Chapter 143: The New Official Takes Office with Three Fires and the Spring of Black Cow Dung
I have basically finished looking around the house.

Yang Wenyuan then asked Hualan to recognize the original old man from the Marquis' Mansion so that Hualan could use him in the future.

After a while, all the maids in the house were called to the open space in front of Zize's house.

There was a huge crowd of nearly a hundred people.

Yang Wenyuan had said that all the inner quarters would be left to Hualan to manage, so when everyone was present, he first asked them to recognize each other. After all, most of them had never seen Hualan's appearance.

Then he said that Hualan would be the future mistress of the marquis's mansion and all matters in the inner house would be under her control.

Then he said a few more words and found an excuse to leave.

Leave space for Hualan to display her talents.

When Hualan got married, Mrs. Sheng specially assigned a maid named Li to be by her side to help her manage the inner house.

Madam Li was a maid who had followed Old Madam Sheng since she was young. She also came from the Mansion of Marquis Yongyi. Later, she became a housekeeper like Madam Fang and was very familiar with all the affairs in the inner house.

Hualan naturally trusted the old woman sent by her grandmother, so she wanted Mother Li to help her manage the inner house.

However, thinking that she had just arrived and the former housekeeper of the backyard was Yang Wenyuan's mother's personal maid, Mother Hu, it was a bit difficult to speak up. She wanted to discuss it with Yang Wenyuan, but was stopped by Mother Li.

Mother Li saw Hualan's embarrassment and said bluntly:
"Young lady, things in the inner house should be done quickly and efficiently. Besides, the master has already said that all the things in the inner house are left to you. Whether you remove people or appoint people, it is up to you to decide. Why should you ask? If you ask, you will appear insecure in front of the servants, and they will not be able to do things efficiently in the future."

Mother Li has been with Old Madam Sheng for so many years, and has had countless maids under her. She knows very well what these people think.

If they find out that the new lady has a soft personality, they will be as slow as possible in doing things, and will even split one thing into three.

As the saying goes, a new official has three things to do when he takes office. Hualan, the newly appointed lady of the Marquis's mansion, should act firmly at this time.

And there is no restriction from the elders above.

Not to mention changing the housekeeper, even if all the maids in the mansion were replaced at once, it would not be a big deal. Outsiders would only think that this lady is a tough person who can't tolerate any sand in her eyes.

After listening to Li's mother's analysis, Hualan also felt that it made sense.

Mother Li struck while the iron was hot and continued:

"Young lady, you are the eldest lady of the Marquis's mansion, a distinguished hostess, why should you care about the opinion of a servant? If you really can't bear it, then let Madam Hu take care of the garden in the back and tend to the flowers and plants. It is also an easy job."

Hualan then nodded and asked Cuichan to call Mother Hu into the house.

Outside the house, people lined up in several rows.

Standing in front of everyone was a leading female manager, who looked to be about fifty years old, and was looking at the door of Zi Ze Ju with concern.

This person is naturally Mother Hu.

Mother Hu had been in charge of the backyard for decades, relying on her status as the personal maid of the old Marquis of Pingyang's wife.

But you must know that a new emperor has new ministers, and the current dynasty will not recognize people from the previous dynasty.

Mother Hu also had no idea how this newly arrived lady would treat an old man like her from the previous dynasty.

A moment later, Mother Hu saw the new mistress's personal maid come out. It was the one named Cuichan.

"Mother Hu, the lady is calling you in."

Mother Hu had already expected that she would be the first one, so she was not surprised. She immediately smiled warmly at Cuichan and walked in.

After entering the room, Mother Hu saw the lady sitting at the top. She had beautiful eyes and eyebrows and graceful manners. Mother Hu vaguely saw the shadow of her own daughter, who seemed to be as gentle and intellectual as her daughter.

Mother Hu felt a little relieved, as she didn't seem to be a mean person.

Mother Hu bowed respectfully first:
"This old slave has met the Madam."

Hua Lan nodded and said softly:

"Mother Hu, right? How many years have you been in the Marquis' Mansion?"

Mother Hu told the truth and answered:

"To answer your question, Madam, I was originally a servant of the Liu family. I came here as a dowry with the old lady. It has been 20 to 30 years now."

Hua Lan nodded slightly and said directly:
"Then Mother Hu has been in charge of the backyard for more than 20 years? She has been busy for so many years, it must have been hard for Mother Hu."

