An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

It rained on the first day of the spring equinox, and it was rainy in the middle of May. Mr. Nie had leg pain for a few days. It rained for several days in a row, and the old man rested in the hall of right and wrong for several days. Of course, his descendants did not want to disturb him frequently, so they went to visit him every now and then. It was not until the end of the month that the old man got better with the help of the imperial physician.

It was also during this time of year that spring returned to the earth, and I heard that the epidemic outside was gradually fading away, with only stubborn diseases still lingering in Huiyang. Patients in other places had recovered one by one, and the situation had returned to stability.

The day was sunny, and the whole family gathered in the hall to greet the grandfather after a long absence.

Nie Ce Maochen arrived right away, and Sang Ling arrived a little later - the two of them separated.

Since their last unpleasant parting, the two have not met or spoken to each other. Although Nie Ce lived in the mansion, he went directly to the east wing when he came back every day. Later, he also moved his long hat, turban, short robe, various long swords and short knives in the bedroom over there every day - as of today, there are not many of his things in the house.

The two men sat down in the gossip hall. Although they shared a long desk and were only a few fingers apart, their eyes were at odds with each other and the signs of quarreling were written all over their faces.

How could the relatives who arrived later not see it?

When a young couple is in love, they are as sweet as honey, but when they have conflicts, they cannot even get along.

However, the relationship between the families was not warm, and no one was in the mood to tease. Only Madam Zhaoyu kept watching; the second uncle was talking to the third uncle; Shen was calm and at ease on the side, sipping her hot drink; Nie Guang was secretly looking at Sang Ling; Zhang's eyes were naturally still on his mistress; Su was still watching the fire from the other side, the snipe and the clam fighting, although she was not the fisherman who benefited, she was also happy in her heart - in any case, it was better than Zhang's being the only one.

Cai was the last to arrive. She didn't know what Nie Yu had eaten that had caused him to have a stomachache, so she came over to apologize in private and then hurried back to the Muxiang Garden. Uncle San, on the other hand, didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, and even showed his impatience when he sent Cai away.

Master Nie dressed himself in the back room before coming out. He first spoke to his two sons, asking about the epidemic outside and the news in the court. Then he asked Shen about the situation in the mansion.

As a new official, Shen reported everything in detail, and all that was left was to explain everything to the old man. ——But the only thing missing was the matter of the farm.

The beginning of spring is the busy farming season. In previous years, the owners of the manor would come to the mansion to report to the head of the household. This year is naturally different from the past. Because of the epidemic, there is definitely a shortage of labor. No one is working in the fields. If it is postponed for a year, the production will be reduced. However, even if it is delayed, a deadline must be agreed upon, otherwise it will be a waste of time to miss the weather.

There has to be a way to minimize the losses.

To be honest, the people in the West Mansion had no experience in dealing with this kind of thing, and with the added obstacle of an epidemic, it became even more difficult. Shen and Madam Zhaoyu had also been at odds with each other, so she would not lower herself to ask for advice.

"How is the land and the town?" Nie Taigong asked again.

The smile on Shen's face began to fade, and she still glanced at He behind her. The two of them looked at each other in fear, and were speechless for a while.

Perhaps because she didn't reply immediately, Nie Zhongxu also cast a look. This look was even more oppressive. Shen's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. "The subordinates came to report that every tenant has been infected with the disease and is recuperating. The fields are short of people, and I'm afraid this year will be delayed..."

Her words were vague, and it was unclear whether she really had no idea or was just trying to fool around. Master Nie twisted his beard and pondered for a while, then he knew what was going on. However, he did not make things difficult for his second daughter-in-law. He just said, "Last year, there were natural disasters and misfortunes. We must not follow the old rules. Ask the owners of the manors to see if they have hired someone to do the work or what?"

"Yes." Shen immediately stood up and saluted.

Madam Zhaoyu remained silent from beginning to end. When the old man asked questions, her eyes were always on the jade cup in front of her. Sang Ling looked around the room. There was a goose-foot lamp on each side of the hall. A corner of the felt mat was pressed down by a Boshan incense burner. On both sides below were people from the two mansions. Everyone was dressed in plain clothes and their kneeling postures were similar. The only bright spot was the different expressions on everyone's faces.

