Chapter 4 Chapter 4 My politeness and self-control always make people...
The "exchange operation" has been preliminarily finalized after discussion among several ladies.
Out of distrust, Mary told Anna to swear repeatedly that she would keep her mouth shut. Poor Anna was forced to swear a lot of oaths.
Time was tight. Hermann would be visiting the day after tomorrow at noon. Once the exchange was done, there would be no turning back. If this secret could not be kept, it would be a devastating disaster for everyone. As a precaution, Jenny didn't even tell Edward.
As night fell, the three ladies of the Kavan family finally went back to their rooms to rest.
After overcoming the initial panic and discussing all night, the ladies calmed down and had some glimmer of hope in the face of an unknown fate.
However, others who were kept in the dark were not at ease.
It is well known that any old-fashioned aristocratic family always has a housekeeper who is old-fashioned, strict and loyal. Mrs. Michelle of Norman Manor is undoubtedly a representative example of this.
Late at night, the housekeeper, Michelle, arranged for the third-class maid to take care of the guests as usual, but despite repeated requests, no one came out with the toiletries. Mrs. Michelle had no choice but to go to the first floor to check.
"Girls, I think you are not old enough to be hard of hearing. Madam Anna needs a maid now. Please hurry up!" Mrs. Michelle knocked on the door of the servants' lounge.
The maids' laughter and chattering suddenly stopped. When they saw the dignified Mrs. Michelle, they didn't even stand up.
A young girl sneered, unconcerned, "Mrs. Michelle, I advise you to save some money. The estate is going bankrupt! Forget taking care of that poor relative. Even the master and mistress can't even think of asking me to do anything!"
"Yes, everyone is looking for other jobs now. Maybe taking care of Lady Mary would be a good job if she agrees to take me to the Earl's estate." Another girl teased with an exaggerated expression, "Oh! Out of kindness, I advise you to find another job as soon as possible!"
Michelle's face flushed with anger: "Thank you for your kindness! But I am not as shameless as you. I am loyal to the Norman family!"
"Oh, great! Your loyal employer, Master Norman, is now a pauper! He hasn't even received this month's salary! Whoever wants to do it can do it!" A maid tore off her apron and threw it into the fireplace angrily.
"That's right! We must pay our salaries immediately! Otherwise, we will all quit!"
The other maids responded one after another, and several aprons were burned in the fireplace.
The noise became so loud that the male servant next door joined the protest, and the situation escalated.
Michelle's voice trembled: "Oh my God! Are you guys going to rebel? It's not even payday today, why are you in such a hurry?! Listen, if you keep making trouble, I will never write a letter of introduction for any of you! No noble manor will ever open its doors to you again! I promise!"
"I'm afraid this won't threaten us, Mrs. Michelle!" the young maid said sharply. "We demand immediate payment! Don't try to delay and hide the fact that the estate is bankrupt!"
"Pay your wages! Pay your wages!"
The servants responded one after another, and the scene was in chaos. It was obvious that they had been plotting to protest since the day Hermann arrived.
Michelle was a woman in her sixties, and she almost fainted from such a strong impact.
At the critical moment, a figure slowly appeared, accompanied by regular footsteps.
"Good evening, everyone." Isabel walked gracefully, her straight light golden hair scattered on her shoulders. She was only wearing a thin coat, as if she had just woken up from a dream. "I think we shouldn't have a noisy night. Do you mind if I share your worries?"
The owners of the manor rarely appeared in the servants' quarters. Upon seeing Isabel, the noisy crowd subconsciously fell silent. Inherent in their habits, they immediately stood in awe and nodded. "Miss Isabel."
"Miss Isabelle! Something serious has happened here..." Michelle was about to complain, but was interrupted by the sharp-tongued maid. She responded with a less pointed tone than before, simply demanding payment.
Isabel didn't answer immediately.
During the standoff, the maid became the unspoken leader of the servants, full of confidence. She raised her head higher and higher, even with a hint of provocation, "...That's it. If we don't get our salaries in advance today, we will resign en masse. You should understand that this is a humiliation that no prestigious manor can bear."
The protesting servants were emboldened, as they took advantage of the nobles' vanity.
Isabel suddenly raised her eyes, her expression a mix of joy and anger, but her voice remained as calm as ever: "Very good, in that case, please ask Mrs. Michelle to register everyone's names and then go get the money."
Michelle was stunned: "No, Miss... once this is started, they..."
"Go," Isabel repeated, "and find my maid, Lucy; she knows the key to my safe."
Michelle frowned, secretly sighing that the young lady was indeed easily fooled by the servant, but her instinct of loyalty made her obey the order.
"Yes, Miss Isabel."
Although the Norman estate's financial situation was precarious, Isabel had a considerable amount of private money. This was earned from her pocket money when she was bored and wanted to understand the current economic environment. It was not a huge amount, but it was enough to cope with the salary crisis.
Michelle's movement upstairs to look for Lucy inevitably woke up Jenny and Mary.
After hearing about the commotion below, Jenny immediately took action, "Let me take care of this matter. Bella is still young."