Mother Hu had not relied on her status to eat for nothing for so many years. She immediately understood the meaning behind her mistress's words and nodded quickly, replying:
"To answer your question, Madam, it's not hard to work for the master, but I'm already quite old, and I still have to worry about so many things. I was powerless earlier, but I held on for the sake of the master. Fortunately, now that Madam has come into the house, I can put down some of the burdens."

Hualan understood what Mother Hu meant - to follow the madam's orders, but she hoped that the lady would have pity on her old age and frailty, and that she had served the Marquis's Mansion for so many years, and she did not want to be left with nothing.

"Mother Hu is right. After all, you are old. If you take on so much responsibility by yourself, you will inevitably be exhausted."

Hualan pretended to think, while Mother Hu below felt very uncomfortable.

After a moment, Hua Lan said in a broad voice:
"How about this, Madam Hu, put aside all the miscellaneous things. I noticed yesterday that the stream in the garden behind us is a little shallow. Why don't you take care of it for a while? Let the maid do all the work, and you just need to inspect it."

There are only a few best jobs in the backyard, which include purchasing, looking after the garden, guarding the inner courtyard and disciplining the newly bought maids.

Among these jobs, garden care is the most leisurely one and it is a good place for Mother Hu to retire.

Mother Hu also knew that this was a good job. Although it was not as good as the one she had held all the power before, it was the best place to go at the moment, so she bowed immediately.

"Thank you madam for your understanding!"

Afterwards, the remaining housekeepers went in one by one to meet them, but Hua Lan did not make too many adjustments for them. She mostly asked Mother Li to recognize their faces so that she could give them instructions in the future.

If it doesn’t work in the future, find someone else.

As for the remaining maids who had no authority, they all came just for the formality. Hualan did not meet them one by one, but asked Cuichan to take a small notebook and write down each person's age, background, and the area they were responsible for, and then make a note of whether they were born in the family or bought from outside, and then let them leave.

After the matter was explained, the group left one after another. However, there was a maid in the team who was prettier than the others. She was talking to Mother Hu closely, with obvious resentment on her face.

Hualan naturally didn't like this little episode. Seeing that the time was almost up, she immediately asked Caizhan to call Yang Wenyuan back for dinner.

At the lunch table, Hua Lan told Yang Wenyuan in detail what she had done in the morning, including asking Mother Hu to take care of the garden. Yang Wenyuan did not comment, but just smiled faintly and replied:
"I told you that you have the final say in the inner house, why are you reporting to me? Eat, eat."

Another night of fish and dragon dance.

Hualan wasn't fully recovered yet, so Yang Wenyuan just tried it briefly.

However, Yang Wenyuan did not indulge in the gentleness today. Instead, he was a little tender for a while, took a sip of the snow-white sweetness, and immediately got up excitedly, washed, and started morning exercises.

However, they did not go to the martial arts arena specifically, but just stayed in the yard of Zi Ze Ju.

A big yard means luxury!

After a while, Hualan also got up, washed and dressed, and prepared breakfast. Yang Wenyuan had almost finished his practice by then, so they had breakfast together.

Although they are newlyweds, they also have the atmosphere of an old married couple.

After meal.

Hualan began to tidy up the inner house and take charge of the household affairs, while Yang Wenyuan also turned to the inner study in the back house to read. Although the house had been cleaned several times inside and out for the couple's wedding a few days ago, the banquet on the wedding day, with nearly a hundred tables, also left a mess.

Although there is daily cleaning, it is still not thorough.

So Hualan, the eldest lady, simply ordered the cleaning of the yard again.

When Hualan's order was given, the maids in the house all believed that this was a test from Hualan to examine whether each person was diligent in their work and whether they could be competent for their positions.

Worried about being ordered to leave the mansion.

So everyone put in their best effort.

The entire mansion was bustling with activity.

Mrs. Chen got up early in the morning and looked at the lively scene and nodded secretly.

It seems that this niece-in-law is not only virtuous, but also hardworking, not bad!
Yang Wenyuan also heard the noise.

When I opened the window, the first thing I saw was Hua Lan, who was wearing a green belt, with her sleeves tied up. She was wearing no makeup, just light makeup, and looked fresh and natural.

"Did I disturb you?" Hua Lan stopped and asked.

"No."

As he spoke, Yang Wenyuan lightly jumped and successfully leaned against the window sill, resting his head with one hand and holding a book with the other. Some sunlight shining through the leaves sprinkled on his body, making him feel comfortable and relaxed:
“I read here.”

