Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 81 Join in the fun

After the two old ladies left with the Yang family members, Mama Yu, Madam Yang, and several young women entered the room one after another. Everyone remained silent, waiting for Xie Yuyan's instructions.

A moment later, Xie Yuyan came out carrying the cat, and asked with a glance, "What are you all doing here?"

Mother Yu said in a low voice, "With the Second Madam and the others making such a show of force... shouldn't we make some preparations?"

It seems like a good thing, but I'm also worried that someone might try to sabotage it.

Moreover, the amount of money brought by the third branch of the family this time is certainly much more than before, and anyone else would have to make some arrangements.

Xie Yuyan said calmly, "Just like before, you bring me the accounts every day."

As she spoke, she looked at Madam Yu and said, "If the small storeroom is not enough, bring the key to the clan's main storeroom."

The key to the main storeroom is still with Madam He, but under these circumstances, Madam He has no choice but to hand it over, otherwise she could be pressured into handing over the clan affairs.

Mother Yu responded.

Xie Yuyan said, "Let's all disperse!" After saying that, he turned around and went back to the inner room.

that's it?
Yu's mother and Yang's family came out of the house. They still didn't want to leave, so they went straight to the small room on the west side to talk.

Madam Yang looked at Madam Yu and said, "Such a big matter, yet my wife doesn't seem to care at all."

"Those who came are direct relatives of the Yang family, and some of them have elders still living in their families."

Those people are different from them; they have elders in their families who can speak for them. If they could be recruited...

“With the direct relatives bowing their heads, the entire Yang family of Daming Prefecture was truly in the hands of the eldest daughter-in-law. From now on, the clansmen would be at her beck and call, and she could arrange their finances as she pleased.”

"Perhaps it's a bit early to say that, but with Madam's abilities, what can't she accomplish?"

Mother Yu had long anticipated that her clansmen would regret their actions and come begging for money. When the moment finally arrived, her emotions were inevitably stirred.

However, the two old ladies were clearly scheming, and she was also worried that the clansmen might be plotting something behind her back, just like when they helped the second branch of the family take over the third branch.

The struggle for control of the family has never been just a matter between the two branches of the family; behind the scenes, countless people have been stirring things up.

Although the Yang family is not a large clan, it is not easy to truly manage all its members. Even the second branch, which has been in charge for many years, has to be extremely respectful to its uncles. However, since the eldest daughter-in-law took over the management of the household affairs, she has not only failed to pay respects to any of her direct relatives and elders, but has also made them come to her on their own.

These people may outwardly obey the eldest daughter-in-law's arrangements, but they may have long harbored resentment.

It was precisely because of these reasons that Madam Yu stayed behind, wanting to hear what the eldest daughter-in-law had to say.

But judging from the old lady's appearance, she showed absolutely no interest in the matter.

It was as if these people would be used by her as soon as they came.

Compared to them, they seemed like people who had never seen the world, and they were a disgrace to the old lady.

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Madam Yu came to her senses. She looked at Madam Yang and said, "Since you know everything, there's nothing that Madam can't do, so why are you so happy? Wasn't this just a matter of time?"

“Do everything the mistress instructed,” Madam Yu said, her gaze sharpening. “You were all among the first to follow the mistress, and you all know what kind of person she is. If someone tries to bribe you to get information out of you…”

Everyone's expression tightened.

Mother Yu said, "We don't even need to wait for the eldest daughter-in-law; the people here will already be furious with her."

They had witnessed the eldest daughter-in-law's methods before, so how could they dare to have any other thoughts?
"Who wants to live like before?"

Yang's words resonated with several people.

"Let's all go back and prepare, and come over early tomorrow."

Everyone in the three households was busy, but Xie Yuyan really didn't take it to heart. She got up early and instructed the gatekeeper to prepare a carriage and horses to go to Yuyingqian Street.

