Chapter 133 Loyal Lackey

Meng Jinyao leaned against the window, watching Li Cheng limp out of the teahouse, and a meaningful smile appeared on her face.

Ning Dong moved closer to her, glanced down at Li Cheng on the street, and said, "Madam, I thought you were going to give up on Steward Li because you seemed uninterested in him."

Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly. She had spent time, money, and manpower to set a trap and win over the pawn. Why would she give it up so easily?

She laughed and said, "If you're going to put on an act, you should go all the way. Granny Qiao is a smart woman."

Ningdong asked doubtfully, "But wouldn't Granny Qiao betray Madam Sun for Steward Li?"

Meng Jinyao narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "The master is very important, but the only son is equally important. There are many people who would betray their master for their own flesh and blood. Perhaps Granny Qiao could be one of them?"

Ning Dong nodded: "That's true. Madam Sun was once kind to Granny Qiao, but Granny Qiao also saved Madam Sun. The debt of gratitude has been repaid."

Meng Jinyao watched Li Cheng disappear around the corner, heading in the direction of the Yongchang Marquis's residence. She slowly withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "Lin Rui should have gone back. Let's go to the Zhou residence."

The three, master and servants, left the teahouse and headed to the Zhou residence.

The Zhou family's only daughter, Zhou Shi, died in childbirth. She had no sons or uncles or nephews. Since the death of Master Zhou, the Zhou mansion was often closed and deserted. Her only granddaughter, Meng Jinyao, only came back occasionally.

Ningdong went up and knocked on the door.

Not long after, a simply dressed, white-haired but kind-looking old servant came out to open the door.

This man was none other than Lin Rui's grandfather, Old Man Lin, who had served as a servant in the Zhou family for decades.

When Old Man Lin saw Meng Jinyao, a kind smile immediately appeared on his face: "Young lady, you're back! Come in quickly."

Meng Jinyao nodded slightly, called out "Uncle Lin", and then stepped into the mansion.

Old Mr. Lin asked with concern, "Young lady, have you had lunch yet?"

Meng Jinyao replied, "I've already used it."

Actually, they didn't have lunch. The three of them, master and servants, just ate some pastries on the way here. The Zhou family is currently in a situation where there are only a few servants, and the vegetables they buy each day are rationed.

She returned suddenly today, catching the servants in the mansion completely unprepared. If she were to stay for a meal, the servants would have to rush to the market to buy groceries and cook, which would be time-consuming and laborious. It would be better to finish our business and then she could go out to a restaurant later.

A moment later, Meng Jinyao asked again, "Uncle Lin, has Lin Rui returned yet?"

Old Man Lin replied, "That young man just got back not long ago. Does Miss need to see him?"

Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "There is something I need to ask him to do."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Lin didn't ask any further questions. He took Meng Jinyao to the flower hall and then went to find his grandson.

Before long, Lin Rui followed Old Man Lin to the flower hall, bowed respectfully to Meng Jinyao, and Old Man Lin left first without disturbing their business, since he was too old to help the young lady.

Lin Rui asked, "Is there anything else you need, Miss?"

"You did a great job today." Meng Jinyao first affirmed his efforts, then added, "Lin Dashan was seriously injured while drawing away some of the gambling den's thugs for his friend. He needs to rest and recover and will not be able to appear in public for some time."

Lin Rui paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Miss. Unless you give the order, I will never appear in front of Li Cheng again. When I do appear again, it will be as 'Lin Dashan' who has recovered from his injuries."

Meng Jinyao smiled with satisfaction and asked gently, "Can you read?"

Lin Rui humbly replied, "I am not very talented, but I know a few characters."

Meng Jinyao then asked, "Can you do accounting?"

Lin Rui replied, "Yes, my grandfather taught me how to do accounts."

Meng Jinyao nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "My estate in the suburbs of the capital is short of a manager. Would you be willing to go?"

These days, she felt that Lin Rui was quite capable, and coincidentally, one of the estates in her mother's dowry needed a new manager, so Lin Rui was a perfect fit for the job.

Firstly, because Lin Rui is capable.

Secondly, Lin Rui is one of their own and can be trusted. The income from that estate is excellent, and they wouldn't falsify accounts to embezzle the income.

The estates and shops in her mother's dowry had been managed by the Sun family for so many years. The original managers had long been replaced by the Sun family, and the current managers were either people trained by the Sun family or people who were disloyal and had switched sides to the Sun family.

Now that she has taken over, the Sun family's people naturally need to be replaced. It's a complete overhaul, and it's not easy to find so many reliable people right away. So she can only temporarily replace the ones she doesn't like and observe the others slowly. Those who can be used by her will be kept for the time being.

Lin Rui never expected that such a good thing would happen to him. His cousin directly promoted him to be the manager of the estate, which showed that she valued his performance. Although he had been allowed to leave the manor to find work before, it was not as good as working under the master.

Seeing this as a rare opportunity, he did not refuse and readily agreed: "I will certainly live up to your expectations, Miss, and manage the estate properly for you."

Meng Jinyao said, "Then you should heal your injuries first, and then go over."

Lin Rui responded respectfully. He knew that it was not good for him to show his face at this time, otherwise it would be bad if Li Cheng saw that he was Miss Biao's person. In addition, Miss Biao would also need to spend time removing the original manager.

Meng Jinyao added, "Take good care of yourself and recover. I'll head back now and have Ningdong come and let you know later."

Lin Rui responded again and escorted Meng Jinyao and her two servants to the front gate.

After leaving the Zhou residence, Meng Jinyao took Qingqiu and Ningdong to a random restaurant, had lunch, and then headed back home.

Back at the Marquis of Changxing's residence, Meng Jinyao wrote a letter and then summoned a servant, instructing him to send the summer clothes, writing implements, and snacks she had bought for Meng Chengzhang that morning to Lingshan Academy. One set of writing implements was for Gu Xiuwen, as she was his aunt and Gu Xiuwen must have been taking care of her younger brother at the academy, so it was only right to send him something.

After finishing all this, Meng Jinyao felt a little tired. She had been busy all day and was just about to take a nap when Zhang came over to talk to her again.

Since Gu Xiuwen enrolled in Lingshan Academy through Gu Jingxi's connections, Madam Zhang had a misunderstanding and thought that her youngest son might be adopted into the third branch of the family. Therefore, she was particularly kind to Meng Jinyao and would occasionally come to Weirui Pavilion to talk to her.

Meng Jinyao patiently chatted with Zhang Shi, learning about various family matters from her. By the time Zhang Shi left, it was already late afternoon.

At this moment, Gu Jingxi had finished his shift and returned home. Upon entering the room, he saw that the young girl looked tired, but her eyes were curved in a smile like a cunning little fox. He asked curiously, "Madam seems to be in a very good mood today?"

Hearing the voice, Meng Jinyao looked up and saw the man in the scarlet official robe walking towards her. She replied, "After casting the bait for so long, the fish has finally taken the bait. You could say I've snatched a dog, so of course I'm happy."

Gu Jingxi asked with great interest, "Which dog?"

Meng Jinyao didn't hide it from him: "He's a loyal lackey of my stepmother, Madam Sun."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi glanced at her in surprise and reminded her, "Then Madam, you must be careful. Dogs can bite. They can bite their master back, and they can bite you back too."

Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, then said, "Husband, don't worry, I've already got his weakness in my hands, so he won't dare to resist."