A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 37.1

“Countess, A’Zhi, you’re back.” Cui Cui had been standing in the courtyard and her eyes lit up when she saw the two of them return.

When Chao Mu saw the expression on her face, her eyes widened as well, and she held up her skirt and hurried over. She walked softly, her eyes on the courtyard, and knelt down to ask Cui Cui, “How many did you catch?”

A’Zhi, following behind Chao Mu, thought to herself, if they even caught one, she would have lost the bet. How many?

Cui Cui paused, unable to bear crushing Chao Mu’s hopes. She hesitated, fidgeting, and then held up one finger.

Chao Mu’s eyes were bright. “One!” she said happily. She wasn’t greedy. One was fine, too.

Cui Cui shook her finger from side to side, shrugging her shoulders and shrinking her neck as she whispered, “Not even one.”

Chao Mu’s face fell.

The little countess’s spirits visibly dropped. She hugged her knees, her long, thick eyelashes lowered as she looked toward the basket, like a fresh, leafy vegetable that had instantly been drained of all its moisture.

The courtyard was exactly as she had left it. The only difference was that a new layer of white snow had covered everything.

When A’Zhi saw her, she pursed her lips and looked at Cui Cui, sighing helplessly. “There weren’t any? Why did you get her hopes up?”

Cui Cui felt guilty. “I just wanted to cheer the countess up.”

“Is she happy now?”

“…No.” Cui Cui’s eyes welled up with tears. She was flustered by the dejected countess, not knowing how to comfort her, and she looked to A’Zhi for help.

A’Zhi lifted her skirt and knelt beside Chao Mu, resting her hands on her knees. She spoke carefully. “The countess’s original intention was to feed the sparrows that are struggling to find food in the winter, not to catch them. At least that goal was accomplished, right?”

Chao Mu’s gaze returned to A’Zhi.

A’Zhi smiled faintly and spoke softly to soothe her. “Every sparrow that ate today will be grateful to the countess. You gave them a feast in this cold winter.”

Cui Cui nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yes, yes! There were so many sparrows just now. They only flew away after they were full.” She knew they shouldn’t have scattered so much grain outside the basket. The sparrows were already full, so how could they be foolish enough to go into the basket?

Chao Mu just tilted her head and asked, “What if A’Zhi was a sparrow? Would A’Zhi remember me?”

A’Zhi paused, looked at the basket, and then at the grain scattered on the ground. She clenched her fingers, her breath held, and her lips twitched into a slow nod. “Of course I would remember.” She felt as if she finally understood who that basket was truly for.

Chao Mu’s eyes curved slightly. “Good.” She said to Cui Cui, “From now on, put a few more small plates in the courtyard with some grain in them every day for the sparrows passing by to eat.”

Cui Cui happily agreed. “Okay.” She knew A’Zhi would have a way to cheer the countess up.

The basket was put away, and the grain from the ground was divided and placed in various spots around the courtyard.

Chao Mu untied her purse and took out two taels of silver, giving one to A’Zhi and one to Cui Cui. “A tael for each of you. A bet is a bet.”

Though Chao Mu had spent two taels today, she had gained all of Qi Shilei’s wealth.

The accountant came with his ledger and abacus to settle the accounts with the countess. “After estimating the price of all the land deeds, shops, jewelry, and antiques, the total comes to 135,890 taels of silver.”

This was only what was left, not including what they had spent so freely over the years. It was clear how much the Qi Shilei couple had embezzled during their more than a decade in the capital.

Chao Mu sat at the table and looked at the ledger. All of these assets were now in the Qi manor’s public account. “Make a copy of our ledger, and then give this ledger, along with the estate ledgers and the list of officials that Madame Zhou wrote down, to the Capital Magistrate’s Office.”

This time, it was a “full audit” of the Qi manor. Everything was out in the open, clean and aboveboard. In the future, if anyone tried to use “forming a clique to conspire with officials,” or “raising a private army to plot rebellion” to slander the Qi manor, they would only be shooting themselves in the foot. After all, not many people knew the details of this audit.

The accountant agreed. “Yes.” Seeing that there was nothing else to do here, the accountant prepared to pack up the ledger and leave.

Chao Mu leaned forward and looked outside. Seeing A’Zhi and Cui Cui talking, she blinked at the accountant, gesturing for him to lean closer. The accountant didn’t understand, but he did as he was told. He wondered if the countess didn’t trust A’Zhi and Cui Cui and had something to say that she wanted to keep from them.

Chao Mu covered her lips with one hand and whispered, “For an ordinary family, how much do you think their annual expenses are?”

“Huh?” The accountant was completely caught off guard by the question.

He also covered his mouth and calculated for Chao Mu. “For an ordinary person with a decent life, the average annual cost is about ten taels of silver per person.” This was for basic needs, not including things like jewelry, cosmetics, or entertainment—just food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

“If they have a family, the cost would increase significantly. For example, a child’s expenses.” They had to be fed and clothed, and when they were young and couldn’t earn money, they were just another mouth to feed. When the child got older, they would need to find a school and a tutor, which also cost money. And all of these expenses were based on the premise that they had a land deed, which meant a place to live, and that the family had some form of livelihood to make ends meet.

