Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 38 Going Together

"Ahem, you are..."

The person standing in the hall turned around abruptly upon hearing Yang Can's voice.

Yang Can's guilty conscience vanished instantly.

Damn, it's Cheng Da Kuan! What are you posing for?
Yang Can walked into the main room with a grumpy expression: "Da Kuan, are you feeling better?"

Leopard Head pounded his chest with his fist: "It's about 70-80% done."

Yang Can looked him up and down and said, "Why are you dressed like this now? You look like a roughneck from the martial arts world."

Leopard Head's expression darkened. He said, "Da Kuan no longer has a place in the guard squad. That Liu Yu..."

Leopard Head gritted his teeth, looked at Yang Can, and said gratefully, "Fortunately, I'm not too blind. From now on, I, Leopard Head, will follow you, Master Yang, and serve you faithfully."

Yang Can waved his hand and said, "Da Kuan, I have never regarded you as an ordinary guard. You are just having a bad day."

Actually, it's nothing serious, just a temporary setback. With your skills, you'll definitely make a comeback someday.

Cheng Da Kuan felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. Since being punished, he had come to understand what it meant to experience the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

Especially during his illness and deathbed, some of those who had flattered him turned on him and trampled on him.

Some of those who once called him brother now avoided him like the plague.

Some people who had received his guidance and kindness and still held him in high regard dared not come to visit him for fear of offending Liu Yu.

All of this has tempered Leopard Head's mindset, and his temperament has changed significantly compared to before.

Leopard Head said with emotion, "Master Yang, it is only after I fell into this predicament that I realized who is a true gentleman."

"You flatter me, you flatter me. You're still not fully recovered, what brings you here? There's no need to be in such a hurry to thank me..."

Leopard Head said, "I heard that you, Master Yang, are going down the mountain to inspect the various estates soon?"

"good."

Leopard Head puffed out his chest: "Master Yang, take me there. Although I am not very talented, my martial arts skills are passable."

"I am willing to follow Master Yang and serve as his bodyguard."

Yang Can hadn't really intended to let Leopard Head come down the mountain with him.

Because at that time, Leopard Head's health was not fully recovered, and it was unknown how long he would need to rest.

Upon hearing Leopard Head's words, his eyes lit up.

Suddenly, Yang Can remembered something and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, you're originally from Feng'an Village?"

Leopard Head said, "Yes, my wife still lives in the village. My family farms six acres of land, and my wife does some needlework in her spare time."

If there are no able-bodied men in the family, and it is only the women who can cultivate a maximum of three acres of land.

Because, although rural women also have to work in the fields just like men, they can do almost any job that men can do.

However, there is one core type of physically demanding labor that most women cannot do: plowing the fields.

Unless, of course, you keep oxen at home.

Leopard Head was one of the few self-employed farmers in Feng'an Village.

Because Leopard Head worked at the mountain resort and had some spare money, he raised an ox for plowing.

Therefore, although the Cheng family lacked able-bodied laborers, they were still able to cultivate six mu of land.

After listening, Yang Can pondered for a moment and then said happily, "Alright, I'll take you down the mountain. If everything goes smoothly, it will be a great achievement for you."

Leopard Head happily agreed, and Yang Can added, "However, you can't openly come down the mountain with me."

Leopard Head was taken aback. Yang Can said, "Since you're from Feng'an Village, then..."

Yang Can approached him and whispered something to him. Leopard Head listened and nodded repeatedly.

……

Yang Can will be taking a few people with him when he goes to inspect the farm.

First, an accountant must be brought along.

Yang Can decided to bring Li Damu, who had been too busy to help him with the accounts.

In addition, several guards should be brought along.

Although Qingmei was with him, Suo Chanzhi used this as an excuse to send some skilled Suo family guards.

On the surface, however, Yang Can and Qingmei are sworn enemies.

Therefore, he also had to bring several Yu family guards with him.

Now that Li Youcai has gone down the mountain, Yang Can can make these decisions on his own, so there's no need to consult with anyone else.

While Yang Can was preparing to descend the mountain, Leopard Head also quietly disappeared.

Before Cheng Dakuan disappeared, his wife had already taken the child down the mountain.

Because there are elderly people in the Cheng family who need care, and once Leopard Head recovers, Madam Cheng has to go back home as soon as possible.

The first person to ask Yang Can about Cheng Dakuan's disappearance was surprisingly Liu Yu, who was hoping Cheng Dakuan would collapse.

"The clan leader doesn't like Leopard Head very much, so I sent him to Chicken and Goose Mountain. Commander Liu, is there something you need?"

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. Raising poultry is good. It can even cultivate one's character, hahaha."

"Well then, Deacon Yang, you're busy. I'll take my leave."

Seeing that Yang Can didn't seem to like him very much, Liu Yu wisely kept quiet.

As soon as he turned around, he gave a cold laugh and curled his lip.

Is it because I treated Leopard Head too harshly that Yang Can is so disdainful of me?

Ha, so what if you think highly of me?

Can you make me successful?
Can you give me a wealthy and promising future?
Bah! It's nothing!

……

After dinner, Yang Can strolled over to Li Damu's residence.

