This attitude clearly treated Qi Zhenzhen as someone just going through the motions.
"Grandmother won't blame me, but I'll blame myself. If I have no ability to manage affairs, how can I head the household in the future?" Qi Zhenzhen said slowly. "Steward Sun, I am alone and weak, with no elders to support me, so I must do everything myself. I've finally gotten such an opportunity to learn, and to waste it, not only to disappoint Grandmother's good intentions, but also to let myself down, and Grandmother down. If I go to the Duke's mansion knowing nothing, it will disgrace our Marquis's mansion."
Steward Sun was stunned. Was she going to take charge?
"Then how does Second Miss want to proceed?" Steward Sun asked.
"I definitely want to make a good showing," Qi Zhenzhen said unhurriedly. "How many people are available in the storeroom? Give me a list, indicating what each person is good at. Can you finish it in fifteen minutes? If not, call the people over, and I'll make the list myself."
"Including this old servant, there are twenty-six people. Our storeroom needs to be watched day and night, so we have two shifts. Including this old servant, there are thirteen people who can be gathered now," Steward Sun replied.
"Are those thirteen people resting? If not, call them all out. Just tell them that if they follow instructions, they will be given triple the wages, settled that day," Qi Zhenzhen instructed. "Steward Sun, do you think they would be willing?"
The servants watching the storeroom earn one tael and two qian of silver a month, which is one thousand two hundred qian, or forty qian a day. Giving them triple would be one hundred and twenty qian. Why wouldn't they be willing? It would just mean a little less sleep. Although they still had to be on duty at night, it wasn't a big problem. They could be divided into two groups, one for the first half of the night and one for the second half, and still get some sleep.
"Alright, Second Miss has spoken. This old servant will go and gather everyone now."
Steward Sun was very efficient. Soon, everyone had arrived.
Ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones were all prepared. Fei Xu immediately began recording what each person was good at. It was done in less than fifteen minutes.
Among the twenty-six people, ten were literate and numerate, which was quite unexpected for Qi Zhenzhen. Then she understood; items entering the storeroom needed to be registered, and items leaving also needed to be recorded. If they couldn't write or calculate, they couldn't do the job.
Qi Zhenzhen arranged the tasks in an orderly manner.
Steward Sun frowned as she listened.
"Second Miss, a major inventory usually only happens every few years and requires a large amount of manpower. How can these few people possibly get it done?" Steward Sun regretted calling everyone over to take orders. If anything went wrong, Second Miss would be fine, but the consequences would fall on her as the steward. She wouldn't get any good treatment then.
"I've looked through the items in the storeroom. They can be categorized into furniture, medicinal herbs, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, books, fabrics, and finally, gold, silver, jade, jewelry, and other ornamental items. We have twenty-six people. Steward Sun, you don't need to step forward; just oversee the overall situation. The remaining twenty-five people can be divided into groups, with each group responsible for one category. The courtyard outside the storeroom is large enough to hold everything if it's cleared."
"It can hold them, but what if it rains? It's summer, and the weather can change in an instant," Steward Sun said.
The slow speed of inventory was often related to the weather. The items in the storeroom could not get wet, so they always occupied covered areas like the corridors. The corridors were not very large, and could only hold a limited amount of items, so they had to clear one section before moving to another.
Qi Zhenzhen looked up at the sky. "It's fine. It won't rain today. Work faster. Do as I say, and one day will be enough to complete the inventory."
"Looking at Second Miss like this, she even knows how to observe the sky?" Steward Sun's tone was openly mocking, and she felt even less favorably towards Qi Zhenzhen, believing she was just there to cause trouble.
"I know a little, why does Steward Sun doubt me?" Qi Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and asked.
"How can Second Miss, a young lady from the inner chambers, be interested in these things? Moreover, I've never heard of any young ladies in our mansion hiring a tutor skilled in astronomy and geography." Steward Sun was determined to stop this young lady from making a fuss, and her words were somewhat impolite.
"Steward Sun knows the affairs of this mansion very well? Then you should know that I haven't always been in the mansion." Qi Zhenzhen was not angered. "Does Steward Sun have foresight and know what I did and learned when I was in the mansion?"
Steward Sun was taken aback. "This old servant does not know."
"Then that's that. Hurry and get them to work," Qi Zhenzhen said casually. "Trust me, if you handle the items in this storeroom as I've described, it will be done in half a day. Moreover, Steward Sun, you should know that if you organize them by category as I've said, it will be much easier for you to take inventory in the future, find things faster, and also prevent waste."
Steward Sun nodded subconsciously. Indeed, that was true. Not to mention anything else, take the medicinal herbs for example. They weren't better for being stored longer; on the contrary, some stored for many years had lost their efficacy, or even became moldy and hairy, and were eventually declared scrap and discarded. Then there were the fabrics. When they were put in, they were fashionable patterns made of good material. After a few years, the patterns and styles became outdated, and the fabric was no longer as strong. They were also disposed of carelessly in the end.
Even so, Steward Sun still dared not accept Qi Zhenzhen's assignment.
What if it rained?
This person was truly stubborn. Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help it. "How about this, I'll go with Steward Sun to Chaohui Hall and ask the Old Madam before making a decision?"
"Agreed."
After going and returning, Steward Sun didn't say an extra word and immediately directed people to work. She was also pondering that the rumors in the mansion seemed to be true; the Old Madam doted on Qi Yi's full-blooded concubine sister because Qi Yi was the only grandson in the mansion. Otherwise, why would such a major matter be dismissed with just a sentence like, "Listen to Second Miss"?
Qi Zhenzhen watched from the side, satisfied. This Steward Sun was capable and good at coordinating people and managing them.
As it was nearing noon, Qi Zhenzhen bid farewell to Steward Sun and left Fei Xu there. She hurried back to make jelly for the Old Madam.
As agreed beforehand, the jelly was chilled in the well. It was cool but not icy. Paired with sweet and sour fruit preserves, it looked very tempting.
Just as the Old Madam picked up her bowl, Qi Mingzhu arrived. She appeared calm and composed, but the triumph in her eyes could not be concealed.
"Grandmother, I have finished the task you assigned me," Qi Mingzhu said with a smile. "Seeing Second Sister here, she must have also finished her task. Second Sister is intelligent and very efficient; I must admit I am not as good."
Although she said this, Qi Zhenzhen did not see any reduction in the triumph on her face. She must have been keeping an eye on Qi Zhenzhen's side and said this only after knowing she hadn't finished.
In two words, hypocrisy.