Binding Spring Love

After seeing her brother, Song Wan felt more confident and stopped trying to figure out Jiang Xingjian's thoughts.

Moreover, she has now taken over the management of the household affairs and is extremely busy every day.

She had just finished paying her respects to the old lady early in the morning when the head maid of the mansion came to ask for her instructions.

"You've all worked hard. My grandmother will be here after she changes her clothes."

Hengwu served tea and prepared snacks. The old women had only looked at Song Wan closely once, on the day of their initial handover. Now, three or five days had passed, and Song Wan had not taken any action. As a result, the women felt that although she came from a prestigious family, she was still young and inevitably developed some contempt for her.

Seeing that Hengwu treated them with great respect, and recalling Song Wan's kind and gentle nature, the awe that had arisen earlier faded slightly.

The teenage girls had never managed a household before, so it seems we'll have to rely on them a lot now.

The group exchanged glances, their faces showing relaxed smugness.

When Song Wan came out, she saw everyone eating and drinking, having a great time. She said softly, "I'm a little late, sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"Don't mention it, Madam. You are a busy man, so it is only right for us old women to wait."

The old woman was chewing on some pastries as she spoke, and Song Wan glanced at her without her smile fading.

"I've been busy these past few days and haven't been able to explain the situation at home to you all in detail. It's my fault that I only have time today."

Song Wan gestured for the old woman who had gotten up to sit down, while she herself sat in the main seat. Hengzhi brought over a cup of magnolia tea and placed it beside her, and then brought over a thick stack of account books.

Everyone found it amusing to see her striking such a pose.

Being a mistress of the household isn't just about having a commanding presence. If she acts appropriately, they might look at her with more respect and show her some deference. But if she's soft-hearted and incompetent, they'll inevitably have to feign compliance as before.

They were all old servants of the Marquis's household, born into the family for generations, and not someone a new bride could easily control.

Jiang Fu's wife, who was in charge of the inner quarters, spoke first: "Madam is busy with many things. Since you have summoned the servants today, you must have something to tell us. Now that everyone is here, please give us your instructions."

Song Wan smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. It's just that, as you know, the Marquis's mansion is not what it used to be. Now we spend more than we earn, so I was thinking of reducing some unnecessary expenses."

"What Madam says is true; our household is indeed not what it used to be."

Seeing Song Wan's faint smile, Jiang Fujia changed the subject: "However, our Marquis's Mansion is, after all, a family of dukes and marquises. We cannot lack the proper allowances and regulations. If we were to lose face for the sake of frugality, wouldn't that be a breach of decorum?"

In the homes of royalty and nobility, everything from clothing and daily necessities to travel gear is strictly regulated. Unless every man in the clan is exceptional, no one will fuss over their daily expenses. If they truly cannot even maintain their dignity, outsiders will only think that the noble family is on the verge of collapse.

How could Song Wan not understand such a simple truth?

She glanced at Jiang Fu's wife with a smile: "Granny, you're overthinking it. That's not what I meant."

Jiang Fu's wife smiled awkwardly, and Song Wan didn't make things difficult for her.

"Things are different now than before. Although we cannot skimp on daily expenses, some items should be reduced."

Opening an account book at random, Song Wan pointed to the entries and said, "The small kitchens in each household prepare the same things every day. For example, my mother's Jiangxiang Courtyard and the old lady's Fuhe Hall both prepare milk every day, but the old lady has always disliked the fishy smell of milk."

"My mother always prepares Wuchang fish at the Tonglan Courtyard. Although the fish is delicious, as far as I know, neither my uncle nor I like it, and we don't usually see it served."

The old woman in charge of purchasing for the inner kitchen hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Madam, you may not know, but although we may not see these things on the table every day, if the masters suddenly want to eat them, the kitchen cannot do without them. Therefore, some things may not be used every day, but they are indispensable."

"There's nothing you absolutely can't do without."

Song Wan's tone remained gentle: "From today onwards, the purchases for the small kitchens in Fuhe Hall, Jiangxiang Courtyard, and Lan Courtyard will be uniformly determined by the main kitchen of the manor. If the master wants to eat something, he will notify the main kitchen one day in advance, and then purchase according to the list."

"Grandma, this..."

With her first words, she stripped away the privileges of the old lady and madam of the mansion, as well as those of her own courtyard. How could the other courtyards in the mansion dare to overstep their bounds?

This is clearly a case of choosing the biggest and most powerful as a raft; how could they, as servants, dare to say anything?

The old woman retreated sullenly, her heart bleeding with pain.

Song Wan ignored all that, glanced at the menus and purchase lists from the various courtyards in the past, and roughly calculated that she could save as much as seventy or eighty taels a day.

"The snacks and refreshments in the rooms of the eldest and second eldest uncles have also been cancelled."

The old woman in charge of Yulingzhai looked troubled: "This... if the small kitchens in each courtyard run out of food preparation, it might not be appropriate to cancel the snacks as well."

"Both the eldest and second masters have come of age and are rarely at home during the day. Who is this ten taels of silver a month for as snacks and refreshments?"

The old woman remained silent. Song Wan then took out the account books from each courtyard and canceled various unnecessary expenses, such as miscellaneous items.

Previously, those old women didn't take her seriously, but now they're starting to realize she's not so easily fooled. After all, those seemingly insignificant expenses were something the old lady and madam had never even considered before.

Looking back now, though it adds up, it's not a small sum. While it can't solve the immediate problem, this kind of frugality can significantly reduce the burden in the long run.

Some of the clever old women were already in awe, but others were resentful because their interests had been taken away.

Hengzhi raised her eyes and glanced at everyone, then looked down at the dark circles under Song Wan's eyes, feeling a pang of heartache.

Her young mistress had been working tirelessly for days, repeatedly going through these account books, examining and comparing each item in the one or two taels of silver. After several days of this, she finally selected the items where she could save a few cents. However, despite being busy for several days, the master had not come to the main courtyard to say a single intimate word to his young mistress.

Hengzhi felt sorry for Song and secretly resented Jiang Xingjian for being cold-hearted.

"Only these few things in the old regulations of the mansion need to be changed."

"Does Madam have any other instructions?"

Song Wan said, "There are still some things to take care of."

The old women's faces darkened further, but they only dared to mutter a few words to themselves.

"Liu Shun's wife, Lin Lianggao's wife, and Zhang Changsheng's wife..."

"Hey, hey, the old woman's here."

Three old women dressed in fine silk robes came out, trembling, and asked, "What are your orders, Madam?"

"I dare not give orders, but I have discovered some problems with the accounts these past few days, and I thought I would bring them up today."

Song Wan took out several receipts from the manor and some of the manor's regulations from the previous few months and handed them to the group.

"In February this year, we reported thirty bolts of blue silk to repair the carriages of the gentlemen in the manor. Last month, we reported twelve bolts of eight-patterned brocade to repair the black covers. The receipt did not specify the color. I had Xiangcao search the storeroom for a long time before we found that twelve bolts of plum blue silk were missing."

Song Wan smiled slightly: "According to palace regulations, marquises and earls use carriages with blue canopies, blue curtains, and green screens. This plum-green one does not conform to palace regulations."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lianggao's wife knelt down with a thud.