Chapter 085

Chapter 85: Consoling Tang Mo

Servants understand servants best. Auntie Liu looked over the courtyard’s workers and sighed long in her heart. A servant is indeed property, but first of all a person, not a chattel.

If Auntie Cai were not punished today, it would do no good to Tao Yi Ran’s authority; if she were punished, it would do no good either. Auntie Liu fretted, while Tao Yi Ran acted as if nothing had happened and told her to bring mung bean soup.

Because Auntie Cai had kicked up such a racket that the whole courtyard had heard, the servants were already heartsore, yet they still had to prepare the mung bean soup. More than a few maids secretly wiped away tears.

When Xin An woke, Chun Yang and Chun Lv recounted what had happened next door in vivid detail, saying: “Auntie Cai threw a fit for quite a while. She talked of her toil, her loyalty, her grievances, saying what she should and should not say. When she had finished, then they gagged her.”

“Nan Feng knows Xi Duo from next door and has been secretly wiping tears,” Chun Lv added.

Roused to such a shocking story the moment she woke, Xin An even forgot to drink her tea. She knew that the nobler the household, the more lenient it was with its servants. Even when there was beating and scolding, there had to be a proper reason, and to mete out punishment required sufficient proof. A residence of several hundred people depended on the servants for receiving and sending, serving tea, carrying news, and everything else, and if something went wrong in one place, the master would be beset with endless trouble.

She knew Tao Yi Ran to be proud and disdainful of others, but had not expected her to speak her heart so fearlessly. She asked: “There was no cause?”

“Xi Duo said that at the time, Auntie Cai was scolding two who were slacking, the zither suddenly stopped, and very soon Auntie Cai was called away. After that came everything that followed,” Chun Yang said.

With a little thought, Xin An understood, and said: “She was interrupted while playing.”

The two maids were taken aback. Merely for that, would she trample Auntie Cai’s face into the dirt?

Chun Yang said, a little incredulous: “The Eldest Young Madam is so delicate and speaks so little, the wind could blow her over. She would not be so, so unforgiving, would she?”

Xin An smiled. She naturally understood Tao Yi Ran. [She has always had everything without needing to give anything,] Xin An said, “and it was the same in her mother’s home. Before, it was Tang Mo, and after Tang Mo was gone there was Tang Rong, who is a paragon of filial piety. When has Tao Yi Ran ever had to worry about anything? A person long accustomed to enjoying others’ labors will not consider what a servant thinks. In her heart she is the master and can have as many servants as she wants, so why trouble to think?”

“The same with the stewarding. She does not need to exert herself and still has everything, so why should she care?”

“In her mind, even I, I fear, am only a servant,” she said, then added, with a small shrug: “A servant who manages the household for her.”

“As for Auntie Cai,” she concluded, [that is a matter of one demon grinding down another.]

Before half an hour had passed, Chun Yang came again to report that next door Auntie Liu had bought everyone’s silence in the courtyard: “A string of cash coins for each, and they are forbidden to spread what happened today.”

“Mm,” Xin An answered. There was always someone with a clear head at Tao Yi Ran’s side. Even if they did not make amends now, once Tang Rong learned of it he would make amends for her. Husband and wife are in the same boat, and neither can afford to fall into the water.

“This matter is known to almost everyone in our courtyard. Should we…”

“Do not bother,” Xin An said, lifting her eyes. “You did not take hush money. Your mouth is your own. Why should you concern yourself with them?”

Chun Yang nodded with a smile, which was indeed her meaning, and said: “Chun Lv and I, along with a few others, serve at the young madam’s side and will not talk out of turn. As for the others, who knows. Even if blame is cast, it will not fall on us.”

When there are interests entangling the masters, the servants will naturally take sides. Peace on all sides is impossible.

Just then Tang Mo returned, not looking well. Chun Yang withdrew at once. Sitting down, Tang Mo glanced at Xin An and said: “That Liao Zhi is not easy to talk to at all. Today I ran headfirst into a wall. I said what should be said, but all I got was ‘hm’, ‘I know’, and ‘you may go’, and I could not tell what he meant.”

Xin An handed him tea and said: “What could it mean but that he did not take a liking to you.”

Already burning inside, Tang Mo grew more stifled at that. Xin An analyzed it for him and said: “You have the reputation of a dissolute rake. He is a Commander who, at a young age, took the helm of his household. Something significant must have happened in his residence a few years ago, and for him to become head of the family despite accomplished uncles means he lacks neither brains nor methods. Would such a man not have his own pride?”

“Leaving aside whether Father offended him, even without that you could not expect to be valued at once. He must have very high standards for his own people. Do not rush. Take it slowly. Do your duty well. When it is time to show what you can do, show it, and you will eventually find the right opportunity.”

“If you do not wish to rely on connections and insist on relying on yourself, the road will be much harder. Your bad reputation was not made in a day. To redeem it will certainly take more time. You must be patient.”

Tang Mo had indeed been impatient. He had thought that being reborn and knowing a few things in advance would let him win with certainty. The reality was not so simple. The man had been reborn, but the problems remained, and the road ahead was still unknown. He said: “You are right. I was too hasty. I will take it slowly.”

Xin An told someone to bring him a cool bowl of white fungus soup, then said: “Those who accomplish great things must have patience. We have already seen results this past month. Matters outside are far more difficult than those in the residence. We must not be careless.”

She told him all that she had said to the Grand Matron earlier and said: “I have paved a bright road for you. There is no need to hide anymore. Grandmother was full of praise. I could tell she wants to see among the younger generation someone like Grandfather.”

“Think of it and it is understandable. Though my memory of Grandfather is a little hazy, I still remember he was a man of great presence. A military man who, with courage and a little fortune, was enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed as prime minister, what glory that was. For the descendants to have declined to this point is indeed a pity. Grandmother, who knew him well, must have felt disheartened over the years.”

“She is waiting for you now. Finish the soup and go.”

Tang Mo started, then slowly broke into a broad smile. He rose and cupped his hands in salute, saying: “My thanks.”

This was the greatest difference between this life and the last. Now Tang Mo had someone to aid him.

He finished the white fungus soup in a few mouthfuls, straightened his clothes, and said: “I will go.”

“Go on,” Xin An said with a smile. “There is no need to hurry back. Grandmother has tanned a little and cares about it. Coax her, and keep her company for supper.”

Given the Grand Matron’s state, she would never willingly dine with everyone. It remained to be seen whether Tang Mo had the ability to stay.

Before Tang Mo reached the Grand Matron’s courtyard, Tang Gang had already arrived. With his mother returned from her pleasure outing, he had to be the first to come offer respects, and he also wished to win a little favor, so that his mother might reward him with something.

After applying a face mask, the Grand Matron saw that her complexion had improved a little. She had been in fair spirits, but when she saw Tang Gang she took umbrage. Her scolding was full?throated as she said he was shameless in old age and blind to propriety, that with two new brides only a month in the door, he had already been impatient to take a concubine, and what was more, it was someone who had served his wife; she said: “Where do you place your wife’s dignity?”

“How do you expect the two daughters?in?law to look at you?”