Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 61 The New Master of the Manor (Seeking first subscriptions and monthly votes)
Yang Can returned from Phoenix Manor with the clan leader's final ruling on the Feng'an Manor matter.

The head of the manor, Zhang Yunyi, was demoted from the position of head of the manor to assistant deputy head of the manor, assisting Yang Can, the second steward of the eldest branch, in his work.

Yang Can then concurrently assumed the position of owner of Feng'an Manor.

After the news spread, the Zhang family and all the villagers who depended on them breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they can no longer act arrogantly as before, at least this ordeal is over.

Their lives were not in danger, and their existing property was preserved.

This greatly stabilized the most powerful group of villagers in Feng'an Village.

Those in charge who had blood on their hands were executed by Zhang Yunyi, who personally oversaw the execution of them according to the family rules.

This is a "pledge of allegiance," and he has to do it.

With this series of actions, his original foundation of rule has been completely destroyed.

In this way, Yang Can can better control him.

The other managers were "remaining on probation."

This ensures that the farm's production order is not disrupted during the crucial spring planting season.

At the same time, these people are eager to make a good impression on the new owner, so they will only work harder.

Yang Can only held onto the power of the knife and personnel assessment; the specific affairs were still handled by Master Zhang.

Feng'anzhuang thus underwent a "blood transfusion," yet it seemed that nothing earth-shattering had changed.

Since Yang Can inspected Feng'an Village, the other farms have been closely monitoring everything there.

The news that Zhang Yunyi, the head of Feng'an Village, had killed his uncle, son, and nephew, and that this had drastically changed the atmosphere of Feng'an Village, quickly spread.

The managers of the various farms and estates were greatly alarmed upon hearing this.

The six estates knew each other well, and they understood Zhang Yunyi very well.

Yet this man from Longshang, who valued his family above all else, actually killed his uncle and son to curry favor with Yang Can.

What methods does Yang Can have to make the head of Zhang Village so obedient?
They couldn't find out the details, so they could only speculate.

The more they thought about it, the more panicked they became, because they didn't think they were any more cunning or manipulative than Zhang Yunyi.

Zhang Yunyi was beaten into a docile grandson by Yang Can with just a few kicks and punches, even more obedient than a biological grandson. How could I possibly be his match?

So they immediately followed suit and began to self-examine.

They did this in the hope that when Deacon Yang arrived on their territory, his proactive behavior would be treated more leniently.

The requirements aren't many; just be a little better than Zhang Yunyi.

Just don't force them to kill their own sons or nephews.

Some stubborn landlords still want to put up a fight.

But they soon discovered that they couldn't struggle anymore.

The managers under them were terrified that they would end up like the managers of Feng'an Manor, thrown out to "take the fall" by the manor lord who was trying to protect himself.

Even those with strained father-son relationships or those who weren't close enough to their relatives began to be wary of their landowners.

What are they even trying to do now?!
The team is simply too difficult to carry!

Everyone is hiding their true intentions, and everyone is collecting dirt on others.

They do this either to protect themselves or to report others and gain merit. How can this be done?
Left with no other choice, these landowners steeled themselves and reluctantly joined the self-correction movement.

At this time, Yang Can's men had not yet arrived at their village, nor had they given any instructions to their village.

Tomorrow, Yang Can will officially take over Feng'an Fort and move in.

Feng'an Fort will welcome its new owner.

From evening onwards, Qingmei had something on her mind.

At dinner, Qingmei ate her rice one grain at a time, hesitating to speak several times.

Seeing that Yang Can was almost finished eating, Qingmei finally couldn't help but clear her throat.

"Deacon Yang, you will be taking over Feng'an Fort tomorrow."

Such a big fort, who will take care of it for you?

"Could it be... you're planning to use Zhang Yunyi's people?"

Yang Can chuckled to himself; this little girl finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Yang Can said in a serious tone, "How could that be? Everyone in the fortress has to leave."

We're short-staffed... we're definitely short-staffed. I'll figure out how to recruit more."

"As for who will take care of the castle for me in the future..."

Yang Can hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Qingmei, what do you think of Granny Chen?"

"Ah? Granny Chen?"

"Yes, I've seen her doing a very good job arranging agricultural persuasion matters these past few days."

Qingmei panicked as soon as she heard this. No wonder he didn't discuss it with me; it turns out he already had someone in mind.

Granny Chen... What's so good about Granny Chen?
Is she as smooth and slippery as me?

Does she have skin as smooth and delicate as mine?

Am I, a beautiful young woman, standing right in front of you? Are you blind?

Yang Can continued to tease her: "I think Granny Chen is calm and composed, and she manages everything meticulously..."

"Anyone can be calm and composed. She's considerate in every aspect, but do you think I'm not?"

Qingmei had no choice but to volunteer: "Deacon Yang, I can do it too."

I've been by the young mistress's side since I was a child, and I'm quite adept at managing things.

I can also keep accounts, manage finances, and control servants.

A household can't function without a reliable manager.

You don't know, if the master doesn't keep an eye on things even for a moment, some servants will become lazy, greedy, and cunning.

Yang Can hesitated and said, "But you...you're so young, can you do it?"

"Sure, definitely! As long as I'm here, you won't have to worry about anything!"
Whether I'm capable or not, I'll do everything myself, no matter what it is, so you won't have to put in any effort.

"But...you were originally the young mistress's personal maid. Will the young mistress release you?"

"If you can gain a foothold in Feng'an Village, it will be a great honor for the young mistress. She will definitely agree."

Qingmei thought to herself, "My daughter already said that she wants me to take care of you in her place."

