"Second Master, Young Madam, may we come in?" Bai Nuo and Hu Mingmei had just returned to their room when Granny Wang and her entourage came to request an audience.
Hu Mingmei's eyes remained glued to her book, and she didn't utter a sound. Seeing Hu Mingmei like this, Bai Nuo had no choice but to speak up, "Wang Mama, come in!"
Wang Mama then curtsied and led the others in. "Second Master, Young Madam, these are the account books and monthly allowances for the courtyard over the past few months, as well as the roster of these servants. Please take a look." Although Wang Mama was talking to Bai Nuo and Hu Mingmei, she handed the items to Bai Nuo.
Hu Mingmei's eyes remained glued to the book, and she even said, "You guys chat!" before standing up and walking into the inner room without making a sound.
Bai Nuo had no choice but to put the ledger
She picked up all these items and carefully examined them. Granny Wang then took the initiative to explain the situation to Bai Nuo, "In our family, the monthly allowances for each young master and young lady are roughly the same, but the second master's is a bit more, one hundred taels of silver per month. The young mistress's monthly allowance is the same as the second master's. This old servant has already taken the initiative to collect it for the young mistress."
Bai Nuo glanced at the tray beside him, which held some silver notes and loose silver. Wang Mama promptly added, "This totals one thousand two hundred taels, two hundred of which are holiday allowances given to you by your family during the New Year!"
Perhaps it was a little less, and Wang Mama's explanation was somewhat awkward, "The Second Master's monthly allowance over the years was all taken out a few months ago..." In other words, it was probably used to marry Bai Nuo.
Bai Nuo quickly finished reading all the account books, but didn't see any shops or similar properties under Hu Mingmei's name. She couldn't help but ask, "Second Master, don't you own any shops or anything like that?"
A flash of resentment crossed Wang Mama's face before she smiled and said, "Second Master's health has always been poor, so the family hasn't allocated any shops to him!"
That's strange. Hu Mingmei's poor health is just that—poor health. What does it have to do with whether he owns a shop or not? Do people from families like his have to go to work themselves?
Bai Nuo then picked up all the lists and looked at them. There were twenty servants and thirty maids. Granny Wang said, "Normally, Lu Ying is the one who follows the Second Master, but he is not a slave; he has a contract. The list is in the Second Master's hands, so it is not here."
Look at where Hu Mingmei lives and the people he has here. No wonder Hu Mingmei is so desperate to seize power and make money. This place is truly all show and no substance, it's practically tailor-made for him.
After learning the inside story, Bai Nuo felt even more sorry for Hu Mingmei. He had nothing, yet he was supporting so many girls, and his health was poor. Was he going to be worn down to death? If his parents were still alive, they would never let anyone treat him like this.
"Is there a kitchen here? How many people are responsible for cleaning and sweeping every day?" Bai Nuo pondered for a moment and had already decided on the whereabouts of the servants and maids.
“Normally, the servants manage all the affairs in the courtyard. Six maids sweep and clean, and two servants drive the carriages, which is enough. There is a small kitchen in the courtyard, but we have never used it, so there is no cook.”
"Besides those who stay to sweep, drive, and a few other necessary people, send everyone else back to Madam's!" Bai Nuo said calmly. "Is Madam managing the household now?"
“It’s Madam managing the household!” Granny Wang nodded, looking troubled. “But these people were all sent over by Master, Madam, the Old Master, and the Old Madam…”
Bai Nuo resolutely said, "Now that Second Master is married, it is natural for his wife to take care of him. Now that I have married into the family, serving my husband is naturally my top priority. There are so many people in this courtyard, which is not conducive to my husband's recovery!"
Bai Nuo refused to leave those people behind no matter what, so Granny Wang had no choice but to nod. "This servant knows how to handle it! Would Madam like to keep two maids by her side to serve her?"
"Keep one or two people by my side..." Bai Nuo flipped through the roster, looking at each person's information. There were not only text descriptions but also portraits. Bai Nuo looked through the pages one by one, pointed to two pages, and said, "These two will do, peony and peony!"
Granny Wang nodded, said nothing more, and withdrew with the roster in her hand.
Bai Nuo carried the money back to the inner room and sat down opposite Hu Mingmei. "I've dismissed everyone in your courtyard. You don't have any objections, do you?"
Hu Mingmei flipped through a book, his tone indifferent, but one could hear the smile in his voice, "Of course I have no objection, but I still hope that my wife can keep her promise and personally serve her husband."
Bai Nuo got up, put the money away, picked up an apple and started peeling it. After peeling the apple, he took a small plate and used a fruit knife to slice the apple into pieces.
Hu Mingmei closed his book at some point, looked up at her, and saw her slice off an apple. He picked up a slice and ate it. When the apple in Bai Nuo's hand turned into an apple core, he looked up and saw that the plate was empty.
Bai Nuo was dumbfounded.
"Why did you eat it all?"
“Didn’t you say you wanted to serve me personally? I’m giving you that chance. Peel another one!” Hu Mingmei said seriously, a mischievous smile flashing in his eyes. “I don’t usually like apples, but today they tasted especially sweet. I suppose it’s all thanks to you, Madam.”
"Okay, I'll peel another one for you!" Bai Nuo snapped the fruit knife down and put it down!
Hu Mingmei looked at Bai Nuo suspiciously, "What is Madam doing? Hurry up and cut it!"
"Okay!" Bai Nuo nodded, stood up from the stool, and walked to Hu Mingmei's side. Hu Mingmei had been watching Bai Nuo the whole time. After Bai Nuo got behind Hu Mingmei, he grabbed Hu Mingmei's shoulder. "I'll peel it, I'll peel it for you right now. You didn't leave me a single bite of this perfectly good apple!"
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