noffsinger Chapter 36 The Money Tree Ran Away
Chapter 36 The Money Tree Ran Away
A somewhat dilapidated carriage stopped in front of the Dou family mansion gate.
The coachman shouted into the mansion, "Master and Madam are back!"
A moment later, a flurry of activity erupted from inside the Dou residence.
The servants rushed over from all directions, surrounding the four concubines dressed in light-colored clothes: red, orange, yellow, and green.
The four concubines, of varying heights and builds, all possessed exquisite features, resembling four stunning beauties. Their hair was styled in buns with only a single ribbon matching the color of their clothing.
This made the four concubines appear even more lively and playful.
"Master and Madam are back!!!"
The carriage curtain was gently lifted, and the first person to step down was Dou Weiyi, the magistrate of Pingyao County.
He was dressed in a dark robe, and although he looked slightly tired, his eyes still exuded authority.
Dou Weiyi looked at the four concubines—Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green—waiting for them at the door, and his face lit up with joy. "Fifth Concubine, Gu Concubine, Feng Concubine, Deng Concubine, your master is back!"
After saying that, he stepped forward, ready to give his aunt a big hug.
Who knew that the four concubines kept their eyes fixed on the carriage and never left it. When Dou Weiyi came up, Gu Niang even pushed him aside, saying, "Master, move aside, you're blocking my view!"
Fifth Sister was rather short, and Dou Weiyi blocked her view, which made her very unhappy.
Who cares if you come back or not? Get out of her way.
At this moment, Madam Dou slowly stepped down from the carriage. She was dressed in an elegant dress, with a gentle face, and the pearls and jade in her hair shimmered softly in the sunlight.
Her composure and dignity stood in stark contrast to the four lively and playful concubines.
Seeing the person they were waiting for get off the carriage, the four concubines, whose eyes lit up, rushed forward to surround Madam Dou, "Sister, sister, you're finally back! We've missed you so much!"
Dou Weiyi stood aside, his face filled with astonishment and helplessness. Watching his four concubines treat his wife so warmly, he couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy.
"Hmph, you only have eyes for the madam, while I, the master, am left out in the cold," Dou Weiyi muttered.
Wu Gu Fengdeng glanced at Dou Weiyi but ignored him. He then stood around Madam Dou, helping her with her luggage.
Madam Dou looked at the four concubines surrounding her and smiled gently. "Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go inside the mansion."
The four concubines obediently responded and escorted Madam Dou into the mansion, completely forgetting about their master.
Dou Weiyi touched his nose and could only follow behind into the mansion dejectedly.
His personal bodyguard, Ruan Dan, was really struggling to suppress his laughter. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, he would have laughed out loud and had a good laugh.
Upon entering the mansion, Madam Dou immediately inquired about the recent situation in the household. The four concubines reported back one after another, completely ignoring Dou Weiyi.
Dou Weiyi grew angrier the more he thought about it. He cleared his throat, trying to get everyone's attention, "Ahem, do you guys even respect me as your master anymore?"
Aunt Feng glared at him. "Master, don't speak yet. We're talking to the mistress. If you interrupt again, I'll go out into the street and tell everyone about how you wet the bed when you were a kid."
It means, shut up, stop bothering us. Can't you see we're having a conversation? Don't you have any sense of propriety? If you keep arguing, don't blame her for exposing herself.
Dou Weiyi: ...
The group arrived at the main hall.
After Aunt Deng helped Madam Dou sit down in a chair, she sat down next to Madam Dou with the other three people.
Madam Dou took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Fifth Concubine's wrist.
I took off the pearl necklace from my neck and put it around Aunt Gu's neck, then straightened it for her.
Then she took off the two hairpins from her head and gave them to Aunt Feng and Aunt Deng to put in their hair buns.
After removing all of these, only a jade hairpin remained in her hair.
She smiled at her aunts and said, "Every time we go out, my sisters have to contribute their jewelry to make a show of it. I thank you again, my sisters!"
The concubines chattered and squabbled around Madam Dou.
Fifth Aunt massaged Madam Dou's shoulders and chuckled, "Sister, don't you listen carefully to what you're saying? We're family, there's no need for such formalities!"
