jdhmnovel Chapter 229: The Mistress of the House
Chapter 229: The Mistress of the House
Three days later, Yun Xi welcomed the old lady and Mu Jinyan.
On this day, Mu Sheng happened to be on vacation, so he came with them. He could stay at the farm for a day and leave the next day.
As the host, Father Yun welcomed the arrival of the old lady and Mu Jinyan with a little confusion. Because in this era, the interaction between relatives was not so casual.
But when I thought about how my daughter could do this and that so casually, I just accepted this situation casually.
Moreover, the old lady has a cheerful personality. She comes here mainly to enjoy the pastoral scenery and play with her little grandson. She actually also wants to have fun.
When the child is at home, he runs around the yard and plays with her for a while every day. She is a little uncomfortable without him at home.
The elderly like to promote childbirth and like children. To a large extent, they like the vitality and lively atmosphere that children bring, and they have a feeling of vigor and optimism.
Lezai is a bit of a socialite. He can chat with anyone and is very sweet to the people he likes. Anyway, the old lady is very happy with him every day.
Of course she could go to her own farm to relax, but her little grandson would not be there.
"My dear, come to grandma. Do you miss grandma?"
She held Lezi in her arms and took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Lezi runs like crazy every day and has to change several sets of clothes, each of which is soaked through. At this moment, he has a sweaty head, a flushed face, and a mouth full of honey: "I miss you, I miss my grandma."
"What did you think?"
Lezi pointed to his head and patted his stomach. After thinking for a while, he seemed to have patted the wrong place. He moved his finger upwards and patted his chest, "I've thought of everything."
The old lady was so happy that her face was beaming with joy. "My dear, grandma missed you too. I came specially to play with you. Are you happy?"
"Happy."
He ran out of the old lady's arms and went to talk to Mu Sheng and Mu Jinyan.
"Dad, brother."
Mu Sheng picked him up and lifted him up several times, making him giggle.
Yun Xi asked the maid to serve watermelon juice with crushed ice and mint to cool her down.
The old lady took care of her health, so she didn't dare to drink too much, and only drank a small cup. Mu Jinyan had been with Yun Xi for the past few years, and her body was in good shape. She accepted all these things, not to mention Mu Sheng.
After resting for a while, the old lady took her maids and nannies to the courtyard arranged for her by Yun Xi. They sat in a carriage for half a day. Even though the road was much smoother, it was still a burden for the old lady.
Mu Jinyan was pulled by Lezi to play.
Dad Yun also went back to his yard to rest.
Only after everyone had left could Mu Sheng and Yun Xi get together to talk privately.
"You are quite comfortable here."
"You can retire, too, and come here to enjoy yourself with us."
Mu Sheng: “…”
That was fine. He still wanted to consolidate his position in the court so that he could pave the way for his sons. When Le Zai grew up and could handle things on his own, it wouldn't be too late for him to retire.
"Let's talk about it in a few years. The children are still young now, so we'll talk about it after they all become officials."
Yun Xi smiled and said, "We'll stay for a few days and then go back. Throughout the year, I still spend more time with you at home, and I just come out occasionally to change the environment."
"I know, I just missed you guys."
They stayed at the manor until Mu Jinyan started school.
After returning home, the old lady began to call her over every now and then to look at the account books and manage the affairs of the mansion together, and step by step transferred the power to her.
She said to Yun Xi, "You will have to take over these things sooner or later. I know you don't like to be in charge, but you have to understand that managing household affairs is a symbol of power for the mistress of the house. If you don't manage it, others will think you have no status in this family. Now there are only two women in the family, mother and daughter. No one can say anything whether you manage it or I manage it. But in the future, Mu Xuan will eventually get married. Once his wife comes home, it will be very different for you to manage it or for me to manage it."
"As for Ah Yan and Le Zai, they will also get married when they grow up. If you, as a mother-in-law, don't take care of the household chores after your daughters-in-law get married, won't the younger generations laugh at you?"
Yun Xi smiled and said, "How could that be? They would only envy me for having my mother-in-law's love and care, and being able to live comfortably without having to manage things. The servants in the mansion are all good and none of them disrespect me. The master is also very good to me, and there are also A Yan and Le Zai, they are all good children. With someone like me like this, how can I be looked down upon by my brother's wife and daughter-in-law? It's impossible!"
Madam Mu shook her head and whispered to him, "Power should be in your own hands. No one else can be trusted."
Yun Xi smiled. She knew that what the old lady said made sense and was really for her own good. No matter how in the eyes of the world, the mistress of the household was not a real mistress, but just a figurehead with an empty title. Even though she had so many "identities", people still valued real power more.
"Okay, listen to me, I'll learn from you."
She was just too lazy to bother, not that she couldn't do it.
"We have a small family and not much to do. It won't be difficult for you. Just get familiar with it. I look forward to Mu Xuan getting married and giving me some grandchildren. I also hope that Yan and Lezi will grow up quickly so that I can have great-grandchildren. I can also see the Mu family prospering in my lifetime, and I will be satisfied."
"Definitely."
She herself doesn't really want to have another child, so she has been using contraception since giving birth, otherwise she would have gotten pregnant a long time ago.
The old lady was immediately happier when she heard her say that. She always felt that as long as Yun Xi said it, it would come true.
Every day after the daughter-in-law was brought home, the Mu family was moving in a better direction, getting better day by day.
Two months later, the Mu family completed the power transition, and all affairs in the mansion were handed over to Yun Xi.
During these two months, Yun Xi and the old lady worked together to improve the management system. Rewards and punishments, rights and responsibilities were more clearly defined. Each area had a dedicated person in charge, and there were checks and supervision at every level. It could be said that even without Yun Xi, with this system, the entire Mu Mansion would be able to function well.
If the Mu Mansion is compared to a company, Yun Xi is equivalent to the chairman. The specific affairs are handled by the general manager and the heads of various departments and branches. She only needs to grasp the direction and the overall situation.
Another audit will be conducted at the end of the year.
The old lady watched as Yun Xi easily sorted out all the relationships. Even though she had taken over the household duties, she was not much busier than before. She was extremely envious.
She said to Madam Qian: "Actually, Yunxi is suitable to be an official. I think she is suitable to go to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel."
Madam Qian smiled and said, "You taught her well. The Madam wasn't this good when she first came into the family."
The old lady shook her head and laughed, "You, stop flattering me. I shamelessly accepted some flattery, but I really can't accept this. I didn't teach her anything, she just got the understanding on her own. Look at these two months, what have I taught her? I've been in charge of the household expenses for so many years, but I haven't sorted out these systems, and she finished it in two months, and she said she did it with me, but it was all her idea."
Madam Qian said, "That's because you are kind and generous, and you agree to the Madam's efforts. If you were like those foolish people, not only would you not help her, but you would also hinder her and hold her back, then no matter how powerful the Madam is, she probably wouldn't be able to accomplish anything."
Old lady: "...You are right. Not being stupid is the greatest advantage of old people."