"No, Jenny, this is just a harmless little inconvenience." Mary stopped Jenny, her eyes deep. "If, I mean if... Bella can't even handle this, we should reconsider the feasibility of that plan."
Jenny was stunned, thought for a moment, and nodded: "You are right, Mary."
She loosened her clenched hands, watched Michelle negotiate with Lucy with concern, and quickly returned to the first floor.
When the servants saw that Michelle actually brought the money, their disbelief turned into ecstasy.
Michelle reluctantly registered their names and asked Lucy to help distribute the salaries, and soon everyone received them.
Several servants who did not live in the manor rushed over after hearing the news and were also properly received.
Isabel leaned against the wall, her blue eyes half-smiling as she surveyed the crowd. Seeing the busy Lucy, her personal maid, she suddenly asked, "Don't you need to receive it, Lucy? I think this is a good opportunity."
Lucy was startled, then quickly shook her head. "No, payday is only on the last day of every month. Thank you very much for your kindness, Miss, but I prefer to wait patiently."
Isabel didn't try to persuade her any further, but just looked at her with a smile.
Lucy, a poor, parentless child, began working at the estate at the age of fifteen. Isabel, impressed by her calmness and quiet demeanor, promoted her to be a personal maid. This resented the other, more experienced, contenders. After all, Lucy was too old-fashioned, her stubbornness resembling a younger version of Mrs. Michelle. This made her seem out of place among the younger crowd.
Of course, there are more smart and courageous guys in the manor.
Just like at this moment, everyone who received their salary was beaming with joy, completely forgetting their ugly behavior half an hour ago. "Ms. Isabel is so kind and generous, willing to understand our hard work!"
The sharp-tongued maid was smug and looked at Michelle provocatively. "Yes, unlike some people, who dare to threaten us with the letter of introduction! I'm sorry, but with Miss Isabel's request, everyone will still serve the Norman family wholeheartedly from now on."
Michelle's face turned pale from being mocked by the servants, "You!"
"No, I think there is some misunderstanding." Isabel, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke again at the end of the storm.
She slowly held up the list Michelle had registered on and smiled warmly, "Congratulations to everyone on this list. You can leave now."
"leave?!"
In an instant, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over their heads, and everyone was in an uproar.
"No! Miss Isabel, are you mistaken?!"
"Where else can we go if we leave the manor?!"
Isabel lowered her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ears. "If I heard correctly, not long ago, you were shouting that you would leave the manor without being paid. Now that you have the money and can get what you want, how can you not be happy?"
Everyone was stunned. What was there to not understand?! This young lady seemed gentle, but in reality, she had already prepared for them to suffer the consequences!
The lead maid quickly figured out all the connections and realized she was in a desperate situation. She decided to throw it all out with a sneer, "Miss Isabel, I hope you will carefully consider this decision. A manor without servants is like a king running naked. Without the veil of dignity, even the most noble of statuses will be ridiculed. Master and mistress will never allow you to act on your own."
"That's right! If we all get fired, the honorable masters will have trouble even taking care of themselves, eating and sleeping!"
These words once again ignited the servants' confidence, and they all echoed them.
Amid the noise, Isabel suddenly chuckled, which seemed contemptuous and sarcastic at the moment.
She took out the servant's employment contract from the safe that Lucy had moved down. As her hand loosened, all the papers fell into the fireplace. The flames swept over them and soon burned them to ashes, lying together with the fragments of the apron.
Everyone was either screaming in terror or rushing to rescue in anger, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The young lady didn't even bother to explain and easily burned the evidence that proved she was the baron's servant.
This used to be a testament to their respectability!! Now… it’s gone!!
"My politeness and refinement always lead some people to mistakenly believe... that I'm qualified to negotiate with me." Isabel walked up the stairs with the same leisurely pace she had when she arrived. Her profile, hidden in the shadows, was filled with a deep gaze. "You're fired."
Ignoring the raging waves behind her, Isabel gathered her shawl and left.
In the corner of the second floor, Mary's eyes flashed with admiration: "Yes, this child has enough courage and determination."
Jenny worriedly said, "But, wouldn't it be too extreme to fire all the servants? The day after tomorrow is when Herman will visit. If he finds anything unusual..."
Mary shook her head slowly. "I don't think Bella would act rashly. She must have her reasons for doing so. When the sun rises tomorrow, she will give us the answer."
The author has something to say:
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This is a self-inflicted wound, a fortuitous outcome. I wrote this piece years ago, just for my own amusement and pleasure! I never expected so many readers on my first day—a real surprise for someone who's used to being ignored. I usually post a few posts lately, but today I jumped up from my bed and started writing an outline!
I want to write this article well, but it will mainly focus on my own taste.
The little angels who are familiar with Zongbao know that I am a fan of family and friendship novels with two female protagonists. The overall tone of this book is light-hearted and warm, and I want to go in a more humorous direction.
The rough outline is already set, what needs to change is my typing efficiency (not)
Anyway, Zongbao will do his best! Please encourage me! Comments are welcome! Your likes are my greatest motivation! (Bow!!)
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