Back in the courtyard, I saw Aunt Cao cleaning a chicken that had just been killed.

Seeing Gao Mu and his group return laden with spoils, they were filled with amazement.

"Oh my! This old servant originally thought that fishing was something only people in the manor could do, but I never expected that the guard is the real expert at fishing."

Gao Mu smiled awkwardly, "Aunt Cao, you flatter me. It's all luck, just luck."

"Brother Gao is so lucky. My brother and I often go fishing, but we've never caught such a big grass carp. This one is enough for everyone to have a meal."

Zhang Qiu brought back fresh vegetables from the field.

Seeing that both buckets were full of big fish, his eyes lit up when he looked at Gao Mu and Cang Yun.

"This old servant is thinking that killing one chicken is not enough. Tell the third brother to go to the field and pick more fresh vegetables. With these fish, this old servant can cook different dishes for the young master every day."

Aunt Cao used to be in charge of the kitchen, and she was a very good cook.

Jiang Shuyue said to Aunt Cao, "We left in a hurry today and didn't have time to buy meat. We'll have Zhang Qiu go to the nearby market to buy some tomorrow."

All expenses on the estate were paid from the public account. During her years living in Yunling Village, Jiang Shuyue knew how frugal the villagers were.

Since they've signed a life-or-death contract, they're her people, and she'll never treat them unfairly.

Zhang Qiu found a large wooden basin, drew water from the well, and put all the fish into the basin.

When Qiuju and the others heard that Gao Mu and Cangyun had caught some fish, the three of them came out to watch.

Seeing Qiuju grinning from ear to ear, Lan'er teased, "Sister Qiuju is in for a treat. Whenever you want to eat fish, just have Guard Gao cast a net on the river."

"When Sister Qiuju can't finish eating, don't forget to ask everyone for help."

Mei'er and Lan'er sang in unison, while Qiuju glanced at Gao Mu.

Gao Mu looked at her with a silly smile, and her face turned red.

"Since you two love to eat fish, I'll have the young lady marry you off to the fishmonger."

Qiuju's words made everyone burst into laughter.

Lan'er and Mei'er also blushed deeply.

"The fire is still burning in the kitchen, the food will be ready soon." Lan'er said, turning around and running towards the kitchen.

Mei'er also said, "The mushrooms for stewing the chicken are soaked and ready. I'll go wash them and set them aside."

Aunt Cao smiled and said, "These two girls are shy."

At this moment, Zhang Yuanshan returned carrying a bundle of tree branches, followed by two people, each carrying a bundle of firewood.

Aunt Cao waved to the two men, "Eldest brother and second brother, quickly put down the firewood and come over to pay your respects to the master."

The two brothers walked quickly to the woodshed on the side, put down the firewood, and dusted off their clothes.

"Zhang Cai pays his respects to his master."

"Zhang Man pays his respects to his master."

"No need for formalities. From now on, you can hire someone to do the work of cutting firewood up the mountain. You can also tell the villagers across the way that if anyone has firewood to sell, they can send it over."

Jiang Shuyue glanced at the two brothers. The three brothers had somewhat similar features, and the second brother's skin was slightly fairer than the eldest brother's and younger brother's.

The eldest brother, Zhang Cai, looked a bit more honest and simple. The whole family in the village had good looks, upright appearances, and clear eyes, especially Uncle Zhang, who had a rugged yet upright air about him.

He gives the impression of being an upright and incorruptible person.

"Miss, please go to the hall and have some tea. This old servant will tell you about the situation on the estate again," Uncle Zhang said, bowing.

Although Jiang Shuyue had heard Gao Mu talk about the situation at the estate, she was still willing to listen to Uncle Zhang's explanation again to see if he had any better suggestions.

After sitting down in the hall, Uncle Zhang brought out the account books and reported on each expense, even though there were a few missing.

“Miss, to be honest, this estate looks quite big, but after hiring people to work and paying the grain tax, there’s really not much left. If we don’t manage our finances carefully, we might even lose money at the end of the year.”

Jiang Shuyue nodded slightly. "Uncle Zhang is right. Let me think about it carefully. Don't skimp on the daily expenses on the estate. Although your eldest daughter-in-law hasn't signed a contract, she helps take care of the courtyard on a daily basis. Her monthly allowance will be paid according to the standards for my head maid."

Uncle Zhang was surprised that his employer was so young yet so thoughtful and magnanimous.

He quickly stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Miss. My family will do our best to take good care of the estate. As for expenses, we are used to it. The children occasionally go up the mountain to hunt some mountain produce to satisfy their cravings. We grow vegetables in the fields, so we try to save money wherever we can."

“Uncle Zhang, please sit down. The second and third sons are both growing. Aunt Cao said that Uncle Zhang went to school back then. When you have time, you can let the three brothers read more books.”

After sitting back down, Zhang Yuanshan nodded repeatedly, "What Miss says is true. Reading opens the mind and teaches etiquette. This old servant obeys."

His three children were all intelligent, but the family was too poor. The whole family worked hard and could barely make ends meet. There was no extra money to send the children to school.

Fortunately, the young master of the former owner often came to the estate to recuperate, bringing many books with him. The second son, Zhang Man, was very popular with the young master, who rewarded him with several books.

Later, when the former employer left, he left all the books he hadn't taken with him. Whenever it rained and they couldn't go out to work, the four of them would stay home and read.

Unable to afford brushes and ink, they drew on the ground with twigs.

"It must be very cold here in winter, right?" Jiang Shuyue asked, noticing the pile of charcoal in the woodshed.

"Reporting to Miss, the back mountain has shorter hours of sunshine and is a bit colder than the front mountain. But don't worry, Miss, the eldest and second eldest brothers have been burning charcoal in the back mountain recently, and the amount of charcoal they've burned is enough for the estate to get through the winter."

After listening, Jiang Shuyue had a higher opinion of Zhang Yuanshan. He was too honest and would definitely be a loyal person.

The landlord of Zhuangzi had no other plans; the charcoal they burned could be sold in the capital to improve their lives.

At lunchtime, Aunt Cao brought the mushroom stewed chicken and the braised fish to the east courtyard. Jiang Shuyue told Qiuju to keep some for the few of them to eat, and to take the rest to Aunt Cao's family.

Aunt Cao's family stayed in the kitchen for their meal. Zhang Yuanshan was deeply moved as he looked at the dishes that Qiuju had brought over.

He wasn't someone who valued gluttony, and the young lady treated his family with the same care and affection she showed them as if they were her own relatives.

Zhang Qiu was at the age of growing taller, and he swallowed hard as he looked at the sumptuous dishes.

"Father, Mother, could the young lady from the East be a fairy descended from heaven? She has a kind face and a gentle heart. This meal is just like New Year's."

Zhang Cai and Zhang Man both nodded in agreement, "Miss is so kind to us. We'll go into the mountains another day to burn more charcoal and select the silver thread charcoal to send to Miss in the city."

Seeing that their parents hadn't touched their chopsticks, the three brothers watched, drooling, but didn't start eating first.

Moved, Zhang Yuanshan said in a serious tone, "You three brothers should all remember this: our master treats us well, so we must not forget our duty as servants and be loyal to him."

He paused and then said, "Starting tonight, all three of you will read for a while before bed. If you don't know any words, come and ask me. Miss said that you all need to continue learning accounting, so that no one can fool us no matter where we go in the future."

Zhang Qiu's stomach rumbled.

He nodded. "Don't worry, Dad. My older brothers and I are learning too."