CHAPTER 314: CHAPTER 314: EACH OTHER (3)

As soon as the Sixth Sister left, just as expected, she came eagerly.

Madam Jiang frowned slightly, before swiftly instructing the maid to rearrange her hairpins. She stood up with a smile and went out to greet the visitor. Indeed, Nanny Fang stood at the door with a food box in her hand, smiling as she bowed to her, "Eldest Young Madam."

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Nanny Fang is here, please have a seat!"

Nanny Fang sat down half on an ottoman at the side, and once the maid served tea, Madam Jiang asked, "Is there something important, coming so late?"

Nanny Fang’s eyes shifted as she smiled and said, "Nothing in particular, just came to see the Young Madam. These past days serving Lady with tea and water, I was worried you might be exhausted, so I had someone in the kitchen stew some ginseng chicken for you. Drink it while it’s hot to nourish yourself!"

"How can I accept this, you’ve gone to so much trouble," Madam Jiang replied with a full smile, letting the maid beside accept it. She took two sips in front of Nanny Fang and nodded, "Cooked just right, neither too salty nor too bland. Thank you, Nanny Fang."

Nanny Fang nodded with satisfaction. Lady never liked Madam Jiang, which was bearable while Lord Jiang was alive, as the family was fairly well off. After Lord Jiang’s death, Madam Jiang fell into destitution overnight; what kind of daughter can a small household raise? Certainly an unsophisticated and inexperienced one, as Lady said. Nanny Fang agreed with Lady, and on the day of recognition, she didn’t expect much, just hoped she wasn’t too dull or stubborn and could be obedient and sensible.

But after meeting Madam Jiang and spending a few days with her, Nanny Fang and Lady’s impression of her changed slightly for the better. At least she wasn’t foolish!

"As I came in, I seemed to see Sixth Miss in the garden. Did she just visit?" Nanny Fang asked as if inadvertently.

Madam Jiang’s heart twinged, just as she anticipated, "Yes, she sat here for a while before leaving." Nanny Fang raised her eyebrows and said, "Sixth Miss is usually so busy, it’s rare for her to come by and rest at your place today?!"

"It’s true," Madam Jiang laughed and said, "I couldn’t persuade her to stay longer!" She did not mention anything about the keys.

Nanny Fang’s eyebrows tightened slightly, then she directly asked, "Did Sixth Miss come for something specific?"

Madam Jiang replied with a face full of helplessness, "She said it was to hand over the keys to me and will bring the accounts from the mansion tomorrow..." Nanny Fang was momentarily stunned, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes, and she eagerly asked, "Then has the Eldest Young Madam accepted them?" Madam Jiang hesitated slightly. Believing she hadn’t accepted the keys, Nanny Fang’s brows furrowed, her voice deepening, "Eldest Young Madam didn’t accept?"

Madam Jiang was sipping her tea, Nanny Fang’s expression shifted slightly, taking on a sincere tone, "The Young Madam’s affairs are none of my business, but having encountered this, I can’t help but say, Sixth Miss is no ordinary person, her mind is deep, and her methods numerous. The Young Madam must stay guarded against her in every matter!"

Nanny Fang paused, glanced at Madam Jiang’s reaction, seeing no change in her expression, and continued, "For instance, regarding the keys, it would have been fine for her to manage the household before you married in, but now it makes perfect sense to hand them over to you. You shouldn’t be polite with her. Besides, who knows what she’s been skimming off these months. If she’s willing to hand over the keys, you must accept and meticulously reconcile the accounts with her, for any discrepancies, you can’t bear the blame."

"Though you’re new to the mansion and unfamiliar with the ways here, there’s no need to be afraid. Isn’t Lady behind you? Go ahead and act boldly, even if the sky falls, there’s Lady and the First Master to rely on."

Madam Jiang tightened her grip on the teacup — do they want her to duel with Sixth Sister?

Suddenly, she found it amusing. It’s said that the only people truly thinking for you, wholeheartedly siding with you, are your own parents. Now, she fully understood those words!

Thinking of this, she started laughing, unhurriedly took out the keys to show Nanny Fang a glance, then put them back in her pocket, saying, "Nanny is overthinking, Sixth Sister has already handed the keys to me..." Nanny Fang was taken aback, her face stiffened, showing an awkward expression.

Madam Jiang lowered her head, showing a troubled look: "But, I’m afraid I might not have time to go serve Lady for the next few days. I must trouble Nanny to explain to her for me."

Nanny Fang’s face shifted, quickly covering her embarrassment with a smile, "The Eldest Young Madam should naturally spend more time learning to manage the household. Rest assured, Lady has me to take care of things, you needn’t worry!"

Madam Jiang stood and smiled, nodding to Nanny Fang: "Thank you for your hard work, Nanny."

Nanny Fang stood up too, smiling: "I’ve served Lady since young, it’s no trouble!"

"Miss, you really plan to hand over the keys to the Eldest Young Madam?" Chunyan tidied the account books in her hands, somewhat unwilling, and said: "No matter how good the Eldest Young Madam seems, she’s the Lady’s daughter-in-law. Once the house is in her hands, who knows what might happen in the future!"

Xiqiu put down the book in her hand, looked at Chunyan and smiled, "And what if I don’t hand them over? Should I remain here managing the household my entire life?" Chunyan was at a loss for words, and Xiqiu continued, "It’s true she’s the Lady’s daughter-in-law, but she cares more for Big Brother. The affairs of this mansion aren’t as simple as they appear on the surface. Sister-in-law is a smart person; she knows what she’s doing!"

Lady’s stance was clear, but Tong Mansion wasn’t solely Lady’s. She wasn’t like Lady, who could stand firmly regardless of the situation. As long as she endured temporarily, she would always be the Lady of the house. Madam Jiang was different. She’d just married in and shared no youthful romantic memories or tested bonds of adversity with Tong Shen Zhi, nor a powerful maternal family to rely on. In Tong Mansion, she had only herself to rely on to establish her footing step by step.

So, what Madam Jiang needed to do was ensure stability!

At least until she bore Tong Mansion’s legitimate eldest son.

Chunyan found the reasoning of the Sixth Miss sound, but was still a little unhappy inside. Holding a pile of account books, she turned to Xiqiu and said, "Should I deliver these to the Eldest Young Madam now?" Xiqiu nodded with a smile, "Go ahead!"

Chunyan took the account books and quietly left the room.

Early the next day, when the housekeeper maids saw the Eldest Young Madam and the Sixth Miss appearing together, they were all shocked. They hadn’t expected that the Sixth Miss and the Eldest Young Madam would complete the handover so peacefully, without witnessing any undercurrents or overt and covert struggles they thought might occur. Instead, they saw the two talking warmly, showing genuine sisterly affection.

The maids, surprised as they were, refrained from showing any intentions of waiting for the Eldest Young Madam to be embarrassed, all withholding their thoughts and bowing their heads. Madam Jiang noticed it all, taking stock of the situation, and observed Xiqiu’s smile gaining a few more degrees of sincerity.

With the house tasks handed over, Xiqiu actually gained some leisure. Seeing the wedding date approaching, the Eldest Young Madam and the Second Lady busied themselves with the marriage of Tong Xiyan in August, while Madam Xia prepared the dowry for Xiqiu’s wedding in October. She also worried about Fourth Master Xiao’s safety, inquiring daily from the First Master if there was any news from Liaodong...