"It's nothing, just a piece of burnt meat. I was afraid that my aunt would see it and scold me again." Mrs. Ma said with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh." Xie Nanjia replied nonchalantly, "I'll come and see if the meal is ready."
"Okay, okay. There's nothing to do so late at night. I just heated up dinner." Mrs. Ma quickly packed the food and handed it to her on a tray.
"Mammy, you've worked hard. Go to bed soon!" Xie Nanjia took the tray and carried it out.
Mrs. Ma patted her chest, put out the fire in the stove, and returned to her residence.
The fourth aunt hadn't eaten much all day, so when she saw the food, she couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks to eat. Xie Nanjia stopped her and said, "Aunt, wait a minute. Do you have any silver hairpins or other items with you?"
The fourth aunt was stunned: "What do you mean, is there someone trying to harm me?"
Xie Nanjia said: "It is better to be safe than sorry."
The fourth aunt pondered for a moment, put down her chopsticks, got up and went to the bedroom, took out a silver hairpin and handed it to Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia washed them with water and tried the food one by one, but found nothing unusual.
The fourth aunt picked up the chopsticks again and said with a smile: "You girl, have you read too many storybooks?"
Xie Nanjia recalled Ma Po's behavior and always felt that she was suspicious, but without any evidence at the moment, she couldn't say much to the Fourth Aunt. She just said that she did the same thing when the Second Young Master was around.
Fourth Aunt curled her lips and said, "Who can compare with him? He is arrogant and has offended everyone he should and shouldn't have offended. It wouldn't be surprising if he really dies someday."
Xie Nanjia had no way of responding and just laughed dryly.
The Fourth Aunt became interested and told Xie Nanjia about the Second Young Master. She said that the day he returned to Beijing, the Crown Prince's wife was buried. He paraded through the streets in a red dress and laughed and played with the Shangshu's youngest son, causing people all over the city to talk about him. When the Marquis heard about it, he didn't even say a word of blame and told him to let him go.
"The Marquis dotes on him because his mother died early. This shows that the Marquis is a man of affection and righteousness. I have served him for several years, and he will definitely not forget me."
This turn of events caught Xie Nanjia off guard. The Marquis was indeed a man of affection and righteousness, but his affection and righteousness were not concentrated on one woman, but were distributed among different women. As for how much the Fourth Aunt would get, she had no idea.
The next day, the weather was fine. After listening to Xie Nanjia's consolation, Fourth Aunt felt better and after breakfast she strolled around the yard with great interest.
After walking around, he sighed and said, "This courtyard is too small, not even one-tenth of the size of the Marquis's mansion."
Xie Nanjia said: "It's a little small, but it's quiet and elegant. Compared with the hustle and bustle of the Marquis' Mansion, it's very suitable for self-cultivation."
The fourth concubine asked curiously, "Have you been to the Marquis's Mansion?"
Xie Nanjia was shocked and hurriedly explained: "Although I have never been there, I can imagine it. Storytellers and opera singers all say so."
The fourth concubine said: "Stories and operas are just made up. Only those who have truly lived in it know what a gorgeous scene it is."
Xie Nanjia thought to herself that the flowers and flowers were just the surface, and the mess inside was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
The last time Ma Pozi did something, she was almost discovered by Xie Nanjia. In the following days, she became cautious and did not dare to act rashly.
But Xie Nanjia did not relax her vigilance and still insisted on testing every meal for poison. Fourth Aunt was her only hope to return home, so she could not take it lightly.
After a few days, the fourth concubine found the feeling of being the master. She was no longer satisfied with the small courtyard. She ran out whenever she had time, walked around the village to relax, and even went up the mountain.
When she learned that a large-scale house construction was underway in the village, she even went to give instructions and asked about it. She also privately told Xie Nanjia that Hu Sanmu was a treacherous person and that she had to supervise him and not let him embezzle public funds.
In fact, there is another second manager on the farm, who is a lotus root grower invited by the marquis from Jiangnan. In order to show his respect for him, he appointed him as the second manager.
The second steward was in his forties, smart and capable. If there was no chief steward, he would also be a capable person. However, the chief steward had the marquis's wife as his backer, and he himself was a foreigner. Not only was he suppressed by Hu Sanmu everywhere, but even the farmers on the village did not take him seriously. Over time, he became a steward in name only, and all he could do every day was to grow lotus roots.
The Fourth Aunt went to Liantang twice and talked with him several times. She told Xie Nanjia privately that the second steward was more reliable than the chief steward, and said that she was really not capable of being the head of the family, otherwise she would definitely swap their positions.
Xie Nanjia said, as long as you want, it is not impossible, but the steward is the lady's relative after all, and you have just arrived, so it is better not to touch him easily.
After listening to Xie Nanjia's advice, the Fourth Aunt gave up the idea.
She probably didn't even realize it herself, but she now listened to Xie Nanjia very much.
Xie Nanjia acted extremely prudently, considered everything carefully, and was also good at comforting people. The Fourth Aunt valued her more and more. She would look for her as soon as she opened her eyes every day and would have her accompany her every step until she went to bed.
This is exactly the effect Xie Nanjia wanted.
The more the Fourth Aunt relies on her and the more she cannot do without her, the more beneficial it is to her.
She knew very well that the Fourth Aunt was wary of her appearance, but all of the Fourth Aunt's previous confidants had been betrayed by Qin. If she could really return to the capital, she would definitely need a useful person by her side. At that time, no matter how reluctant the Fourth Aunt was, she would have no choice but to let her go with her.
As for how to return to Beijing, of course it was impossible for her to just wait foolishly for the Marquis to pick her up. She had already planned everything out. She only needed an opportunity and her return to Beijing would be just around the corner.
And this opportunity fell on Mrs. Ma.
(End of this chapter)