Shengjing Noble

Chapter 170 I really don’t have any money

"What's the point of cramming at the last minute? If my brother can pass, he can pass even without worshiping."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old lady glared at him fiercely.

She scolded him with disdain: "You are such a disrespectful thing, you really don't know the rules at all! How do you discipline your daughter on weekdays?"

Liu Ruyan quickly winked at Su Lanxin and pulled her to kneel beside her.

Then she sat down and explained: "Mother-in-law misunderstood, Xin'er didn't mean that."

The old lady snorted coldly and closed her eyes, but did not continue chanting. Instead, she complained and blamed.

"No matter how bad Lu Wanjun is, at least her daughter doesn't dare to say such things in front of me. In the past, Yongcheng was away on business for half a month and didn't come back. Lu Wanjun would kneel in front of me for half an hour every day to pray for her husband's safety."

"But what about you? What have you done? You just rely on your good family background to idle away your time and live a life of luxury. Humph, you haven't even educated your child well in all these years. You are such a waste."

……

The old lady kept on accusing Liu Ruyan, who became more and more annoyed as she listened and could not help but retort.

"If mother-in-law thinks Lu Wanjun is good, you can invite her back..."

Before she finished her words, the old lady stared at her coldly and asked, "Let me ask you, are you ready for the reward?"

"Reward, reward money?" Liu Ruyan's face turned pale, and her eyes were full of confusion. "What reward money?"

The old lady was so angry that her face turned green. Upon seeing this, Nanny Yang immediately stepped forward and helped her up.

"You don't even want our Su family's eldest son to go to high school!"

Liu Ruyan panicked: "I didn't. Of course I hope my son will pass the exam, but I really don't know what reward money to prepare."

Su Lanxin also looked confused: "Yes, Grandma, why are you preparing a reward?"

The old lady was so angry at the mother and daughter that she touched her chest for a long time but couldn't calm down.

Nanny Yang had no choice but to explain: "Madam, if the young master is on the list, someone will definitely come to announce the good news. We have to give him a reward. This is the rule."

"Ah? There is such a thing! But I don't understand, why didn't anyone tell me..." Liu Ruyan lowered her head guiltily.

She was originally the daughter of a concubine, so she had never been involved in housekeeping matters and knew nothing about those interpersonal relationships.

In the past, when she was at home, her aunt only taught her some skills of music, chess, calligraphy and painting to please men, and that was why she was able to win the favor of Su Yongcheng.

But Lu Wanjun is different. She has followed her father and brothers around the country since she was a child and has seen all kinds of situations and is familiar with all kinds of human relationships.

Therefore, when he was the housekeeper, he could do everything with ease. Not only did he handle the chores in the mansion in an orderly manner, but he also maintained various relationships outside properly.

Over the years, Su Yongcheng was able to rise from a minor official to the sixth rank, mostly thanks to her using her connections and giving her money.

Otherwise, with Su Yongcheng's stubborn and arrogant attitude of not wanting to bow to anyone, he would have been kicked out by his colleagues long ago.

The old lady finally recovered, sat on the chair and drank a sip of tea, then continued: "Okay, don't waste time, hurry up and prepare, don't be too stingy, let others laugh at our Su family for being poor and lose face, understand?"

"Yes..." Liu Ruyan frowned and clenched her fists quietly, but her heart still ached.

It takes money again...she only has a little pocket money left.

Just when I was feeling the pain, I heard the old lady's next sentence.

"By the way, if Shenghao passes the entrance exam, the monthly salary of the Su family's servants should also be increased this month. When Lu Wanjun was here, it was twice as much as it is now. Let's restore the previous monthly salary in the future."

After she finished speaking, Liu Ruyan's face was almost unable to hold back. Her legs were weak and if Su Lanxin hadn't supported her, she would have fallen.

It's easy to say, but how much money does that cost?

You damn old woman, she’s asking for too much. It must be that Madam Yang who thinks the money is not enough!

She wanted to get angry right then and there, but she knew it was inappropriate since today was his son's big day.

So he pinched the flesh on his thigh and managed to endure it.

"Mother-in-law..." She forced a smile from between her teeth, which was uglier than crying.

The servants around all curled their lips and looked disdainful when they saw this, and some even rolled their eyes.

When Lu Wanjun was around, not to mention the monthly silver, the monthly rewards alone were several times what they are now.

Not only that, they will also be given some fresh vegetables, fruits, snacks, and a few more meat dishes in their meals every month.

These people can enjoy everything, from cotton-padded clothes in winter to ice cubes in summer.

He was very generous and magnanimous, allowing the servants of these sixth-rank officials to enjoy the treatment that was only available in the homes of first-rank officials.

But now?

After Liu Ruyan took over the family, not only did she lay off many slaves, increasing their workload several times, but she also halved their monthly wages.

You can just reduce it by half, but you still refuse to distribute it on time, and each time you delay it for ten days or half a month.

He was so stingy and childish that he didn't even give any money as reward on New Year's Day this year, let alone new clothes. Instead, each person was given a piece of pie.

The servants in the mansion had long been complaining, saying that even sending away beggars was more generous than this.

But what can I do if I am not satisfied?

Their indentures are all in the Su family, so there is no hope for them in this life.

They heard that the Lu family lived like gods, and they were very envious.

If I had known this would happen, I should not have chosen the wrong side and should have followed Lu Wanjun loyally.

Liu Ruyan is really a useless girl. She is the daughter of a marquis, but she is just an unfavored concubine. Over the years, the marquis has never given much advice to Su Yongcheng.

I'm afraid he has already forgotten about his daughter!

Liu Ruyan stood at the door and refused to move, biting her lower lip with an embarrassed look on her face.

Seeing her like this, the old lady frowned angrily: "What are you still standing there for? Go and get ready!"

Liu Ruyan gritted her teeth, knelt on the ground, and said aggrievedly: "Mother-in-law, I really have no money, how about you pay some of the reward?"

"What? No money? You want an old woman like me to pay for it? You really are..." The old lady was very angry.

"It's not that my daughter-in-law doesn't want to take the money, it's that she really doesn't have any. After Lu Wanjun left, the Su family had huge expenses, and there was no money in the treasury. It was all my daughter-in-law who used her own private treasury to make up for the hole. Now the dowry has been almost spent, where is the money left..."

"Don't tell me this. Lu Wanjun has been using her dowry to support the Su family for so many years. How come she doesn't have any money? Even if her dowry is large, she has been supporting the family for nearly twenty years. You have only been the housekeeper for a few days, and you cry poor all day long. I don't think you want to live a down-to-earth life with my son!"

Liu Ruyan cried out in injustice: "Mother-in-law, how can you say that about your daughter-in-law? Lu Wanjun comes from a merchant family, so she naturally knows how to make money. She has a steady stream of income over the years, so she has been able to support the Su family."

"My daughter-in-law is from a marquis's family. She is a family of scholars and has never been involved in money-making. She doesn't even know how to make money through business. The dowry she brought is finite in amount and will naturally be used up one day."