Long Life Girl - Chapter 11
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Chapter 11: Playing Music to a Cow
After awkwardly parting ways with Yuan Qiao, Liang Yu, feeling embarrassed, deliberately turned her face to one side and quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to peek outside.
Entering the capital city followed the same procedure as entering the county town, with the first carriage still carrying the same people. Unlike before, when Liang Yu peeked outside, Liang Mancang, Nanshi, and Liang Dalang couldn’t help but lean in as well. Four heads squeezed into the small corner of the carriage window, and they were all stunned by what they saw!
They were overwhelmed by the bustling prosperity of the capital! The tall city walls loomed above them, requiring them to hold onto their hats when looking up. The broad avenue was lined with locust trees that had clearly been growing for years, appearing particularly robust. The walls lining the street were orderly and imposing, and the street itself was teeming with a constant flow of people, carriages, and horses.
It was late afternoon when they entered the county town, but it was broad daylight when they entered the capital, allowing everything to be seen clearly. Liang Yu observed the clothing of the people on the street; there was a wide array of colors, with both rich and poor present. Their attire differed significantly from that of the small county town. Their own clothes, prepared by Magistrate Zhang, now appeared somewhat rustic in comparison to the capital’s fashion. Listening carefully, they could hear accents from all over, though Mandarin was predominant. The streets were filled with more beautiful young men and women than elsewhere.
A land of flourishing willows and bustling prosperity, a town of gentle wealth and elegance.
Liang Yu was so absorbed in observing everything that she forgot to speak.
Before long, the Liang family, all dozen or so members, were taken in several carriages to the entrance of a neighborhood. Liang Yu lifted the curtain wider and saw the three characters “Yongle Fang” on the gate. She recalled the address given by Yuan Qiao, which was “Yongxing Fang.” Though only one character different, it was clear that her family wouldn’t be living close to Yuan Qiao. Slightly disappointed, she quickly perked up: being in the capital, meeting again wouldn’t be a problem.
Inside the neighborhood, it was also neat and clean. The carriages turned a couple of times before arriving at the “Liang Residence.”
From inside the carriage, Nanshi looked out and, upon seeing the grand entrance, couldn’t help but exclaim, “A house this grand! I never imagined we’d enjoy such fortune in this lifetime.”
Nanshi’s words were true. This residence looked no less impressive than the county government house. With a bit of education, Liang Yu silently judged the house: indeed, being in the capital, it had an air of wealth and elegance.
Once inside the house, the family was once again filled with awe, not knowing where to look first. The Liang family were country folk, with plenty of land but unable to build freely. Firstly, there were regulations: ordinary people couldn’t build houses larger or more luxurious than those of officials and nobility. Secondly, they couldn’t afford it.
The Liang family’s threshing ground was far more spacious than this courtyard. But in terms of the number of rooms, the scale of the house, as well as the materials and furnishings, no one dared compare their shabby rural home to this “mansion” in the capital.
From Liang Mancang on down, everyone was stunned, including Liang Yu. Prior to this, the best house she’d seen was the guest quarters of the county office, which paled in comparison to this “Liang Residence.” In the county office, everyone was on edge. In the capital, hearing this was their home, they felt liberated, their eyes darting around, wishing they could absorb the house with their eyes. Everyone was considering how to divide the house and who would live in which room.
Lu Yi and the others still needed to report back, so they briefly said, “These servants are gifts to the residence. The Eastern Palace has given gold and silk, and there are a few horses as gifts from Sikong. For now, do not leave the house. Tomorrow, someone will come to teach you etiquette.”
Liang Mancang listened intently and assured them, “Don’t worry, Young Master! We’ll be here waiting for them.”
After Lu Yi and the others left, Liang Mancang couldn’t contain his excitement. The first thing he did was inspect the entire house inside and out, then he sat down in the main hall and summoned everyone. As a qualified miser, he wanted to get a handle on his assets immediately. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren, all present, very good. The luggage they brought was all piled in the main hall, right under his nose, also very good.
Next came the matter of the servants.
**Servants! What a novel concept!** It was common for poor families to sell their children into servitude when they couldn’t make ends meet, but having their own servants? That was something out of a dream. The Liang family had never had a maidservant; Liang Mancang’s New Year’s wish was just to hire a few short-term laborers to help with the wheat harvest. Now, not only did they have maidservants, but also doormen, drivers, and cooks! Counting them up, there were ten people in total! Liang Mancang glanced at them, unsure of what to say, cleared his throat, and asked, “What are your roles?”
A middle-aged man, appearing quite shrewd, stepped forward and introduced himself and each person’s duties. Liang Mancang, seizing the opportunity, asked, “Are you in charge here?”
“Yes.”
“Then have them clean the house and get settled in,” Liang Mancang said, then paused. He had never instructed servants before and wasn’t sure where to start. After a while, his youngest grandson began to fidget, uncomfortable and on the verge of tears. Liang Mancang then managed to ask, “What’s for dinner?”
