Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 27 The Master's Thoughts

Meng Shu had just relieved a worry, and while she felt relaxed, she also had a touch of melancholy. However, she was quite happy to see Dong Gua looking so excited.

The two sisters lay on the bed with their heads touching. The purse that their second uncle had given them contained five or six pieces of silver. Since there was no scale in the servants' room, Meng Shu weighed it in her hand and said it was about five taels. It was the first time Donggua had ever seen silver, and she beamed with joy.

Without a word, he gave Meng Shu half of his food, but Meng Shu didn't want to accept it.

"Although we came up with the recipe for tea crisps together, I'm already very grateful that you agreed to let me give it away as a favor. I'm not shameless enough to ask for a share of the reward money."

Donggua blinked. She didn't take the dessert recipe seriously at all. It was supposed to be original, but the method wasn't actually that hard to figure out. It was just that no one had thought of using tea leaves as an ingredient. If Meng Shu hadn't suggested it, she would never have had the brains to do it. So she simply stuffed three pieces of silver into her purse.

"We're sisters, why are you being so grateful? Are you going to distance yourself from me?"

After saying that, she whispered in Meng Shu's ear and revealed some news, "A few days ago, when we were making pastries in the small kitchen, didn't Mama An mention that we would offer them to the old lady? Just now, I was discussing with Mama An that Second Uncle wanted tea pastries, and Mama An revealed that the old lady liked them and said they were good. Maybe we'll get a reward in a few days."

Meng Shu knew about this. She had spent the whole day making pastries, and naturally, she wanted to give the finished product to An's mother to taste. After An's mother tasted it, she immediately used it to present the pastries to An's mother. Besides, how could she possibly buy so many kinds of tea with her meager funds? Now that she thought about it, it must have been the old lady who had given her support behind the scenes.

Especially the Tianmu Longjing tea mentioned by my second uncle, one of the eight teas of Lin'an, is extremely precious, which makes it even more obvious.

For once, Donggua's mind worked, and he asked curiously, "Why did the old lady not give you a reward immediately after tasting it that day?"

Meng Shu had a plan in mind. She thought that after the council meeting, the old lady would use the tea cakes as an excuse to reward her and then make other arrangements for her. However, now she also had the credit for the fire incident.

But regardless, the masters' intentions will soon be revealed.

The council meetings concluded smoothly over the next few days. Because Meng Shu had some dealings with Uncle Song, she also knew some of the situation in the front yard.

For example, Manager Gong, who always had a smile on his face when he moved into Langya Courtyard, became very popular. It seemed that this was because Yongbaolou had hired the descendants of the former imperial jewelry workshop at great expense, and the jewelry had been innovated and taken to a new level. As a result, not only did Yongbaolou make a fortune, but Manager Gong also gained a lot of respect in front of the master.

For example, Yongzheng Pawnshop acquired two rare "unredeemed" items, one of which was a piece of calligraphy from a previous dynasty, which the head of the family greatly admired.

Among the many businesses owned by the Tang family, there are also quite a few rising stars.

Yongfeng Grain Shop collaborated with Yongmao Trading Company to import a type of grain and several rare flowers from overseas.

Yongxiu Cloth Shop produced an exceptionally skilled embroiderer who wove a gossamer-thin gauze garment using silkworm eggs found in the wild. When worn, it shimmered like a fleeting shadow in the sunlight. Unfortunately, the silkworm eggs were extremely rare, and the gauze garment could not be mass-produced, making it all the more precious.

There are also news reports about how many branches Yongxing Restaurant has opened this year, and how Yong'an Pharmacy has hired famous doctors and their students to provide consultations.

But not all of this was good news. It seemed that Yongchun Tea Shop was facing an even bigger problem. The imperial court issued another ban on alcohol, this time only for official breweries. Tang Family Winery had to close down, and several other shops were also suffering from the blows of many competitors and were in decline.

All this information combined gave Meng Shu a deeper understanding of the Tang family's businesses and also made her secretly shocked. Such a huge business empire involved in all walks of life. It would be an exaggeration to say that the Tang family was the richest family in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but in Lin'an, they certainly deserved it.

The day after the council meeting ended, due to the incident at Yongtai Money Exchange, the managers of Langya Courtyard did not stay as usual, and after five or six days of excitement, Langya Courtyard returned to tranquility.

