Chapter 209: Chapter 208 Making Things Difficult for the Teacher
Mrs. Mo had heard that the cousin’s young sister’s eldest son had married a concubine daughter from the Luo Family, who moved from the Capital City to a small county town.
The people of the Capital City had many rumors about the Tang Family, saying that they would develop better outside the Capital City.
There were also rumors that they were afraid of other wealthy tycoons, and their family had stayed in the small county town for over a thousand years.
The inhabitants of the Capital City thought, how could living in a small town compare to the prosperity of a big city?
Or the beauty of a big city?
Mrs. Mo’s mind flashed with scenes, and she said to Lady Tang,
“I’ve long heard that a treasured daughter of the Luo Family married the richest eldest son of the Tang Family. You are fortunate, young madam, to have married such a good husband.”
Moved by Mrs. Mo’s praise, Lady Tang smiled brightly and ward a bit more towards Mrs. Mo.
“Let’s not just talk; let’s go eat! Son, you must be hungry too?”
Eldest Young Master Tang said and then went to tickle his little son’s face before inviting Scholar Mo to join them for the al.
Though they ate together, the n and won were still separated at different tables.
They ate in the living room, still separated by a fabric curtain.
The at, fruits, and vegetables served at the Tang’s banquet were all delicious and satisfied the appetite of the hardworking couple, Mrs. and Mr. Mo.
Mrs. Mo, who had always been among the wealthy in the Capital City, felt that the food there had never been as delicious as this.
Could it be that the Tang’s chef was extrely skilled?
Scholar Mo felt that the greens, fruits, and ats at the Tang’s were as tasty as the food grown in the great mountains and waters of his hotown, even better than what was available back ho.
Although the couple had arrived in a new place and the hosts were very warm, they did feel a bit timid and uneasy, but once they began eating, they forgot all their apprehensions. Having co all this way and encountered such fine food, their nervousness was completely forgotten.
The couple both wondered how the Tang’s food could be so delicious.
Could their chef possibly be an Imperial Chef? They thought about it during the al but didn’t ask a word.
The Tang Family too, while eating, did not engage much with their guests, only encouraging them to eat more.
After the al, everyone moved back to the living room to gather together.
The couple sat in the living room, and the host had not yet discussed their teaching schedule.
“Madam, we’ve arrived. What about the teaching schedule?”
Madam listened to Mrs. Mo’s question and smilingly said,
“Rest assured and stay at ho for a couple of days. Rest first. As for the teaching schedule, since you’re teaching musical instrunts and the children are on holiday, let them enjoy a bit more. One hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon!”
The Mo couple, hearing how relaxed their teaching schedule would be—just two hours a day,—still didn’t know how much the monthly salary would be.
Even though a relative had ntioned it, it wasn’t the sa as hearing it from the Tang Family themselves. At that mont, they felt it awkward to ask. The job seed so easy; would they really give that much betrothal gifts?
They exchanged glances, mouths twitching, but they were too embarrassed to ask first.
After hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Lady Tang asked, “Mother-in-law, if teaching is so easy, how much is the betrothal gift you give them?”
Madam smiled and said, “Given their current status, it would originally be twenty taels of silver a month. However, since the couple will live and eat in our house and will receive reward money during festivals, let’s make it eighteen taels a month!”
When Scholar Mo and his wife heard about the price from Housekeeper Zhao, they knew it was around twenty taels, as set by his relative. If the Tang Family adjusted it slightly up or down, it was understandable, depending on how long they would work.
Upon hearing Madam’s words, the couple exchanged a look and felt quite satisfied. If they worked at the Tang Family for two years, without having to spend much while living there, they could return to the Capital City, buy a small residence, and even have so savings.
When Mrs. Mo was wealthy, her monthly salary was much more than this. But tis had changed, and she could not return to the past.
Here, although it was just a county, the monthly salary they would receive was quite satisfactory, as they didn’t need to spend much while living at soone else’s house.
Scholar Mo was even more satisfied. He didn’t know how much other teachers made?
However, the calligraphy and paintings she sold each month didn’t even amount to two taels of silver, so having a place to stay and not worrying about food, eighteen taels of silver was indeed a substantial amount to him.
He felt a bit excited, as he had never earned so much money in his life before.
With money in the future, not only could he and his wife live well, but they could also send so money back ho.
As a couple too honest for their own good, the thoughts in his heart were all too obvious on his face, which the business-minded people of the Tang Family and the observant Lady Tang noticed.
Lady Tang chuckled to herself, was this the relative of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law?
It was indeed bad luck to have married a poor scholar, reducing her standard of living to this extent, teaching for just eighteen taels a month. This little amount wasn’t even enough to buy rouge and powder, let alone for making clothes every season, buying jewelry, and attending parties.
Thinking this, Lady Tang saw the satisfied expressions on Mr. and Mrs. Mo’s faces and scoffed. She had an idea to tease them a bit.
“Mother-in-law, although our children have other teachers to teach them various skills during sumr break, having more teachers wouldn’t hurt, and I believe this couple should be up to the task,” she said.
At Lady Tang’s words, her husband frowned slightly, wanting to interject.
Mr. and Mrs. Mo lowered their eyes, and Mrs. Mo’s beautiful eyes flickered, holding back her temper. For her husband, she had already tempered so of her young lady’s temper over the past six months.
If she had not been married, she would not have allowed such intentional difficulties or such tone of voice to bully her without retorting.
But now, for her husband, for their future happy life, all she could do was endure…
Scholar Mo had so pride in him. In these past six months of hardship, he had beco much steadier, lacking the impulsiveness of youth.
“Well… my wife, if you want these two teachers to teach our children additional subjects, you would have to pay them extra,” he said.
Madam Tang and her daughter-in-law had been getting along for several years; how could she not know her character?
Being stingy was sothing expected from soone of her petty bourgeois nature.
The teacher was employed by her, and not to judge a monk by his face is to respect the Buddha, moreover, this couple was her own relatives. If her daughter-in-law treated guests this way, it would reflect poorly on her as a mother-in-law.
The housekeeper of the Tang Family would not make life difficult for the teacher over such a small amount of money, not to ntion it would sound bad if word got out, and it would be awkward when she t her sister-in-law later.
Her sister-in-law was the one who had discussed the price with this couple, and the price was not high. She believed that in the Capital, hiring a teacher did not cost as much.
It was her maternal family who had helped find this teacher, yet her daughter-in-law was making things difficult. Madam felt so anger inside, but she held it back and did not lash out on the spot.
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