A stew of the Red Chamber

The next day.

Breakfast had just been served when a servant came to report that Laiwang had already prepared a carriage and was waiting outside the courtyard.

Wang Qing finished his breakfast calmly and was about to get up and leave.

Unexpectedly, a woman, accompanied by a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, pushed open the gate of her courtyard.

Upon seeing Wang Qing, the woman hurried forward with a flustered expression and gave a deep curtsy: "Greetings, Brother Qing."

Wang Qing had no relatives or friends, so those who could address him as "Brother Qing" were probably related to the Ning and Rong families by some degree.

However, the woman was wearing a half-new, half-old silk long coat, and only had a silver hairpin in her hair. Compared with the grandeur of the Ning and Rong mansions, she looked rather shabby.

Wang Qing tentatively asked, "May I ask?"

"This humble servant is surnamed Bu. I am grateful for Brother Qing's help."

The Bu family? Supporting them?

Wang Qing was somewhat puzzled, but then he saw the young man bow deeply: "Nephew Jia Yun greets Uncle Qing!"

"So it's Sister-in-law Bu!"

Wang Qing looked enlightened, but his doubts only grew stronger. He asked, "I don't know what you mean by 'helping out'?"

Madam Bu became increasingly embarrassed and said in a hoarse voice, "I usually take on sewing and laundry jobs with my servants. A while ago, Granny Liu came to me and said that Brother Qing's courtyard had no one to do laundry..."

It wasn't a secret that she was good at sewing and washing, but in front of Wang Qing, it was hard for Madam Bu to admit her family's predicament.

She paused, then added, "I'm taking Yun'er to his uncle's house later, so I'll bring him along..."

After a moment's thought, Wang Qinglue said, "If you're not in a hurry, sister-in-law, why don't you come inside and have a cup of tea?"

"Oops! Oops! I'm sorry to bother you, Brother Qing."

Wang Qing led the men to the front hall, his face grim, and said, "Bring Granny Liu here!"

Granny Liu rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing Madam Bu, she was startled and hurriedly went forward, saying, "Oh dear! Grandma Bu, what brings you here?"

Wang Qing scolded, "I told you to go inside and get someone to do the laundry, why are you bothering Sister Bu?"

He didn't give Granny Liu a chance to speak, but instead bowed to Madam Bu and said, "It was my oversight. I originally asked her to go to the mansion to find someone, but I didn't expect to trouble you, sister-in-law. Please forgive my rudeness."

Hearing this, Madam Bu panicked and quickly said, "Brother Qing, please don't be offended. She...she meant well..."

Granny Liu chimed in, "Sir, you don't know this, but during the coldest days of winter, those respectable people inside complain about the cold and heat and pay Granny Bu to lend a hand! I was worried they'd pass your clothes around, so I went directly to Granny Bu!"

Originally, they thought that Ms. Bu was upset that they had been too harsh in their demands and had come to complain to Wang Qing. However, seeing that Ms. Bu seemed flustered, they quickly explained.

Wang Qing was taken aback. Although Jia Yun and his mother were only from a collateral branch of the Jia family, Bu Shi was still a proper grandmother.

Helping a servant is going against the natural order, isn't it?

But on second thought, although this matter is difficult to judge, Lai Daneng was able to acquire such a large garden. Not to mention Jia Huan and Jia Chong, the illegitimate sons of the Rongguo Mansion, they could only look on in awe. Even Jia Lian might not be able to get such a large share of the family property.

It doesn't seem unacceptable for Bu to take on jobs from servants to supplement her household income.

However, Wang Qing did not want to give others cause for criticism over such a trivial matter.

He glanced at Jia Yun, who was standing to the side, and pondered for a moment before saying, "The yamen is in dire need of manpower right now. If you don't mind, sister-in-law, you can have Yun-ge work with me. However, I dare not trouble you any further. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Bu's worries immediately turned into joy.

Jia Yun, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward, knelt down with a thud, kowtowed deeply, and solemnly said, "Thank you so much, Uncle Qing, for your kindness! If you don't mind, I would like to become your godfather!"

"this……"

Although the two were of different generations, and he knew that Jia Yun had even acknowledged the younger Jia Baoyu, it was still difficult for Wang Qing to keep his composure, especially with such a grown son in front of Madam Bu.

He quickly gave Madam Bu an awkward yet polite look, only to see Madam Bu smiling and looking at Jia Yun, who was kneeling on the ground, with a look of satisfaction on her face.

The large-scale cleanup in the western part of the city was in full swing. After making a few inquiries, Bu learned that it was Wang Qing's doing.

She felt that although she had done the laundry and starching for Wang Qing, she had still put in the effort, even if she hadn't earned any credit.

Bringing Jia Yun to his door was also a way of asking him to find a job.

Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Wang Qing gave Granny Liu a good scolding. She thought that she had failed in her attempt to steal a chicken and had lost the rice instead, and that she might lose her job as a laundry worker.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and I was overjoyed.

She only thought her son was clever and sensible, knowing when to strike while the iron is hot, and didn't care about anything else.

Seeing this, Wang Qing could only cough and say, "Since you're going to work for me, having this additional identity would be inappropriate."

Although Jia Baoyu could acknowledge him and there was nothing wrong with him acknowledging him, he still felt uneasy about him being adopted as his godfather.

Bu Shi and Jia Yun were feeling disappointed.

