IBTSOME Chapter 50 Part 1: Copying Punishment

I BECAME THE STEPMOTHER OF MY EX-HUSBAND

 

Chapter 50 Part 1: Copying Punishment

 

^^

 

Entering December, the year-end was approaching, and every household was busy. When it snowed in the past few days, the sky and the earth became white, and the taste of the year became even heavier.

 

In the Buddhist hall, a maid hurried in from the outside with a red box in her hand. As soon as she walked in, she stomped her feet while shaking off the snow on her hood, and shouted inside: "Shizi Consort, this slave is bringing you hot soup."

 

Gao Ran was sitting next to the low table in the side room while holding a hand stove, her body was covered with a thick squirrel fur cloak. Even so, the maid besides her still kept stirring the silver coal in the charcoal brazier for fear that Gao Ran would be cold.

 

The Buddhist hall was clean, and there was sandalwood Buddha incense floating around all year round. In summer, it was quite shady and cool, but in winter it became cooler and cooler till the cold could seeps into the human bones. Gao Ran was punished by Lin Wei Xi to copy the Book of Filial Piety in the Buddhist hall. Gao Ran thought that she would finish copying in two or three days, but after a while she came to realize that things were not so optimistic.

 

Fortunately, although Lin Wei Xi sent someone to watch Gao Ran copy the book, she did not stop the people below from sending things to Gao Ran. Gao Ran hated how gloomy and cold in here, especially afraid that staying for a long time would affect her fertility, so she let people moved several charcoal braziers, as well as cushions, seats, pillows, etc.. Almost converted the quite and dignified side room of the Buddhist hall into her private warm pavilion.

 

As soon as Ning Fu went out, she went back to Qingsong Garden to fetch hot tea and freshly baked cakes. Gao Ran was wrapped in thick warm clothing, and when she held the writing brush, she was a little bloated. When Ningfu put the refreshments and other things on the table one by one, Gao Ran shook her hand and wrote a wrong word. The almost finish page was wasted again.

 

An unknown fire suddenly burst in Gao Ran's heart. She threw the brush onto the brush holder. The collision of the brush and the porcelain made a crisp sound, which was very obvious in the silent temple. Ning Fu's movements couldn't help but pause. Tao Mama saw Gao Ran's face was not good, she quickly pushed Ning Fu from behind: "Shizi Consort is copying books, what are you doing with this food, won’t it delay Shizi Consort's writing? Get out."

 

Ning Fu's lips opened. Didn't Shizi Consort say that she was cold and asked her to go back and get some hot food? Ning Fu put the plate back into the food box without saying a word, and bowed back.

 

Gao Ran was very irritable, it was almost the New Year's Eve. These few days, Yan Wang Mansion was very busy entertaining the guests, but she was trapped in the Buddhist hall by Lin Wei Xi, and could not even see outsiders. Gao Ran sat for a while with a gloomy face, and asked, "Are all the steward going to Jingcheng Courtyard to hand over the matched cards these few days?"

 

"Yes." Tao Mama said cautiously. "Wangfei specially make the room outside Jingcheng Courtyard into a place to meet people. Usually the steward granny would go there every day at sishi (9-11am) to report to Wangfei and ask for daily arrangements. If there were things that couldn’t be decided, they go there again in the afternoon at shensi (3-5pm). Except for these two times, Wangfei will not see anyone unless there is something unexpected or urgent. Wangfei said that if these steward granny always came to ask for every trivial matters, then won’t Wangfei need to attend every single work all day. So she put the time together, and everyone will go during this time. If Wangfei has something to say, she can also explain it at once."

 

Bu Mama was transferred to Qingsong Garden. Although she was still a chief steward in name, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Bu Mama was demoted. It's just that although she couldn’t control the mansion, Bu Mama could still stay at Shizi’s side and take care of his affairs. She didn’t lose much face, and this didn’t caused much backlash. The country could not be without a king for a day, and the mansion could not be without a decision-making person. If there was no Bu Mama, then the person in charge would naturally be the Wangfei. As soon as Lin Wei Xi got the helmed, she took a completely different style from Bu Mama. Not only did the rules became clearer, but the time to report the matters was also determined. In a day, except for these two hours, Lin Wei Xi did not allow the steward to come over whenever they pleased. Even if people standing outside her door, as long as the hour passed, Lin Wei Xi said no, then no.