—
Dinner was prepared by the servants, and after several days, the Liang family had gotten used to the “food delivered to the mouth” lifestyle. The children, who had always been half-starved, had become somewhat picky and even complained that the food in their “new home” wasn’t as good as what they had on the road. These complaints were promptly silenced by fierce glares from Liang Mancang and swift pinches from their mothers, forcing them into quiet compliance.
After dinner, Liang Mancang personally arranged the accommodations. Naturally, he and Nanshi took the main room in the central courtyard. His sons with wives and children took the four smaller courtyards: the first, second, fourth, and fifth sons. The sixth, eighth, and ninth sons, who were unmarried, shared one courtyard. Only Liang Yu was assigned to a small courtyard on the west side of the main courtyard.
The west courtyard was connected to the main courtyard by an archway, with another gate at its front. Liang Mancang had planned this during his inspection. After dinner, he ordered, “Eldest and second sons, you two, with these two young male servants, bring the bricks from the base of the wall and some yellow mud to seal off that gate!”
This way, the west courtyard had only one entrance, leading directly to the main courtyard. Liang Mancang then designated the western courtyard’s main room to his daughter, Liang Yu, and the eastern room for storing the family’s valuables.
The secret was out: the west courtyard was his storage room, and Liang Yu was the caretaker and accountant. While other families might keep their accounts and storerooms in the front part of their homes, the Liang family kept theirs in their backyard.
After dealing with these matters, Liang Mancang began to understand how to utilize the servants. Nanshi, having given him many children, deserved a reward. Moreover, Liang Yu was Nanshi’s biological daughter, so she received a small maidservant. And that was it. Everyone, including those managing the storeroom, had to take care of themselves. If they wanted someone to serve them, that was out of the question— “Not having to cook, sweep, spin, or weave is already good enough. Want a servant to wait on you? Dream on!”
The other nine servants had their duties: cooking, fetching water, cleaning, woodworking, and all took orders only from Liang Mancang.
Satisfied with his decisions, Liang Mancang clapped his hands and asked Liang Yu, “Yu, I heard we have to buy our own food and rice here?”
This information had come from the newly appointed steward, Mr. Wang, and it greatly displeased Liang Mancang.
Liang Yu understood what he was asking and replied, “People in the city don’t grow their own food.”
“How can that be?! Tomorrow, let’s get up early and clear out those useless flowers taking up space. We’ll plant our own vegetables! And we need to buy two acres of land…” Liang Mancang’s thoughts turned to the male servants, thinking they could help farm and save on labor costs.
Steward Wang was dumbfounded—who were these people?! Aristocrats, they said?
The entire Liang family didn’t find Liang Mancang’s words strange. Given the high price of food in the city, growing their own vegetables to save money made sense. Liang Yu said, “I only saw one hoe and two shovels, and the hoe is quite small and not very useful.” She had a vague idea of how city people lived but didn’t see anything wrong with using the available space for vegetables to save on food costs. If not for the hard work involved, she would even consider planting a couple of rows of radishes in Wu Tailor’s courtyard.
Steward Wang was on the verge of losing it—those were decorative hoes!
Liang Mancang sighed, “Indeed! Houses in the capital are bigger than ours, but everything else is smaller, even the bowls.”
Steward Wang remained silent, fearing that speaking up might cost him his job. He hoped there was someone sensible in this family who could persuade this father-daughter duo, who seemed all show and no substance.
Finally, Liang Dalang spoke, but it was a blow to Steward Wang: “We can make things ourselves. I saw axes and wood, so we can repair things ourselves. By spring, we can start planting and look for seeds at the market. We can even lift the bricks and stones in the courtyard to clear more land.”
**Are they serious?!** Steward Wang was speechless.
Yes, both Lu Yi and Yuan Qiao had considered teaching them. But they focused on Mandarin, etiquette, and reading. Yuan Qiao had even explained the general situation of noble families in the capital to Liang Yu. But no one had imagined they would grow vegetables in their gifted house! Let alone teach them how to manage a household. Farming in such a setting was something none of these four had ever encountered.
In the evening, Steward Wang tried to explain that no wealthy family in the capital lived this way, fearing they’d be ridiculed.
Liang Mancang, still speaking in a heavily accented Mandarin, dismissed this: “Let them laugh if they want! As long as I’m full, who cares?!” He had a daughter to marry off, three sons to find wives for, and even after those were done, the grandchildren would need to grow up and marry, requiring money. He had seven more sons; how would the family wealth be enough? Saving a bit here and there was essential!
Steward Wang was defeated by the inability to communicate.
—
Under the guidance of “You don’t understand anything,” Liang Mancang did as he pleased. The next day, two minor officials from the Ministry of Rites came with Xiao Du to teach etiquette. Liang Mancang was still in high spirits, feeling very pleased with himself.
Xiao Du was shocked upon entering—what were they digging up the ground for?
It was winter, with most flowers wilted except for a few, like the plum blossom. But you can’t just dig up flowers because they don’t bloom in winter! Xiao Du said, “Old Liang, these will bloom in spring and summer, looking… quite nice.”
