Madam Li and Yan Zhigao returned to their previous respectful interactions, yet there was an atmosphere between them that made Daohua feel somewhat strange.
It seemed to her that her mother was no longer as thoughtful and meticulous towards her stepfather as when she first arrived.
And her stepfather, well, he often glanced at her mother, sometimes starting to speak, then hesitating, which was very odd.
âCould it be that my stepfather has finally noticed my motherâs virtues and had a change of heart?â
âWhat are you muttering about?â
Madam Li tapped Daohuaâs forehead.
Daohua immediately shook her head, âNothing.â After speaking, she immediately lowered her head, flipping through the account book with one hand, and clicking away on the abacus with the other, her speed astoundingly fast.
In this period, seeing Madam Li check the account books until her eyes were red, she felt, as a daughter, she should help share some of the burdens, and so she volunteered herself to Madam Li.
With the end of the year being so busy, Madam Li didnât have the time to teach her daughter how to read, record, and calculate the accounts, but she knew it was her daughterâs filial intention and couldnât bear to disappoint her. Besides, considering her daughter was already 9 years old, it was time for her to learn some household management matters.
Thus, Madam Li made a point to carve out some time from her busy schedule to teach Daohua how to read the account books.
Compared to wealthy families, Madam Liâs dowry wasnât much, but in the modest Yan Family, it was certainly considered generous.
Even though over these years, the family expenses and the silver given to Yan Zhigao had used up quite a bit, the always resourceful and frugal Madam Li still managed to add a bit to the family wealth.
So, at the end of each year, she had a pile of account books to go through.
Madam Li watched her quirky daughter with a smile, her voice gentle as she said, âIf you find any problems in the account books, just note them down, and when your mother returns, Iâll clarify them for you.â
Without looking up, Daohua replied, âI know, I know, mother, you go busy yourself with other things. Leave the accounts to me with peace of mind.â
Madam Li smiled silently, watched her daughter seriously calculating for a while, and then quietly left the room for the neighboring one.
âMadam, these are the lists of New Yearâs gifts sent by some families over the years.â
At the end of each year, the exchange of New Yearâs gifts is a very important affair, as it concerns the maintenance of relationships and goodwill between families.
In the past years, Madam Li had to both review the yearâs account books and prepare New Yearâs gifts for various families, often bustling around until she was worn out.
This year, to her surprise, she enjoyed the benefits brought by her daughter.
Teaching her daughter about the accounts, she was ready to stay up late night, but who would have thought that after only a rough guidance, her daughter took over the account books completely.
She checked and found that every entry in the account book was calculated by her daughter to the last fraction, and her daughter had also thoughtfully altered the accounting method to make the books clearer at a glance.
This gave Madam Li a new appreciation for her daughterâs intelligence.
âThis year is probably the most relaxed year for Madam,â
Seeing the constant smile on Madam Liâs face, Ping Tong joined in the fun.
Ping Xiao picked up the conversation, âIndeed, ever since Miss Daohua arrived, Madamâs smile has never faded. In my view, Madamâs complexion has improved a lot compared to before.â
Ping Tong added with a laugh, âThe old madam said that Miss Daohua is a lucky star, who brought fortune to the old madam back home, and now sheâs come to the County Governorâs Office and started to bring fortune to Madam.â Madam Li felt the same way in her heart.
She knew how poor the old madamâs health was, but now, looking at others who were younger than the old madam, they probably couldnât compare to her energy.
She didnât know if it was just her imagination, but she also felt that her skin had improved lately.
âOkay, you two mustnât keep praising that girl any longer, and certainly donât spread words about lucky stars outside,â
A good reputation is important for a woman, but too great a one isnât necessarily a good thing.
Some women had attracted snakes and all sorts of unwanted attention due to being too well-known, ultimately meeting a tragic end.
Madam Li wished for Daohua to have a life of safety and happiness, not needing ephemeral fame to draw the attention of strangers.
Ping Tong and Ping Xiao, seeing that Madam Li preferred not to dwell on the topic, honestly set about helping to organize the list of New Yearâs gifts.
âIs there still no New Yearâs gift from Beijing this year?â
After reviewing all the gift lists, Madam Li sighed.
Without a powerful family backing, her sisterâs life at her in-laws must be difficult, to the point where not evena New Yearâs gift could be sent to her maternal home.
Ping Tong asked, âThen Madam, are we still sending New Yearâs gifts to Beijing?â
Madam Li nodded, âYes, of course. Even if the Yang Residence looks down on what we send, they must know that my sister has a family.â
Madam Li thought it over and added ten percent more to the gifts being sent to Beijing.