He could directly request those guards from Liu Yu. But the accountant was part of the management, so he still needed to give him a heads-up first.

At the very least, people need to be given time to prepare and make some handover arrangements in advance.

Clever tongue carried a stack of account books that almost blocked her view as she entered Li Damu's room.

"Mr. Li, the young mistress requests that the accounting department check these ledgers and compile a general ledger."

As she spoke, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

A few strands of her dark hair clung to her damp forehead, and her face was flushed red from exhaustion.

After being punished by Suo Chanzhi with a slap, she was demoted to a messenger maid.

Qiaoshe used to be just a servant girl by Suo Chanzhi's side, but now she is a messenger in the inner quarters.

Wealthy and powerful families place great emphasis on clearly separating internal and external affairs.

When people in the outer quarters need to relay messages to people in the inner quarters, or vice versa, and they don't need to go there in person, they need someone to act as a messenger.

Therefore, messenger girls are also called errand girls, or simply "messengers".

Among the servants in the inner quarters, the messenger maids had the lowest status.

For Suo Chanzhi, this was a counterattack against the spies planted by the madam.

However, being reduced to the lowest-ranking messenger in the inner quarters all at once, her silver tongue suffered a rather unfortunate fate.

She's now just a handyman; anyone can order her around, not just relay messages.

"Oh, it's the silver-tongued girl!"

Li Damu's eyes lit up the moment he saw the silver-tongued girl.

This little girl is quite pretty. She was originally given to her son by his wife to be his personal maid, so of course she's pretty.

In Li Damu's mind, the silver tongue might have already warmed the young master's bed.

Little did he know that Yu Chengye's health had deteriorated drastically since he was hit by the poisoned arrow.

Yu Chengye also thought that it was the result of the poisoned arrow.

Little did they know that it was because the herbs Yang Can used to treat cattle and horses were not the right remedy.

Although Yang Can's haphazard attempt saved his life, his body was ruined.

However, no man would ever tell anyone about something like this.

He was unwilling to talk about it even with his own parents, so even the patriarch and his wife didn't know.

Li Damu had a few drinks tonight and was now slightly tipsy.

A glance at the clever girl revealed her fair and clean face, with a few strands of hair loose at the nape of her neck, clinging to her slightly sweaty neck, making her skin appear even whiter.

Moreover, Qiao She was petite, which, in Li Damu's opinion, made her the perfect type to play with on the couch, and he couldn't help but feel a strong urge to indulge her.

As for the fact that the silver-tongued girl might have already warmed the bed for Young Master Yu, he didn't care.

It's not like I'm going to marry him, so what's wrong with being "a kindred spirit" with the young master?

"What kind of account books are these?" Mr. Li asked, walking over with a smile.

"Oh, the 'General Record of Income and Expenditure of Silver', 'Monthly Salary Disbursement Record', 'Reciprocal Gift Record', 'Daily Utility Records of the Inner Courtyard Kitchen', 'Private Records of Inner Courtyard Expenses'..."

As Li Damu looked at the accounts, his mind began to race. Was the young mistress investigating these accounts to punish the old servants in the inner quarters?

Li Damu naturally didn't want to do something that would offend people.

Well, tomorrow we'll divide these ledgers among the other accountants, so we can all share the burden if anything goes wrong.

"Alright, alright, our accountants will definitely check it as soon as possible."

Mr. Li put down the ledger and walked over to Qiaoshe with a smile.

At such close proximity, in this day and age, it would be somewhat impolite for ordinary men and women to speak like that.

Clever Tongue sensed something was wrong and quickly moved to the side without making a sound.

Mr. Li smiled slightly and asked, "Clever Tongue Girl, you used to be someone close to the young mistress, and you were quite respectable. How did you end up as a messenger maid?"

The silver-tongued woman felt a pang of sorrow and said pitifully, "This humble servant is young and inexperienced, and I don't know how to speak properly. I've offended the young mistress. I'm so foolish, so very foolish..."

At this point, she choked up and couldn't continue, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

After being demoted to a lowly servant girl by Suo Chanzhi under false pretenses, she hoped that the madam would rescue her from her misery.

However, after the message was delivered, the lady did not respond at all.

Compared to a daughter-in-law who was already pregnant with the young master's child, she, a maid, was clearly worthless.

She was completely abandoned.

"Hehe, what a silver tongue! Don't be too sad."

Li Damu hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to the clever-tongued girl. The little girl's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked so pitiful.

If you're going to cry, it should only be because I, Li, have bullied you. What's the point of crying like this?

Li Damu's face crinkled with laughter, his wrinkles blooming like chrysanthemums.

"Li still holds some status within the eldest branch of the family."

If I, Li, were to swallow my pride and plead for you before the young mistress, well…

However, Li is not related to you, so he has no right to speak on your behalf.

As Li Damu spoke, he leaned close to Qiao She.

To make her work easier, Qiaoshe wore an apron.

The apron was tied tightly, creating a very beautiful line at the junction of her slender waist and pert buttocks.

Li Damu was not only an accountant, but he also loved painting and was extremely sensitive to lines.

The groping hand then quietly slid towards that rounded curve...

(End of this chapter)