Chapter 310: Really Want to Drink (2.27)

Chapter 310: Really Want to Drink (2.27)

The various bosses ate and drank until they were drunk and stumbled out.

The large red lanterns, bright in the fading dusk, hung high under the eaves of the restaurant. The moon rose high in the sky, and its soft light spilled through the gaps between the tiles and white walls. Xianjin lowered her head, her feet idly stepping back and forth on the threshold—she was waiting for the mule carriage to return to Orange Courtyard.

It was like working in the inner ring with an extra-long commute from the north fourth ring.

Well, unlike those struggling in Beijing, she had her own private car and a driver.

Oops, my bad.

Xianjin’s thoughts drifted away, and then she heard a gentle voice behind her.

"Don't step on the threshold—"

Xianjin turned around to see Madam Duan, the mother of the star of hope, who had been formidable today. She walked over with a gentle smile, her earlier frenzied demeanor now replaced by calmness. "Children mustn't step on the threshold. The threshold is like a wall that keeps bad things outside the house. If you step on it, you're inviting bad luck into your home."

Xianjin: !!!

She immediately jumped down.

Bending over, she respectfully patted the threshold, saying, "Threshold, it was an unintentional mistake. Please don't blame me!"

Madam Duan laughed, her eyes filled with warmth. "This child seems fearless but actually believes in these superstitions the most."

Xianjin looked up and said confidently, "Every business person believes in this stuff! I've met a boss who never reconciles accounts in the morning, even if the payment is really urgent. It has to wait until after noon."

Madam Duan tilted her head. "Why?"

"Giving money out in the morning means bad business luck for the whole day!"

Madam Duan laughed. "Then wouldn't the first day of the month also be a no-reconciliation day?—If you give money out at the beginning of the month, your whole month's luck would be bad?"

Xianjin nodded.

"And what about the entire first month? If you don't, your whole year's luck would be bad?"

Xianjin thought about it, found it quite reasonable, and nodded again.

Madam Duan laughed uncontrollably, "Isn't that just an excuse to delay reconciliations?"

Xianjin also laughed, "But that boss's business did keep growing bigger!"

Madam Duan smiled knowingly. "Of course. A stingy boss who is eloquent and finds excuses for their stinginess will definitely have a growing business!"

Xianjin burst out laughing.

Their laughter gradually faded.

Xianjin's mule carriage clattered to a stop at the door. She lifted the curtain and invited Madam Duan onto the carriage. "...Auntie, it's too late. Let me give you a ride back."

Madam Duan didn’t hesitate to accept Xianjin’s offer. She placed one hand on Xianjin's arm, grabbed the carriage door, and climbed onto the mule carriage. They sat side by side, exchanging a few casual words. Xianjin smiled, "The Chen family’s massive operation, the fact that you're willing to take it on surprises me."

Madam Duan elegantly brushed her temples and spoke with a bit of pride, "I took it on, not because of the Chen family. It's because I saw one of the shop assistants helping his gray-haired mother get medicine from the apothecary—apart from the nineteen people you newly hired, these twenty-something old employees have worked their whole lives for the Chen family. They shouldn't suffer due to the family’s mismanagement."

Xianjin was stunned.

She thought Madam Duan took it on because of Chen Erlang's father.

Xianjin felt a deep respect.

Madam Duan gently curved her lips, revealing small dimples. "Actually, I don't understand anything, but someone has to step up. If people lose heart, the consequences would be dire—after Erlang's father died, I couldn't sleep for entire nights. The night I volunteered to take charge, I slept until dawn for the first time in years."

Xianjin smiled faintly, listening quietly. After a while, she said softly, "People... need to find something to do."

Madam Duan nodded slightly. "That's the truth, but I didn't understand it until I was over forty."

"It's not too late," Xianjin whispered.

Madam Duan's gaze remained gentle and serene. "It's not too late—I thought I'd be overwhelmed, but once I started, although it's difficult, it's not impossible. I'm not as capable now, but I come from a respectable scholarly family. I went to school at home, can read, write, and do arithmetic."

"I started with the account books—thanks to you, the Chen family's books in recent years are clean and clear. When were the raw materials purchased, from where, and how much was paid? When did we place more orders with Xiaocao Village, and when did we make more paper ourselves? The costs and profits of each type of Xuan paper... There are many things to handle, and they're complicated, but it's quite interesting."

Madam Duan's voice was light, but her obvious joy was unmistakable.

Xianjin's smile gently rose.

It seemed Madam Duan had been holding a lot of thoughts and finally found the opportunity to share them. "Oh, I also stopped the monthly allowance of the second son's household. Along with them, I stopped the wages of the maids, servants, and older women in their courtyard. If they don't work for a day, they won't be able to lie around comfortably!"

"As for the two young masters of the third branch! Sanlang, though a bit eccentric, has been managing the shop. Silang, on the other hand, has been using studying as an excuse, contributing neither effort nor work. I sent him to 'Xuantian' to be an accountant!"

The Chen family was like a winter bug with a hundred stiff legs, frozen hard by the cold. If you didn't splash some hot oil on it, it might die completely before spring arrived.

"Now the eldest son’s widow is running the family. I'm not their real mother or grandmother. If I exhaust myself while the men in the family live comfortably, that's not right."

Madam Duan's tone was light. "Second Uncle is quite honest. After loafing around at home for a few days, he went back to work at the paper mill. Second Sister-in-law also took over the household management and took the lead in handling affairs."

Xianjin couldn't help but ask, "What is Third Sister-in-law busy with?"

Madam Duan pursed her lips. "She’s been digging and refilling pits in the courtyard, and today she was at it again with a shovel."

Xianjin: ...

It's mainly about having a sense of participation in the busyness, right?

Madam Duan shook her head. "No matter what she's busy with, as long as she's occupied with something, it's better than gossiping about other families all day long."

Xianjin deeply agreed. Give people something to do, and they won’t have time to gossip!

The mule carriage creaked to a stop at the Chen residence's gate.

Madam Duan got off.

Mutually, they didn't mention Xianjin's grudges with the Chen family, nor Chen Fu and his mother's complicated relationship. The atmosphere between the two women was harmonious and prosperous.

The mule carriage rattled down the road, heading toward its next stop.

Madam Duan waited at the Chen residence's entrance. When the carriage disappeared into the end of the alley, she sighed softly, "What a shame about Erlang."

The maid behind her didn’t hear clearly and leaned forward, "Ah?"

Madam Duan shook her head, lifted her skirt, and walked inside. "It's nothing—I'm exhausted today. Bring me two pots of hot wine to relax!"

The maid smiled and went to the small kitchen.

A memory surfaced as Madam Duan reflected on the past: when she had just married, Erlang's father asked her what she thought the greatest benefit of marriage was.

She thought for a long time before finally answering: She could drink whenever she wanted, without worrying about her mom giving her an earful.

Nowadays…

Madam Duan glanced up at the moon perched on the roof’s edge.

Life is still pretty good, too.

And still, she can pour herself a drink whenever she fancies it.