Chapter 229: More Rain

 Chapter 229: More Rain

Old Aunt Ren and Fang Gui stayed in Daohua’s courtyard for only about a quarter of an hour before leaving. Once they finished their business, Madam Li received the news.

After hearing about Daohua’s two additional rules, Madam Li paused for a moment. “The girl is quite thorough. Registering the food expenses for each household in black and white ensures everyone is aware, preventing anyone from thinking they’ve eaten too little.”

Ping Tong nodded. “The household has been more prosperous these past two years, and I’ve noticed that whenever the second master and second madam order food, they always order a lot. If they don’t finish, it’s a waste.”

“And that person in Shuangxin Courtyard—ever since she gave birth to the fifth young lady, she’s been using the excuse of needing to nourish her body and occasionally calls for extra food from the kitchen.”

Madam Li sneered. “Now, both the second master and second madam are learning the ways of the aristocracy, but they don’t consider whether our family can afford such extravagance. Due to Old Madam Yan and the master, I’ve refrained from saying anything.”

“As for Shuangxin Courtyard, it’s the master’s orders. He told Concubine Concubine Lin to get whatever she wants from the kitchen. After that, Concubine Lin simply took full advantage.”

She laughed softly.

“They say a daughter is her mother’s close little cotton-padded jacket. This saying is truly accurate. With the girl’s move, she’ll likely curb some of the bad habits in this household. Even if something unpleasant happens later, we’ll have reason and evidence.”

Ping Tong immediately chimed in, “Exactly. The eldest daughter has always been considerate of the madam.”

There were some matters that the madam knew but couldn’t address, but the eldest daughter was different. She could act without much hesitation.

Madam Li continued, “As for the purchasing, our household’s expenses are increasing, and we do need to tighten things up. It’s one thing to take a small advantage, but I’m afraid that if someone’s greed grows, they might end up embezzling.”

Ping Tong nodded and laughed. “Our eldest daughter truly is a good steward. The moment she took over the kitchen, she helped solve two major problems for the madam.”

Madam Li smiled as well. “The girl is smart, but she’s a bit lazy. She needs someone to push her to get things done. We must keep an eye on her.”

A Month Later

Old Aunt Ren handed over the records of the food expenses for each household to Daohua.

Sitting in the courtyard, Daohua flipped through the ledger while casually cracking sunflower seeds, occasionally laughing at what she saw.

“In our household, the biggest food expenditure isn’t from Old Madam Yan’s courtyard or the main courtyard, but from the second uncle’s household and a small concubine’s courtyard. They spend two to three hundred taels a month!”

Daohua scoffed and shook her head, then stood up and walked toward the study, quickly copying two copies of the records. She handed one copy to Wang Man’er, instructing her to deliver it to the second house.

“Whether it’s for second uncle or second aunt, just tell them that this is my first time managing the kitchen, and since I’m not familiar with the household’s expenses, I did a quick summary so they can take a look.”

She paused, then added, “If they ask who else knows about this, tell them I’m concerned that the monthly expenses might not be accurate, so I plan to track them for another two months and then report to mother.”

“That's all. Go ahead!”

Wang Man’er immediately turned and left.

Once she was gone, Daohua looked at the other copy of the ledger, then glanced at the sky. “Father should be back from court by now, right?”

Gu Yu nodded. “Yes, Miss.”

Daohua stood up. “Let’s go and see Father.”

The Flower Gate

Yan Zhigao had just returned from the front office when he saw his eldest daughter sitting with her maid in a pavilion on his usual route, sipping tea.

Seeing this, Yan Zhigao raised an eyebrow.

Usually, those who waited for him were people from Concubine Lin’s side, the madam’s side, or other children due to various reasons, but his eldest daughter had never done so. He was curious why she had come to see him.

Cough, cough~

Yan Zhigao approached the pavilion and coughed twice.

Daohua immediately smiled and stepped forward. “Father, you’ve returned from court?”

Yan Zhigao nodded, walked into the pavilion, and seeing the tea prepared on the stone table, he smiled. “Is this for me?”

Daohua smiled and nodded. “I’m not sure if it suits your taste.”

Yan Zhigao sat down, picked up the tea, and took a sip. “Not bad, the temperature is just right.”

Daohua smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

Yan Zhigao put down the teacup. “Did you come to see me for something?”

Daohua took the food expense ledger from Gu Yu’s hands. “Father, mother asked me to manage the kitchen, so I had the kitchen steward record the daily food requests from each household and compiled them. Please take a look.”

Madam Li had mentioned Daohua taking over the kitchen, but Yan Zhigao hadn’t said much and now reached out to take the ledger.

He first looked at the final summary. When he saw that the second younger brother’s courtyard and Shuangxin Courtyard spent two to three hundred taels a month on food alone, his brow furrowed immediately.

Seeing his reaction, Daohua quickly explained, “Father, the daily records are all here. Whenever the maidens from each household took food from the kitchen, they confirmed it.” The implication was clear—she hadn’t fabricated anything.

Yan Zhigao flipped through the ledger quickly and confirmed that each food request had a maid’s signature as confirmation.

Daohua continued, “As for Second Uncle, I’ve already had someone deliver a copy to him. I told them that I’m going to keep recording for a few more months before reporting to Mother. As for Shuangxin Courtyard, I couldn’t go directly to Concubine Lin, so I had to trouble Father.”

Yan Zhigao put down the ledger, silently admiring his daughter’s meticulous and thorough approach.

“You’ve done well. As for Second Uncle, if he makes changes from now on, we won’t bring it up again.” This was to avoid embarrassing his younger brother.

Daohua nodded in acknowledgment.

Yan Zhigao added, “I will speak with Concubine Lin. She’s already supplemented her diet for several months, so from now on, her food should be according to the standard portions.”

Daohua nodded again. “Okay, I will follow Father’s instructions.”

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The Second Household Courtyard

After Wang Man’er left, Yan Zhiqiang and Sun Shi’s faces darkened.

Sun Shi muttered unhappily, “I knew it. Since the eldest sister-in-law made Daohua manage the kitchen, something was bound to go wrong. Sure enough, as soon as that girl took charge, she started targeting us.”

Yan Zhiqiang furrowed his brows and didn’t respond to Sun Shi’s complaint. Instead, he asked uncertainly, “Did we really order this much food?”

Sun Shi paused and then snapped, “Don’t you remember how much you ate yourself?”

Yan Zhiqiang fell silent.

His wife’s words seemed to acknowledge that they had indeed ordered a lot of food, and Daohua hadn’t fabricated anything to frame them.

After a long pause, Yan Zhiqiang finally spoke. “We’ll have to be more restrained in the future. The eldest sister-in-law might still consider Mother and Big Brother’s reputation and avoid making this a big issue, but Daohua won’t hold back.”

“Besides,” he continued, “spending two to three hundred taels a month on food is indeed excessive.”

Sun Shi pouted. “It’s not excessive at all. Other families spend over a thousand taels for one banquet. What we spent is nothing compared to that. Besides, it’s not like we can’t afford it.”

She huffed. “It’s just that the eldest sister-in-law is too stingy!”

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Chapter 229 End