All Hail Cousin Brother

107 Take Someone Down a Notch

“Mother Yang, it’s already March. The vegetables and fruits in the farmsteads in the suburbs of the capital have also grown out one after another. The vegetables on the market are only worth one yuan per catty. There’s three yuan here, which is three taels of silver. It’s just that vegetables are rare in winter, so that’s the price.”

Yu Youyao’s words stunned everyone present. Many people gasped.

The account book had been brought over by them when Old Madam had ordered them to. Eldest Miss would definitely not have seen it in advance, so this Eldest Miss of theirs was someone who hid her abilities well and knew how to read the account book.

On the other hand, the account books in the main kitchen were very complicated. Even those who knew how to read the account books did not know much about the internal affairs. Even Eldest Madam Yang, who had been managing the household for many years, did not know everything.

However, Eldest Miss took a casual glance and anyone could tell at once that she was promising. It really made one feel timid. How could she dare to fool them?

She really did not expect that Eldest Miss was already so good at reading accounts even though she was not even ten years old. It was no wonder that Old Madam was so assured and bold to let Eldest Miss manage the household.

The atmosphere became much more tense, and everyone looked at Yu Youyao solemnly.

Mother Yang, who had been called out in public, had a change in expression. She immediately put away the trace of disapproval in her heart and bowed. “Eldest Miss, it’s a little colder this spring than usual, and it only gradually warmed up in February. The vegetables also grew later than usual, and the price is much higher. In addition, the vegetables that I ordered were ordered from the best farm in the suburbs of the capital. They’re better than the ones on the market, so they’re naturally more expensive…”

This was a good excuse, but it did not convince Yu Youyao.

When the Great Zhou Dynasty was first established, their great-grandfather placed great importance on agriculture. Every year, the Imperial Court would distribute new seeds to the farmers for free. When the new seeds were successfully planted, the Imperial Court would directly reward them with good farmland. In this day and age, farmland was the lifeblood of the farmers. Who wouldn’t want to do it?

Meanwhile, the local officials also encouraged the farmers to plant new seeds. Once the seeds were planted, it would be a political achievement. During the examination, there would inevitably be a “good” evaluation, so it was easy to move up.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, fruits and vegetables from the previous dynasty were more expensive than oil.

Even in winter, there were still farms that wanted to build straw sheds to grow vegetables. Some large farms even used underfloor heaters to grow vegetables. Although vegetables and fruits were also expensive in winter, the price was not that ridiculous.

Not to mention during normal times.

As a servant, Mother Yang was indeed greedy, but she was not as bold and greedy as Madam Yang. Hence, the money could only go into Madam Yang’s pocket.

However, Yu Youyao did not intend to expose her. However, it was still necessary for her to establish her authority on the first day. “I remember that our family has a plantation in the suburbs of the capital. We plant vegetables and fruits and send fresh ones to the residence every day. The plantation under my mother’s name will also send some fruits, vegetables, mountain delicacies, and wild animals to the residence from time to time. There aren’t many people in the residence, so we have enough vegetables. There’s no need to buy so many, right?”

Clearly, she had made a false account.

In reality, they hadn’t bought that many vegetables, but the rest of the money had been stolen.

Many of the people present were already starting to break out in a cold sweat. Although the madams and young misses who were raised in private houses were well-versed in literature and calligraphy, they were all people who did not know anything about such trivial matters.

Even though she knew how to read some accounts, she did not know about the outside world. She could easily fool others with just a few words.

This Eldest Miss was too shrewd. With just a glance at the account book, she had already figured out what was going on.

Mother Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and she became a little nervous. “Eldest Miss, you might not know this, but it’s a little cold this year, and the vegetables in the manor aren’t growing as well as in the past. The suburbs are also a little far away, so some of the vegetables are no longer fresh when they’re sent into the residence. Eldest Madam knows that I’ve been shopping outside.”

By the time she finished speaking, her body was already covered in a layer of cold sweat. Her sweat-soaked clothes stuck to her back, but it sent a chill down her spine and into her bones.

Yesterday, when Madam was about to hand over her authority as the housekeeper, she had found a few useful stewards to give them a lesson. The main point was to make sure that they wouldn’t forget about their old master just because they had a new one.

She had asked them to clean up the accounts again so that Nanny Liu wouldn’t notice anything amiss.

They were used to doing this, so they were naturally not afraid.

Although the vegetables were much more expensive, they had already found an excuse. Despite Nanny Liu’s appearance, she was still a servant. As long as they brought up First Madam, they probably wouldn’t be able to make things difficult for her. She also wouldn’t go to Old Madam for such a small matter.

However, before Nanny Liu could check the accounts, news of Eldest Miss’s taking over spread, scaring them into a daze. Just as they were feeling delighted, Eldest Miss took them down a notch.

Nanny Liu was a servant, so she was not afraid to mention First Madam.

However, Eldest Miss was the person in charge, and she had Old Madam’s support. Since Eldest Miss had asked, they could not fool her. They had to make things clear.

But how could she understand such a thing? The more she said, the more mistakes she would make.

When Yu Youyao heard this, she smiled faintly. “So you’ve gotten Mother’s approval. Let’s do it this way then!”

Mother Yang suddenly heaved a sigh of relief. She thought about First Madam’s reputation. Even though this matter with Eldest Miss was over, she had to be more cautious in the future.

However, just as she wiped her sweat, she heard Eldest Miss ask in a clear voice, “Did the person who sent the vegetables over come over today?”

What did this mean? Mother Yang was stunned for a moment. Then she quickly said, “They won’t arrive until about this afternoon.”

Yu Youyao nodded. “When they come over, they’ll come over to inform us. I heard from Mother Yang that the vegetables at the top farm haven’t been growing well this year, so the other crops have probably been affected as well. I have to understand a little more, and at the same time, I can find out more about the other crops. After all, the future of the residence depends on the harvest from the top farm. We shouldn’t let the residence suffer.”

Mother Yang felt dizzy. She did not expect that not only did Eldest Miss know how to read accounts, but she was also smart enough to think of this.

If the crops in the farmstead were not good, even if the people in the farmstead did not manage it well, no one would dare to bear such a responsibility easily. They would definitely give themselves away.

However, she did not dare to implicate First Madam anymore.

At that time, she would be the one in the wrong, and the responsibility would be hers.

Old Madam Yu sat at the side and did not say anything. She did not even pinch her prayer beads anymore. When she saw this good show, even her turbid eyes lit up.

Yao Yao was really smart. Her method of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys had almost frightened her.

After everyone had left, Old Madam Yu said to Nanny Liu, “Call over the manager of the shop outside and the manor tomorrow for Yao Yao to meet.”

Nanny Liu replied with a smile.

Old Madam Yu nodded in satisfaction and asked Yu Youyao, “How did you know the value of vegetables outside?”