Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Second Lady," Nurse Fan approached joyfully, "Madame Liu and Madame Wang have successfully developed the spicy soup base. They sold some yesterday, and everyone said it was delicious. People were sweating after eating, feeling very refreshed."

Meng Die replied, "That's great. Reward them with ten taels of silver for their hard work."

Nurse Fan continued, "Second Lady, how should we price the spicy and non-spicy soup bases?"

Meng Die answered, "We can plant more chili peppers on the farm this year; they're not expensive. The vegetable soup will still be twenty cash per bowl. As for the number of spicy and non-spicy soup bases to make each day, let Madame Liu and Madame Wang decide. Generally, we'll have more spicy ones in winter and more non-spicy ones in summer."

"Yes."

Meng Die continued, "This year, let the Headman Wang decide what to plant in the manor, aside from ensuring there's enough grain for consumption. He and Lady Wang can determine how much produce they need for a year, and we'll cultivate accordingly."

Meng Die added, "There's one more thing. Aunt Three's messenger just informed us that the spring garments for the servants are ready. They're being distributed in the western wing of the Jingcu Pavilion. Mother Fan, please take two serving girls and collect them."

"Understood," Mother Fan replied, happily accepting her assignment and leading two maidservants straight to the Jingcu Pavilion.

The Concentrated Essences Pavilion was situated at the southernmost end of the garden, and it was bustling with activity at the moment. Servants from every quarter had been dispatched to collect their respective attire.

Seeing Auntie Fan entering, the head supervisor, Auntie Zhao, immediately greeted her with a warm smile. "Auntie Fan, you're here. I've prepared everything for your quarter. Please do check."

The maid accompanying Auntie Zhao promptly presented the pre-arranged garments.

The two young maids under Auntie Fan's charge hurried over to receive them. Auntie Fan chatted amicably with Auntie Zhao while smiling. "Thank you for your trouble, Sister."

"No need to be so formal between us. I'm a year of the Rooster," Auntie Zhao said, taking the initiative to establish a closer connection.

"I belong to the year of the Dog," she said.

Nanny Zhao responded, "In that case, I'll take the liberty to address you as my younger sister."

"Nanny Feng," Nanny Zhao replied, glad to foster good relations with the other nannies in the palace.

As they were conversing, a young lady around sixteen or seventeen years old suddenly entered from outside the door. Though her looks were unremarkable, her spirits were high, and her presence commanded attention. Upon entering, she put her hands on her hips and loudly demanded, "Nanny Zhao, why are there fewer fabrics in our storage?

"Less fabric?" Nanny Zhao's face showed surprise. "Could it be, Qiuer, that you didn't notice, perhaps they got misplaced? I personally inventoried each piece of fabric."

Qiao-er's face twisted in anger. "What do you mean it's missing? Nurse Zhao, how can you say that? Didn't I consider this possibility? I've unfolded and meticulously searched through every piece of fabric allocated to us three times over!"

Nurse Zhao replied, "Which specific fabric is missing?"

"A figured satin," Qiao-er answered.

Nurse Zhao paused, "Figured satins are precious. I allocated them according to the sizes reported by each chamber for their mistresses. There mustn't be any mistakes."

Qiao-er was clearly taken aback. "What did you just say?"

Nanny Zhao replied, "I've measured and sorted the fabrics according to size, so there shouldn't be any mistakes."

"Sorted by size?" Qiao'er found it absurd as if she had heard some ridiculous joke. "Our young masters and misses are still so young. How could you possibly allocate fabric based on their sizes?"

Nanny Zhao's expression turned cold. "This isn't a rule I set. When our madam discussed it with Lady, she specified that each person should have a set of clothes made for them. Naturally, we measured everyone and divided the fabrics accordingly. When we purchased them, we did so following these measurements."

"You..." Qiao'er was utterly stunned.

Nanny Zhao softened her tone. "In our quarters, Second Master Zhen, Third Master Yi, and Second Miss also have small statures, and their fabrics were allocated the same way. Embroidered damasks are very popular now, and it was quite a challenge to acquire these materials for the spring wardrobe preparations in all the manors."

"Understood." Qiaoer replied tersely, then turned and grumbled as she walked away.

Mama Fan, standing closer to the entrance, heard every word clearly: "I've never seen anyone so skilled at saving money."

After dismissing Qiaoer, Mama Zhao heaved a sigh of relief and continued, "Younger Sister, Second Madam's spring blouse fabric has already been cut. Normally, does Second Madam have her clothes made by the seamstresses or by her own servants?"

Mama Fan replied, "Second Madam isn't particular about where they're made. But we've been idle lately, so we might as well do it ourselves."

Mama Zhao responded, "In that case, I'll send someone over with the fabric later."

"Very well."

Mama Fan instructed the two maidservants to carry the garments and then bid farewell, returning to Qixia Courtyard. Upon arrival, she promptly distributed the clothes. Each person received two sets, though the fabrics varied.

The servants and maids who performed menial tasks were given plain cotton, while Xing Huang and Xue Qing's outfits were made from fine cotton with a long, collared vest design. The collars were adorned with silk. Lu Wei and Mama Fan also had fine cotton attire, but each of them had an additional silk arm jacket.

Upon receiving their new clothes, everyone was delighted.

"Mama Fan, someone from Mama Zhao's quarter has sent over materials for Second Lady's spring wardrobe."

Nanny Fan hurried out, and the maid who arrived had a delicate appearance, despite being only around fifteen or sixteen years old. She wore a genuine silk apron, which immediately gave Nanny Fan a sense of assurance. This must be the head maid from Madam Three's quarters: "Thank you for making this trip, Miss."

"I couldn't possibly accept such praise. Nanny, just call me Yun Jin," replied Yun Jin with a smile as she handed the fabric to Nanny Fan. "In our household, everyone gets two sets of clothes for spring."

"Very well." Nanny Fan took the cloth. "Please, Miss Yun Jin, come inside and have a cup of tea before you leave."

"I have other matters to attend to. I'll visit again when I have time."

Nanny Fan entered with the fabric to show Meng Die, "Second Lady, here's the cloth for the clothes. It was personally delivered by the head maid from the third quarter."

Lu Wei happened to be engaged in embroidery when she took the fabric gracefully. "I suppose it's because Third Madam inquired about the imperial examinations with our Second Lady recently, hence her newfound attentiveness to such matters."

Nanny Fan nodded and glanced outside before whispering to Meng Die the events she had witnessed at Jing Cui Pavilion, including the whispers of the clever Miss Qiao.

Meng Die leaned on the soft couch, mentally calculating as she listened. A bolt of fabric could yield two sets of clothing, and this referred to adult sizes. For children who had yet to grow tall, it could approximately make four sets.

Yunjin is a precious silk brocade, costing roughly ten taels of silver per bolt. Zhuanghua brocade falls under the category of Yunjin and is a novel design, currently all the rage in the capital city. One might not be able to obtain a bolt of Zhuanghua brocade for less than twenty taels, let alone thirty.

In the Marquis household, there were several young misses who had yet to reach maturity. With this method of allocation, a hundred or so taels of silver could be easily saved. Having managed the Meng family's accounts before, Meng Die could only sigh inwardly. It was not easy for her mother-in-law to manage the household, even in a marquis residence. "The Chao you mentioned should be Fourth Aunt's maid."

Nanny Fan mentally noted this down. It was Lu Wei who accompanied Meng Die daily to pay respects and engage in conversation with her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law. She seldom ventured out of the courtyard, so many people were still unfamiliar with her.