nycdaug Chapter 321: My Sister is as Gentle as a Chrysanthemum (3)
Chapter 321: My Sister is as Gentle as a Chrysanthemum (3)
Ning Ning frowned after hearing this, "Sister, do you think so too? You want me to go to the Zhao family to cause trouble for you? Have you become so concerned about money?"
Ning Zhen: "Of course not, it's just..."
"How can our young lady say such words? It's just that in a big mansion, it's hard to move forward without money. We don't even have money to reward the servants. The servants are unwilling to run errands for us. Usually, they won't even move when we ask the kitchen to make one more dish."
Ning Ning's face was gloomy, "It seems that the rules need to be corrected."
He waved his hand and the servant who was in charge of the Ning family came in immediately.
"Master, what are you doing?"
Ying'er was a little confused and subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
Ning Ning sighed, "I have repeatedly taught you a lesson, but you just ignored it. You interrupted the master casually when he was talking, and even instigated the master to tell nonsense about what happened in my sister's room. How can you be a well-behaved servant? If the Zhao family saw this, wouldn't it be a joke! My sister is obviously of noble character and never cares about greed, but how come she becomes such a mercenary woman in your mouth! What crime should you be punished for!"
"Master, I was wrong, please forgive me!"
She felt that it was unlikely that Ning Ning would forgive her, so she hurriedly asked Ning Zhen for help.
He knelt on the ground, holding Ning Zhen's hand, and sobbing. He looked really pitiful.
Ning Zhen moved her mouth, as if she was about to plead for mercy, but Ning Ning spoke first, "Sister, you have to think about it. This girl married you, and her every word and action represents your opinion. If she is so unruly, it will be a loss for you! If you don't know, you will think you are petty, don't want to manage the household, and value money!"
When he said this, Ning Zhen's movements suddenly froze, "But, if Ying'er came back with me and was seriously injured, it would inevitably arouse speculation."
"Don't worry, sister. It's just a minor punishment. Take her away and give her thirty strokes of the cane!"
The person in charge of the board pulled Ying'er away, and soon there were cries and shouts from the yard.
Ning Ning took a sip of tea. "Sister, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to talk about the housekeeper's affairs. You are already the young mistress of the Zhao family, and it is your job to be a housekeeper. It is not appropriate for me, an outsider, to interfere in the affairs of your Zhao family's inner house. But as a housekeeper, you only have to deal with those things, and it is impossible to divide the money too clearly. If there is a deficit in the account, make up for it, and when there is a surplus in the account, take the added money back. Sister often says that being content with poverty is the nature of a gentleman, and we scholars cannot be tainted by those filthy things."
"you?!"
Ning Zhen was speechless and stared at him intently, as if trying to figure out whether he was speaking sarcastically or intentionally mocking her.
This brother of mine really values me, especially after my parents died. Ning Ning cried so hard that she couldn't even stand up. She even said to me, "Sister, from now on there will only be the two of us in our family. As a male, I must protect you and not let you suffer any grievances."
What did she say at that time? Yes, in order to maintain the face of the young lady, she stood up coldly and woodenly, lit a stick of incense for her parents, and then turned to Ning Ning and said.
"Brother, even though you are sad, you must not be impolite. Grief is not the way for people like us to be impolite."
So, following her prompting, Ning Ning knelt down properly, and even cried in a serious manner, without any impoliteness in the slightest.
What Ning Ning said now were what she often said in the past.
Could it be that Ning Ning was deliberately using these words to shut her up?
She looked at Ning Ning suspiciously, but Ning Ning did not dodge and met her gaze directly, and looked at her with some doubt, "Sister, why are you looking at me? Is there something wrong with my clothes?"
"No, nothing, everything is fine."
"Oh, that's good. But Ying'er still needs to be disciplined by you. She will marry with you, so she can't be as spoiled as before. If she doesn't serve you well, just tell me and I will replace her and find a good girl to send to you."
Ning Zhen nodded.
They sat opposite each other in silence. After a while, when Ying'er had finished beating her with the stick, she had to come in and kowtow to express her gratitude. Then she was supported by someone and limped back.
Things were much quieter this time when they went back. Ning Zhen didn't look for an opportunity to go back to her parents' home, and Ying'er didn't come back to make a fuss. Don't ask, they must be "enjoying" the good life that they had gained without fighting or competing.
More than a month later, a servant from the Zhao family came to invite Ning Ning, saying that Ning Zhen was ill and asked Ning Ning to come to the house to visit her.
The person who came was not the servant that came with Ning Zhen's dowry, but the nanny beside Mrs. Zhao.
Her attitude was not very good, and she was somewhat arrogant when speaking to Ning Ning.
From this we can see that without Ning Ning's support, Ning Zhen's life in the Zhao family would definitely not be good.
Ning Ning pretended not to notice anything, but when she heard that Ning Zhen was sick, her face showed some anxiety.
"Sister is ill? Have you seen a doctor? I'll go see her right away!"
When I arrived at Zhao's house and entered Ning Zhen's yard, I smelled medicine before I even entered the house.
After just a few days of not seeing each other, Ning Zhen's face had lost all color, her skin was dry, yellow and withered, and she seemed to have lost the strength to speak.
Ning Ning was shocked. "Why did he suddenly become so ill? Can you ask a doctor to see what's wrong?"
"Ahem, I..."
Just as Ning Zhen was about to speak, the old maid interrupted her rudely, "The eldest young lady is not ill at all, she had a miscarriage. Alas, as a woman, how could she be so careless that she didn't even know she was pregnant for more than a month and lost the child. Our wife is also sick because of this!"
Ning Ning was shocked, "How could this happen?"
"It's Ying'er. She dared to seduce our young master without knowing the truth. The young mistress got upset when she saw it. In fact, this girl is just like a cat or a dog. How can we be on the same level with them? She is the young mistress's dowry maid. She is originally her own person. Why bother with her? It will hurt your body. In fact, Ying'er is getting older and older. If we don't arrange a place for her, she will naturally have other thoughts!"
The old nanny completely distanced herself from Zhao Ruowang and implicitly accused Ning Zhen of not knowing how to manage the household and being tricked by her own maid.
She had said everything she needed to say, and then she used the excuse of going to see a doctor to keep Ning Ning and Ning Zhen to chat.
Ning Ning looked puzzled. "Sister, is what she just said true? Is Ying'er really with brother-in-law... But I think she is fine and loyal to you."
"Ahem, she hates me. She hates me for not pleading for her last time. She said that she always charged into battle for me and said all the things first, but she always suffered the loss. I didn't protect her at all!"
It seems that Ying'er has also come to her senses.
As Ning Ning was thinking, Ning Zhen struggled to get up and came over to hold him, "Help me, Ning, you are my only brother, and you are the only one who can help me."
"Sister, what do you want me to do for you?"