Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 32 - 15: Outing (Part 2)

As soon as March arrived, seven or eight carriages left the Shun’an Earl Mansion, heading out of the city.

At the foot of Hongshan, there are four or five villages. The locals rely on the mountains and water for their livelihoods. Though life isn’t wealthy, nobody starves, and a clear stream runs through the area, making it a rather nice place.

The Old Madam’s estate is located next to Hongshan Village. On regular days, the fields are rented out to villagers. While other landlords and tenant farmers usually have a fifty-fifty or even seventy-thirty split, after paying land rent and poll tax, tenant farmers can barely get by. But the Old Madam is kind; she only requires a fifty-fifty split. Additionally, the estate occasionally hires laborers and servants, who can earn a few hundred coins each month, making Hongshan Village the richest among the nearby villages.

The Old Madam and her group set off at eight in the morning. Fearing a bumpy ride, the coachman dared not go too fast, taking half an hour longer than usual to reach the estate.

As soon as the seven or eight carriages entered Hongshan Village, they attracted a crowd. Meanwhile, the four young girls, including Susu, secretly peeked out of the carriage curtains along the way, observing the scene outside. From bustle to silence, then to the surrounding mud-walled houses, their curiosity slowly grew.

Ning Cui, who entered the mansion at seven years old, had previously lived in the countryside. Her father managed a large estate a hundred miles away, with thousands of acres of fertile land, a mulberry garden, and fish ponds, so she was no longer curious about the countryside.

For Yang Liu and Bisi, who had never been to the countryside, especially Yang Liu, who chattered non-stop, asked, "What kind of clothes are they wearing? Patches here and there." "Can people live in such houses?"

Ning Cui smiled helplessly, "You grew up in the mansion like a young lady. How would you know that in the countryside, people make clothes only once a year? If the clothes get damaged, they can’t bear to throw them away, so they patch them up. As for houses, building a three-room main house with red bricks and tiles costs nearly fifty taels of silver, while rural families are content saving up two or three taels a year. How could they afford to build brick houses?" Her words left Yang Liu, Bisi, and even Susu speechless.

At the Song Mansion, they had twelve sets of clothes throughout the year, and also makeup and jewelry allowances. They were picky about their meals, not realizing life outside was so different.

Ning Cui worried she might have frightened the three little maids, so she quickly added, "Our future won’t be like this. Just look at my mother." Yang Liu and Bisi breathed a sigh of relief, while Susu laughed, "With all the things the Old Madam rewarded us with these past months, we could build several houses with blue bricks and red tiles. The Old Madam treats us so well; she would never let us suffer!" The group laughed and chatted until the carriage finally stopped.

Upon getting off, they saw a rather large courtyard with three inner and outer sections. The blue brick and red tile were well-maintained. The manor head and some servants greeted them, and the maids and servants ushered the Old Madam through the main gate, then through the second gate to the third section. It had five large main rooms, with three side rooms on each side, along with the ear rooms and a kitchen.

Back when the Old Master was alive, he often accompanied the Old Madam here for leisure, so the house was beautifully furnished. Although not comparable to the mansion, it exceeded everyone’s expectations. Ten years had passed since the Old Master passed away, and the Old Madam hadn’t visited since. The once-young steward was now over forty and about to become a grandfather.

Zhen Zhu and the others tidied the rooms, settled the Old Madam, and assigned rooms to everyone. The manor head, with his wife and daughter-in-law, paid respects to the Old Madam. The village chief had received the news and sent his own wife to the estate to kowtow and pay respects to the Old Madam.

The Song family was once merchants but had become nobility. In the past ten years, the village chief had changed, but the Old Madam remained the same. She had a stool brought over, invited the village chief’s wife to sit next to her, and the maid served tea and refreshments.

The village chief’s wife, not yet forty years old, was a typical rural woman who labored year-round. Initially, she was very restrained. Fortunately, the accompanying maids and wives knew the rules, and the Old Madam was kind, allowing the woman to relax. Sitting with a basket in her hands, blushing, she said, "We don’t have anything good at home. This wild pheasant was just hunted by our boy on the mountain. Please accept it to add to your dishes, Old Madam, and don’t disdain it."

The Old Madam quickly had a maid take it and laughed, "No disdain, no disdain. I’m grateful you thought of me." The village chief’s wife chatted with the Old Madam for a while longer, but she had to go home and cook lunch and thus excused herself. The Old Madam said, "I won’t keep you. Visit me when you have time to chat." She also instructed Zhen Zhu, "Give your aunt some of the snacks we brought, and wrap up two pieces of bright cloth." Zhen Zhu quickly prepared the items. The village chief’s wife, unable to refuse, accepted them with a red face and went home happily.

Meanwhile, Xiang Mo Mo was organizing lunch. Lunch included dishes made by Xiang Mo Mo and rustic dishes brought by the estate’s servants.

Right now, wild vegetables were abundant. The Old Madam found them very appetizing and had Zhen Zhu reward the wives in the external kitchen. A lot of food was left over, so the Old Madam had Zhen Zhu distribute it. Because Susu was young, she even got a bowl of wild chicken soup. Even in the Song family, although third-level maids had dishes with meat and fish, wild game was rare.

Susu thanked the Old Madam, then deliberately carried her bowl around Yang Liu, Bisi, and Ning Cui. Yang Liu, understanding, pretended to smell the aroma, pitifully eyeing the soup in Susu’s hands, making the Old Madam laugh heartily. Zhen Zhu, supporting the Old Madam’s arm, chuckled, "Let’s ask the Old Madam to pity this girl and reward her with a bowl of soup!" The Old Madam repeatedly said, "Quick, reward, reward, or else she’ll flood us with drool."

Susu and the others didn’t need to stay by the Old Madam’s side all day. Local children seven or eight years old accompanied them as they played around the estate, coming back to report any fun occurrences to the Old Madam. The Old Madam smiled more than ever, even her appetite increased, making Zhen Zhu happy to let them play freely, as long as someone accompanied them. They were even given a string of money to share with the village children to buy candy. Within two days, Susu and the others became the leaders of the children in Hongshan Village.

The rule Susu established didn’t involve giving children candies for free; instead, they had to exchange something, whether it was wild vegetables or fruits.

When the Old Madam found out, she patted Susu’s head and praised her, "In this world, nothing comes without effort. The younger the children, the more they should understand this." The villagers were aware that their present days of happiness were due to the Old Madam’s kindness. Although they weren’t wealthy, they were grateful. Some families sent baskets of wild vegetables, and others sent wild chickens or rabbits. Everyone on the estate had plenty to eat, and the Old Madam ensured no one left empty-handed. Fortunately, Sister Zhen Zhu thought of everything, bringing a boxful of refined pockets and small silver ingots, ensuring both hosts and guests were satisfied. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The hill occupied by the estate was planted with large orchards, now in full bloom, attracting nearby beekeepers to set up their hives. Upon hearing the Old Madam was there, they also gifted two jars of local honey, which was very sweet and fragrant.