If they didn’t have a permanent residence, the accountant thought for a moment. “Including the cost of renting, it would probably be around fifteen taels.” If they wanted a better life, the more money, the better.

Chao Mu used her fingers to calculate A’Zhi’s small fortune. The day she got the estate’s ledger, she gave A’Zhi 1,010 taels. After the manor banquet, she gave her 125 taels. She also gave her an extra tael for the servants. With A’Zhi’s cautious and wary nature, the most she would have embezzled for herself was five taels!

Chao Mu quickly tallied up A’Zhi’s entire fortune, even down to how many sets of clothes she had. In terms of just money, she had about 1,200 taels.

“Isn’t it almost time for us to get our monthly wages?” Chao Mu remembered something.

The accountant nodded. “Yes, they will be given out tomorrow.” From ten in the morning until around eight in the evening, the servants who were supposed to receive their wages would go and get them when they had free time. The last time, she said that everyone’s monthly wage would increase by one tael. That meant A’Zhi, as the head maid, who originally had a monthly wage of five taels, now had six.

“A’Zhi is fifteen this year,” Chao Mu said. “Assuming A’Zhi lives to be 115 and spends ten taels a month, that’s just enough.” She even calculated her burial funds.

“What if Miss A’Zhi gets married and has children?” the accountant added, reminding her. “Even if the family only has three people, the monthly expenses will be more than ten taels.”

As soon as the accountant said this, he saw Chao Mu looking at him coolly. The accountant immediately closed his mouth and lowered his head. “…”

Chao Mu’s cheeks puffed up, looking a little displeased. “Just ten taels. That’s enough for her to spend on herself.” If there were others, they could go eat the north wind! In any case, she wouldn’t spend A’Zhi’s money.

Seeing that Chao Mu had no other questions, the accountant left with his things.

A’Zhi passed him, paused, and then walked into the room. “Countess, what would you like for dinner tonight?”

Chao Mu rested her hands on her chin and spoke slowly. “I want to eat the north wind.”

A’Zhi was puzzled. The manor just received a large sum of money. We can’t possibly be so poor that we have to eat the north wind, can we? Or… does the little countess want to try something new?

A’Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Well, in that case, I’ll go open all the windows so the countess can have a taste of the north wind.”

She made to open the window, but Chao Mu immediately reached out and grabbed her sleeve, her cheeks puffed out. She glared at her with her dewy, apricot-shaped eyes and said sullenly, “You’re a bad A’Zhi.”

A’Zhi felt innocent and wronged. All she was doing was fulfilling the little sweetheart’s request. How did that make her a bad person?

Chao Mu, however, let go of her sleeve and propped her chin in her hands. “A’Zhi, I’m going to the Imperial Academy the day after tomorrow.”

“What about tomorrow?” A’Zhi asked.

Chao Mu glanced at her, then again. She pursed her dry lips and lowered her eyelashes, saying softly, “Chen Yue sent me an invitation for tomorrow, asking me to come play at her manor.”

A’Zhi had been so busy all day that she had completely forgotten. She didn’t remember anyone from the Chen manor coming to deliver an invitation. She simply assumed it was her own oversight. “Okay, then I’ll go prepare the gifts for your visit and the things you’ll need to take with you.”

With the manager gone, everyone came to A’Zhi for everything, treating her as the next manager. This had made A’Zhi extremely busy. Just a moment ago, Cui Cui had even asked her if she was going to be the new manager.

“Countess, now that Qi Shilei has been arrested, the Qi manor is short a manager,” A’Zhi said thoughtfully. “What do you think about having Chen Cheng take over?” This time, whether it was the audit or the arrest of Qi Shilei, Chen Cheng had shown a maturity beyond his years. In addition, his personality was smooth but not vulgar, and he was smart with a clear moral bottom line. He was very suitable to be the Qi manor’s manager. Although his qualifications and age might be a bit young and immature, he deserved a chance to grow. A’Zhi believed Chen Cheng could do a good job.

In truth… if the manager’s duties weren’t so numerous, A’Zhi would have done it herself. She was already busy enough taking care of the little countess and didn’t have the energy to manage everyone else in the manor.

Chao Mu was actually thinking the same thing, but she hadn’t gotten around to giving the order yet. Her finger tapped the rim of the teacup in front of her. She wanted to ask A’Zhi: “The manager position has been filled, but what about the head maid? Are you going to leave and have Cui Cui take your place?” She knew A’Zhi and Cui Cui had been talking for a long time outside just now and guessed they were discussing the transfer of duties.

But Chao Mu pursed her lips and said nothing.

“A’Zhi, you don’t have to come with me tomorrow. Just have Cui Cui go,” Chao Mu said softly, looking at A’Zhi. “I’ve prepared a gift for you for tomorrow and left it with the accountant. I hope you’ll like it.”

A’Zhi’s back straightened instantly, and her delicate, pleasant face brightened. It must be her deed of servitude. It had to be.

Seeing her so happy, a faint smile curved Chao Mu’s lips, like watching a hungry sparrow eat its fill. She felt a bit of satisfaction in her heart.

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