All Hail Cousin Brother

129 Biased Towards Your Cousin

Nanny Liu’s face scrunched up with a smile. She held the thick stack of papers and read through it carefully. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but as she read, she couldn’t help but be shocked and impressed.

When she was young, she had helped Old Madam manage the household and was the most capable person by her side. Now that she was old, she was still helping to manage the residence. She was the most experienced person. Eldest Miss’s strategy of centralizing and dividing the power seemed a little bold and presumptuous at first glance, but the lives of the servants were in the hands of their masters, so they could not be rash. The profits and losses of the manor were all borne by the stewards, so there was no need to worry about the residence suffering losses. If the manor did not do a good job, they could also be dealt with openly and stop the losses in time.

Nanny Liu couldn’t help but be shocked. “I think Eldest Miss’s method of managing the family is feasible, but I think some of it needs to be more detailed…”

This was the reason why Yu Youyao had specially looked for Nanny Liu.

Nanny Liu had been in charge of the household for many years, so there was nothing in the house that she did not know. With Nanny Liu’s input, it would be more thorough and perfect.

The two of them discussed for almost an hour. When they were done, they realized that Old Madam Yu was sitting quietly on the couch.

Yu Youyao approached her grandmother with a cheerful smile and said in a clear voice, “Grandmother, Grandmother, when did you get up? I didn’t even know.”

Old Madam Yu smiled and held her granddaughter’s hand. “I heard what you discussed with Nanny Liu. Tell me quickly, which expert is guiding you.”

It wasn’t that she looked down on her granddaughter. How could she, who had just been in charge of the family for a day, think of such a method?

Yu Youyao stuck out her tongue. “Grandmother, you know the answer. Who else could it be other than Cousin?!”

Old Madam Yu laughed and pinched the tip of her granddaughter’s nose. “Your cousin has great talent. If it weren’t for his broken leg, he wouldn’t be missing out on such a brilliant talent. Even the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo can’t be the first.”

At the mention of Song Mingzhao, Old Madam Yu’s expression froze slightly, and even her gaze deepened.

Her granddaughter’s face had grown, and her figure had also grown. She exuded a delicate aura, and her every move was elegant. She was like a painting. Even the princesses and princesses she had seen in the palace in the past were not as good as her. It was obvious that Nanny Xu had taught her to become a noble daughter.

Yao Yao would be ten years old next month. She should plan ahead…

She suddenly remembered how Old Madam Song had openly shown that she liked Yao Yao back at the Precious Peace Temple. Old Madam Yu suddenly tightened her grip on her prayer beads.

Upon hearing the words “Song Mingzhao,” Yu Youyao’s heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips and said, “Heir Song is a young and talented man, and he’s in high spirits. However, Cousin is as sharp as a knife. Even if his legs are inconvenient, he’s still like a piece of jade. Grandmother, you’re not allowed to talk about Cousin’s legs.”

Old Madam Yu could tell that she was defending her cousin, so she couldn’t help but laugh again. “You’re praising your cousin so much. You little ingrate, I always take care of you, but you’re biased towards your cousin.”

Yu Youyao threw herself into her grandmother’s arms and wheedled, “Grandmother, you’re not allowed to wrong me. When I came over just now, I didn’t forget to bring you the new tea I made previously. I was worried that you would get tired of the tea from before and wanted you to try something new. Look, I’ve been thinking about you all the time.”

Old Madam Yu tilted her head to take a look. Indeed, there was a blue and white porcelain box on the table. She smiled so widely that her eyes couldn’t be seen. “At least I didn’t dote on you for nothing.” With that, she hugged her delicate granddaughter again. “I’m more than happy to see you getting along with your cousin.”

If Zhou Linghuai could think of Yao Yao, with his personality and methods, he would definitely be able to protect her in the future. Now that Yao Yao had grown stronger, she no longer had to worry about her.

Old Madam Yu lowered her head and looked at her granddaughter’s beautiful eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. “Your Grandmother Song sent me a letter a few days ago. She said that she had been eating your pear paste recipe for a while, and her cough has indeed improved a lot. She even asked me to thank you.”

Yu Youyao was very happy. “It’s great that Grandmother Song is feeling better.”

Her tone was completely sincere. Old Madam Yu lowered her eyes and stared at the prayer beads. “Your Grandmother Song has suffered a lot from coughing all these years. We’ve been friends for many years, so I naturally hope that she’ll be well. The health enhancing tea you made is also not bad. Why don’t you get someone to send some over?”

Relationships were always developed through mutual interaction. After a long time, feelings would develop.

Yu Youyao was a little unwilling, but since her grandmother had already asked, there was no reason for her to refuse. “Okay, get Xia Tao to send a few boxes over later. Grandmother can send them as she sees fit.”

It was fine to give it away without spiritual dewdrops. Although the effect would be weaker, drinking it often was also extremely good for the body.

Her father had been drinking medicinal tea recently, so he felt better. A few days ago, he had asked Wen Zhu to come over and get a few boxes.

Old Madam Yu nodded and changed the topic. “Tell me how you plan to manage the family.”

Yu Youyao quickly handed over a stack of papers. Her grandmother was the mistress, and her horizons were different from Nanny Xu’s. Naturally, she had to show her grandmother her idea.

Old Madam Yu could tell that Zhou Linghuai had come up with the idea, but she knew very well that this was her granddaughter’s interpretation.

The servants in the residence had made mistakes, damaged things, broken the rules, and had dirty hands. How should they be dealt with one by one?

In the past, it was always the steward who asked his master for instructions and dealt with it himself. However, now that there were clear rules, the rules of the residence were greater than that of the steward’s words.

How should they divide the profits of different segments and reward the stewards?

If there were losses, how should they be punished?

There were dividends every month and quarter. The benefits of being in charge were obvious. The premise was that the managers could do real work and benefit the residence.

Every month, if a steward did not do a good job, he would be warned three times. If he still could not make a profit, he would be fired and investigated!

Those who harmed the interests of the Yu Residence and made major mistakes would be severely punished.

The people-in-charge had the right to manage the servants but the servants had the right to report, denounce and praise them. Those who reported wrongdoings would be rewarded.

The main family, the stewards, and the people working under them would supervise and keep each other in check.

It was a three layered relationship!

The pros and cons were all tightly intertwined. If one was involved, it would affect the entire structure. If anyone was dishonest and wanted to play any tricks, they would not be able to avoid the two sides.

Old Madam Yu was already very satisfied. She took a closer look and gave her a few pointers. “Since we’re going to make rules, we have to make the rules bigger, so that others won’t feel that it’s not a big deal. In the afternoon, when the stewards of the manor enter the residence, you can discuss the rules with them and listen to their opinions.”