Chapter 317
Chapter 317
Ji Yan’an glanced at her bookkeeping method, and his eyes immediately lit up.
The method was simple and easy to understand. He quickly pulled out several ledgers and began rewriting them according to Jiang Yunsui’s system.
Before long, even complicated accounts became clear.
And from Jiang Yunsui’s explanation, double-entry bookkeeping would not only improve efficiency but also greatly reduce opportunities for embezzlement.
Ji Yan’an soon summoned Song Jin.
Song Jin’s eyes also lit up when he saw it. The two men then busied themselves in the study, even dragging Nanshu in to work.
Ji Yan’an wanted to rope Jiang Yunsui in as well, but when he turned, she was nowhere to be seen.
She had fled long ago.
If it had not been to make the ledgers easier for herself and the Ji women to read, she would never have wanted to deal with accounts.
Now she did not want to see another number.
“Yangyang, I came to see you!”
She arrived in Old Madam Ji’s courtyard with the snow leopard and five wolfdogs that had grown considerably.
Jiang Yunsui had raised them well. Their coats were sleek and glossy, their bodies large, and their limbs thick and powerful. With all six following her, they made quite an impressive procession.
After permission was granted, the animals followed her into the courtyard. They did not enter the room, instead lying beneath the eaves to escape the sun.
“Little Aunt.”
Ji Yang was delighted to see Jiang Yunsui.
Old Madam Ji was there too.
Jiang Yunsui went inside and drank a cup of refreshing sour plum juice.
“Not studying the ledgers today?”
Old Madam Ji watched in amusement as Jiang Yunsui drank one cup of sour plum juice after another.
Jiang Yunsui’s little face immediately turned miserable.
“Ledgers aren’t nice to look at.”
Of course they were not.
Old Madam Ji said, “They may be difficult, but accounts are needed everywhere. Even an ordinary household must know its finances, whether or not it keeps formal records. That is even more true for a large family like ours. Just among the women in the inner household, there is food, daily necessities, the monthly wages of maids and servants, and much more. All of it must be accounted for, or everything will descend into chaos.”
“Some scholars constantly claim that money is worthless filth, but what can anyone do without it? You never know the cost of grain and firewood until you run a household. Nor is it easy for the person in charge to keep authority over a family. First, you must learn management. That means managing both money and people…”
Old Madam Ji seized the chance to teach the two girls, sharing her experiences as the mistress of a household one by one.
Jiang Yunsui and Ji Yang listened attentively.
Most of all, Old Madam Ji illustrated her points with stories, some involving ugly secrets from inner households.
At last, Old Madam Ji stroked the two children’s hair.
“I tell you these things so you will remain vigilant. When a man’s inner household fills with women, those who are ambitious and want a better life will seek ways to climb higher. Amid all their fighting, some will inevitably have no scruples and rise by sacrificing and trampling on others. You must learn to recognize such people.”
The dark secrets of great households were frightening and vicious, hardly suitable for children.
But Old Madam Ji did not want the girls to grow into naive young women sheltered in the inner chambers who knew nothing. That would place them in far greater danger.
Jiang Yunsui and Ji Yang nodded. “We understand, Grandmother/Great-Grandmother.”
“Grandmother, don’t you ever get bored?”
Jiang Yunsui liked the elderly woman and wanted to make her happier.
“Not too badly. I grow flowers now and then.”
Jiang Yunsui asked, “The ones by the door? But they look like they’re about to die.”
Old Madam Ji: ……..
Jiang Yunsui said, “I’ll have someone make something for you. Then you won’t be so bored when you play with it.”
She could have sent an animal to keep Old Madam Ji company, but dogs were energetic and noisy. Cats might work, except the cats now liked hunting outside. Sometimes they brought back mice, snakes, or insects.
Old Madam Ji was elderly. It would be terrible if she woke one day and was frightened by such “gifts” from a cat.
So much for an animal companion.
Jiang Yunsui thought of something else.
Mahjong.
In her previous life as Little Mushroom, some of the spirits who lived in the human world returned to the mountains every New Year. Everyone gathered together, which counted as celebrating the human holiday.
One game they played was mahjong.
Jiang Yunsui had never played. She had still been a short, squat mushroom without hands, so she could only watch others.
Mahjong did not interest her much anyway. Each time, she watched the excitement for a while, then went off to mind the children.
Yes, the mahjong players brought their little ones along, but they were too busy to pay attention to them and left the whole group in the care of a single mushroom.
Absolutely outrageous!
After returning home, Jiang Yunsui drew a complete set of mahjong tiles and simply asked the craftsmen to make it.
Although she did not know how to play, she could copy down the rules and give them to Old Madam Ji with the tiles.
The matter took very little effort.
At the textile workshop, the Ji women kept everything running in orderly fashion.
Now that Jiang Yunsui had devised the bookkeeping system, she wanted to become a hands-off owner.
“The watermelons are ripe, and the corn is ready to eat too.”
This meant tender corn, of course. Corn intended for storage still needed more time to mature.
They had planted a little corn in a nearby vegetable garden. There was not much, but it was enough to eat.
Jiang Yunsui took Fat Chef and Nanny Li to pick corn and watermelons.
They had not planted many watermelons there either, but Jiang Yunsui often gave them special care, so they grew better than those on the estate.
They were not only large; they tasted superb.
“Little Yunsui, you go pick watermelons. You can’t reach the corn, so I’ll do it!”
Fat Chef rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
This would be their first time eating corn.
They had grown it the previous year, but there had been too little and the ears had not filled out well.
So all of last year’s corn had been saved for seed.
After Jiang Yunsui’s second round of cultivation and selection, this year’s plants produced much fuller ears.
Jiang Yunsui looked at the cornstalks. They were indeed considerably taller than she was.
She muttered a few words, then took a pair of scissors and went with Ji Yang to pick watermelons.
Naturally, the two girls only needed to choose the ripe melons and snip through their stems.
“Fat Chef, you can chew the cornstalks too. They’re really sweet.”
Fat Chef answered in his booming voice.
“Got it.”
He swiftly cut down the cornstalks. They were still tender and full of moisture, and some oozed juice after being cut.
“Cut me a piece.”
Jiang Yunsui took a section of cornstalk and peeled away the tough outer skin. She chewed the inside just like sugarcane.
It was juicy and sweet, with the distinctive fresh fragrance of corn.
“You only swallow the juice. Spit out everything else.”
Ji Yang copied her. Her eyes brightened at the first bite.
“It’s good. Sweet too.”
“Right? Little White and Snow-Treader both love it. They like the leaves too.”