Watching the Jiang family walk away, Song Ci instructed Nanny Gong, "Go have soone bring out those two boxes of Southern Pearls and ask Chun Fen to send them over. Then take a rest; at our age, we really shouldn’t overwork ourselves."
Nanny Gong smiled and agreed.
"Oh, I seem to recall there’s also a string of thousand-year-old purple sandalwood prayer beads blessed by Master Jinghui. Send them to Madam Gu to ward off evil and help her recover quickly."
Nanny Gong said, "With such generosity, I’m afraid she’ll be uneasy again."
Song Ci looked innocent, "Not happy to receive gifts?"
"When the elderly give out things, the descendants always have so doubts, worried about whether your health is declining," Nanny Gong said discreetly.
Song Ci imdiately understood that it ant the elderly might fear they’re nearing the end, so they distribute things...
"There’s none of those baseless worries. I’m well; it’s just that I’m in a good mood, so I’m giving gifts. They should feel free to accept them."
Nanny Gong nodded with a smile.
Jiang and Lu returned to their respective courtyards and were just having a cup of tea when they received the Southern Pearls delivered by Chun Fen. Upon opening, they saw pearls the size of fingertips, fine and translucent, beautifully crafted.
"Have soone string them together and add a decorative knot. I’ll wear them when I’m free to show Mother," Jiang decided.
anwhile, Lu divided the pearls, making two sets of bracelets—one for herself and one for her daughter.
Madam Song received the precious thousand-year-old purple sandalwood prayer beads and was montarily stunned, wondering if her mother-in-law wanted her to cultivate inner peace.
Upon inquiry, she learned that her mother-in-law also rewarded each sister-in-law with a box of Southern Pearls for their hard work, while she received the prayer beads blessed by Master Jinghui to ward off evil spirits.
Madam Song felt sowhat guilty and said to Housekeeper Fang, "From pregnancy until now, I’ve been in confinent, and all the household matters, big and small, have been managed by the sisters-in-law, indeed ritorious. I recall having a pair of jade bracelets with exceptional luster. Take them to gift to the sisters-in-law, one each, as a token of my appreciation. As for the matriarch, the steward of the estate in spring gifted a complete fur of sable. Make it into a cloak for the matriarch."
Housekeeper Fang agreed with a smile, "Madam’s thoughtful gesture will surely make the second madam grateful, and the matriarch will appreciate your filial piety."
Madam Song sighed, "The second sister-in-law’s family is wealthy, lacking nothing of value. As for the third sister-in-law, being in Shanxi, she should have gathered so family assets as well. To talk about gratitude is sowhat overstated, but it’s just the exchange of goodwill. With my fragile health, if I relinquished household managent for a year, in another family, they would have fought tooth and nail for power."
In the capital, there are nurous matriarchs unwilling to relinquish authority, not to ntion the disputes for power among sisters-in-law. Talking about it, the Song Family truly stands apart as a refreshing stream.
Among the sisters-in-law, Jiang truly doesn’t want to manage affairs, Lu is unable and dares not to challenge, while the youngest is more like a relative than a sister-in-law. She hasn’t seen Niu Pan’er, the fourth sister-in-law, in ages, as she’s extrely busy.
Precisely because of such harmony, even though the people in charge of the household might change, those in the lower ranks remain steady without any turmoil—a picture of smooth and orderly managent.
Housekeeper Fang remarked, "Madam’s fortune is indeed good. Just watch; from today onward, many madams in the capital will envy you."
Madam Song smiled gently and said, "Fortune is earned by oneself. You go ahead and get busy; I need to lie down as I’m feeling fatigued again."
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