Chapter 574: Countess Jing'an Takes Over (1)

Chapter 574: Countess Jing'an Takes Over (1)

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What else could Countess Jing’an say? Matriarch He was using her responsibility as a daughter-in-law to pressure her. If she didn’t take over the management of the household, then she would be deemed unfilial.

While standing beside them, Chu Lian frowned slightly. She didn’t understand Matriarch He’s intentions.

Although she wanted to speak up for her mother-in-law, the matriarch and Madam Liu were both her elders. She was in no position to speak right now.

Countess Jing’an was soft-hearted. She didn’t dare to disobey the matriarch upfront. Thus, she reluctantly agreed.

She couldn’t decline because she didn’t have any legitimate reason to refuse.

She hadn’t managed the household in the past because she had been seriously ill and she didn’t have the energy to do it. She had even needed the matriarch’s help to take care of her. However, her health had significantly improved. Since the matriarch had personally requested to hand over the rights of managing the household to her, she didn’t have any good reason to decline.

Countess Jing’an grasped the handkerchief in her hand, stood up, and bobbed towards the matriarch. “Mother, please rest assured. I’ll do my best to manage the household.”

“Hurry and stand up. You’ve just recovered, so there’s no need to keep bowing like that. Well then, I’ll rest easy now that you’ll be taking care of the household affairs. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Muxiang and Miss Ying.” A smile finally appeared on the matriarch’s face.

“I understand.”

Thus, Countess Jing’an returned to her courtyard with several maidservants in tow, each carrying a stack of account books.

Chu Lian followed behind her mother-in-law. She noticed that the countess was frowning deeply, appearing laden with worry. Chu Lian tried to console her. “Mother, you don’t have to worry too much. We don’t have that many people in our estate. There’s only a head steward and an assisting steward in the outer court. There are also plenty of senior servants acting as stewards in the inner court. As long as you keep these people in check and you look over the account books thoroughly, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Countess Jing’an was a little embarrassed. She smiled apologetically at Chu Lian and said, “I’m really useless. At this age, I still need reassurance from a young girl like you. Don’t worry, I’m not that easily fooled. When I married into House Jing’an, I did manage the household for several years.”

“It’s good that Mother thinks of it this way. If you need any help, you can send someone to Songtao Court to find me. I don’t have much to do anyway. Although I’ve never managed a household before, I can help you out.”

Countess Jing’an felt more relaxed after Chu Lian’s offer of help.

She nodded and told her to return to her courtyard to rest.

She patted Chu Lian’s hand and said, “Alright, it’s just some minor household affairs. I have senior servants who can assist me as well, so I’ll be fine. You should concentrate on nourishing your body. I’m still waiting for my grandsons!”

Chu Lian’s face immediately reddened due to her mother-in-law’s words.

She had never thought about having children at such a young age. Back then, she had even thought about finding a nice and quiet place to live out a rural lifestyle in seclusion. However, with the passage of time and the progression of her relationship with He Changdi, she was actually starting to hope that a child would form in her belly as soon as possible.

She and He Changdi could watch their adorable little child grow up, bit by bit. They could raise him or her together.

After sending Chu Lian off with her servants, Madam Liu returned to her own courtyard and headed directly for her study.

She had much to do today, and she wasn’t going to have any free time to take care of her granddaughters. Countess Jing’an sat in front of her desk and flipped open the account books. It didn’t take long before she discovered many suspicious gaps in them.

She was dumbfounded after making a rough calculation of the estate’s assets. Why were there so few stores and properties left in the public accounts?

Judging by these calculations, the monthly income probably wouldn’t even hit five hundred taels…

Moreover, that was under the assumption that the stores were turning a profit…

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