On the same day, Steward Cao took Meng Shu to Fu'an Residence.

Having visited the outer courtyard of Fu'an Residence twice before, Meng Shu thought she could handle it easily. However, upon entering the inner courtyard for the first time to meet the true master, Meng Shu couldn't help but feel nervous. She walked with her head down according to etiquette, and her eyes had already grasped the grandeur and opulence of Fu'an Residence.

Not to mention the fiery red stones embedded in the perfectly polished cobblestone path, and the colorful rare birds hanging in cages under the flowering trees on both sides, just before entering the flower hall, there were two bonsai made of unknown jade placed under the corridor, which shows how wealthy the Tang family was.

Inside the flower hall, several women, some sitting and some standing, surrounded a dignified and wealthy old lady in the center. Meng Shu followed Steward Cao and kowtowed in accordance with the rules. Then she heard the old lady's gentle voice tell her to raise her head.

"This servant Meng Shu greets the Old Madam and Madam Yun." Before she came, Steward Cao had already told her that Madam Yun was also at the Old Madam's place today.

Although Madam Yun was six months pregnant, as the matriarch of the Tang family, she was naturally very dignified and beautiful. When she saw Meng Shu, she couldn't help but be impressed. "She is indeed very beautiful. I heard from the head steward of the front courtyard that this girl has made great contributions. Mother should reward her well today."

The old lady smiled and said, "Get up and speak. Do you know why I called you here today?"

Meng Shu was actually very grateful to the Tang family. If the master hadn't brought them out of Chunfeng Tower, even if she was clever, she would have been helpless for a while.

"I am already very grateful for the rescue from the Meng family. Being assigned to work in Langya Courtyard is my duty to maintain the stability of the courtyard. Afterwards, I was also very apprehensive, fearing that I might bring up the matter of the vegetable oil ahead of time and disrupt the masters' plans."

The old lady couldn't help but admire her even more after hearing this. The fact that she could think of this was enough to show that the little girl was clear-headed, quick-witted, and meticulous.

"Regarding Qian Wanlai, your uncle does have evidence, but he did not expect that he intended to burn down Langya Courtyard. Your actions are not problematic."

Madam Yun also looked at Meng Shu carefully and felt that the old lady had a unique eye; this girl was indeed quite good.

Guangbai spoke up at the right moment: "Not only that, the tea pastries that you and Donggua made in the small kitchen were also very popular with the old lady."

Actually, there was something Meng Shu didn't know: Yongchun Tea House suffered huge losses in its tea gardens. However, the tea crisps gave the head of the family and Manager Lu more ideas. Perhaps the unsold tea could be made into something else. Therefore, Meng Shu's contribution to this matter was also significant, which Guang Bai pointed out at this time.

Meng Shu's face quickly showed a hint of shame (she was pretending), "To be honest, I came up with this dessert entirely out of selfishness."

Then she revealed that she had intended to curry favor with Uncle Song and ask him to help her find her relatives. This matter was not kept secret; judging from the old lady's expression, it was clear that she had known about it for a long time and did not seem to blame her.

However, saying it aloud would make her seem exceptionally sincere. Meng Shu's indenture was still in her master's hands, and since she couldn't be sure what her master was thinking, she could only try her best to appear honest and loyal.

After the matter was explained, the old lady nodded slowly, her tone becoming even more gentle. "It's nothing. Besides, your ingenious idea inadvertently solved a problem. As for the fire at Langya Courtyard, you were quick-witted, so you should be rewarded."

"As for your search for your relatives, your madam has already sent a message through the head steward. As long as your uncle comes to Lin'an, there will definitely be news."

Meng Shu was deeply moved, feeling her heart overflow with gratitude for the Tang family's kindness. She quickly knelt down and kowtowed to the old lady, Madam Yun, to express her thanks.

"By the way, tell your friend Donggua to come over so I can take a look at her too."

Guangbai responded and went to deliver the message outside the flower hall.

Before the winter melon arrived, Madam Yun suddenly said something that immediately cleared up Meng Shu's previous doubts.

“Mother, this little girl is so outstanding, it’s a shame she’s not being treated well in Langya Courtyard. It’s just my good fortune that I’ve come here today. Wan’er is about the same age as her, so why don’t you give her a favor and let her be transferred to Yunyi Courtyard to keep Wan’er company?”