plumnovel Chapter 6 Butler Xiao
Chapter 6 Butler Xiao
Several days later, in the herb garden, Du Fan held a piece of plant root in his hand, stared at it for a long time, and then put it down.
"After rearranging, the growth rate of herbs can be increased by 30%; after using motherwort and other plants as companion plants, the growth rate is increased by another 30%; finally, the fertilizer made from animals increases the growth rate by a full 40%."
So now, the growth rate of these medicinal herbs has doubled compared to before. However, this is not the limit; there is still room for improvement.
Faced with the research results of the past month, Du Fan did not show any satisfaction, but instead fell into deep thought.
Little Tiger, standing to the side, was stuffing chicken legs into his mouth with both hands, completely oblivious to the grease dripping from his mouth onto his clothes.
The chicken leg was no longer stolen from the kitchen; it was bought.
Seeing this, Du Fan smiled slightly and was about to say something when footsteps came from the entrance of the herb garden.
There stood two people, one in front of the other. The one in front was a thin old man in a black brocade robe, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He had an ordinary appearance, but he gave people a sense of authority without anger. His deep and calm eyes seemed to be able to see through everything in the world, and people felt an invisible pressure in front of him.
The man behind him was Liu Neng, the manager of the herb garden. At this moment, he had a solemn and respectful expression, but a sinister look was revealed in his eyes.
The old man in the brocade robe had a slightly gloomy expression. His gaze swept over the little tiger before he began to examine the herb garden. Upon seeing the appearance of the herb garden, his face darkened even more. But after looking at it more closely, he let out a soft exclamation, and a strange light gradually emanated from his pupils.
"Brother Du, this is Steward Xiao." The moment Xiao Hu saw Steward Xiao, his face turned pale, and the chicken leg in his hand fell to the ground. But he didn't care and quietly walked behind Du Fan, whispering a reminder. His voice trembled with fear.
Du Fan nodded almost imperceptibly. Xiao Hu had mentioned Steward Xiao to Du Fan before. This man, Xiao Mingyi, was the head of the Yao family's servants. He was meticulous, shrewd, and in charge of all affairs, big and small, of the Yao family. He was deeply trusted by the Yao family head.
Although this head steward may seem like a servant, his status is actually quite high. Apart from the head of the family, Yao Batian, and his younger brother, Yao Lingtian, he is considered the third most important person in the Yao family. Even the princes and ministers of Tianxiang Kingdom would show him deference.
On one hand, this person holds an extremely high secular status; on the other hand, he is also a cultivator. It is said that he has already reached the third level of the Qi Refining stage, placing him among the pinnacle in the secular world.
The cultivation level of the Yao family patriarch is unknown, and no one outside knows it. His younger brother, Yao Lingtian, is a cultivation prodigy who broke through to the second level of Qi Refining before he turned thirty. There are rumors that this second master of the Yao family will one day surpass Xiao Mingyi.
However, at this time, aside from the mysterious Yao family head, Xiao Mingyi can be said to be the person with the highest cultivation level in the Yao family, and his status is beyond imagination.
He was also the first person Xiaohu told Du Fan to be careful around the Yao family.
Thinking of all this, Du Fan took a deep breath, and Butler Xiao bowed slightly.
"Steward Xiao, that boy is Du Fan. He took it upon himself to make this medicine garden look like this. Please investigate." Liu Neng's eyes flashed, and he spoke the words he had prepared at the right time.
Xiao Mingyi ignored Liu Neng, his expression shifted, and he suddenly raised his hand. A flower-shaped spiritual herb in the distance trembled slightly and shot towards him, landing steadily in his hand.
After observing for a while, Xiao Mingyi's originally calm expression turned to shock, followed by a hint of suspicion. With a flick of his sleeve, the spiritual flower disappeared without a trace.
He raised his hand and beckoned to the herb garden again, and another spiritual herb appeared in his hand. This time, he gazed at it for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before waving his sleeve and putting it away.
Upon seeing Xiao Mingyi's actions, Du Fan remained expressionless, but Xiao Hu behind him was trembling with fear, and Liu Neng also looked tense.
"Steward Xiao, Du Fan has caused a great disaster. This boy is under my jurisdiction, and I also bear responsibility. However, this matter itself has nothing to do with me. I beg Steward Xiao to forgive me in consideration of my years of dedication to the Yao family." Liu Neng's nervousness intensified, and he was already panicking. He knew that his fate was about to be judged.
