Han looked through the accounts with a hint of worry on his face. "Uncle Song, I have been too busy to care about the affairs of the house these days. How is the situation now?"
Uncle Song, who was over fifty years old and had gray hair and beard, looked very serious. "Fortunately, we summoned the tenant farmers to go up the mountain to avoid danger in time and escaped the flood.
However, all the crops in the fields were destroyed. At this time of year, it was probably too late to plant more corn.
The old man has already sent people to buy mung bean seeds and bring them back for plowing. At least there will be some harvest in the fields in autumn."
"Now that the flood has just passed, the price of food has skyrocketed, and a lot of the food stored in our house has been washed away. There is only one warehouse left. Even if we distribute it all, I'm afraid we won't be able to survive the autumn harvest."
"Besides, the silk cloth in the mansion has been soaked for too long due to flooding, so I'm afraid it won't be worth much. As for the money, it's only less than three hundred guan.
The twelve oxen borrowed by the government from the Hu family were converted into money and paid to the Hu family as compensation, which is almost a hundred dollars..."
After hearing Uncle Song's detailed explanation, Mrs. Han, whose mood had only improved for two days because her son was awake, couldn't help but look worried.
"Those tenants have been in the Yang family for two or three generations, so we must not let them feel cold.
No matter what, the rations will be distributed on a monthly basis, and each household will be given one hundred copper coins. This will at least allow each household to survive."
Uncle Song heard Han's unquestionable instructions. Although he felt sorry for the loss of almost half of the property in the house after paying compensation and appeasing the tenants, he could only nod.
"Madam is kind. In this way, the tenants will definitely be grateful for Madam and the Yang family's kindness."
"It's just that the master's salary won't be paid until the end of autumn. It's only the end of April now. I'm afraid this period will be..."
Mrs. Han sighed softly. "Think about the present first and then talk about other things. If my husband knew about it, I don't know how worried he would be..."
"As for Dalang, let him rest in peace and don't affect his mood for studying."
"Madam, don't worry, this old man understands it very well and will not let anyone influence the young master."
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Zhili was about to speak, but when he saw Yang Qian's finger in front of his mouth, he could only shut his mouth obediently.
After walking to a quiet place, Yang Qian let out a breath. "Has the situation in the mansion gotten so bad?"
"Sir, I just learned about it just like you."
Zhili said with an innocent face. After all, he is the full-time book boy responsible for the affairs of the young master. The affairs of the mansion have nothing to do with him.
Yang Qian couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. He thought he had traveled through time to an official's home, but it turned out that it was crumbling like a building about to collapse.
He walked towards his courtyard in silence, while Na Zhili followed behind him cautiously, not daring to disturb his thoughts.
Entering the courtyard, Yang Qian's eyes fell on the weeds in the courtyard that he and Zhili had cut down as if they were gnawed by dogs, and his eyes lit up.
Perhaps, here comes the opportunity to make a fortune and turn the tide.
Zhili led the ten servants to the entrance of the courtyard with some reverence, and pushed open the door that was always closed. The servants were immediately shocked. The weeds outside the courtyard, which were about three inches, were as large as the ones in the courtyard.
A greasy young man's hair is as thin as a bald patch.
However, the weeds at the inner gate of the courtyard have reached a height of more than a foot, and even the path paved with bluestones is completely hidden under the weeds.
Zhili, who was leading the way first, saw the surprised expressions of the servants who were so surprised that their jaws almost dropped into the grass, and couldn't help but snorted and shouted.
"Why are you standing there in a daze? Why don't you go in quickly? You've neglected the young master and you can't afford the punishment."
A timid servant couldn't help but said tremblingly.
"Brother Zhili, could this be a ghost? Why is this courtyard so suddenly filled with panic, spooky, and green..."
Zhili's pretty face turned dark immediately. He turned around and grabbed the idiot's shirt and shouted.
"Don't talk nonsense, these are all the master's handiwork, how can you understand them.
You all know our young master’s temper, right? Just shut up and obey your orders.”
When they thought of the eldest son of the Yang family who was always serious in speech and had an eccentric personality, the ten servants all nodded crazily in unison.
The master is generous and gentle with others, and the wife is gentle and generous, and her handling of things makes people feel convinced.
The eldest lady is similar to the madam, and is highly respected by people in the house.
But there was only this young master who stayed out of the courtyard all year round, had an eccentric personality, was unsmiling, and was extremely knowledgeable.
But he is an existence that makes the entire Yang family fear him.
There was not even a hint of a smile on that handsome face that had not seen the sun all year round and was as white as jade.
The words he spoke were all spoken by Confucius and Mencius, which made people feel unclear and awe-inspiring. Of course, it was more fear than respect.
#####
When all the servants stepped into the courtyard, Yang Qian, who was having a hard time relaxing in the house, heard the commotion, opened the door, and smiled at the servants who came to work.
He is tall and majestic, but his face is as pale as paper because he has been studying hard behind closed doors for many years without seeing the sun. His smiling muscles have been inactive for many years, resulting in a stiff and ferocious smile.
I was so frightened that the servants, who couldn't stop thinking about the eccentric and unsmiling young master, almost shrank into the grass.
"What are you doing so timidly? Master, am I that scary?!"
Seeing the frightened appearance of these servants, Yang Qian immediately became furious.
I smiled so kindly and tenderly, but these guys were scared like a mouse seeing a cat. Master, am I that scary?
"Master, please calm down and stop arguing with them. Why are you standing there in a daze? Why don't you start working quickly?"
First, harvest the few bushes of leeks that are growing, and make leek buns for the kitchen at noon. All the weeds in other places are dug up and the roots are pulled out."
Zhili, the personal scholar and senior servant, first nodded and bowed to Yang Qian.
As soon as he turned around, he immediately started pointing arrogantly, which perfectly demonstrated the origin of the idiom "stand in front and be courteous in the back".
Yang Qian reluctantly entered the room, closed the door, picked up the bronze mirror placed aside, and looked at himself in the mirror.
The eyebrows are sharp and the eyes are starry, the nose is as bold as a hanging nose, and the thin lips are tightly pursed. When the corners of his mouth are slightly curved and he smiles, it seems that the whole world has become brighter, and he is going to be blinded...
As soon as Zhili opened the door, he heard Young Master Yang Qian suddenly scream strangely, threw the bronze mirror in his hand aside, covered his eyes and fell on the couch, completely stunned.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
"...Shut up. You didn't know how to knock on the door when you entered. It almost made me blind, sir."
Yang Qian narrowed his eyes and fumbled with the mirror on the desk with both hands. His eyes were still shining like a sun flare.
Zhili didn't understand the direct connection between whether or not he knocked on the door and the young master being blinded, but he still sensibly confessed his guilt quickly. "Young man is wrong. Go out now."
Yang Qian happened to reach for the mirror and picked it up, wanting to see if his eyes were red and crying.
Zhili, the senior scholar, happened to open the door again, and the dazzling sunlight once again hit the smooth and shiny mirror.
"!!!" I'm blind... I'm really going to be blind...