Chapter 007: Characters of the He Residence

They arrived in the capital smoothly in mid-October. Since they had sent a letter back to the He family in advance, as soon as Guijie and He Nian disembarked, they were greeted by the steward of the He family, two wet nurses, and several young servants, who came over to pay their respects to He Nian and Guijie.

Father, ... ...

Old Lady He on the other side had already heard what Little Olive said, and couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying: "Look, look, the way my son speaks is truly just like how Nian used to when he was young. He loves to argue and even has a point to his arguments"

He Yuan secretly smiled, seeing the two wet nurses awkwardly reaching out their hands, so she automatically leaned in for a hug, allowing one of the wet nurses to hold her. The wet nurse, surprised and delighted that He Yuan was not shy and even let her hold her, couldn't help but smile broadly and said: "The little lady is just so well-behaved!"

Everyone also heard the words of several children, and for a moment, they all laughed

Mrs. He not only invested her own money in shares, which shows her fondness for He Nian, but she also cannot solely benefit from this. In the future, she must return the money she earned to Mrs. He. The young lady thinks that although He Nian is famous, he is still without wealth. Over the past few years, she has earned some money by following her godmother, but she fears that the money in her hands will not be enough to spend lavishly in the capital. Fortunately, last time she had Wenfeng's brother take over a rouge shop, which is managed by Wenfeng and Sun Xiaosi, catering exclusively to female customers and has gained quite a reputation among the official ladies, thus earning some money. Wenfeng even wrote to say that when she goes to the capital, they will carefully consider expanding the shop. This time going to the capital, if she can indeed grow the business and earn a bit more private money, not only will she be able to return the money to Mrs. He, but she will also have confidence among the daughters-in-law of the He family.

He Yuan suddenly developed a fondness for knitting nets, and she kept pestering the noble lady to teach her how to knit. Seeing that she was young yet skilled, Mama Wang praised her greatly, saying: "Young lady, you are as skillful as the young mistress. In just a few days, you have learned to knit nets. In the future, when you learn needlework, you will surely excel."

Just as they were speaking, a young wife emerged from the hall. She had an elongated face, fair and smooth skin, adorned with pearls and jade, and her figure was exceptionally tall and slender. Upon seeing He Nian and Gui Jie, she hurriedly approached to greet them, her enthusiasm as fiery as the sun.

It turns out that Old Master He was able to maintain a life of simplicity and integrity entirely due to the financial contributions and efforts of Old Madam He in managing the He residence, which has led to its current prosperity. Old Madam He's family background includes brothers who were appointed as the Imperial Weaving Officials, overseeing the national weaving industry, which has brought them immense wealth. When Old Madam He married into the He family, not only was her dowry substantial, but she also brought with her three silk shops in the capital as part of her marriage assets. With her ownership of the silk shops, she naturally trained several managers to oversee them, and half of the annual profits were used to cover the expenses of the He residence. Since Old Madam He not only bore children for the He family and managed household affairs but also spent the earnings from the silk shops on the He residence, her status within the household is undoubtedly significant. Therefore, it is indeed true that Old Madam He and Old Master He are on equal footing.

Due to the example set by Old Lady He, the other daughters-in-law of the He family also brought substantial dowries. In order to maintain a sense of fairness and equality within the family, they all contributed varying amounts of their dowry money to invest in Old Lady He's silk shop. The profits they received were only half, with the other half being confiscated. In other words, the expenses of the He family were also partially covered by them. Because of this, the daughters-in-law of the He family felt particularly confident and found their words to be especially effective when speaking in front of their husbands

What is your sister's name?" Old Lady He personally helped He Yuan put on the jade pendant, then held her in her lap and gently asked, "How old are you?

As they spoke, they all praised how delightful Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan were to behold. A little maid had already gone ahead to inform Old Madam He and Madam He that He Nian and others had arrived. When He Nian and Gui Jie, each holding a pair of twins, arrived at the front of the hall's corridor in the soft sedan chair carried by the young servants, several maids on the steps saw them and rushed forward to pay their respects. They hurriedly lifted the hanging curtain in the hall and laughed, saying, "Old Madam was just reciting, and now the young master and young mistress have arrived!" When He Nian and Gui Jie, each holding a pair of twins, arrived at the front of the hall's corridor in the soft sedan chair carried by the young servants, several maids on the steps saw them and rushed forward to pay their respects. They hurriedly lifted the hanging curtain in the hall and laughed, saying, "Old Madam was just reciting, and now the young master and young mistress have arrived!"

