Chapter 530 - 524_1
The village chief also understood Zhao Erhu’s meaning, "Of course, of course, Erhu, you’re willing to take them in out of your sense of benevolence. If anyone still causes trouble with no gratitude, not only will you have my backing in kicking them out, but I won’t forgive them either."
"With your words, I have no more worries." After seeing off the village chief, such a trivial matter didn’t require his personal attention. Zhao Erhu handed the task over to Manager Liu Aniu and didn’t bother with it anymore. His wife was right, the household had servants to take care of these minor things. There was no need for him to do everything himself; as the household’s affairs increased, it would be impossible to manage everything. He needed to learn how to utilize his people.
Thinking this, Zhao Erhu turned back towards the inner courtyard. He had just reached the entrance when a maid dressed in green collided with him headlong. Fortunately, his quick reflexes allowed him to dodge; the maid had rushed at him so quickly that she ended up falling to the ground.
Apart from his own wife, Zhao Erhu had little sympathy for other women. The maid on the ground, expecting Zhao Erhu to help her up, was met with indifference, as he simply acted as if he hadn’t seen her, furrowing his brow in evident annoyance at her clumsiness.
"Master, I’ve hurt my foot and can’t get up. Could you please help me?" The maid’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she looked at Zhao Erhu with hopeful eyes, a picture of vulnerability. Upon closer inspection, the face of the maid was none other than Lun Qin from the embroidery room. He wasn’t sure how she had ended up there; the embroidery room wasn’t in this vicinity, and maids like her weren’t allowed to just wander into the inner courtyard. It was likely that she bumped into Zhao Erhu at the courtyard gate for this reason.
Hearing Lun Qin’s plea, Zhao Erhu’s frown deepened. No matter what the maid’s intentions were, it was clear that she wouldn’t be easy to deal with. Displeased, Zhao Erhu scolded her in a stern voice, "Which room’s maid are you, to be so unruly and reckless?"
"Master, I am Lun Qin, from the embroidery room. Don’t you remember me, Master? I even passed on a message to Manager Liu in the front courtyard for you last time, and the time before that, I served you tea," Lun Qin said, hoping Zhao Erhu would remember her, looking at him earnestly, as if trying to evoke his memory.
No matter what Lun Qin said, Zhao Erhu had no recollection of her, and his tone remained harsh, "Regardless of which room you serve in, go back and relearn the rules. The inner courtyard is not a place for just anyone to enter. If I catch you being this unruly again, I will have Madam Xu sell you off."