Yang Qin didn't sleep well that night. His mind was racing in the first half of the night. He was calculating how much money would be delivered the next day, and wondering if the morning and evening markets in Yong'an Ward would be bustling. He finally drifted off to sleep, but then felt a pain on his face. When he opened his eyes, he found that the raccoon had jumped across his face.

Thinking of this, Yang Qin looked at the cat in his arms and felt that it was doing it on purpose.

We'll be there soon.

The servant outside announced this, but the carriage stopped just after they had crossed the street.

"What's wrong?" Yang Qin excitedly lifted the curtain to look around.

Then... he saw the bustling crowd. It was still dark, but groups of people were already heading towards Yuyingqian Street.

"Sister-in-law, there are so many people, so many people."

Mother Yu said with a smile, "These days, the water sellers have been spreading the word for us everywhere. In addition, there was a market on Yuyingqian Street. Not to mention the people in the surrounding areas, people from several nearby villages are bound to come and join in the fun."

The carriage could no longer move, so everyone had to walk.

Yang Qin was at the age where he was happy to see excitement. He wanted to run over and see, but he was afraid of being too far from his mother and sister-in-law, so he would turn around and wait after taking a few steps.

As they got closer to the market, the cat in Yang Qin's arms began to twitch its nose.

“It smells so good,” Yang Qin exclaimed. “It’s Grandma Li’s cooking.”

Guided by the aroma, people preparing to stroll through the market noticeably quickened their pace, and soon the shouts of vendors could be heard.

Zhang waved to Yang Qin, saying, "Slow down, don't get lost in the crowd."

Xie Yuyan looked up at the teahouse not far away. The teahouse was still deserted, with only two or three people standing on the second floor watching the excitement.

"Mother, let's go over there!"

Xie Yuyan booked a private room at the teahouse in advance so that he could have a clearer view.

Yang Qin's face showed a hint of reluctance.

"Go, Qin-ge'er!" Xie Yuyan said.

Yang Qin shook his head: "There are too many people around, I have to stay with my mother and sister-in-law."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cat in his arms let out a meow, as if it were responding in kind.

The group entered the teahouse.

The shopkeeper immediately stepped forward: "No wonder you booked so early, you wanted to join in the fun too?"

Xie Yuyan remained silent, but Zhang spoke first: "I didn't expect there to be so many people."

The shopkeeper's smile deepened: "Yesterday, the deputy magistrate of Yong'an Ward brought people to repair the ground, which attracted quite a crowd."

Zhang asked in surprise, "Why?"

“Those are all members of wealthy families,” the shopkeeper said. “We’ve never seen them do manual labor before, so everyone finds it interesting.”

"Coincidentally, it was right below our teahouse, so everyone started talking about what happened in Yong'anfang."

"The more we talked about it, the more curious everyone became, and they all agreed to come and see for themselves early in the morning."

Everyone guessed this market would be different, and today's visit confirms it.

Not only were they all wearing identical vests, but they also seemed to use the same stoves: burning charcoal in a large stove, and then adding more charcoal to a smaller stove once it was cooked.

Soon the streets were filled with heat.

"See that young man at the entrance? He runs the Shuntong Water Shop. Do you know what he sells?"

"The face wash water was boiled with Chinese medicine."

"Tsk tsk, tell me, how did they even come up with this kind of deal?"

"They've really made a killing with this hot water."

"And that big pot..." The shopkeeper pointed to the middle of the market, "It's full of offal, twenty coins a scoop, help yourself."

"I think this is prepared for those people in the Imperial Guard. They are strong, and they can scoop up more with one spoon, so it's naturally more cost-effective."

"If you don't believe me, just wait and see. Once the Imperial Guard's training session is over, those soldiers will definitely gather around the market to eat and drink."

No sooner had the shopkeeper finished speaking than footsteps were heard, followed by the aroma of braised meat.

Then a lazy voice rang out: "The people in the Imperial Guard don't know, but when I, Seventh Master, scooped it up with a spoon, I also scooped up quite a lot."

(End of this chapter)