"There is one more thing I forgot." Shen dismissed the previous episode, knelt down and said, "I calculated last year's general account a few days ago, and found that the money for your birthday banquet in August didn't add up. And because of Hua Jun's matter in the past few days, I didn't have the chance to ask my sister-in-law... There are some discrepancies in the money recorded in the account book, and I don't know if the people on my sister-in-law's side calculated it wrong." She pretended to be embarrassed, and looked at Madam Zhaoyu after she finished speaking.

Madam Zhaoyu had no idea about the details. She was ill at the time, and all the housework was done by Sang Ling. Even though she was worried, she mostly asked about the epidemic prevention and personnel in the mansion. There were also Xing and Shi to help with the accounts. Madam Zhaoyu's eyes were slightly stern. Yes, there was a traitor among the two. She unconsciously turned her eyes to Sang Ling. She found something wrong at the end of the year, but until the beginning of the year, couldn't she find out the trick?

Sang Ling naturally received the accusing gaze, lowered his eyes for a moment, but did not respond. At the same time, Nie Ce also looked over.

"The accounts for August last year?" Nie Taigong asked Madam Xiang Zhaoyu. "It's a new year, and you're still checking last year's accounts?" the old man asked doubtfully.

"I guess there's something missing. Let your wife go back and recalculate it." Madam Zhaoyu had no choice but to say.

When he asked the second daughter-in-law just now, Grandpa Nie didn't make it difficult. Now he asked the eldest daughter-in-law, and the old man treated her equally, so he naturally wouldn't make it difficult. He just nodded and said "yeah". As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang said, "I heard that before the relatives from the old house left some money as a thank you, right? They are all honest people. They traveled a long way to come here and gave money to our family?"

This matter was done by Shen in collusion with old man Nie. Xing Ai simply erased it from the account book in the end. Madam Zhaoyu didn't know about it. Even Sang Ling found out all the facts one by one after finding out the traitor. Zhang stayed at the gate of Jingyuan during the epidemic and didn't go out. Where did he hear the news?

She teamed up with Shen? -- Sang Ling glanced at the two of them, but it was not surprising. Zhang was now hating her, so how could she not try every means to bring her down?

"Oh, right. My wife couldn't figure out the account for this money either." Shen began to perform. "Oh, I was really worried about Mr. Hua's affairs. The relatives stayed for a long time last year. I calculated the expenses and felt bad for my eldest sister-in-law and her family, so I paid some money. When I was reconciling the accounts, I asked my nephew's wife about it. She said that you also made up for it. It was the extra money from the great grandfather's birthday party. So, according to reason, the expenses for the relatives should be extra-"

"My nephew's wife was in charge of the accounts before the New Year." Zhang agreed casually, and immediately received a look from Nie Guang.

The spearhead was immediately directed at Sang Ling. How many people present could not hear it? A sum of money disappeared, and the target of corruption was either Madam Zhaoyu or the Sang family daughter who was acting as the housekeeper. Zhang was angry and even more angry. The previous things were all forgotten. Today, she just said a few more words to her, and Nie Guang dared to show his displeasure in the hall of right and wrong. His father and grandfather were still here.

"My second nephew's wife is young, and this is her first time doing housework. It's been very hard for her. I don't even understand the accounts of Jingyuan." There was a coldness in Zhang's smile. Although she was talking about Sang Ling, the provocation in her eyes was directed at Nie Guang - you just protect her, the more you protect her, the faster she will die.

Since the Sang family girl was mentioned again, Nie Taigong frowned and naturally looked over again. Everyone spoke too much, and if the tone was slightly inappropriate, it would seem biased, so he only used his eyes to question.

Sang Ling opened his lips slightly, and the word "grandson" was just on the tip of his tongue when Nie Guang took it over, "This is the first time that my second brother's wife is settling accounts, so it's inevitable that there will be some discrepancies, but it should not be much different."

The atmosphere was getting very exciting, why did Ah Guang suddenly turn his elbow outward? Shen was still puzzled and looked back at her son. Zhang's face opposite was also quite interesting, and the slightest bit of pretended smugness was gone.

Everyone in the room had their own ulterior motives and plans in their minds, except Nie Ce, who placed his hands on his knees and stared at Nie Guang without saying a word.

"I'm afraid I was a little careless." Sang Ling spoke after a long silence, "It's my grandson's wife's fault. I'm sorry for causing trouble to my mother and Second Aunt."

She behaved in a calm and composed manner, with a smile on her face like a pool of spring water, which shone even more brightly in the dim room.

There was no fear at all.

Shen couldn't help but frown.