138 Selling Hearts
With that, she asked the maidservant to lead them to Windfall Courtyard.
Two hours later, Yu Youyao went to Windfall Courtyard. Zhou Yonghe brought over a piece of paper with the agreement signed by the stewards.
Yu Youyao was a little surprised. “They all agreed? No objections at all?”
Zhou Yonghe explained, “A few stewards are afraid of taking responsibility and risk, so they’re naturally unwilling to agree. There are also a few stewards who are very hesitant.”
Yu Youyao looked at him. “Did you convince them?”
Zhou Yonghe had just taken office today. The other stewards might not even be convinced by him!
Zhou Yonghe shook his head. “It wasn’t me who convinced them, but the benefits. I’ve calculated the total accounts of Little Zhouzhuang for the past two years. If we follow Eldest Miss’s new rules, I figured out how much the stewards can get for their monthly dividends and quarterly dividends? In this way, some of the stewards who manage the manor well will naturally agree with both hands. Some of the stewards who don’t manage it well won’t dare to show their faces even if they don’t want to. Eldest Miss mentioned this matter in An Shou Hall, and Old Madam tacitly agreed. However, she couldn’t do anything about it.”
Yu Youyao smiled. “That saves me a lot of talking.”
Zhou Yonghe had said everything that she had said. It seemed that Zhou Yonghe was indeed a talent and could be put in an important position.
Yu Youyao turned around and said, “In that case, you and Manager Wang should carefully think about a suitable contract. Later, get the stewards to sign and stamp their fingerprints on it to settle this matter!”
When Zhou Yonghe heard this, his eyebrows twitched slightly. “Eldest Miss, don’t worry.”
Eldest Miss was a child, but she was very thorough.
Logically speaking, the stewards in the manor were all old people. After everyone agreed to the new rules and signed the agreement, they could be instructed to carry them out.
However, Eldest Miss wanted to specially establish a contract. This was to prevent the new rules from not being implemented well in the future. If the manor was not managed well and suffered losses, there would be a reason to deal with it properly.
After Zhou Yonghe left, Yu Youyao instructed Dong Mei to send over the gifts she had prepared for the stewards.
Among them, Wang Dongquan’s pair of jade bottles was the most expensive item. Zhou Yongquan’s was a good-looking Duanxi inkstone. It was elegant and simple, which was also very rare.
The other stewards had all received good antiques and jade artifacts. She was very generous.
After receiving Eldest Miss’s gift, the stewards were all overjoyed. Who didn’t know that Eldest Miss’s maternal family was the Xie Residence in Quanzhou? Outside the residence, they often heard that Eldest Miss was generous. Even if they didn’t see the gift on the spot, they could guess that it must be very good.
Now, it seemed that although Eldest Miss was young, she was a magnanimous person.
Putting everything else aside, they would at least be able to obtain some benefits. As for the rest, they would just have to wait and see.
Zhou Yonghe and Wang Dongquan would handle the rest, so Yu Youyao didn’t have to worry. She returned to the Jade Courtyard and took out the fan that had been mostly embroidered previously.
However, while she was relieved, someone else wasn’t.
When she found out that Yu Youyao had seen the managers of the manor, Yang Shuwan was so angry that her head hurt. Nanny Li was also frightened and quickly went to brew some medicine.
Yang Shuwan leaned against the pillow and took the medicine from Nanny Li. She looked at the black medicine and frowned. However, when she thought about how she could only snatch back the right to manage the household from Yu Youyao after she had completely recovered, she gritted her teeth and raised her head to gulp down most of the medicine.
After downing a bowl of bitter medicine, Yang Shuwan’s abdomen twitched uncomfortably. She hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and almost vomited on the spot.
Nanny Li hurriedly brought over a plate of candied plums. “Madam, quickly eat a candied plum.”
Yang Shuwan felt a little better after eating a candied plum. “Are the stewards still in the residence?”
Nanny Li said, “Eldest Miss prepared gifts for them and sent them out of the residence.” Seeing Madam’s gloomy face, she hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m afraid it’s not a small gift.”
Yang Shuwan tightened her grip on the blanket and gritted her teeth. “Did you find out what they said in the Windfall Courtyard?”
Nanny Li shook her head. “Eldest Miss arranged all the maidservants in the Windfall Courtyard. I didn’t hear anything.”
Yang Shuwan felt another headache coming on. “This is really outrageous. It’s only the first day of officially managing the household, and they’re already thinking of ways to guard against me. How hateful!”
She had been in charge of the household for many years, and many people in the residence were her people. However, she couldn’t even find out any news. It could be seen that the Yu Residence had really changed.
Nanny Li was worried that she would get angry again, so she quickly added, “Even if Eldest Miss meets the stewards alone, it’s mostly on the surface. I’m afraid it won’t be easy for Eldest Miss to win their hearts with this.”
Hearing this, Yang Shuwan felt a little better. She sneered. “The stewards in the manor are all old hands in the residence. Although they’re loyal to the residence, they’ve all made their own plans. How can small favors bribe them? Yu Youyao is too naive.”
Nanny Li hurriedly instructed, “Madam, don’t think too much. You’ve been in charge of the household for seven to eight years and have interacted with these stewards for many years. Eldest Miss has only just taken over the household and is also a child. The stewards are only willing to acknowledge her because of Old Madam’s authority. When you’ve recovered, won’t you have the final say in this family?”
Yang Shuwan’s expression relaxed. “You’re right. Yu Youyao is young, but she’s still filial to me. In the end, she still has to listen to me.”
Seeing that Madam had calmed down, Nanny Li heaved a sigh of relief.
Yang Shuwan leaned against the pillow and calmed herself down. She felt that her headache had subsided a little. “I’ve taken the medicine a few times this time, but the effect is not bad. I think I’ll be fine after resting for a few days.”
Nanny Li did not dare to say that the medicine she had taken was prescribed by Young Miss’s husband.
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-March.
Only then did Yang Shuwan, who was recuperating in peace, hear that a new rule had been set in the residence. Not only did the stewards in the manor agree, but they also signed a new contract with the residence. She immediately fell back in anger. She had just recovered from some of her illnesses, but there were signs of them relapsing.
Nanny Li did not dare to delay and quickly asked someone to invite Doctor Ding into the residence.
She did not dare to say that this was a doctor that Yu Youyao had hired previously. She only said that Third Miss had asked around and knew that Doctor Ding was very good at treating headaches and fevers, so she had specially hired him.
After taking Yang Shuwan’s pulse, Doctor Ding prescribed a new prescription.
When Nanny Liu saw this, she realized that many of the medicinal herbs had to be used in greater amounts. Madam’s illness had worsened again.
Before leaving, Doctor Ding said solemnly, “First Madam, it’s best for you to recuperate quietly. Don’t be rash. Otherwise, it’ll be a waste of medicine.”
Nanny Liu was worried. She wrapped up a generous reward and politely sent Doctor Ding out of the residence.