 

Of course, the servants who used to be idle disliked Lin Wei Xi troublesome rules, but after they were refused entrance several times, and saw that there was really no one who they could appealed in the mansion, they obediently followed Lin Wei Xi's order. In this way, the person in charge had to come to see Lin Wei Xi every day. The wicked and slippery grannies dare not go out to bet the wine and eat the food. The steady but somewhat stupid people could see the master above and know what they should do. Any words could be delivered in time. The management level was organized, so unlikely to meet people all day long, and the maids who work below had someone they could asked, so they done things a lot faster. In just a few days, the mansion was clean and orderly, and the efficiency of the work could be seen with the naked eyes.

 

The changes in the mansion couldn’t be hidden from everyone's eyes, even Gao Ran who stayed in the Buddhist hall had heard about it. Before Gao Ran was faintly confident that Lin Wei Xi, a small household girl from a commoner's house, compared to her who had experience and knowledge, rashly took over hundreds of people, which equivalent to a medium-sized enterprise in her previous life, Yan Wang Mansion, would definitely in deep trouble. When Lin Wei Xi in disgrace, actually didn't have the ability to manage such a large mansion, then the management power would still fall back to Gao Ran's hands. When that time comes, it wouldn’t matter if she copy or not the Book of Filial Piety a hundred times.

 

So Gao Ran hadn't been in a hurry, but the days had passed, the weather was getting colder and colder, and the New Year’s Eve was getting closer, but the trouble Gao Ran expected had never come. Gao Ran couldn't sit still, and sent someone out for a few days to inquire, and found that Lin Wei Xi really managed the huge mansion in an orderly manner. She was shocked, but she also felt unbelievable.

 

How could it be possible? Lin Wei Xi, a newcomer, who didn't even recognize the servants in the mansion, and even knew nothing about the intricate relationship of these slaves. How could she, a half-blind new Wangfei, arranged people perfectly?

 

Gao Ran couldn't figure it out, she tried to ignore the panic that was constantly emerging in her heart. She frowned and thought for a while, and could only attribute Lin Wei Xi's prophetic actions to dumb luck. Gao Ran sat withered for a while, but still reluctantly asked: "There are so many things to do at the end of the year, preparations for the banquet, purchasing the New Year's goods, checking the account books of the shops and farms, and the festival gifts to the palace and the officials, and handle the people below to send the filial piety gifts. She arranged all those things alone?"

 

"Yes." Tao Mama said, "I heard that Wangfei's courtyard is very busy these few days, and the people in Jingcheng Courtyard are almost flying on foot, but the Wangfei really arranged it."

 

A bride who barely married for a month dared to arrange so many matters, and quite capable at that. Gao Ran couldn't tell what the feeling in her heart. She entered the door in February, and it almost a year now, but she still wouldn’t dare get started with such a huge and complicated thing, especially when it involved sending gifts to the palace, First Assistant and other people. This was not a child’s play. But Lin Wei Xi was only married in November, and she took over the major event almost as soon as she walked in. Faced with some completely unfamiliar manpower, and assign the task accordingly, no one would dare to take it lightly.

 

Seeing Gao Ran's silent expression, Tao Mama also felt uncomfortable. In her maiden home Gao Ran climbed all the way to the top, and later married high in one fell swoop. Although Gao Ran was a shu daughter, but over the years she had been going uphill. When did she suffer such a big setback. Now suddenly came a person with a higher status than Gao Ran, a greater right to speak than Gao Ran, and from the look at it who was more capable than Gao Ran, let alone Gao Ran, even Tao Mama couldn't stand it.

 

Time seems to turned back, once again when Gao Ran was ten years old and was firmly shrouded in Gao Xi's light. At that time it was also like this, Gao Xi had the status of di eldest granddaughter, a powerful maternal family who didn’t need to look at her grandmother’s face, and had outstanding poetry and books achievements that made people looked up to her. The younger generation in the Duke Mansion were all amazed and admired when they mentioned this eldest sister, did not dare to even feel jealous with the comparison. Gao Ran always felt that she lost in her status as a shu daughter, so she worked hard over the years and tried every means to pry away the people around Gao Xi and the things she held dear. Later, due to an unexpected turn of events she married Gu Cheng Yao. Gao Ran thought it was over, she finally proved to everyone that she was better than Gao Xi, and all the separations between di and shu were just prejudices. But after she struggled for a long time, she seemed to return to the original point.

 

TN: I actually feel for Gao Ran here, as a modern person have to write without BACKSPACE!! and one word wrong the whole page is ruined. Seriously I’d have gone crazy.

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