Liang Mancang, sincere, replied, “I know, I know, Young Master Xiao, who doesn’t know flowers are beautiful? But they aren’t filling!”
Xiao Du’s forehead twitched, recalling that Liang Yu had once said, “You look good, but we can’t eat you.” Indeed, she was his daughter!
Xiao Du closed his eyes, suppressing his frustration: “If you must dig, why pile them in the courtyard? These gentlemen from the Ministry of Rites are here to teach etiquette. How can we proceed with this mess?”
The two officials from the Ministry of Rites, surnamed Qu and Wu, were of low rank and modest backgrounds. Seeing Xiao Du’s patience, they admired his good temperament and braced themselves for the difficult task ahead.
Liang Mancang amiably said, “We just dug them up this morning. We can dry them for firewood. I’ll have them moved to another yard. Shall we start the lesson here?”
Xiao Du, recalling his father’s words, endured the frustration—”Let them remain rustic; you can’t expect to turn them into saints. Simplicity is good; as long as their focus remains narrow, they won’t cause trouble. That’s our goal.”
With this in mind, Xiao Du politely allowed the officials to begin their lesson. This arrangement had been made by Xiao Sikong to avoid embarrassing the Crown Prince by taking the Liang family to a public etiquette school. These minor officials were under Xiao Sikong’s control.
Determined to deal with an unruly family, the two officials prepared for their task after seeing Xiao Du off.
Surprisingly, it went smoothly!
First, there was perfect silence. With Liang Mancang’s command, everyone obediently followed instructions. The men and women were separated in an orderly manner, making the officials more comfortable. Secondly, they were earnest. While writing lessons had caused Liang Jiu to break down, learning etiquette caused no trouble. Lastly, Liang Yu learned everything in one go. Liang Mancang then requested of the female instructor, “My daughter learns quickly. Just focus on her. After learning, she still needs to oversee the kitchen.”
Liang Mancang feared the cooks might steal food, so with Liang Yu’s quick learning, he saw no need to waste resources by keeping her here longer.
Instructor Qu nearly cried out in exasperation. Fortunately, Liang Yu’s quick learning made teaching her pleasant. Learning etiquette took fifteen days, mostly to practice thoroughly. Liang Yu learned it all in one go and spent the secondManager Wang said, “How about giving it to them first? They’ll teach more diligently over these days.”
“Okay. I’ll tell him. You haven’t said yet, if the person has a higher status, how much should it be?”
“That depends on how high their status is and their wealth. For a prominent family, it should start at least at a hundred bolts of silk.”
Liang Yu’s face turned as green as Manager Wang’s: “What?” Given her father’s stingy nature, would he ever give out a hundred bolts? Not a chance! Besides, the entire stock of fabric in the east room was only about two hundred bolts. Giving away half of it in one go? Liang Yu knew this request was way too much.
How to handle this?
In the evening, Liang Yu nervously brought up the matter to Liang Mancang. She was uncertain if Yuan Qiao was worth a hundred bolts of silk in her father’s eyes. Liang Mancang, having never seen such wealth as the fabric stacked in the east room, couldn’t decide how to spend it and was left with one thought: buying land! That’s a legacy for future generations. Could he part with it?
Of course, Liang Mancang was reluctant! He hesitated and asked, “Yu, does it really have to be that much? Maybe we should just ignore this little teacher. Our family, as it is, can’t afford such connections, right? Didn’t we agree to be honest and sincere?”
“But we still need to thank him, right?” Mentioning giving away over a hundred bolts of silk made Liang Yu feel weak. If it were smaller pieces of gold, she could ask, but this large amount made her uneasy.
Finally, Liang Mancang offered a drastically reduced amount: “How about forty? And for the other two gentlemen, ten each! Any more, and you might as well take your father’s life! Does it really have to be ten? Can’t eight do?”
For the Liang family, that was not a small amount!
Liang Yu hesitated and said, “Alright then. As for the other two gentlemen, if we’ve already given eight each, what’s another two? For the young teacher, I’ll have to go with my big brother and hire a cart.” Yes, the “Liang Mansion” had a cart, two horses, and a coachman. But for transporting goods, they needed to hire another cart.
Liang Mancang was heartbroken: “Alright, alright, go quickly and come back soon. Don’t forget to ask him what we should do in the future. If he has any books, get a couple.”
“Dad!” Liang Yu was both amused and exasperated, “Didn’t we already ask?”
“Does it tire you to speak? Maybe he’ll remember something else. We’re giving thirty bolts, what’s the harm in asking more? Are you tired?”
“The young teacher isn’t someone who hides things!”
“Oh dear, just looking at you gives me a headache! Go, go, go, back to your room.”
Liang Yu made a face and walked lightly back to her room. She had the maid from the kitchen bring hot water, took a good bath, and changed into fresh clothes. Lying in bed, she wondered how the young teacher was doing now. Would he be surprised that she came to see him so soon? Would he be startled?
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Storyteller She.wee's Words
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