But then Wang Qing said leisurely, "Although there are many inappropriate things about recognizing relatives, we can't treat you unfairly. I'll give you five taels of monthly salary for now. If you do well, I'll find an opportunity to arrange a position for you in the yamen."

Wang Qing naturally understood the principle that "a little kindness is appreciated, but excessive kindness breeds resentment."

Jin Rong and his associates could earn seventy or eighty taels of silver from Xue Pan over two years. With a monthly salary of five taels and a job in the government, this pie was attractive enough to Jia Yun.

This month's salary is more than the combined clan allowance for the mother and son, so they are extremely grateful.

Without any hesitation, Wang Qing waited until Jia Yun kowtowed three more times and got up from the ground before continuing, "After all, you are a member of a collateral branch of the family. You can't disgrace the family. Get yourself some decent clothes later."

He had Jia Yun work by his side, not out of pity for the mother and son.

On the one hand, as the business of the government office expands and things become bigger and bigger, it is indeed necessary to have someone to help out.

On the other hand, having Jia Yun, a member of the Jia family, at their beck and call, would certainly boost their prestige and make things easier.

Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. If Jia Yun is dressed in shabby clothes, wouldn't he be making a fool of himself?

Madam Bu gritted her teeth and said, "Brother Qing is right. Our family can barely afford this amount of money."

Wang Qing could tell she was quite distressed, and said with a smile, "If you're short on cash, sister-in-law, you can get an advance."

"Oh dear! That's so embarrassing. Yun'er hasn't done anything yet, and she's already getting paid for laundry work for nothing..."

Upon hearing this, Granny Liu's heart leaped into her throat.

But Wang Qing waved his hand, interrupting, "It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning!"

It seemed that mentioning money washing reminded Wang Qing of Granny Liu, and he waved her off, saying, "That's none of your business, go downstairs!"

Granny Liu was filled with apprehension and quickly took her leave.

After Granny Liu left, Wang Qingfang said casually, "It's only two taels of silver, consider it a small gift for Yun-ge'er."

With Granny Liu standing there like a grown woman, it was impossible for Wang Qing not to see her.

The reason he didn't send her away was simply to use Jia Yun's affair to show her that following him was profitable.

Now, when the topic of washing silver comes up, Wang Qing is worried that with Granny Liu present, it is inconvenient to speak openly.

After all, Bu relied on sewing and washing to supplement her family's income, and Granny Liu was also helping out with the business.

He had been trying to find out about Liu Wu'er's situation in order to find a way to bring her to his side.

If you ask the servants in the courtyard, it's hard to keep it from reaching the ears of the Liu family's mother and daughter-in-law.

Asking Ping'er about asking for more people would make it seem like a long-planned scheme.

On the contrary, it was quite reasonable for the Bu family to bring up this topic from the perspective of washing silver.

Although Sister Liu was clean and hadn't touched a single penny of the money in the house, she was ordered by Wang Xifeng to seduce her, which made her afraid to act rashly and alert the snake.

On the contrary, when Granny Liu asks for the money for washing clothes, she might not hesitate to deduct from the amount.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Madam Bu quickly glanced towards the doorway and lowered her voice, saying, "Brother Qing, don't be fooled by these servants. It's not just a few pieces of clothing; why would it cost two taels? I only received eight hundred coins from her, for two months."

"I think they, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are quite conscientious in their work, so why are they so difficult!"

Wang Qing feigned a frown and said, "I heard her granddaughter was sick the other day. Is she having some kind of trouble?"

"Who can argue with that? Her granddaughter has probably been sick for almost two years."

"That's somewhat understandable."

Originally, Wang Qing only wanted to steer the conversation toward Liu Wu'er, but unexpectedly, he hit the nail on the head.

He already had a plan, so he served tea and said, "I have other matters to attend to at my office, so I won't keep you any longer, sister-in-law."

After leaving the front hall and seeing off Jia Yun and his mother, he was not in a hurry to go out.

After summoning the Liu family mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and all the servants, he said coldly, "Considering that you have always been diligent in your work and that the situation is understandable, I will not hold it against you. However, it would be inconvenient to trouble you again, sister-in-law. Since the laundry allowance has been withheld, the Liu family can wash the clothes themselves!"

Upon hearing this, the Liu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were devastated.

But then Wang Qing changed the subject, saying, "You work for me, so I can't just stand by and watch you die. I happen to be short of people to take care of you in my house. I'll tell Second Sister-in-law tomorrow to arrange for your Fifth Son to come over first. I'll cover the medical expenses. Once he's better, he can come to take care of you in your house."

Getting a maid isn't a big deal, but once you ask, it's not good to ask again next time.

With this seemingly legitimate reason, not only could Liu Wu'er be brought to his side without any problem, but the opportunity could also be saved, which could be described as killing two birds with one stone.

I thought that after this incident, I would have no way to ask for false purchases again, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dared not question it any longer and were immediately moved to tears.

Wang Qing looked around and said in a deep voice, "To punish without warning is cruel. I'm making this clear from the start: from now on, anyone who dares to deceive their superiors or subordinates will be handed over to Second Sister-in-law for judgment!"

The servants were filled with doubt and uncertainty, while only the Liu family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other in bewilderment.

After saying that, he left without looking back.

The Liu family, mother and daughter-in-law, were left behind after surviving the ordeal, along with a crowd of people who were both gloating and envious.

……