At this point, Mama Wang glanced at the eldest daughter and paused before saying: "Naturally, the lady also contributed her dowry money to invest in the silk shop. Not long after the young mistress entered the family, the lady wrote to the housekeeper in the capital, instructing her to provide a sum of money for the young mistress to invest in the silk shop. Initially, she did not inform the young mistress, fearing that if the young mistress had no money on hand but remembered this matter, it would be unfavorable. Now that we are returning to the capital, it is necessary to clarify this matter with the young mistress. The reason for not informing the young mistress earlier was the same concern; it would not be good if she remembered it without having money. Since the lady did not invest any money for the eldest daughter-in-law at the beginning, if the young mistress is now given money to invest, it would inevitably cause some resentment if the eldest daughter-in-law were to find out. Therefore, the lady instructed that the young mistress should consider this sum of money as her own and that she merely asked the lady to assist in the investment."

"Tsk tsk, the young ones look just like the Golden Boy and Jade Girl before Guanyin. Come, come, let me hold the little olive," Li Shan said as she reached out to embrace the little olive and brought her into the hall. The noble lady hurriedly took hold of He Yuan and followed suit. As they entered, Mrs. He had already supported an elderly person with half-white hair to greet them. The noble lady recognized that this was the matriarch of the He family, and she quickly embraced He Yuan and bowed. Mrs. He chuckled, saying, "It has been a long journey, no need for excessive formalities. Please sit down and let us all chat." As they entered, Mrs. He had already supported an elderly person with half-white hair to greet them. The noble lady recognized that this was the matriarch of the He family, and she quickly embraced He Yuan and bowed. Mrs. He chuckled, saying, "It has been a long journey, no need for excessive formalities. Please sit down and let us all chat."

Madam Wang had received Mrs. He’s instructions early on, and now that the young lady was returning to the capital, she needed to explain the matters of the household to her clearly. Thus, she smiled and elaborated on many things that outsiders were unaware of.

Two wet nurses accompanied He Nian and Gui Jie in the same carriage, playfully teasing Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan along the way. Due to their kind faces, after a while, Xiao Ganlan began to playfully hook fingers with them. He Yuan, with her big, round, dark eyes, watched them for quite some time, feeling that they truly liked children, which put her mind at ease.

Father, why does the moon keep following us as we walk?

What are you talking about? Do you really think that twins, a dragon and a phoenix, cannot speak? He Yuanman felt a headache coming on, but then heard Xiao Ganlan coldly say: "We are human, of course we can speak"

The men of the He family are renowned, and the women are wealthy; this, the noble lady is well aware of. As she listens to Wang Mama narrate the backgrounds of the various daughters-in-law of the He residence, detailing their monthly allowances, the amounts for cosmetics, and the number of accompanying maidservants, she cannot help but be astonished. She secretly ponders that the old master of the He family is merely a fifth-rank official, and his annual income from salary, rewards, and rental income from the estates likely does not even cover half of the household expenses. So, where does the other half of the expenses come from?

Mrs. He was busy introducing the various people in the room to the esteemed lady, "This is the first wife, this is the second wife, ... ... "

As they approached the capital, the young lady had already gathered a general understanding of the situation regarding the various daughters-in-law of the He family from Wang Mama, which somewhat eased her mind

Everyone had brought gifts for Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan. At that moment, a wet nurse brought warm water to feed Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan, and then took them to eat rice porridge. After a while, another wet nurse came in with Li Shan's two sons and one daughter. Upon seeing a pair of identical, delicately beautiful children in the room, they were all curious and went to take a look, whispering, "So cute!" After a while, another wet nurse came in with Li Shan's two sons and one daughter. Upon seeing a pair of identical, delicately beautiful children in the room, they were all curious and went to take a look, whispering, "So cute!"

Your sister heard from Wang's mother on the way that Li Shan assists the lady of the main house and is indeed a person of great versatility. Upon meeting today, it is evident that her words were not unfounded

This is the grandmother of the big house! When Wang Mama saw that Guijie did not know how to address each other, she hurried over to introduce them, and for a moment, she also paid her respects to Grandmother Li Shan.

