Shen Yunhuai: “……”
So “salary” means… monthly allowance?
And what is a “housekeeper”?
Sounds like… an old nanny?
Cough.
“Sister-in-law, as the mistress of the household, you do have to distribute monthly stipends to the entire family. However, the mistress herself receives the highest allowance. If you agree, then the entire household will be under your management.”
If he hadn’t misunderstood, then what the sister-in-law meant was that she didn’t want to be an unpaid housekeeper?
[So that’s what it is? Sounds not bad actually. As long as the pay is right, a worker has nothing to complain about.]
Shen Yunhuai smiled.
His sister-in-law really was interesting.
“Mother, please trouble you to hand over all the household keys to Sister-in-law. You’ve worked hard for half your life managing this household—you can finally rest. This is also my filial piety.”
Madam Meng: “……”
How filial of you to kill me.
Madam Meng felt like her heart was being fried in boiling oil. She wanted nothing more than to glare daggers at Wen Jiushu until she tore her apart.
Still, she forced out a smile.
“Now that the daughter-in-law has entered the household, I should indeed step back and rest. I was only worried she couldn’t handle the responsibility or manage the household properly. Since she’s willing to learn, I naturally have no objections.”
“I’ll have the keys and account books sent over later. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. After all, harmony in the household is what matters most.”
[Madam Meng must be grinding her teeth to pieces by now. Joke’s on her—if the salary isn’t good enough, why would I manage your household chores?]
Wen Jiushu smiled. “Mother-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll manage it properly.”
Madam Meng left in anger.
If she stayed one more second, she felt she might rush over and scratch Wen Jiushu’s face.
Shen Yunhuai finally let out a breath. As long as his sister-in-law was willing to take charge, at least the Shen family’s assets wouldn’t be leaked.
“Send all the account books to my room later.”
[The Shen family’s assets… I wonder how much Madam Meng has secretly transferred out? One shop today, one mountain tomorrow, and a manor the day after. Has she hollowed out the family already?]
Shen Yunhuai: ?!!
Wasn’t he just saying the assets wouldn’t be leaked?
And now it’s already leaked?
Where did Madam Meng move all those shops, mountains, and estates?
[This mother-in-law of mine is quite ambitious. She’s transferred outside assets under the name of her illegitimate son, even thinking she’s doing him a favor. Once she gets rid of the Shen family’s “short-lived” heirs, she’ll acknowledge him as an adopted son and let him inherit the marquis household legitimately.]
Shen Yunhuai: Good. Very good.
Illegitimate son, huh?
Secretly transferring assets, huh?
Let’s see who destroys whom.
[In some ways, Madam Meng is quite inspiring—she managed to groom her illegitimate son into the heir of a marquis household.]
Shen Yunhuai: …
That part didn’t need praising, sister-in-law.
Soon, the account books arrived.
Delivered personally by Butler Lin.
He also asked, “Third Master, regarding the funds for rebuilding the ancestral hall…”
“Now that Sister-in-law is in charge, she will decide all such matters,” Shen Yunhuai said expressionlessly.
Butler Lin forced a smile. “Madam, what do you think…”
“Let me review the account books first before deciding. There’s no rush to rebuild the ancestral hall,” Wen Jiushu said calmly, adding a sharp remark, “We wouldn’t want someone sneaking off to have an affair in the ancestral hall again. People do love excitement, don’t they, Butler?”
“……”
Butler Lin’s eyelid twitched violently. Did Wen Jiushu actually know something?
He looked at her, but her expression remained calm and indifferent. Meeting her clear, cold gaze, he suddenly felt guilty and lowered his head.
“Madam is joking. The Old Madam has always managed things properly. No one would dare do such a thing in the ancestral hall. The fire was purely an accident.”
Wen Jiushu gave a cold laugh. “You may go.”
[You’re just a backup option—a fish in Madam Meng’s pond.]
[And as for Butler Lin, while managing the household, he’s been skimming quite a bit off the top and using it to support his illegitimate children outside.]
“Understood.”
After turning away, Butler Lin’s face darkened.
Trying to seize his control?
Let’s see if Wen Jiushu can even understand these account books.
A mere merchant-born woman—what could she possibly know about household management?
Shen Yunhuai let out a cold laugh. He also wanted to see just how many “fish” were swimming in Madam Meng’s pond.
“Sister-in-law, I still have matters to attend to. Take your time reviewing the accounts. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask me.”
Wen Jiushu nodded.
Shen Yunhuai left.
[Tomorrow my unlucky little sister-in-law should be back. She’ll probably come looking for trouble with me. The Shen family’s short-lived heirs really are difficult to deal with.]
Shen Yunhuai stumbled mid-step, almost falling.
He quickened his pace and asked Mu Si, “Is Shen Yunxi coming back soon?”
“Yes, according to the schedule, the Fifth Miss will be on leave and return home tomorrow.”
“Keep an eye on her. Don’t let her cause trouble for Sister-in-law.”
Mu Si nodded. “Don’t worry, Third Master. We’ll make sure the Fifth Miss doesn’t disturb Madam.”
“Ha.”
It’s not that Sister-in-law would be disturbed.
It’s that Shen Yunxi’s brain—trained by Madam Meng—is even worse than his.
If she dares to act up in front of Sister-in-law…
She’ll probably leave crying.