Aunt Gu, who was massaging Madam Dou's legs, also pouted and retorted, "That's right, although we weren't born into the same family, we're like sisters, so it's only right that we help each other!"
Aunt Feng, who was brewing tea for Madam Dou, looked at Madam Dou with affection and said, "Yes, sister, we are childhood sweethearts, please don't be so polite with us, we don't like it!"
"Of course! We've been family since childhood, including our childhood sweetheart!" Aunt Gu said, pointing to Dou Weiyi, her "childhood sweetheart," as she spoke.
Dou Weiyi was both annoyed and amused by Aunt Gu's words. "Hey, what do you guys take me for? Do you think I, the master, have no status in your eyes?"
The concubines glanced at Dou Weiyi but ignored him, continuing to chat and laugh around Madam Dou.
As Aunt Deng straightened Madam Dou's clothes, she said, "Sister, please don't speak so formally anymore. In our household, we should all live in harmony."
Madam Dou smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay, I understand. With you sisters around, I feel at ease."
Dou Weiyi looked at the sisterly affection in front of her with a resentful expression, like a woman confined to her boudoir.
At this moment, Ruan Dan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Dou Weiyi turned her head and glared at Ruan Dan: "Ruan Dan, what are you laughing at?"
Ruan Dan quickly suppressed her smile, but the corners of her mouth were still slightly upturned. "Master, please calm down. I was just thinking of some funny things and couldn't help myself."
At this moment, Ruan Dan couldn't hold back any longer and suppressed a laugh, causing his shoulders to tremble slightly.
Dou Weiyi glared at him fiercely, "Ruan Dan, if you laugh again, I'll teach you a lesson."
Ruan Dan quickly lowered his head, trying hard to suppress his laughter. He mentally went through all the saddest things in his life before he finally managed to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth.
"By the way, ladies, have you gone out in the past two weeks? Have there been any new shops or vendors on the streets?"
And those people locked up in the prison, I wonder if they've caused a huge uproar.
Upon hearing Dou Weiyi's question, the concubines all stopped their casual conversation with Madam Dou.
Fifth Aunt lowered her head and thought for a moment before speaking: "Master, there is indeed one. However, it's outside the city, and its business is particularly good; it sells elm seed steamed buns!"
"Really!" Dou Weiyi's eyes lit up!
If business is good, then there will be a steady stream of commercial taxes! Then his government's "reserve funds" will become more and more abundant, so it won't matter if he uses a little bit!
"Yes, sir, that elm seed steamed bun shop, I don't know how they make it, it smells amazing! Lots of people buy it, but the owner limits purchases to two per person."
Aunt Feng recalled the fragrant aroma of elm seed steamed buns, one of the few delicacies she had ever tasted in her life, and drool began to flow from the corners of her mouth.
Madam Dou took out a handkerchief and wiped the suspicious drool from the corner of her mouth, then chuckled and poked her forehead. "You little rascal, you've loved to eat since you were little. You should lose some weight!"
Madam Dou frowned as she looked at Aunt Feng's plump body.
It wasn't that she didn't try to help her lose weight, but this girl always sneaked snacks in the middle of the night. It really proved the saying: "The more you try to lose weight, the fatter you get."
So I just let her be. Her figure returned to its original level; it didn't shrink, but thankfully it didn't increase either.
"Hehe, sister, you don't know how delicious those elm seed steamed buns are. Don't even mention Aunt Feng, I'm craving them too!" The thin Aunt Deng explained on behalf of Aunt Feng.
"Oh, is it really that delicious?! You must have bought some today, bring it out so we can have a taste!" Dou Weiyi couldn't help but feel tempted when she heard so many people around.
At this point, the four concubines immediately turned into bitter faces, as if their happiness had been instantly taken away.
Dou Weiyi and his wife exchanged a glance, and Dou Weiyi asked in confusion, "What happened? Were you too late and couldn't buy anything?"
The four concubines shook their heads in unison. Aunt Gu sighed inwardly, "It's not that we went too late and couldn't buy anything, but rather that the owner didn't set up his stall today. I heard he was driven away by the fat constable."
"What???" Dou Weiyi stood up and screamed.
Did the fat constable run away with his cash cow?