"What are you doing weird again..." Hua Lan looked at Yang Wenyuan who was sitting by the window. He seemed to be reading a book with great interest. However, Hua Lan did not believe that anyone liked to sit by the window and read. She thought that Yang Wenyuan was doing weird again, so she ignored him and continued to direct the servants to work.

"Move this table over here..."

"Open all the windows over there and take out the bedding inside to dry in the sun. It's a good day today..."

"..."

A clear and melodious sound was close to his ears, like the chirping of larks in the forest, or the gurgling of a stream. Yang Wenyuan leaned against the window, basking in the sun, with the breeze caressing him and the leaves rustling. It was a feeling he had never felt before.

Maybe this is the breath of life...

On the fourth day, we returned home.

Early that morning, Hualan got up earlier than Yang Wenyuan.

Yang Wenyuan lay on the bed, looking sideways at the energetic Hualan. He couldn't help but feel regretful in his heart. It seemed that he was too soft-hearted last night. If he had known that Hualan had recovered, he should not have hidden her and cherished her.

At Hualan's urging, Yang Wenyuan got out of bed reluctantly and wanted to do some morning exercises, but Hualan begged him in a sweet voice not to exercise and to go have breakfast first.

Do you think you can just act like a spoiled child? Yang Wenyuan sneered in his heart.

Take this as a test for cadres? Which cadre cannot stand such a test?

So Yang Wenyuan finished his meal at lightning speed, looked at Hualan with longing, and then the two of them...

Then the two of them got on the carriage to Sheng Mansion.

As soon as the people got on, the carriage started moving, giving Yang Wenyuan a strong sense of being abducted.

Judging from the sky, it’s probably not even morning yet.

Sitting in the carriage, Yang Wenyuan looked at the driver's inexplicably familiar back and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

What exactly is the problem?
How did I end up here?
But the more he looked, the more Yang Wenyuan felt that the driver in front of him looked familiar, and the man in front of him was inexplicably wearing a straw hat that made it even more conspicuous. Yang Wenyuan's heart moved, and he took a step forward on the spot.

Soon, very soon!

Yang Wenyuan pulled off the driver's hat and tilted his head to look.

When Yang Wenyuan saw the driver's face clearly, he was stunned: Isn't this Changqing whom I haven't seen for a long time? How did he appear here?
"Why are you here? Instead of being a good attendant, you've become a coachman?"

Chang Qing smiled awkwardly and replied:

"Sir, you understand."

I understand? What do I understand? Yang Wenyuan was puzzled.

It turns out that he is of the same kind as Yang Ruijin, and I don't know when he stole these dirty words from me.

But have you paid the copyright fee?
At this time Hua Lan spoke:
"I asked Changqing to come. Anyway, you will start studying in a few days. Changqing is idle anyway, so why not let him be your driver?"

Hualan had other plans in mind, so she deliberately sent away the original coachman and let Changqing act as the coachman.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wenyuan looked at Chang Qing with shock in his eyes:
"I just didn't pay attention to you during the past few days of my wedding. How come you suddenly have such a high level of awareness? You are doing two jobs with one salary?"

With such talents, our Yang family will surely prosper!

Chang Qing was reluctant at first to take on this new responsibility, but the lady promised to...

Changqing thought to himself, and suddenly glanced at Cuichan who was following Hualan, and a hint of shyness appeared on his dark red face.

When it comes to life, you have to follow your heart!

Ever since Yang Wenyuan and Hualan met outside Shengjia Alley, Changqing has met Cuichan frequently.

This goes back and forth.

This honest and honest man gradually developed some feelings for this eloquent girl.

How could Yang Wenyuan not see Changqing's thoughts.

Although she felt a little sorry that Cuichan would have to be stuck in Changqing's pile of black cow dung in the future, based on her promise to Changqing, she still said frankly: she did not want Hualan's maid as a dowry.

Now that the lady has guaranteed him and promised him something, Changqing will naturally do whatever she wants.

He happily took the job of rickshaw driver.

At the same time, I was secretly happy: Does this mean I am riding in the same car with Cuichan? !

This is simply awesome!
Seeing Changqing's eyes flickering and secretly glancing towards Cuichan, Yang Wenyuan's doubts were immediately swept away, and the look he gave Changqing was filled with disappointment.

Good job, Changqing. Although you are a little dark, you have a handsome look with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

I never expected that he was still a bootlicker!

I knew earlier...

If I had known that I was your master, I would have given you some burden to exercise you!

I really made a mistake and I regret it so much!

(End of this chapter)