Jiang Jiaojiao and Caiyan had just sat down in the house when Zhao Wu returned with a large bouquet of wild chrysanthemums.
Caiyan found a vase and put the chrysanthemums in it, instantly bringing a touch of life to the otherwise drab room.
"To be rewarded."
Jiang Jiaojiao was very satisfied with Zhao Wu. Caiyan took out a silver ingot and handed it to Zhao Wu, saying, "Serve the Second Miss well, and you'll get your share of the rewards."
"I don't want any reward, I just want Miss to be happy." Zhao Wu wasn't in a hurry to accept the reward money, and said sincerely.
Jiang Jiaojiao raised her eyes and carefully examined Zhao Wu, thinking, "Such a loyal servant!"
Although his appearance was a bit rough, he was still quite decent-looking and tall, making him perfect for guarding the house.
Why haven't I seen you here before?
"This servant has been here for less than a year," Zhao Wu replied respectfully to Jiang Jiaojiao's question, his head bowed.
"Aren't you an orphan?" Jiang Jiaojiao asked again.
Zhao Wu shook his head, "No, my hometown suffered a drought, so I came to seek refuge with my aunt. It just so happens that the estate is short of a coachman, so I stayed."
Caiyan then noticed that Zhao Wu looked somewhat like the old woman in charge of the estate, especially her dark skin and thick lips.
"Alright, you can go now. I'll call you if I need anything."
When the young lady spoke, Caiyan shoved the silver ingot into Zhao Wu's hand, saying, "Take it. The young lady is rewarding you because she thinks highly of you. Just do your job well from now on."
Zhao Wu accepted the reward money, thanked him again, and bowed before leaving.
“Miss, Zhao Wu seems quite clever, but I think he’s rather simple-minded.”
“He’s from the countryside and has never seen the world. It’s a pity that such a lackey isn’t bound by a lifelong contract.”
Jiang Jiaojiao secretly pondered that she only had Caiyan as her confidante. It would be even better if she could have a useful servant. A servant who had never seen the world would not know how to be cunning and would be easier to use.
After Zhao Wu left, Caiyan pinched her purse and said, "Miss, we don't have much money. Don't give rewards so easily in the future."
Since arriving at the estate, Jiang Jiaojiao has only given tips to the steward and Zhao Wu.
Jiang Jiaojiao frowned slightly and sighed, "We have no relationship with the servants on the estate. If we don't reward them at all, we might not even get chicken soup."
Jiang Jiaojiao understood perfectly the saying, "The mountains are high and the emperor is far away."
Her eyes flickered slightly. "I think Zhao Wu is a good person. We can let him handle anything in the future."
"Second Miss, the steward of the manor has arrived."
Jiang Jiaojiao was about to change into her nightgown and lie back on the bed when Zhao Wu's voice rang out from the doorway.
"What's he doing here? Go and see him."
As the footsteps outside faded into the distance, Caiyan went behind the screen to help Jiang Jiaojiao change her clothes.
"Miss, did Madam send the steward to deliver some tonics?"
"No, Aunt Zheng is in charge of the household, Mother can't make the decisions. Besides, the steward doesn't need to deliver the tonics personally."
Things are different now. The days when her mother held absolute power in the mansion are gone forever, and Jiang Jiaojiao dares not hope for anything more.
On the morning she left the Minister's mansion, her father gave her a cold look, and Yang gave her not much silver, which showed that her mother did not have much personal money.
For some reason, Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly had a bad feeling.
She changed her clothes, removed her hairpins, and sat diagonally on the bed. Caiyan took the quilt and covered her with it, comforting her, "Miss, don't worry. If there is anything urgent, the steward will come to see you."
A short while later, Zhao Wu rushed back in a panic.
He reported through the door, "Second Miss, something terrible has happened. The steward wants to fire me."
Caiyan and Jiang Jiaojiao exchanged a glance before walking towards the door. "Did the housekeeper say why you were dismissed?"
“Not only will I dismiss the servants, but I will also dismiss everyone on the estate who has signed a contract.”
Caiyan was shocked. Most of the old women on the estate were on contract. If they were all dismissed, who would cook, wash clothes, and serve them?
Jiang Jiaojiao knew better than Caiyan what kind of people lived on the estate, and dismissing a large number of servants was no small matter.
Thinking that her matter might implicate the Minister's mansion, she suddenly widened her eyes and shouted outside, "Come in and answer quickly!"
Caiyan turned to the side and urged, "Come in quickly and tell me clearly what happened?"
Zhao Wu walked in with his head down and knelt down with a thud. "Second Miss, please save this servant! As long as you keep this servant, I don't need my monthly allowance. Just give me some food to eat."
Jiang Jiaojiao sat up straight and asked anxiously, "Tell me quickly, why did you dismiss the servants?"
"It is Madam."
"Madam! Impossible." Caiyan rushed to the bedside.
“Madam clearly knew that Miss needed someone to serve her, so how could she possibly dismiss the people on the estate?”
"What the steward said is true. He was on the orders of the madam to get rid of the extra people on the estate. The steward also took people to buy land, and those people are already outside looking at the land."
Zhao Wu couldn't possibly be lying. Jiang Jiaojiao suddenly realized that the people around her mother were called "Madam" in private, so the "Madam" Zhao Wu was talking about was clearly not her mother.
"Could it be that Father has married a new wife?" Jiang Jiaojiao blurted out anxiously.
Caiyan then realized something was wrong and turned to ask, "Did the butler say who the new madam is?"
“This servant does not know that the steward was instructing my aunt to dismiss the servants. My aunt asked the steward to keep me here, but the steward said that he could not make the decision. He also said that the master urgently needed money to buy a house and had to deal with the land on the estate.”
"Did they say they were selling the houses on the estate?" Jiang Jiaojiao's eyes were filled with despair.
My father wants to buy another house; this is a big deal.
No, not at all.
After Zhao Wu finished speaking, he raised his head slightly and pleaded, "Miss, could you spare this servant?"
With something unexpected happening in the manor, Jiang Jiaojiao had no mind to lie down.
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