Seeing Madam Li add items to the Yang Residenceâs gift list, Ping Tong hesitated, then couldnât help but say, âMadam, doing so might stretch our finances a bit thin next year.â
Madam Li didnât stop writing, âWe canât do much for my sister at home, but if the gifts look better, she might have an easier time at her in-laws.â
The suffering of a high-born daughter-in-law, she knew it all too well.
She herself was one!
In the Yan Family, everyone seemed to respect her, but she was well aware that the majority were simply considering the sizable dowry she brought and her reasonably wealthy maternal family.
Even the elderly lady, when initially agreeing to her marriage with the master, valued this aspect.
The maternal family is indeed too important for a married daughter.
Fortunately for her, she had two brothers who cherished her, and even though the Li Familyâs status was not as high as the Yan Familyâs, the gifts they sent each year during the festivals allowed her to stand tall in the Yan Family.
Lady Li was then meticulously arranging the New Year gifts from various families before reciprocally sending corresponding gifts back.
At this moment, Daohua finished going through an account book and stood up, stretching languidly.
Ancient account books were indeed troublesome to read, leaving her eyes aching and swollen.
She needed to rest.
Nearsightedness in ancient times meant there were no glasses for her to wear.
Daohua walked over to the window to admire the Winter Orchid she had specially gifted Lady Li to alleviate eye fatigue.
The Winter Orchid, found in the mountains of her hometown and since then tended in her space, was now blooming, lush and about to drip with beauty.
Just then, Ping Xiao entered, carrying a bowl of freshly made cowâs milk.
âMiss, Madam had someone make this cowâs milk especially for you, please come and drinkit,â she said.
Daohua sat at the table, took a sip of the cowâs milk, and said, âSister Ping Xiao, what about the pot of red plum blossoms I gave to Madam? Hasnât it been displayed?â
Ping Xiao replied with a smile, âThese days, the master has been resting in Madamâs room. Seeing that the red plum blossoms are doing well, he said he wanted to take them to the front office to show everyone.â
Daohua pursed her lips, âFather sure has the cheek to take it.â
To see the red plum bloom early, she had planted it in the black soil of her space for over half a month, making not only the flowers bloom beautifully but also fragrant and pleasing.
In this cold weather, smelling the faint scent of the plum blossoms can make one feel refreshingly clear-headed.
Her mother has been so busy, so tired lately, clearly lacking in spirits, while her ease-drawing father conveniently took the red plum away.
Daohua asked, âFather should have his New Yearâs holiday in a few days, right?â
Ping Xiao nodded, âThe master begins his holiday on the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month.â
Daohua said, âRemind me then, Iâll need to ask Father to get the red plum back.â
Ping Xiao, watching the big miss being stingy towards the master, secretly laughed.
In the past, although the master valued Madam, he did not refrain from causing her grief because of Aunt Lin.
Now that the big miss has come, Ping Xiao felt immense admiration whenever she thought about how the big miss stood up for Madam before.
Meanwhile, at the Yang Residence in Beijing.
Yan Siyuâs lips were tightly pursed, and the hand hidden in the long sleeve was clenched tightly, allowing the fingernails to dig into her flesh as she listened to her mother-in-law and three sisters-in-law chatting about how they would reciprocate the New Year gifts to their maternal families.
This scene would recur at the end of every year.
Knowing her in-laws looked down on her birth family, she was prepared, but she never expected the Yang Family to go so far as not even willing to prepare a New Yearâs gift for the Yan Family.
Although her brother, Yan Zhigao, had been a County Magistrate for nine years, this did not mean there was no possibility of promotion.
The Yang Familyâs treatment of the Yan Family was terribly cold!
If it were not for her concern for her two children, she really wanted to flee from the Yang Family.
Old Lady Yang glanced at her youngest daughter-in-law, wearing a gloomy face, and snorted inwardly.
She knew the youngest daughter-in-law was still dreaming of her elder brotherâs promotion, but unfortunately, that dream was bound to be shattered.
They would not have been so outrageous unless they knew that Yan Zhigao had no chance of further promotion.
The main reason she had agreed to her youngest son marrying Yan Siyu, of humble background, was the prospect of her elder brotherâs advancement, wasnât it?
Who knew, this Yan Zhigao was too arrogant of his talents, and completely ignorant of the ways of an official, offending a noble early in his career, someone he shouldnât have provoked.
If not for his competent handling of certain affairs, he wouldnât even be able to maintain his position as a County Magistrate.
Even now, as a County Magistrate, he was only dispatched to underdeveloped and remote counties, to toil like cattle and horses, adding to the achievements of those above.
Such a personâs life was essentially over, and she was already being generous keeping her youngest daughter-in-law for the sake of her grandsons and granddaughter.