said that if such a large mansion as the Minister's residence were to need to use the people around the eldest young lady, it would be a sign of the madam's incompetence!"

"I thought that since Miss has lived outside for so many years, she might have forgotten many of the old rules. I was afraid that these lowly servants would not serve her well and make Miss a laughing stock in front of outsiders. So I followed the rules and was going to slap her, but I couldn't hit her at all!"
"Without saying a word, she ran back to Yixia Courtyard, only to turn around and accuse the young lady of the crime, instigating her to come and complain. Master, this wretched maid deserves to be punished!"

"My lord, please allow me to explain." On the other side, Dawn also knelt down. "There are two reasons why I did not obey Granny Du's orders."

"Firstly, after the young lady returned to her room, she was overcome with grief by the sight of familiar objects and felt unwell all day. She needed someone to stay in her room, so I rushed back to serve her."

"Secondly, the eldest young lady had instructed me that the master had already agreed that the eldest young lady would be in charge of everything in Yixia Courtyard and would not interfere in other matters, so as not to cause trouble for the mansion."

"The young lady is my mistress, so her words are like imperial decrees to me. Since Granny Du claims that she has the right to discipline me, I might as well ask the master directly if it is true that the young lady said that the master has already given his approval?"

"As long as Master says that this is absolutely not true, this servant is willing to accept the punishment."

Her words stunned the Jiang family and their servants!

Even Lu Jie couldn't help but glance at her a few more times because of her organized and logical manner.

"Sir, is what she said true?"

Jiang strode to the side of the desk, then quickly glanced at Lu Jia, who was sobbing beside her, and asked, "Did you really say that he was in charge of the affairs of Yixia Courtyard?"

Lu Jie took a deep breath: "That's right, that's what I said."

The kneeling Du Mama immediately turned into a stone statue with her mouth agape!

Jiang gritted her teeth: "Then what do you mean? Are you saying I have no right to interfere in her affairs?"

“She’s already sixteen,” Lu Jie said earnestly. “It won’t be long before she has to get married. She’s been away for so many years and missed the opportunity to learn how to manage household finances.”

"Now that she's back, wouldn't it be a faster way for her to learn how to manage a household by starting with taking care of her own yard?"

Jiang pursed his lips tightly, and flames of anger shot from his eyes.

Lu Jia finally raised her head: "In order not to hold the Lu family back, and in order to prevent people from talking behind my back about my sister having an older sister like me who doesn't know anything, I got my father's permission."

"Since permission has already been granted, Dawn is not breaking any rules."

"This servant has no knowledge of this! This servant truly has no knowledge of this!"

Granny Du, who was underground, panicked.

Lu Jia sneered: "You don't know the truth? Doesn't that just prove that you're using your power to bully people without distinguishing right from wrong?"
“If Dawn hadn’t run fast, those two slaps would have landed on her face.”

"Even if you don't care about the monk, you should care about the Buddha. Since Fuxiao refuses to move the flowers, it means she is disobeying the madam. So, shouldn't the person who disregards my dignity as a young lady and beats me without saying a word be considered a servant bullying his master?"

"Granny Du keeps saying that the Lu family has strict rules. May I ask, Father and Mother, what kind of punishment should such a wicked servant be given?"