110 Little Zhouzhuang

After Xia Tao found out more, she came over to report, “Butler Zhou also has four men following him who are helping him with some manual labor.”

Yu Youyao looked thoughtful. “Most of the farmers near Little Zhouzhuang have the surname Zhou, so they’re also called Zhouzhuang. That’s why the farmstead in our residence is called Little Zhouzhuang.”

Xia Tao nodded and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Young Mistress, are you punishing Steward Zhou?”

Yu Youyao’s expression was indifferent and she did not answer.

Xia Tao bit her lip again. “Young Mistress, I was born in Zhouzhuang. My name was Zhou Tao in the past, and my family had six maidservants in a row. My father saw that I was born smarter and heard that the Yu Residence was kind, so he sold me into the residence. After I entered the residence, he asked the nanny who taught the rules to change my name to Xia Tao.”

Yu Youyao was a little surprised, but she still did not say anything.

Xia Tao could only say, “Zhouzhuang is a big family town, and we’re all ancestors and relatives. When I was young, someone from the neighboring Zhengzhuang, almost bullied a young lady. That family couldn’t take it lying down, so they came knocking on my door with a hoe.”

“When Zhouzhuang’s men caused trouble at Zhengzhuang’s place, Zhengzhuang’s men were unhappy, so someone helped to beat up Zhouzhuang’s men.”

“This time, Zhouzhuang’s men aren’t happy. They called dozens of people to attack Zhengzhuang together.”

“In the end, the two villages fought until their eyes turned red. The more they fought, the more they hated each other. In the end, it became a hundred-odd people fighting in a group. It was only when the officials were alerted that this matter stopped. However, the law did not punish everyone. Those who caused trouble were only taught a few words of punishment before leaving and returning to their respective homes.”

Yu Youyao’s expression froze for a moment. “Are you worried that if I punish Steward Zhou, Zhouzhuang’s people will kick up a fuss?”

Xia Tao nodded. “I’ve heard of him since I was young. Steward Zhou is very respected in the Zhouzhuang, and everyone listens to him. If anything happens to him, the villagers in the Zhouzhuang will probably cause a commotion. Although they’re all commoners, they are also relatives. If they cause a commotion, it will be in groups, and the authorities won’t be able to do anything to them. When that happens, everyone will know…”

Eldest Master was an official in the imperial court, and Eldest Miss was a young miss who had been raised in her own home. If this were to get out of hand, it would affect the reputation of both Master and Eldest Miss.

Yu Youyao’s expression turned serious as she nodded. “It’s rare that you’re so devoted to me. There’s a jade bracelet with floating flowers on my dressing table. The quality is not bad. You can have it.”

“Thank you for your reward, Miss. I’m in front of you, so naturally, I have to think about you all the time.” Xia Tao was overjoyed. Naturally, the things that Miss had rewarded were not bad. Most importantly, she had received a reward from her, so it would be very dignified to wear in the future.

Yu Youyao smiled.

Previously, Nanny Liu had taught her how to manage the household and had mentioned some things about the village. She also knew a little about the situation. When she decided to see Steward Zhou, she had already thought of a countermeasure, so naturally, she was not afraid of anything.

After Xia Tao’s reminder, she also realized that although her method was feasible, there were still some loopholes. If she was not careful, she might really cause trouble.

Now, she naturally had to be more thorough.

At the thought of this, Yu Youyao turned around and instructed Xia Tao, “Bring the four men who came with Steward Zhou to the side courtyard of Tinglan Courtyard to rest. Get someone to prepare a table of food and drink.”

Xia Tao was quick-witted. She rolled her eyes and said, “I’ll do it now.”

The manager of Little Zhouzhuang was called Zhou Yongchang. He was about forty years old and wore a robe made of silk. He looked rather wealthy and respectable.

Zhou Yongchang’s father used to be the manager of Little Zhouzhuang. When Zhou Yongchang was a few years old, he had worked for the Yu Residence with his father. Later on, after Zhou Yongchang’s father passed away, Zhou Yongchang took on the role of the manager of Little Zhouzhuang and continued to work for the Yu Residence. He was an old man in the Yu Residence.

Four tanned and tall men were helping to move things.

“Mother Yang, look carefully. Is there anything wrong with these vegetables?” As he spoke, Zhou Yongchang glanced at the maidservant beside Mother Yang.

She was wearing a light purple muslin shirt with a few clean and clean lilacs embroidered on it. She also had silver jewelry on her head and ears. She looked a little out of place.

When did Mother Yang have such a decent maidservant by her side?

Zhou Yongchang couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. It was obvious that this maidservant following beside Mother Yang was asking all sorts of questions. Even Mother Yang, who had always had eyes on the top of her head, answered all her questions.

Could it be that one of Mother Yang’s relatives was learning from her?

Mother Yang’s expression stiffened. “No, no problem, but…”

Before she could speak, a voice came from outside. “Is Mother Yang here?”

“Yes,” Mother Yang hurriedly replied and walked out. When she saw that it was Dong Mei, she forced a smile. “Miss Dong Mei is here.”

Dong Mei nodded.

Mother Yang led Dong Mei into the house and introduced her to Steward Zhou. “Eldest Madam is sick. Now, Eldest Miss is in charge of the household. This is Eldest Miss’s maidservant, Dong Mei.”

If he remembered correctly, the Eldest Miss in the residence seemed to be less than ten years old, but she was already managing the household? Steward Zhou was shocked and quickly greeted, “Hello, Miss Dong Mei.”

Dong Mei smiled and said, “Manager Zhou, you’ve worked hard. Young Mistress heard from Mother Yang that the weather is cold this year and the crops in the manor aren’t growing well, so she wanted to see you.”

Steward Zhou was stunned for a moment. “Of course, of course. I’ll go see Eldest Miss with Miss Dong Mei now.”

Although he was a little flustered, he remembered that Eldest Miss was just a young lady. How could she understand the matters in the manor? She could be appeased with just a few words, so he calmed down.

Everyone left with their own thoughts. When Steward Zhou saw that the people he had brought were actually not outside, he couldn’t help but ask, “They came with me…”

Dong Mei immediately smiled and said, “Look at my memory. I actually forgot to tell Steward Zhou that it’s quite tiring for the four people who came with him to guard outside. So, I got someone to bring them to the Tinglan Residence to rest. It’ll be good for them to have some tea and some food. They’ll be exhausted.”

The people in Eldest Miss’s house were indeed extraordinary. They were thoughtful and generous in every way, but Butler Zhou was not happy at all.

As the saying went, once a person comes into power, the people below him will be changed.

Usually, he would follow Eldest Madam Yang around, but today, there was a new miss in the residence. Seeing Mother Yang’s cautious attitude, it looked like the sky had changed.

He had also heard that Old Madam had always doted on Eldest Miss the most. Although Eldest Miss was a little young, she had Old Madam behind her back.

Feeling a little more cautious, Steward Zhou quickly said, “Eldest Miss, thank you for your understanding.”

He thought to himself that those four people were all people he trusted and kept their mouths shut. All these years, they had been coming and going from the Yu Residence. Even in front of Old Madam, no one suspected anything.

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