“Miss, the room has been tidied up.”

Hua Zhi gave a small nod and walked toward the rear courtyard.

Liu Jiang was still standing there in a daze. Wu Da gave him a push from behind and urged him quietly, “Get moving.”

Liu Jiang made a sound of acknowledgment, turned back to offer his thanks, and jogged to catch up.

Even with all his audacity, Chen Jin did not dare come to the rear courtyard to stir up trouble. Bao Chun first had the main hall put in order so that the young miss could conduct her affairs, and then, barely a step behind herself, she led the others off to tidy the remaining rooms.

Nian Qiu brewed tea for the young miss and stood quietly behind her.

Hua Zhi was indeed thirsty. She blew on the scalding hot water and drank it in small sips. Her manner was indescribably graceful. Liu Jiang caught a glimpse by accident and quickly lowered his head, his face turning red — the big, sturdy man looked almost at a loss for what to do with himself.

“How many of the tenant farmers on the estate do you know?”

“I know most of them. When the harvest comes and everyone is afraid the weather might turn, we all help one another.” Word of the Hua Family’s confiscation and exile had already reached the estate. Liu Jiang was somewhat worried that the eldest young miss was asking these questions because she intended to reclaim all the fields or change the tenancy arrangements. Day to day, even though they all suffered under Chen Jin’s exploitation, he at least did not dare push things too far, and the tenant farmers managed to get by well enough.

If they lost their fields, he was young and strong enough to find work. But not everyone was like him, with only a younger sister to worry about — those dragging along an entire family of young and old would not survive without land.

“Are there disputes among the tenant farmers from time to time?”

Liu Jiang hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth. “There are, during the busy farming seasons. Eldest Young Miss, please understand — everyone depends on the fields to live. Whenever there is a shortage of water, everyone grows anxious. A person can get by on less water, but the fields cannot go without. When people get anxious, they inevitably…”

“Is that all?”

“There are minor squabbles too, of course. But I can vouch that those are truly trivial matters. Some resolve themselves by the next moment, and others only need someone to offer a way out before they blow over. They hardly count as real disputes.”

Hua Zhi had not asked these questions because she truly intended to learn about the estate’s affairs — a steward’s understanding of such things was sufficient. But Liu Jiang’s answers gave her a sideways look at his character, and for the moment she was reasonably satisfied.

“On behalf of the Hua Family, please convey to everyone that nothing on the estate will change. All matters will continue according to the old rules.” She paused, then continued: “The ‘old rules’ I mean are the Hua Family’s rules — not Chen Jin’s. I recall that the Hua Family’s original rate was a thirty-percent rent.”

Liu Jiang’s eyes went wide. “Thirty percent? Chen Jin has been collecting forty percent for years, claiming it was the master’s orders. So that means — you scoundrel, Chen Jin!”

Liu Jiang ground his teeth in fury. In a good year, forty percent was livable enough — after all, the Hua Family’s fields carried no additional taxes. But in a disaster year, once forty percent of the harvest was handed over, a whole year’s work still left you unable to eat a single full meal. But if the Hua Family had always charged only thirty percent…

Liu Jiang stopped himself from thinking further. He was afraid he might not be able to stop himself from beating Chen Jin to death.

The year his mother fell ill had been a terrible disaster year. After scraping together every means possible to pay the rent in full, there was almost nothing left at home. He had lied about his age to go find work in the city, and before he had even received his wages, word came of his mother’s death. He had resented the Hua Family then — resented them for not being charitable, for not being like those kind households that waived rent for their tenants in disaster years.

A cold gleam passed through Hua Zhi’s eyes. “In every disaster year, the Hua Family invariably waived the rent. It seems you were never told.”

Liu Jiang’s fists tightened. His breathing grew heavy and ragged, his eyes blazing red, and he spun around and lunged for the door.

Hua Zhi’s unhurried voice followed him from behind: “Bring him outside. Gather the tenant farmers. What he has done — the Hua Family will not bear the blame for it.”

Liu Jiang’s footsteps halted. He turned back around and kowtowed three heavy times.

“Wu Da, go keep an eye on things. Don’t let anyone die.” Hua Zhi gave a cold smile. “Dying would let him off too easily. We can’t let him have it that simple.”

Wu Da felt a chill run down his back and became even more deferential than before.

Nian Qiu refilled the young miss’s tea and asked gently, “Miss, should we report this to the authorities?”

“We won’t.” Hua Zhi shook her head. “These are troubled times. We cannot afford to get tangled up with officials again.”

Besides, the Hua Family needed to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. They could not let people think a household full of women was easy to bully. The proper rules had to be established — even more faultlessly than when the Hua Family’s men had still been present.

Reporting it to the authorities was something common folk did when they needed to lean on someone else’s strength. For the Hua Family, it would mean showing weakness. The Hua Family had once been a high-ranking official household — to sink so low as to need to file a report would do nothing but feed the twisted satisfaction of onlookers and yield no real benefit. It was far better to handle it within their own domain, in the way most advantageous to the Hua Family.

“But…”

“We won’t take his life. Living is far harder than dying.”

Nian Qiu said nothing more. She did not pity Chen Jin — she even found him repulsive. But she cared even less to see the young miss stained with blood over someone like him.

After a while, a vague clamor drifted in from the front. Hua Zhi flipped through the account books Nian Qiu had newly drawn up, paying it no notice. The other maids all went about their own tasks without the slightest disturbance.

By the time Liu Jiang returned, more than half a shichen had passed. He came back soaked in rain and knelt down again.

Hua Zhi signaled Wu Da to help him up, and without pressing for details simply said, “It’s getting late today. Head back and come early tomorrow — I’ll have something for you to do.”

“Yes.”

“Your sister had a fright, and it’s not convenient for a man to look after her properly. Have her stay here with me tonight. I’ll have someone keep an eye on her.”

“This humble one thanks the Eldest Young Miss.” As though he had already made up his mind, Liu Jiang said nothing more and left without hesitation.

Wu Da gave a careful account of everything that had happened. Sensing that the Eldest Young Miss intended to make use of Liu Jiang, he devoted most of his words to describing him.

Hua Zhi gave a small nod. “As long as those baseless resentments don’t fall on the Hua Family’s head, it’s fine. You said Liu Jiang took all three of the Chen men out with him?”

“Yes.”

Hua Zhi already knew what the Chen family had been doing all these years and felt not the slightest sympathy for them. She tapped the table and announced her decision regarding that household: “Give them three mu of land. Have them pay forty percent rent, regardless of whether the year is good or bad.”

A family of eight with only three mu, and forty percent rent on top of it — Hua Zhi was plainly repaying them in kind. Yet everyone in the room only felt immensely satisfied. Wolves without conscience deserved no better.

And this entire estate was full of families they had wronged over the years. Anyone knows how to kick a dog when it’s down — living surrounded by such people day after day, one could well imagine how unbearable their days would be.

After the evening meal, Hua Zhi said to Fu Dong, who was clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, “You don’t need to come attend to me tonight. Go keep Liu Juan company and pay close attention to how she’s feeling through the night.”

“Yes.”

Nian Qiu handed over the rinsing water and said softly, “Your maid thinks Liu Juan seems quite good. Does Miss have any intention of taking her on as an attendant?”

“I have all of you — that’s enough. I don’t plan to add anyone else. If any of you take a liking to someone, bring her along and teach her yourself. Things are only going to get busier from here, and you all need to learn to delegate.”

In other words, the young miss herself would not take her on, but the four of them could. Nian Qiu nodded to show she understood. In the end, whoever they took in would still be the young miss’s people.