Chapter 14 - 7 Has He Gone Mad_2
Sang Wan gently nodded and said with a soft "Oh", "You must be tired, my dear! I specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare a few of your favorite dishes for lunch, please eat more!"
Seeing her smiling so gently and gracefully, leisurely and naturally, as harmonious as an actual family member, Shi Fengju's awkwardness gradually faded away. Indeed, why should he feel uneasy and unnatural? They had already cleared the air last night, so why not face each other openly?
"Let's eat!" Shi Fengju smiled, glanced at the dining table and seeing indeed all his favorite dishes, he said, "From now on, you don't need to trouble yourself like this, just order whatever you like to eat! Don't just cater to my preferences!"
Sang Wan smiled slightly, sat down and responded, "I don't have any particular preferences, our Sang family isn't that particular!"
Shi Fengju was momentarily stunned, smiled, and did not say anymore. He of course knew about the Sang family's situation, but what he didn't expect was for Sang Wan to speak so openly and confidently about it in front of him, which made him secretly admire her even more.
After all, even men could hardly express such a sentiment so freely, her character was indeed rare!
After lunch, Shi Fengju commanded Xingzhi to gather all the servants of Ningyuan to pay respect to the new mistress, as this would be the place she would be calling home from now on. He couldn't allow her to be underestimated by others.
Sang Wan was quite surprised, genuinely confused about what had gotten into Shi Fengju's head for him to suddenly start considering her feelings so proactively! Naturally, she was overjoyed!
Once Shi Fengju made his stance known, the maids and older female servants in Ningyuan showed much more respect towards Sang Wan. Many were anxious about their previous mishaps, worried that the new mistress would hold grudges and make things difficult for them, hence they became even more diligent and careful.
Sang Wan instructed Liu Ya to bring out the gifts she had prepared, which were purses of different colors, embroidered with various auspicious patterns and adorned with tassels, containing some scattered silver coins. The Sang family was just about getting by, hence Sang Wan's gifts couldn't be too lavish; the amount of silver in each purse varied from the most at two coins to the least at two portions of a coin, which for the servants of the Shi family, wasn't much at all! In her past life because of this, she earned a reputation for being stingy and lost the hearts of the servants; today, the amount she could give was still the same.
"This mistress can only offer so much, aiming for good fortune and celebration—this is the honest truth, not just lip service! Keep them if you don't disdain them! If you do your jobs well, rely on the young master's wealth in the future to properly reward you!" said Sang Wan half-seriously and half-jokingly.
The crowd couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and Shi Fengju also smiled slightly.