Chapter 290 - Chapter 290 Chapter 109 Not Short of Money_3
Chapter 290: Chapter 109: Not Short of Money_3 Chapter 290: Chapter 109: Not Short of Money_3 These past two weeks, Lady Mo’s decisive and swift dismissal of servants indeed provoked quite a backlash and stirred up issues. Nevertheless, Lady Mo was well-prepared, having caught the wrongdoers’ flaws, which silenced their complaints and obediently had them leave Lian Mansion.
Yueyao, looking at Maternal Aunt Su, said, “Maternal Auntie truly has a way with words, able to make the black seem white. No wonder you’ve risen so high in the back yard.” She was not afraid of Madam Lian Mo, so why would she care about a Maternal Aunt Su? Her words were naturally unkind.
Maternal Aunt Su, seeing that Yueyao was impervious to her persuasion and even ridiculing her, felt annoyed. Yet on the surface, she pretended not to understand Yueyao’s mockery, “Young Lady, one who doesn’t run a household does not understand how expensive daily provisions are. The mansion has already consumed next year’s rent. If we don’t start cutting expenses now, we will simply have an empty shell left. So I ask that Third Young Lady show understanding for the difficulty faced by Madam. Madam also said that, from now on, the small kitchen…”
Yueyao interrupted Maternal Aunt Su, “You’re saying that the mansion is now out of money?”
Maternal Aunt Su dared not answer and glanced at Lady Mo. Lady Mo had already regained her composure, “The mansion’s finances are tight right now, with yearly expenses too high and income decreasing. The only solution is to cut back on spending.”
Yueyao expressed doubt, “Auntie, is the mansion really at a point where this year’s expenses are eating into next year’s rent?” Worry spread slowly across her face.
Maternal Aunt Su’s alarm bells rang. She found the way Third Young Lady phrased the question odd. Just as Maternal Aunt Su wanted to chime in, Lady Mo spoke before she could, “The mansion hasn’t reached that dire situation yet. It’s just that if we don’t start saving, it will become increasingly difficult.”
Yueyao raised an eyebrow, “How could that be possible? To my knowledge, grandmother’s dowry included over twenty-six high-quality fields and five shops; not to mention grandmother had a large private stash of silver. Just the income from these properties alone is significant every year. Besides, when my parents were alive, they would send ten thousand taels of silver back to the mansion every year for daily expenses, in addition to the gifts for the three festivals. And before my father passed away, aside from leaving me twenty thousand taels of silver, he had my eldest uncle bring back ninety percent of his wealth. All these amounts combined are a substantial sum. How could the mansion be tight on funds? Even rumors like ‘this year’s expenses are encroaching on next year’s rent’ are circulating; that’s truly laughable.”
Yueying and Yuehuan stared straight at Yueyao, then turned to look at Lady Mo. It was unclear whether what Yueyao said was true or if what Madam said was accurate. If Yueyao was telling the truth, and the estate was so wealthy, why then would there be a need to cut expenses?
Even Maternal Aunt Bu, who had always considered herself invisible, looked at Yueyao in surprise. She hadn’t expected Third Young Lady to know so much about the mansion’s situation, but this only made things more embarrassing for Madam.
Maternal Aunt Su thought to herself, as expected, Third Young Lady had set a trap and Madam had fallen into it.