However, my daughter had no idea at the time that you were going to stay in Feng'an Fort for a long time.

That's alright. I'll just tell the girl that all the young women and wives in Feng'an Village are drooling over you. My daughter will definitely agree to let me come and keep an eye on you after hearing that!
Yang Can laughed and said, "Alright then, since that's the case, you'll come with me to take over Feng'an Fort tomorrow."

From now on... all the affairs of the inner quarters of Feng'an Fort will be entrusted to you.

"Great!" Qingmei beamed, suddenly finding her appetite greatly.

……

Moving out of an old house in three days is quite easy for an ordinary person with no savings.

But for Zhang, the owner of the manor who has been running this place for decades, it's a real problem.

Even if he rallies all the villagers to work together, three days might not be enough.

However, ever since Zhang Yunyi "killed his son to prove his Dao", he seems to have suddenly become enlightened.

It seems there's nothing in the world that he cares about particularly anymore.

Early on the third day, he came to see Yang Can with his steward, Wan Tai.

"Master, Zhang's belongings in Feng'an Fort have been moved out and can now be officially handed over."

So, Yang Can, along with Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan and Xiao Qingmei, went with Zhang Yunyi and Steward Wan to take over Feng'an Fort.

As Yang Can walked along, he felt that Feng'an Fort was almost no different from usual.

Not only was there not enough time to move them, but Zhang Xiaomi's three-courtyard house was also too small to accommodate them.

In addition, it's likely that Zhang Yunyi was also trying to curry favor with Yang Can.

Therefore, a large amount of valuables were left behind.

The furniture, murals, and wallpaper in the village...

Even the large vase, taller than a person, is still there in the living room.

It's estimated that Zhang Yunyi only took some gold, silver, valuables, and some personal items that the Zhang family was used to using.

When Yang Can went to take over the warehouses, he found that many warehouses contained a large amount of liquid assets, all neatly categorized and untouched.

There was a warehouse, and upon entering, the floor was covered with fine sand. Buried in this sand were complete sets of top-quality porcelain, which were quite valuable.

Wealthy families would order porcelain directly from porcelain factories.

The porcelain ordered by Feng'anbao all bore the characters "Feng'an".

Moreover, each piece of porcelain was ordered in sets of ten.

In this way, if a piece of a set of porcelain, such as a wine glass or teacup, is accidentally broken, you can simply take another one from the set.

Families who value grandeur would never use a mismatched porcelain cup to make up the difference.

These porcelain pieces will be stored in fine sand after they are transported back.

In this way, it can not only prevent bumps and damage, but it will also not break even if the earthen ceiling is turned upside down.

Moreover, it prevents oxidation by isolating it from the air. When you take it out, just take it out of the fine sand, peel off the packaging, rinse it with water, and it will look brand new, like it just came out of the oven.

Qingmei's mindset shifted very smoothly; she had already adopted the attitude of a steward within Feng'an Fort.

More accurately, it seems to reflect the mindset of the woman of the house.

She was even more attentive than Yang Can when receiving the package.

Accompanied by Zhang Yunyi, Yang Can walked around inside and out, with Qingmei taking notes throughout.

Yang Can couldn't understand what she had written, but she herself could understand it.

"Okay, that's it."

After walking around the entire area, Yang Can nodded in satisfaction.

Zhang Yunyi calmly said, "Then, I will take my leave."

Ever since he killed his son with his own hands, Zhang Yunyi has been a ghostly figure, devoid of joy or sorrow.

It was as if nothing in this world could stir his emotions anymore.

Stepping out of Feng'an Fort and standing on the drawbridge over the moat, Wan Tai said indignantly, "That Yang Can is too domineering."

Thinking of the valuables that couldn't be moved in time, Wan Tai said with a heavy heart, "Master, we could have moved more out, such as silk and cloth..."

Zhang Yunyi said calmly, "We'll be back soon. Don't you find it troublesome to move things around?"

After he finished speaking, he slowly turned around and took a deep look at Feng'an Fort.

That was the home he built himself.

……

At this moment, four double-shafted carriages were slowly approaching from the east, about 300 li away from Feng'an Village.

The road was filled with the rumble of vehicles, and there were few pedestrians. It was overgrown with weeds.

There were more than twenty riders walking alongside the car, one in front and one behind.

They wore gray-blue robes and were extremely burly.

Their swords have a larger curve than the more common ring-pommel swords.

The blade has a more pronounced curve, which is obviously better for slashing and is more suitable for mounted combat.

They also carried bows and quivers.

On one side of the saddle, there was also a round willow shield covered with cowhide.

With such attire, even ordinary highway robbers would immediately recognize him as a formidable opponent and wouldn't dare to provoke him easily.

Many people mistakenly believe they are martial arts instructors who escort goods for wealthy families.

But people in the underworld can tell at a glance that they are "trading mountain goods".

In this way, the bandits who scout out the area won't bother with them.

Because the so-called "trading mountain goods" is actually smuggling, and it belongs to the same underworld as bandits.

They were all people who had been through bloodshed, and those who "traded mountain goods" were even more ruthless.

Moreover, bandits rarely manage to steal cash or grain; they mostly acquire goods.

They themselves have no way to get rid of these goods.

At that time, they had to turn to "mountain goods traders" to turn their goods into cash.

Therefore, even bandits and those who "travel through the mountains" achieved a strange and harmonious relationship.

Just like the wrasse and moray eel, which have a cleaner-customer relationship.

The carriages and horses passed by, leaving deep ruts.

This batch of "mountain goods" seems to be exceptionally plentiful.

(End of this chapter)