Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Yu Wanran looked at the empty courtyard. Inside the hall, there was an old eight-immortal table that Yan Bai had somehow found, and a few rickety, peeling stools.

She left in a hurry last time and didn't leave any money for Yanbai. These things must have been bought by Yanbai with his own savings.

However, Yan Bai and Yan Qing had followed her since childhood and always did as much as they could afford, knowing that their master wouldn't shortchange them.

Yan Bai was very happy to see Yu Wanran.

He's practically rotting away in this empty house! No matter how ambitious he is, he has no opportunity to realize his dreams. But now that his master has finally returned, at least he'll have something worthwhile to do.

"Master, you've finally moved in? Where are the master and mistress?"

Yu Wanran placed her luggage on the table, took a sip of the boiled water brought by a servant, and said with a smile, "They went to the manor first. I'll go see them in a couple of days after I've finished packing."

As for the two male servants at the manor, she planned to leave them there. She would pay them a monthly salary and they would help look after the manor. Given the personalities of Yu Man and his wife, they would certainly be unwilling to spend money to hire more people.

Yanbai nodded and called the two servants guarding the house over.

"Master, I've given these two a little instruction on etiquette. One is named Hua Rong, and the other Mei Xue. What would you like to do with them from now on?"

He never mentioned his own suggestions.

Yu Wanran nodded and first asked Zhong Yeliu to come over so she could give everyone a detailed introduction.

"This is Miss Zhong Yeliu, the steward I hired at great expense. From now on, she will be in charge of managing this house, including all internal affairs and the management of the servants. Yan Bai and Yan Qing will serve as guards, handling external matters."

Upon hearing her master's assessment of her role, Zhong Yeliu felt both delighted and apprehensive, fearing she might not be up to the task. However, facing the subtle scrutiny of others, she suppressed her nervousness and calmly walked to the center, curtsying in a gesture of respect.

"Thank you for your high regard, Master. I will do my best to share your burdens."

Yu Wanran knew that Zhong Yeliu was still very inexperienced and green. She didn't intend to put too much pressure on him, but simply gently reminded him of what he needed to do.

“Ye Liu, you used to manage a household. You should have no trouble taking care of this little family. There aren’t many people in the house right now. I’ll have a room in the main house, and you can arrange the accommodations and belongings for the others as you see fit.”

She took out five hundred taels of silver notes and handed them to Zhong Yeliu.

"In addition, if you need more people, go and buy more furniture for the house. Consider how many people they need each month and give me your decision."

She's in the early stages of starting her business. As the family business expands, Ye Liu, once trained, will be able to share more of the responsibilities with her.

Yan Bai's gaze swept over Zhong Yeliu with a strange expression. He wondered who this woman was, and why she had suddenly appeared and earned his master's trust so much.

Shunzi and the other three looked at Zhong Yeliu with respectful expressions.

The county magistrate is not as good as taking charge now.

From now on, they must take good care of Miss Zhong!

Zhong Yeliu accepted the silver note. She felt an immense gratitude for her master's trust and high regard, wishing she could repay him even at the cost of her life. She firmly replied, "Please rest assured, Master, I will do my utmost to ensure you are not disappointed."

Having finished explaining everything and readily relinquishing her responsibilities, Yu Wanran naturally wanted to rest. Noticing her fatigue, Yan Bai said, "Master, the kitchen always has hot water. Shall I have them prepare a bathtub for you?"

Yan Bai bought other secondhand furniture sparingly. But he bought several new bathtubs as spares. He knew his master was very clean. They couldn't afford it before, but now that they could, how could he not prepare some? And sure enough, they came in handy!

Yu Wanran smiled contentedly.

"Yanbai, thank you for your hard work."

Zhong Yeliu shifted her gaze to Yan Bai, remaining calm and composed, carefully analyzing her master's every word and action.

Her master had shown her great kindness, so she naturally had to do her best to serve him.

While Yu Wanran was taking a bath, Zhong Yeliu quickly got into character, adopting the demeanor of a butler and learning about the four servants' strengths.

Shunzi seems too introverted, so he's assigned to feed the horses and wash the carriages; ideally, he should learn how to drive one. Huarong is lively and clever, so he's assigned to be the gatekeeper and also to clean the courtyard.

Qiu Cui used to be a servant in a wealthy family. She knew the rules and was sent to the inner courtyard to serve her master. Mei Xue was steady and skilled in cooking, so she was assigned to the kitchen to be in charge of everyone's two meals a day plus supplementary food.

As for purchasing, Zhong Yeliu took charge of it himself.

And so, in this small courtyard, everyone began to perform their respective duties. In the early stages, there were certainly various issues of adjustment, but gradually, as they became familiar with each other, things became much faster.

As for Yan Bai, Zhong Yeliu could tell that he held a special place in the master's heart. Let's keep him for the master to assign tasks to.

At noon, they had a simple meal of snacks packed by Yu Wanran and dry biscuits given by Ji Chunhua. In the afternoon, Zhong Yeliu led Shunzi and the other three to the market to buy various things.

The new house lacked everything, so Yu Wanran only brought a few pieces of clothing and jewelry. It was truly a case of buying everything from a needle to a bed, a cabinet, and all sorts of furniture.

Yu Wanran couldn't sit still after her afternoon nap, so she went to the county town to explore the local customs and ponder what would be best for her mother and sister-in-law to sell in their future shop.

Then I thought, why not just open a general store!

Since she's going to be traveling around trading anyway, she can help source all sorts of unusual goods. It all depends on whether her mother and sister-in-law are suited for business.

Strolling through the fabric shop, I realized I didn't have many changes of clothes, so I went in, took out a few taels of silver, and bought a few sets. They were all cotton, plus two sets of men's clothing.

When traveling, comfort is the priority; there's no need for excessive extravagance.

Upon returning home, I found the gate wide open, with merchants coming and going in droves to deliver goods. Several mule carts were parked by the roadside, carrying all sorts of belongings into the house.

Zhong Yeliu received the goods at the door and paid the merchant. Yan Bai and the others directed the deliverymen to move the heavy items, working up a sweat.

Without disturbing the busy crowd, Yu Wanran quietly took a detour back to her room. She found that the furniture in the three main rooms had already been arranged. She went up to touch it and found that it was made of fine huanghuali wood.

The furniture temporarily piled up in the courtyard, ready to be placed in the side rooms, wing rooms, and rear rooms, was made of extremely ordinary wood. It was designed to be sturdy and durable, not particularly beautiful.

She went to check on the kitchen and saw Mei Xue, wearing an apron and covered in sweat, energetically washing the pots, pans, and dishes she had just bought. The floor was wet, and there was nowhere to step.

Fortunately, Yu Wanran had considered things carefully when buying the house, willing to pay a few more taels of silver to secure this small dwelling. Because there was an old well in the backyard, they no longer needed to buy water from outside.

There was no fodder. With Zhong Yeliu's permission, Shunzi carried back several sacks of fodder, beans, and bean dregs, which he then mixed and fed to the horses. Shunzi had inquired about these at the horse market.

The house didn't have a stable, but Shunzi, who came from a poor background, was very handy. He found a pile of wood and thatch, and after a few clanging and banging, he built a simple stable for the horses in an afternoon, enough to shelter them from the wind and rain.

Salt blocks are placed in the manger so that the horses can lick them freely to replenish their salt levels.

This was a pleasant surprise for Yu Wanran. She hadn't expected Shunzi to be so diligent and ambitious, despite his quiet demeanor!