Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 30 Worshiping the Mountain
Li Youcai has been staying at the mountain villa recently.

Logically speaking, now that the young master has just passed away, the salt ponds and iron smelting that he was in charge of should be given extra attention.

However, whether the young mistress is pregnant is a sword hanging over the heads of everyone in the eldest branch of the family.

If the young mistress does not become pregnant, then the eldest son's family will immediately face the dilemma of what to do next.

At this point, whoever is at the resort can go first.

Therefore, Steward Li would never leave the manor at this time.

And so, he finally met Zhang Yunyi, the owner of Feng'an Manor.

Master Zhang treated visiting a mountain as an arduous journey; he did not first visit his superiors of higher status.

On the contrary, Zhang Yunyi first met with his fellow villagers who were of low status, at the same level as him, or even lower.

During this process, according to the importance of the other party to him, Master Zhang presented gifts to each person one by one.

He then gleaned some useful information from the other party.

When he meets a high-ranking superior, he will be able to better gauge his attitude.

As a result, Zhang Yunyi soon learned that the eldest branch had added a second steward, namely Yang Can, the former advisor to the young master.

However, since Yang Can's residence is next to Li Youcai's, it wouldn't be appropriate to visit this Second Deacon Yang first.

After careful consideration, Master Zhang prepared the gifts and came to Li Youcai's place first.

Feng'an Manor is the closest of the six manors that Yu Huanhu handed over to the clan lord to Phoenix Manor.

If you ride a horse, you can leave the village in the morning and arrive at Phoenix Mountain Villa by evening.

Because of these convenient conditions, Zhang Yunyi, as the "trial runner" of the six major estates, was the first to come to Phoenix Villa to "pay his respects".

Li Youcai was delighted by his arrival.

This is the first person among the six major estates and three major ranches to take the initiative to pay their respects.

All factions are now watching and waiting to see if the eldest son's wife can get pregnant.

At this time, someone came to give him a gift, which Li Youcai was naturally very pleased with.

Li Youcai stirred the tea leaves with the lid of his teapot, glancing discreetly at the small, gold-decorated box with a hidden lock on the table.

This small box is one of two gifts. It is one and a half feet long, half a foot wide and half a foot high, and has exquisitely crafted corners with rosewood and copper trim.

Such boxes were usually used to store gold and silver.

Based on the sound the box made when it was placed on the table, Li Youcai judged that it contained gold, not silver.

Because of the different weights, the "click" sound will also sound different to the ear.

If it were made of gold, this money box, given its size, should be able to hold twelve to fifteen gold ingots.

One gold ingot weighs half a pound...

What a big deal!

Li Youcai felt a surge of heat in his heart, even hotter than the mouthful of hot tea he had swallowed in his excitement.

He endured the pain of the boiling water scalding his mouth, maintaining a calm and composed expression.

“Master Zhang, you’ve come to the wrong temple and burned the wrong incense this time.”

"Why do you say that, Grand Steward?"

Zhang Yunyi asked with a smile. Zhang Yunyi was nearly forty years old and had a good appearance. He must have been quite handsome when he was young.

Li Youcai smiled and said, "Master Zhang, you may not know this, but the clan leader has just appointed a second steward for our eldest branch."

From now on, the estates and pastures handed over by the Second Master will be under the responsibility of this Second Steward.

Zhang Yunyi suddenly realized and smiled, "I see. I've already heard about this matter. But don't these two stewards also have to obey you?"

"Hey, that's not right."

Li Youcai waved his hand repeatedly: "The appointment of the Second Steward is not up to me. If there is anything, I have to discuss it with him."

Zhang Yunyi smiled slightly: "No matter how we discuss it, he will listen to you. I only recognize your reputation as Chief Steward Li."

"You, you..."

Li Youcai laughed heartily and said, "Alright, since you have the intention, I will take care of you where it is appropriate."

However, let's be frank from the start: although you were promoted by Second Master, that's also due to your own abilities.

But from now on, you can only serve the clan lord faithfully..."

Zhang Yunyi said solemnly, "Whether it's the clan head or the second master, they are both masters of the Yu family. Yunyi has never forgotten that he is here to guard the Yu family."

Li Youcai smiled and said, "That's good, that's good. It's just that no one knows whether the young mistress is pregnant yet, and everyone is worried."

Zhang Yunyi smiled and said, "The Grand Steward is a capable person who can choose a good tree to perch on at any time, so naturally he needs to have foresight."

Someone like me always goes with the flow, so I don't have these kinds of worries.

He took a sip of tea and said, "I'll just burn your incense; that'll be perfect. You can't just not burn incense regularly and then come to the wrath of the gods when you're in trouble..."

"Haha, I never expected you to be such a clever person, Master Zhang. Hey, Lai Xi, come here for a moment."

Li Youcai suddenly saw Lai Xi carrying a bundle of chopped firewood and heading towards the side room, so he quickly called him back.

Lai Xi put down the firewood, dusted off his clothes, ran up to the hall, and asked, "What are your orders, sir?"

Li Youcai said, "Go and tell Manager Zhao, the procurement officer, to find me a maid when he goes to Tianshui City again."

"Alright, I'll put the firewood away and go." "Wait!"

