Chapter 37 Inventory: Young Master Chen and his wife team up to 'harm' the pen...

Seeing that the warehouse was furnished as she had expected, Li Yang turned to Bi Fang and Zhong Qian and said, "Manager Bi, Manager Zhong, you two work together to record the rocks on this side. Xiao Lu and I will record the seedlings on the other side." After saying that, she turned to Brother Long and said, "Brother Long, could you please lend me some paper and pen?"

Bi Fang: Me? I'm the head butler of the Chen family, for crying out loud!

Little Deer: Young Madam? Are you sure you want to count this pile yourself?

Zhong Qian was overjoyed and deeply grateful to the young mistress for giving him the opportunity to have close contact with Butler Bi.

He thought to himself: The opportunity has come! I must perform well and impress the young mistress and the butler.

In the blink of an eye, he said, "Steward, I'll count them. Please register them here."

As they were talking, Li Yang had already climbed onto the pile of saplings with the deer and called out to the two of them, "What are you standing there for? Butler Bi, hurry up! Finish this quickly so we can go back for dinner!"

Upon hearing this, Bi Fang looked over and saw the young mistress on the pile of seedlings in the dimly lit storeroom, one hand on her hip and the other raised, shouting loudly. Her figure was strikingly similar to the wonton-making lady who had wielded the ladle that day. He silently swallowed the saliva in his throat. "Manager Zhong, let's get started!"

As dusk deepened, the group gradually returned to base. Li Yang took the notes from Bi Fang and burst out laughing: "These notes are so detailed!"

The booklet was not only categorized by size, but someone had also meticulously drawn a diagram of the warehouse layout, making it easy to understand at a glance.

After looking through the booklet, Li Yang silently began to calculate: "Steward Bi, when we checked the accounts the other day, the value of these rocks and saplings should be five hundred taels of silver?"

After a moment's thought, Bi Fang said, "It was originally worth more than five hundred, but now that it's been stored for too long, I'm afraid we'll have to discount it by 70% if we sell it."

Li Yang nodded, then looked at the shopkeeper beside him and asked, "Shopkeeper Zhong, the shop has been losing money for years, with an estimated total loss of a thousand taels. Is that correct?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Qian was slightly surprised. This young mistress had only looked at the account books for a few days, yet she could casually recite the accounts of the flower shop. Knowing that he could not be careless, he hurriedly said, "In reply to the young mistress, if we only record the loss, it is a thousand taels of silver. If we only record the loss and the interest, it would be more than that."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang nodded and remained silent.

The flower shop had lost a thousand taels of silver, but the goods in this warehouse were worth more than three hundred taels. There were at least six or seven hundred taels of silver waiting for her to earn it back—for three months!

After saying goodbye to Brother Long, the group drove back to the Chen residence.

The sound of horses' hooves clattering and the turning of cart wheels accompanied the little deer taking a bowl of plum blossom cakes from the food basket and handing it to Li Yang. "Young Madam, are you hungry? The journey back is long, have some snacks to tide you over."

The glutinous rice flour pastries are filled with red bean paste and then cut into plum blossom shapes using molds, making them quite adorable.

Li Yang's eyes lit up when he saw it. He picked up a snack and popped it into his mouth, praising it as he bulged out his mouth. "Little Deer, it's good that you brought some snacks. I'm really hungry. You should eat some too, and give some to Butler Bi and the others to tide them over."

“Young Master is so thoughtful. This plate of pastries was bought and brought back from town by someone you sent this morning before you left.” Xiao Lu took one pastry and then handed the plate out from behind the carriage curtain. “Brother Bifang, Manager Zhong, you must be hungry too. Try this plum blossom cake.”

Behind her, Li Yang seemed to choke on her words, coughing twice, her face flushed. She held half a pastry in her hand, unsure whether to eat it or not. Her eyes flickered uncertainly, darkening and brightening, as her hand holding the pastry gradually fell to her knees.

Zhong Qian took the plate and handed it to Bi Fang, saying, "Butler Bi, you've worked hard today. Have some snacks to relax."

Bi Fang was filled with deep resentment at this moment. He didn't reply, but instead took a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth.

Yesterday, I clearly discussed it with the young master, and the two of us went together today to inspect the construction site of the official road in Ganquan County.

Unexpectedly, the young mistress turned and went into the study.

Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is up, the young master's mind has already wandered far and wide, and he immediately assigned him to the young mistress to check the storeroom.

What were the original words again? Ah, “The construction work can be done by the laborers who are responsible for ramming the earth and building the foundation. You won’t be able to help anyway. Accompany the young mistress to the storeroom to check the accounts.”

