When wet nurse Wu appeared before everyone, they were all startled.
The Wu who was originally of decent appearance and spoke gently was gone. In her place was an emaciated, extremely aged wet nurse Wu. Her appearance hadn't changed, but her spirit and vitality had greatly diminished. Her cheeks were gaunt, her hair streaked with gray, making her look more than ten years older.
Li Man'er even specifically asked her to roll up her sleeves twice, inadvertently exposing the wounds on her arm for everyone to see clearly.
Madam Cui also felt an irrepressible anger upon seeing wet nurse Wu. She wasn't demeaning herself by bickering with a servant; she was angry at Madam Guo, who had the ability to stir up trouble but not to quell it!
Half a year’s time, and it was incredibly easy to kill someone. But what had she done? Not only had she let wet nurse Wu live this long, but she had also allowed her to appear before them in such a wretched state. Truly…
Incompetent at success, but adept at failure.
"I see this is wet nurse Wu?"
"Grandmother's eyesight is truly sharp. It is indeed wet nurse Wu."
Although wet nurse Wu had spent half a year in the countryside, tempering her character and changing her appearance, her etiquette and the backbone ingrained in her very being had not changed in the slightest.
"This servant greets the Old Madam." Wet nurse Wu respectfully knelt and kowtowed to Madam Cui. She hadn't seen Madam Cui for too long, and a single curtsy wasn't enough.
"Get up quickly!" Madam Cui squinted, feigning an appraisal of wet nurse Wu. "Why have you become so thin? Is the food at the estate not to your liking?"
Wet nurse Wu was not a fool and understood Madam Cui's intentions perfectly. She immediately said, "Your Ladyship's concern is noted, it is this servant's fault. The countryside is indeed pleasant, but this servant has been worried about the eldest young lady, unable to eat or sleep soundly, which is why I have become so thin."
"You are a sentimental person. Now that you have returned, serve by Man'er's side diligently."
"Yes."
"Get up!"
Wet nurse Wu rose and returned to stand behind Li Man'er. Since she had already made her appearance, the rest of the matter now depended on the eldest young lady.
Yun Xiu personally served tea to Li Man'er and then said, "Old Madam, dinner is ready. Why don't we have it here? The eldest young lady has had a tiring day; please allow her to dine here."
Madam Cui preferred tranquility and rarely kept guests for meals. This time, when Yun Xiu brought it up, she did not object and even instructed wet nurse Wang, "Tell the kitchen to prepare two extra dishes."
Such a matter did not require wet nurse Wang to go personally. A wet nurse standing outside immediately went to relay the message.
Someone brought hot water and wrung out a towel to wipe Li Man'er's hands.
Yun Xiu thought for a moment and then offered the hand cream Madam Cui usually used, "Young lady, please use this. It has a magnolia scent, which the Old Madam favors."
Zi Yan quickly took it, unscrewed the lid, scooped out a bit, and applied it to Li Man'er's hands, gently massaging it in.
Madam Cui glanced towards the doorway. Wet nurse Wang understood implicitly and led everyone out of the room.
Yun Xiu and Zi Yan also left, leaving only wet nurse Wu with Li Man'er.
"You have returned from a long journey, and you have come to me without even changing your clothes. Is there something of great importance?"
In the past, Madam Cui would have assumed Li Man'er was coming to stand up for wet nurse Wu and would certainly cause a scene. Finding it troublesome, she would likely have refused to see her.
However, the current Li Man'er might not act that way. If she had wanted to cause a ruckus, she would have done so when wet nurse Wu was speaking; there would be no need to wait until now.
"Grandmother, as soon as I returned, I heard that Father has woken up, and my heart was filled with joy. Originally, I should have gone to see Father first, but I was worried that his body might be disturbed. I thought I would go tomorrow. However, there is one matter of utmost importance that I must tell you immediately."
"Speak, I am listening!" Madam Cui was also very curious.
Li Man'er took out the two account books belonging to Su Hai and handed them to wet nurse Wang.
When wet nurse Wang saw the account books, her eyelids involuntarily twitched. She held the books and presented them to Madam Cui, opening them one by one.
Madam Cui, a capable manager in her youth, understood the two account books clearly within a few glances.
"Are these the accounts for the Xiao Wang Estate?"
"Yes!" Li Man'er said, "This is Mother's dowry estate, and by all rights, I should not interfere. However, the estate has clearly switched to growing watermelons, which are high-yield and profitable, yet that fellow surnamed Su insists it is still growing grain and wheat. Truly despicable."
"You, why did you not report this to your mother before making a decision? Taking out the account books first is not very proper."
Li Man'er, however, retorted, "Not only did I take the account books, but I also brought back the steward Su Hai and the estate manager Ge Dazhuang and his brother!"
"Ah?" Madam Cui was somewhat taken aback, but then she reconsidered. Li Man'er was no longer the same as before; how could she act rashly? There might be something else going on.
Wet nurse Wang understood Madam Cui's thoughts best and said, "Eldest young lady, why did you tie them up? This might be difficult to explain to Madam."
"Why wouldn't I tie them up? If these people were not brought back, a major incident might have occurred. Grandmother, you do not know, that Su Hai is so audacious that he actually collected seventy percent of the rent instead of the agreed-upon sixty percent. Not only that, but he also extorted a ten percent 'hush fee' from the tenant farmers, leaving them with only twenty percent of the produce."
Li Man'er sighed helplessly, "Even if it were just this, I wouldn't be so angry. There are so many poor people in the world, how can I possibly care for them all? No matter how black-hearted Su Hai is, he is Mother's steward, a servant of the Guo family, and it is not for me to reprimand him. However, Grandmother, these people are acting under the name of the Marquis's mansion! Su Hai forbids the tenant farmers from selling their melons outside, fearing they will leak information. He sells the collected melons at a high price, but only gives the tenant farmers grain in return. At the end of the year, they don't see a single copper. Su Hai is not just lining his own pockets; he is committing evil deeds under the banner of our Iron Gallant Marquis's mansion! How far is Xiao Wang Estate from the capital? If your father's enemies learn of this, they will surely make a big fuss."
As Li Man'er spoke, she observed Madam Cui's expression. Seeing Madam Cui gnashing her teeth, she inwardly chuckled.
"Grandmother, just as the saying goes, three men talking about a tiger can make one believe there's a tiger. Others can simply spread rumors, and they will be distorted into tales of our Marquis's mansion bullying the common people. But this estate is Mother's estate, and these people are from the Guo family. What does this have to do with us? I was forced to tie up those three people because if this matter is not resolved, it is likely to escalate into something much larger."
Who would care if this estate belonged to the Guo family? They would only say that the Guo family had also leveraged the Li family's influence. In the end, the stigma of oppressing the populace would still fall upon the Iron Gallant Marquis's mansion.
Madam Cui's ears were filled with anger. She slammed the table violently, "Where are they? Bring them to me to see."