Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After Hua Steward left, Li Xia picked up the book again and read through it quickly. She felt somewhat aggrieved after reading the contents. She then took the plan to the main hall with these thoughts. Mrs. Lu was having tea. Li Xin was sitting to the side going over the account books.

Li Xia walked in, paid her respects to Mrs. Lu, stated her purpose and handed the plan to Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu took a look and glanced at Li Xia. Although Li Xia did not manage much, Hua Steward was her subordinate. Mrs. Lu knew Hua Steward had a steady personality and was diligent with her work. Mrs. Lu nodded to herself, approving of Hua Steward's thoroughness. Starting with the housekeeper, Mrs. Lu's perspective on Li Xia was also changing.

Li Xia's trusting attitude in employing people made Mrs. Lu look at her in a new light.

"The plan is good, proceed with it," Mrs. Lu closed the booklet.

Li Xia took the plan to the embroidery room to find Hua Steward. Hua Steward was arranging work for the embroidery maids. Seeing Li Xia come over, she put down her work and said, "Second young mistress."

"Mother has approved your plan, arrange for people to carry it out," Li Xia returned the plan to Hua Steward.

Hua Steward was elated that Mrs. Lu approved of the plan she proposed. She busily arranged for people to get to work. Li Xia glanced around the neat and orderly embroidery room managed well by Hua Steward, with everyone attending to their own duties. In her heart, she admired Mrs. Lu for picking capable people.

She turned and went back to her own Iris Courtyard to lie down. "Waking up early to work hard this morning really tired me out," she said as she closed her eyes.

Qiu Shui at her side saw her own young miss finding yet another excuse to be lazy, and felt very helpless. She took a thin blanket and carefully covered Li Xia, then turned to leave to prepare food. The first thing Li Xia would want upon waking was food.

Li Ming gave Mrs. Lu the proper respect due, repaying kindness with kindness. Mrs. Lu arranged for Li Shan to take over management of the kitchen from Li Xin. Li Xin was already familiar with kitchen affairs, so there was no need to keep worrying over it. Li Xin readily handed over the kitchen to Li Shan without any reluctance.

Taking over the kitchen compared to Li Xia's embroidery room, Li Shan felt she had taken on much greater responsibility. She held her little face high every day heading to the kitchen. Aunt Wang was also happy that Li Shan was in charge of the kitchen. In her perspective, the kitchen managed the entire rear court's meals, there was much to be done there, and most importantly the profits there were substantial. Putting her own people in charge, they would be able to skim ample benefits for themselves, mother and daughter fantasized.

"Winter radishes and cabbages can't compare to delicious meat," Li Xia said. Cultivating her abilities required massive amounts of energy. The energy provided by vegetables couldn't compare to meat.

Li Xin laughed again. When she was with Li Xia she really couldn't help but laugh, relaxing her mood.

"Is your mood better now?" Li Xia's words made Li Xin murmur in agreement. Those complications of social relationships really made Li Xin distressed, at a loss for how to handle them well.

In Li Xia's perspective, Li Xin didn't need to be so distressed or cautious about it at all. With Mrs. Lu present, Li Xin should let go and try things out. Making mistakes was no big deal.

"You don't know, just the day before yesterday mother told me about the taboos of the Prefect, but just yesterday when preparing the new year gifts, I violated the Prefect's taboos. If it wasn't for mother carefully checking, who knows what would have happened!" Just thinking about it made Li Xin feel awful inside. Yesterday she had prepared gift lists for three nobles, but had accidentally switched the jade Buddha to be gifted to the Prefect's estate with the purple sandalwood rooster that was supposed to go to another elder's estate.

"This is just a trivial thing," in Li Xia's eyes it wasn't a mortal mistake, everything was trivial and needn't be taken to heart.

"It was careless and negligent of me," Li Xin felt very guilty to think she could be so careless.

Li Xia hadn't noticed before that Li Xin was such a perfectionist. "Nobody's perfect, don't be so harsh on yourself. Those people's preferences, you can't possibly remember them all immediately. Besides, you have so many maidservants around you."

What Li Xia said here made Li Xin suddenly recall a situation she had noticed yesterday. Perhaps it wasn't that she had remembered wrong herself, but someone taking advantage of her impatience to make her remember incorrectly.

"Xiaxia, you're right. I've been too harsh on myself. I'll go relax now," Li Xin said as she got up to leave.

Watching Li Xin depart, Li Xia closed her eyes to rest. Some people overreached themselves, and would have to get their claws chopped off. Not a few days later, during a night patrol Mrs. Lu discovered some people gambling, and captured a few servant women. She directly sold off those maidservants.

Hearing about this, Qiu Shui, as the head maidservant of the Iris Courtyard, warned all the courtyard's maidservants and maids to behave themselves and work diligently, not gamble. Discovered offenders would be immediately reported to the madam for sale. The lazy maidservants and maids of the Iris Courtyard became more diligent. As mistress of the Iris Courtyard, Li Xia didn't actually manage the courtyard's maids much. They could do as they wished after completing their duties. The servants accompanied the mistress, the courtyard's servants didn't have ambition, and lived comfortably in the Iris Courtyard, unwilling to leave.