It seems that in the young master's heart, he is no more important than a word from the young mistress... The more Bi Fang thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

Just half a month ago, he was at least worth a bowl of fried rice with eggs, but now he has fallen to such a state!

Are all men like this after they get married?

The bond between the two who grew up together is no match for the weight of the egg in fried rice, nor for the length of the young mistress's eyelash!

Completely indifferent to talking to Zhong Qian, Bi Fang only focused on angrily munching on pastries the whole way.

The others ate three pieces of plum blossom cake from a plate, but Bi Fang finished the whole thing. Seeing this, Zhong Qian stopped talking and just focused on driving the carriage. By the time the cakes on the plate were gone, the carriage had already entered Kangshan Street.

Whether it's the work of nature or human effort, things can be accomplished through human skill.

Once the carriage stopped, the two could see clearly that the person coming towards them was none other than the young master of the Chen family.

Chen Junbo returned from Li Yuhan's road repair job looking disheveled and quite disgruntled. To make matters worse, Bi Fang had forgotten to prepare a change of clothes in the carriage, and when he got off the carriage, his brows were furrowed.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into the dusty group of four returning home, and saw that they were all in the same disheveled state as they got out of the car.

In contrast, his appearance was like a clear breeze and a bright moon, instantly dispelling all the vexation in my chest.

Chen Junbo strode over with his head held high.

Li Yangxing's eyes widened: What's he doing here? He didn't say anything, and neither did I.

Bi Fang frowned and closed his eyes: Young Master, I am withdrawn, I don't want to talk.

Zhong Qian's eyes darted around, and after a final bow, he thought to himself: The young master has arrived?! Hmm, the butler hasn't spoken, and neither has the young mistress, so I can't speak either.

Xiao Lu bowed slightly: "Young Master."

Young Master Chen grunted in acknowledgment, glancing sideways at the crowd before finally settling on the young lady, as if talking to himself, "The matter in Ganquan County is almost settled for today."

Li Yang didn't respond, and no one else dared to speak up. Young Master Chen uttered a single sentence that landed on the ground, yet he didn't seem annoyed.

His mischievous gaze fell on the young woman. He noticed her unkempt hair, with a plain silver hairpin hanging precariously from it. Her plain brocade robe was also in disarray, covered in streaks of dust and dirt.

"Oh, I'm going back to eat first..." Unable to bear the burning gaze above him, Li Yang threw down a sentence and turned to walk into the house without looking back.

Watching her disappear in a flash, Chen Junbai turned to examine Bi Fang. The steward simply closed his eyes, shook his head, and remained silent, his face full of dejection, the words "miserable fate" etched on his forehead.

Ever since Bi Fang started managing the family business with him, he has always been afraid that he was too materialistic and lacked refinement, so he has put a lot of effort into his appearance to rival those talented men from Jiangnan.

When have I ever seen him like this—a complete mess?

Upon closer inspection, Chen Junbo noticed a tear in Bi Fang's sleeve and his shoes were trampled beyond recognition. For some reason, the sight of Bi Fang's wretched state was strangely satisfying!

"Young Master, Steward Bi, hehe, Miss Xiaolu, I'll head back to the Flower Bureau first." Seeing the hostile exchange between them, Zhong Qian quickly took his leave.

Xiao Lu curtsied and followed Li Yang's figure, saying, "Young Madam, please wait for me."

A gentle breeze swept by, lifting a small corner of the hem of both the master and servant's clothes. Chen Junbo glanced at them coldly and said, "Judging from your appearance, you must have had a great time today, unlike me, who is stuck in the desert with yellow sand and doesn't even have a change of clothes."

Having said that, he went into the house on his own.

The once bustling entrance to No. 23 Kangshan Street was now deserted except for Bi Fang. The lonely housekeeper was swept away by a gentle breeze, and felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

His trauma today began with the dirty work assigned by the young mistress and ended with the young master's heartless ridicule... Oh no, it began with the young master abandoning him... The young master treated him in such a way, from beginning to end... It was quite perfect.

He suddenly remembered that on the day he threw the embroidered ball, he had been chased and beaten by the young mistress at the wonton shop, leaving him covered in soup stains. When he returned, the young master only said, "Are wontons really that delicious? Why are you in such a hurry?"

This couple, over and over again, tirelessly toyed with him, and they were always the ones who were happy, while he was the only one who got hurt!

Hmph, young master, I wish you could see the young mistress every day but never speak to her!

He pouted and angrily stepped over the threshold.

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Author's Note: A heads-up! In the next chapter, Young Master Chen's patience runs out, and he finally resolves the cold war! [Purple Heart][Green Heart][Orange Heart][Yellow Heart][Green Heart][Pink Heart][Heart]