"Master is quite right," Zhao Luoning nodded in agreement. Ji Shisu rolled up his sleeve, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and scribbled a character meaning "hall" beside the name of Nurse Liu on the list.
The characters were bold, powerful, and full of verve.
Zhao Luoning stole a sidelong glance at Ji Shisu's profile. Even when she hated him the most, she had to admit that he had the charm to captivate countless women.
Contrary to what she had imagined, there was a faint, clean fragrance on him. Zhao Luoning could recognize it. It was the incense used to scent clothes in wardrobes. It was subtle and pleasant. People often said, "Stinky men." But he was different. Not only did he carry a pleasant fragrance, but the fragrance also seemed to be imbued with his masculinity.
She must be crazy!
Zhao Luoning's face and ears turned bright red. She couldn't believe that she was starting to develop feelings for Ji Shisu. It was simply abominable.
"Ning'er, what's wrong with you?" Seeing Zhao Luoning's flushed cheeks, Ji Shisu thought she might have caught a cold.
Zhao Luoning blushed even more. She quickly told Caixue to move the candle farther away and explained, "It's just that the candle is too close. I'm fine."
Ji Shisu didn't think much of it. But Rendong, who was standing behind them and saw everything clearly, showed a faint smile that was barely noticeable.
The second young mistress had finally seen the light.
—
The next day
They had stayed up all night and finally finalized the personnel assignments.
At the crowing of the rooster, Caixue brought hot water for them to wash up. Zhao Luoning told Ji Shisu to wash first and then go to rest. She herself made the final adjustments to the list and asked Rendong to make two copies of it.
When the sky was just beginning to lighten, estimating that the nurses had already gotten up, Zhao Luoning ordered Caixue to gather them in the main hall.
Looking at the large crowd below, Zhao Luoning couldn't help but recall the first time she had replaced Zhao Luojing at work and faced the tea farmers.
"You are all experienced people. We all know how important the Old Madam's seventieth birthday is," she said.
After Madam Ye's visit the previous day, everyone treated Zhao Luoning with the utmost respect.
Although Lord Ji was also an official, his prestige couldn't compare to that of the newly - appointed county magistrate, who was a successful candidate in the imperial examination. People were saying that the emperor liked this new scholar very much and would surely promote him in the future.
So their attitudes were much better than in the previous two days.
"Second Young Mistress, just give your orders. We will do our best," someone said.
"Good. Now I'm assigning your respective duties. You must remember them well. If there are any mistakes, not only will it be difficult to explain to Lord and Madam, but I won't let it go easily either," Zhao Luoning said seriously.
Then she told Caixue to count the number of people. After making sure that no one was absent, she gave Caixue a look.
Caixue understood and opened the roster. "When I call your name, please come forward," she said.
"Mrs. Li!"
There was a stir in the crowd. A middle - aged woman in a coarse blue cloth robe pushed her way out of the crowd.
"You will be in charge of procurement. Master and I have assigned ten people to you. You can dispatch them as you like," Zhao Luoning said.
Then a servant handed Mrs. Li a note with the names of the ten people assigned to her.
Finally, Zhao Luoning added, "If your subordinates' laziness delays the work, I will only hold you accountable."
After everything was settled, Caixue continued to read from the roster. "Nurse Wang."
"Here!"
The nurse standing at the front responded and stepped forward.
Zhao Luoning sized her up and said, "You will be in charge of the kitchen. The kitchen has a lot of chores. I'm assigning fifteen people to you. From precious ingredients to firewood and tableware, if there are any shortages, I won't ask anyone else. I'll hold you, the supervisor, responsible first."
Nurse Wang was timid by nature. Zhao Luoning's serious face made her feel a bit nervous. She took the list and quickly stepped back.
"Mrs. Wu."
"Here!"
"Nurse Liu..."
"Present!"
...
After assigning all the personnel, Zhao Luoning looked at the people below. She put away the roster and looked very serious, not like the easy - going person she used to be.
"I've already had people mark all the items in each room. So don't try to take advantage of the situation. If there is any missing item, I'll only ask the supervisor in charge," she warned.
Zhao Luoning knew that during such a big banquet, there would always be some people who tried to steal or be lazy.
She had to establish her authority!
"Those who like to drink and gamble, you'd better behave yourselves these days. I won't punish you, but Master Ji's methods are well - known to all of you. He won't show any mercy," she said.
Zhao Luoning saw several nurses trembling in fear. After all, when she first entered the mansion, Ji Shisu had beaten a servant who had offended her and thrown the servant out of the mansion. This incident had left a deep impression on many people.
Sure enough, it was still effective to mention Ji Shisu.
"Of course, I won't let you work for nothing. I've already submitted today's assignment list to the Old Madam. There will be clear rules about rewards and punishments," she added.
After finishing, Zhao Luoning dismissed the nurses and told them to go and start their work. Then she gathered the maids in her own courtyard.
"You've been with me for some time. You are all the people I trust the most. On the day of the banquet, many unexpected situations may occur. Go wherever you are needed. So your tasks may be much more numerous and important than those in other yards," she said.
The maids in Furongyuan had seen a significant increase in their income since they had been following Zhao Luoning. Moreover, since Zhao Luoning rarely got angry and was easy to serve, they had already regarded themselves as Zhao Luoning's confidants rather than just servants of the Ji Mansion.
One of the bold maids stepped forward and replied, "Second Young Mistress, please rest assured. We will do our best to complete the tasks you assign. We are all on your side."
The other maids and servants also echoed, "On your side."
Although Caixue was used to such scenes, she couldn't help but be touched.
All the silver and effort her young mistress had put in had finally paid off.
"Good. With your words, I feel relieved. But the most urgent thing now is to prepare for the arrival of the county magistrate's wife. Clean up all the places that need to be swept and washed," Zhao Luoning said.
Everyone replied in unison, "Okay."
After finishing all this, Zhao Luoning rubbed her sore shoulders and returned to her room. Ji Shisu was leisurely sipping tea in the room. Seeing her, he smiled and said, "Playing the fox relying on the tiger's might."
Now that everything was arranged, although Zhao Luoning was tired, she was in a good mood. She smiled and took Ji Shisu's teasing in stride. "Yes, yes. I'm just a little fox, relying on you, the big tiger, to protect me!"
"Alright, I'll protect you."
I'll protect you for a lifetime.
Just as they were talking, Caixue walked in with a letter.
"Miss, there's a letter from your family," she said meaningfully. "It was sent by Feixing."
So it must be for Zhao Luojing.
Zhao Luoning opened the letter, and her face suddenly changed.