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Although the four of them were all farmers, they were obedient and did not speak much along the way. One of them, the tallest and strongest one, was called Zhou Yongtian, and he was the leader. The other three followed his instructions.

Xia Tao turned around and instructed the two old maids beside her, “Bring some food and wine over. The few of you must be a little hungry from the long journey.”

The moment they heard the word “food and wine”, the eyes of the other three lit up.

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhou Yongtian frowned and said, “All of you, be careful. If you accidentally interfere with Steward Zhou’s matters, don’t blame me for not reminding you.”

Upon hearing this, they all agreed.

Not long after, two old maids brought over two jars of wine and seven or eight dishes.

The few of them immediately widened their eyes and couldn’t help but gulp them down.

The two old maids left immediately after delivering the food and wine.

At first, the few of them could still restrain themselves a little, but as a few cups of spicy and strong meat entered their mouths, they felt a little dizzy.

At first, Zhou Yongtian could still resist himself, but gradually, he couldn’t. After drinking two glasses, he felt that the wine was strong enough and didn’t dare to drink too much, so he picked up his chopsticks and ate.

After finishing the jar of wine, Xia Tao brought over another plate of roasted chicken and asked with a smile, “I wonder if the food suits your taste?”

Zhou Yongtian was alarmed and hurriedly said, “We farmers usually lack oil and meat, but we’ve never had such good food and drink. Thank you for your trouble.”

Xia Tao smiled and nodded, then started chatting with them.

Zhou Yongtian felt that something was amiss. Why did they have to wait until they were all drunk to talk? They were all used to drinking, so how could they not understand the logic of telling the truth after drinking?

After chatting for a while, they got to know each other better. Xia Tao changed the topic. “What crops did Little Zhou plant in the village? How was the harvest last year?”

When Zhou Yongtian heard this, a trace of wariness flashed across his eyes. According to Steward Zhou’s instructions, he said, “We only planted some wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits, and so on. In the past, the harvest was quite good, but this year, the weather was a little cold, and the vegetables on the farm weren’t growing well.”

Xia Tao nodded. “The vegetables aren’t growing well, so the other crops must have also been affected. I wonder if it’s serious?”

Zhou Yongtian was a little nervous, and his muscles tensed up. “Although the other crops have been affected a little, the weather has warmed up recently. If we take care of them carefully, they should be able to recover…”

Xia Tao frowned and interrupted him. “What if they don’t recover well?”

When Zhou Yongtian heard this, he felt that something was amiss. “The farmers in Little Zhouzhuang are all farmers who have been farming for generations. They’re all good at tending to the crops…”

However, Xia Tao did not want to listen to his explanation. She waved her hand and said, “It’s just a casual remark. The crops on the farm haven’t grown well, right? You said that the weather is a little cold this year, and the vegetables haven’t grown well, but our residence grows big and juicy from the vegetables sold outside every day. I heard that there’s also from a farm near the outskirts of the capital. It’s all the same cold weather. How can the vegetables in our farm not grow well but others have grown them well?”

“B*tch, what did you say? Say it again. You’re just a servant sold into the residence and don’t know how to farm. Our Little Zhouzhuang is also an old tenant of the residence. Don’t spout nonsense.”

The farmers hated it the most when others said that they did not farm well. This was worse than scolding their parents.

Zhou Yongtian immediately glared at her. He was so angry that he clenched his fists tightly, as if he was about to punch Xia Tao in the face.

Xia Tao’s face turned pale immediately. She stomped her feet and ran out of the house with her hands covering her face.

Seeing this, the other burly men also sobered up a little and felt a little uneasy. “Brother Datian, this maidservant doesn’t look like an ordinary maidservant. Just now, you…”

Zhou Yongtian sneered. “No matter how extraordinary she is, she’s still a lowly person who has sold herself. She can’t compare to good citizens like us. Brother Dachang has already said that if we nod and bow to her, we’ll be giving her face.”

The few of them felt a little more at ease and ate some more food. Zhou Yongtian went out and asked an old woman where Mao Bian was before leaving on his own.

He had just finished relieving himself when he heard two old maids talking not far away—

“Eldest Madam is sick. Now, Eldest Miss is in charge of this residence. I don’t think Eldest Miss is simple either. She has Old Madam’s support.”

“At noon, Eldest Miss ordered Mother Yang and pointed to the account book. She said that the vegetables in the residence were too expensive. Mother Yang said that the weather was cold this year and the vegetables on the manor weren’t growing well. Only then did the people from the manor arrive in the afternoon. That Steward Zhou asked Eldest Miss to invite them over.”

“I think Eldest Miss is going to get together with Mother Yang and Steward Zhou. This is the first day Eldest Miss is managing the household. She’ll definitely use Mother Yang to establish her authority outside the residence.”

“Just now, Xia Tao, who was in front of Eldest Miss, invited the people Steward Zhou had brought over to the Ting Lan Courtyard’s side courtyard. She even ordered someone to deliver good wine and food. These farmers are inexperienced. After drinking a few cups of rice wine, they must have confessed everything. Eldest Miss is young, but she’s quite scheming.”

Zhou Yongtian’s expression changed.

The vegetables on the farm did not grow well, but they were the ones in charge of the stewardship. It was their responsibility if they did not get along with the tenants. If Eldest Miss was determined to be calculative, then…

At the thought of this, Zhou Yongtian hurriedly left, and Xia Tao also came out from the corner.

The two old maids were both from the outer courtyard. They quickly smiled and said politely, “Miss Xia Tao, we’ve already said everything you wanted us to say.”

Xia Tao nodded in satisfaction. “There’s one more thing. If it’s done well and Eldest Miss is satisfied, you’ll get credit!”

When the two old maids heard this, they rubbed their hands happily and quickly nodded. “Miss Xia Tao, please instruct us.”

Xia Tao moved closer to them and said in a low voice, “… Remember this clearly. Make a big fuss. Don’t be afraid of making a big fuss, just be afraid that it won’t…”

The two old maids nodded as they listened.

Yu Youyao was a half-grown child and was raised in her own home, so naturally, she couldn’t bring Zhou Yongchang to the Jade Courtyard. Hence, Dong Mei brought him to the side courtyard in the north.

The north courtyard was where the Old Madam lived. Zhou Yongchang lowered his eyes, not daring to look around. He hurriedly knelt down. “Greetings, Eldest Miss.”

“Steward Zhou, please get up quickly,” Yu Youyao said politely, then quickly called for Qiu Xing. “Quickly get a chair over and let Steward Zhou sit and talk.”

Qiu Xing ran into the house. Zhou Yongchang also stood up, but he bowed respectfully.

Soon, Qiu Xing brought a chair over. Zhou Yongchang thanked Eldest Miss gratefully before sitting down cautiously, waiting for her to ask him a question.

She couldn’t help but raise her eyes and look under the stone table.