Zhang Yunyi put down his teacup and asked, "What's wrong? Does the Grand Steward need a maidservant?"

Li Youcai said calmly, "Oh, Yang Can just took office and doesn't have anyone to serve him, so I gave him a servant."

Therefore, he thought of buying another clever and obedient maid to take care of the lady.

Zhang Yunyi laughed and said, "I see. Why did you go to such lengths, Grand Steward?"

"I'll leave this matter to you. In a couple of days, I'll select a maidservant that the Grand Steward is satisfied with and send her up the mountain."

"Isn't this...not good?"

"No need for such formalities, Grand Steward. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

With Zhang Yunyi giving money and gifts, the two became even closer.

After chatting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Yunyi tactfully took his leave.

Li Youcai escorted Zhang Yunyi to the corridor and watched him leave the courtyard. Immediately, a soft hand grabbed his ear.

"You old fool, I'm telling you, why did you give Wangcai to Steward Yang? Was it so you could buy another pretty girl?"

"Oh, oh, oh, my wife, please calm down, my wife, please calm down. We mustn't let anyone see us."

Li Youcai, standing on tiptoe and tilting his head, was dragged back to the main room by Pan Xiaowan.

Upon entering the main room, Pan Xiaowan raised her eyebrows and sneered, "You old fool, you still have the leisure to buy maids!"
What? You think changing to a young girl to serve you will make you, a filthy old radish, crisp and chewy?

Li Youcai said awkwardly, "My lady, please don't raise your voice, please don't raise your voice. If someone hears us, how will I, Li, face people in the future?"

Madam Xiaowan shoved him aside, causing Li Youcai to stumble. She then put her hands on her hips and coldly snorted:
"I'm a beautiful, fresh-faced young woman, but I had to marry you, you old coffin stuffer!"
You don't even allow people to say it?

I advise you, instead of spending that spare money, you should buy some tiger bone wine to drink, that would be more worthwhile.

So that when it's time to put in the effort, you won't be just a toad panting, making noise but doing nothing.

Li Youcai's face was flushed, but his health was indeed not very good... not very good... not very good.

The less capable he was, the more inferior he felt in front of his beautiful young wife, and the more inferior he felt, the less capable he became.

Now he's even afraid to share a bed with his wife, lest she make advances.

As for buying a pretty maid, he felt no pressure.

He has a responsibility to feed his own wife, but the maid he bought is just an object in his house. He doesn't need to care about how the little maid feels!

Li Youcai felt his face burning with embarrassment at Pan Xiaowan's words, and said in a low voice, "My wife, you have really misunderstood your husband."

What do you think Zhang Yunyi's reason for coming here? Is he really here to find a backer or curry favor?

"What do you mean?"

"Madam, it's not even certain whether the young mistress is pregnant yet. Who would be willing to spend a fortune to curry favor with someone at this time?"

Feng'an Village is just outside Phoenix Mountain; it's where Second Master's best eyes and ears are keeping an eye on the clan leader.

Pan Xiaowan's eyes darted around: "Is he here to recruit you on behalf of Second Master?"

Li Youcai praised, "Madam is truly intelligent and quick-witted!"
Your man is the chief steward of the eldest branch of the family. Even if the eldest branch is abolished, your man will still have a good place to go.

Zhang Yunyi saw this as an opportunity, which is why he wanted to recruit me for Second Master.

Pan Xiaowan became a little nervous: "You don't really want to rely on Second Master, do you?"
The lord has treated you very well; betrayal like this is worthless after just one instance.

Once you take the wrong path or choose the wrong person...

Li Youcai waved his hand and said, "How could that be? Of course I have to wait and see. As long as the situation remains unclear, I will continue to wait for the right price."

But that doesn't stop me from accepting his 'kindness'.

I accept it. If I side with Second Master in the future, it will mean that I have already expressed my feelings to him long ago.

Offering help in times of need versus adding to someone's existing success can have vastly different outcomes.

If in the future my husband remains loyal to the clan leader, then he will not be tempted by the second master's generous offer.

As for accepting gifts from him, that was merely to lull him into a false sense of security.

Pan Xiaowan listened with some skepticism and said, "Alright, I'll believe you this time."

"If you old fool are lying to me, with our own fields parched and burning with thirst, why are you going out to stir up trouble? Humph!"

"No, no, how could that be?"

As Li Youcai spoke, he thought to himself, "With my speed at which I can cheat, you can't even imagine how fast I can get away with it. It would be a miracle if you found out."

Li Youcai pointed to two boxes on the table and said, "Look, if your man wasn't capable, would these gifts be flowing in like water?"
Madam, please put it away quickly..."

Li Youcai's words finally diverted Pan Xiaowan's attention.

Pan Xiaowan opened the two boxes, and as Li Youcai had expected, one of them contained neatly arranged gold ingots.

In the other box, however, was a beautifully polished "ox horn artifact" that had already developed a jade-like color.

The translucent ox horn contained a pale red liquid. Once the stopper was removed, a wine aroma mixed with medicinal fragrance wafted out.

Li Youcai exclaimed happily, "Medicated wine?"

Pan Xiaowan raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself, "Giving this good stuff to the old man is a complete waste."

I'll go back and get some to test its quality with Master Yang.

(End of this chapter)