However, according to his estimation, after several days of his efforts, coupled with his years of experience managing the herb garden, this job is not something that just anyone can take on. He might be punished, but it shouldn't be as serious as he had previously imagined.
Thinking of this, Liu Neng felt a little more at ease, but when he looked at Du Fan again, a hint of resentment flashed across his face.
"Are you sure this has nothing to do with you?" Butler Xiao suddenly turned around and asked Liu Neng with a half-smile.
"Steward Xiao, I, Liu Neng, have been with the Yao family for eighteen years. I have worked diligently and without ever slacking off, and I have never made a mistake. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me. It is all because Du Fan is ignorant and arrogant. You must believe me, I..."
Before Liu Neng could finish speaking, Xiao Mingyi waved his hand to interrupt him, turned to look at Du Fan, and scrutinized him from head to toe.
"Since Manager Liu says he has nothing to do with it, then this matter has nothing to do with Manager Liu." Xiao Mingyi's eyes flickered as he continued to stare at Du Fan, as if trying to see through him. It was unclear who he was speaking to.
"Thank you for your insightful observation, Steward Xiao!" Only now did Liu Neng truly breathe a sigh of relief, and when he looked at Du Fan again, he had a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
"Du Fan, do you have an explanation for this?" Xiao Mingyi asked Du Fan.
"No, this medicinal herb garden was managed by me alone, and has nothing to do with Steward Liu or Xiao Hu," Du Fan replied frankly.
"Alright, listen up. Today I'm promoting you to steward of the Yao family. From now on, you'll be in charge of this medicinal herb garden. All matters and tasks here will no longer need to go through Steward Liu; you'll be under my direct command. Do you understand?" Xiao Mingyi smiled slightly, unexpectedly speaking to everyone present.
Upon hearing Xiao Mingyi's words, Du Fan was visibly taken aback, an expression he rarely displayed, but he still bowed and thanked him.
Liu Neng and Xiao Hu stood there dumbfounded, their minds in complete chaos.
"From now on, you will enjoy all the benefits of being a steward of the Yao family. Tonight, I will send someone to take you to your new residence. However, there is one condition: you are not allowed to leave the manor without my order, or you will die. Do you understand?" Xiao Mingyi's face darkened, and he said something that made Du Fan's heart skip a beat.
"I understand," Du Fan replied solemnly.
Xiao Mingyi nodded slightly, turned around and strode away from the herb garden.
Liu Neng stood there stunned for a moment, but having held a high position for many years, he quickly regained his composure. He secretly regretted his actions; if he had known it would end like this, he would have fought for credit no matter what. Seeing the credit taken by others, even though he had tried so hard to clear himself of it, pained him deeply. When he looked at Du Fan again, his eyes were filled with complex emotions. He snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Du Fan wasn't very interested in the steward, but he was stunned by Xiao Mingyi's feat of retrieving objects from a distance. As a scientist, he wanted to explain everything using scientific principles. If he couldn't explain it, it felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat. Recalling the scene, he fell into thought.
"Brother Du, did I hear that right? Steward Xiao promoted you to steward. You'll no longer be a servant, but someone of high status. I heard that, not counting anything else, your monthly salary will be five taels of silver." After Liu Neng left, Xiao Hu was extremely excited, his face flushed, and he clenched his fists, shouting excitedly.
"We're not short of money, what are you so excited about?" Du Fan's thoughts were interrupted. He glanced at the excited Xiao Hu and said helplessly.
"I'm so excited, Brother Du! Didn't you hear what Steward Xiao said? You'll enjoy all the benefits of a steward. Not only will you have a good monthly salary and live in a nice house, but most importantly, you won't have to put up with Steward Liu's attitude anymore, and you won't have his wages deducted from your pay every month. From now on, you'll be on equal footing with him. I'm benefiting from this too. Let's see who dares to bully me in the future."
Ah Ping, the kitchen handyman, once caught me stealing food and beat me half to death, and even boasted about it to the other handymen; and Da Xiong, the study handyman, once not only beat me for no reason, but also stole three copper coins from me.
"Let's see how these people will bully me now, humph!" Xiao Hu became more and more excited as he spoke, and in the end he was gesturing wildly.
Xiao Hu didn't seem to be saying anything special; he was just recounting some ordinary things. But these words didn't sit well with Du Fan. Xiao Hu was only ten years old, still just a child. As an orphan, being reduced to a servant was already tragic, but he never expected to suffer so much bullying in the Yao family mansion.
Compared to Xiaohu, my childhood was much happier.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright." In a daze, Du Fan suddenly felt that perhaps he could do something in this world.