In addition to taking care of the twins, the young lady also inquired in detail with Mama Wang about the personalities, preferences, and family backgrounds of the members of the He family, in order to avoid offending anyone when living together in the mansion in the future. She also asked about the daily expenses of the He family, to which Mama Wang replied with a smile: "Young lady, there is no need to worry. The ladies in the mansion are usually gentle and courteous, and they are very accommodating. Currently, the mistress of the main house is in charge of the household, and the eldest lady of the main house assists with social engagements. All monthly expenses are managed by the mistress, who is also very fond of the ladies. Now that the young lady has brought her sons and daughters to the capital, the monthly allowance for the past three years, as well as the share of money that the sons and daughters are entitled to, should be well prepared by the mistress. Once you enter the mansion and receive the monthly allowance, the young lady will be able to live a stable life. Moreover, the old master will certainly arrange a position for the young master, along with an additional salary. This good life has just begun!"

My name is He Yuan, and I am over three years old! He Yuan quietly sweated, yet had no choice but to respond to Old Lady He in a babyish voice.

The young lady saw several maids with remarkable appearances, and not wanting to be presumptuous, she addressed them all as "sister." The maids all laughed and said, "Young mistress, you flatter us to death!"

The young man is so cool! He Yan took a glance at the little olive and sighed. People say that reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles; this saying should also apply to the child. On the way to the capital, the young man kept pestering his father to explain the local customs and characters. In just a month, it seemed as if he had grown up a lot. Moreover, his tone of speech surprisingly resembled that of his father.

He Yuan: "Where is it the same? I am a bit more beautiful!"

Your esteemed sister is busy, having met briefly, and has also responded to various matters regarding the journey.

"Ah, it can still speak!" exclaimed the three siblings from Hecheng in unison

Li Shan's eldest son, He Cheng, is only 9 years old, his second son, He Pei, is only 8 years old, and his daughter, He Min, is only 6 years old. They all crowded over to see the twins and exclaimed, "They really look exactly the same!"

Wow! The three siblings of Hecheng exchanged glances and quietly asked each other, "He is only a little over three years old, how can he speak like a little adult?"

The carriage was light and the horse swift, and it arrived at the gate of the He residence in less than an hour. As soon as the carriage stopped, several matrons and daughters-in-law came forward to pay their respects, all smiling as they said: "Upon receiving the news, the old lady and the madam began counting on their fingers the days until the young master and young mistress, along with the young masters and young ladies, would arrive in the capital. Yesterday, we received word that they would arrive at the dock today, and they hurriedly sent people to wait early. They were still wondering why they hadn't arrived yet, and unexpectedly, here they are!" They all smiled and repeated: "Upon receiving the news, the old lady and the madam began counting on their fingers the days until the young master and young mistress, along with the young masters and young ladies, would arrive in the capital. Yesterday, we received word that they would arrive at the dock today, and they hurriedly sent people to wait early. They were still wondering why they hadn't arrived yet, and unexpectedly, here they are!"

"Tsk tsk, they really do look exactly the same!" Once everyone was seated, Old Lady He instructed Guijie to bring He Yuan to sit beside her. She then looked at the little olive sitting in Li Shan's arms and, smiling, said to the maid behind her, "Quickly take out the jade pendants I prepared and put them on the young masters and young ladies."

Due to He Qianhuo from the Fourth House and He Qiantu from the Fifth House being appointed to official positions, the Fourth and Fifth Mistresses and their families have naturally followed them to their new posts and are not currently in the capital. Presently, only the Third House's members reside in the He residence. Those who are not living in the He residence still have their monthly allowances saved, which will be returned to them upon their return to the capital.

Little Olive: "Where is it the same? I am taller!"

Everyone praised He Yuan for being clever and well-behaved

The two wet nurses, dressed neatly, came to greet He Nian and Gui Jie. Before speaking, Wei Yu first smiled and said: "I heard that the young master and young mistress brought the children back to the capital, and the old lady has been mentioning it every day. She is worried that the children will be unfamiliar, so she asked us to come along to pick them up and help them get acquainted." As she spoke, she reached out to embrace Xiao Ganlan and He Yuan, but unexpectedly, Xiao Ganlan tilted her head towards the sky, pretending not to see the wet nurse, causing the wet nurses to exchange glances. Mama Wang, however, laughed from the side and said: "Oh, the boy is just like the young master when he was little; once he feels unfamiliar, he ignores people."

On the way to Beijing, the little olive became a troublesome child, making it difficult for He Nianwen to respond after racking his brains.

Father, why is this boat moving