Manager Lin as it turned out hadn’t gone that far. Chen Haoran and Lan Fen caught him pacing beyond the main entrance of the garden.

“Young Master a moment of your time please,” Manager Lin said. He side-eyed Lan Fen as he spoke. “I have some reports I must go over with you.”

Chen Haoran could see the excuse for what it was. Just as he could see that there was no getting out of speaking with Manager Lin. Still, he had other priorities. Chen Haoran rested his hand on Lan Fen’s back. He felt her stiffen beneath his hand but he deliberately tapped his fingers a few times and she schooled her expression. He’d apologize to her later, he was just hoping he got his meaning across.

“Before that, I was thinking of giving my Lan Fen a stipend,” Chen Haoran said. “I can’t call myself a husband if my wife has no money after all.”

“Husband?” Manager Lin looked so shocked he even forgot to pull his beard. “Wife?”

“Yes married and everything,” Chen Haoran said. “We even had a ceremony.”

While Manager Lin was busy gaping like a fish Lan Fen threaded her arm through his.

“This wife thanks Master Chen,” she said. Her voice was as regal as ever but the words she spoke were so at odds with what he had seen of her that it was hard to reconcile. He just couldn’t imagine the woman who threatened him on their wedding night would ever speak lesser of herself like this. “He has long been famous for his abundant wealth and generosity.”

He was thankful Lan Fen caught on quickly.

“Then allow this generous husband to show you the origin of his fame!”

Hook.

“Young Master!” Manager Lin seemed like he couldn’t take it anymore. “I really do need to speak to you about those reports.”

“Your reports can come later,” Chen Haoran said. Capping his statement with a frown to Manager Lin, the perfect picture of a showoff husband being interrupted.

“Master Chen, this Manager Lin is very knowledgeable,” Lan Fen interceded. “I beseech Master Chen to let him accompany us so that I may learn from him along the way.”

Line.

“Naturally, Manager Lin is the wisest among my servants!” He even managed to say it with real joy. Chen Haoran turned to deliver the finishing blow. “Manager Lin you may take the lead, I’ll hear your reports along the way.”

Sinker.

Thoroughly outflanked Manager Lin looked at Chen Haoran aghast but he soon narrowed his eyes at Lan Fen in suspicion. Still, he didn’t have the option to refuse, as was proven when he clasped his hands and bowed.

“Yes Young Master,” he said.

----------

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

The manor was a massive building spanning three floors with enough rooms to rival some palaces he had seen back on Earth. Manager Lin led them down long hallways with polished wooden floors decorated with various artwork, wall scrolls, and carefully arranged flowers in glazed vases.

“Prices have risen on iron unexpectedly-”

“The City Lord was considering raising a tax on iron months ago, the other families have long known it.”

“The gardeners have finished planting the Jade Scholar Trees the auspiciousness-”

“The season here is too wet for Jade Scholar Trees to grow properly, the auspiciousness would be spoiled with sickly trees.”

“There will be a delay on our silk orders as our supplier lost the stock-”

“There is a shop on Rainwater Avenue whose patterns are trending now amongst the upper class.”

Along the way Manager Lin briefed him regarding the upkeep of the estate only for Lan Fen to swoop in and mercilessly skewer Manager Lin, displaying a wide breadth of knowledge on every topic introduced. Manager Lin could offer no rebuttal and pulled his goatee taut with aggravation, not helped by Chen Haoran chiming in with enthusiastic support for Lan Fen and whatever idea she had. He had an impression to leave after all.

Thankfully for Manager Lin’s goatee, they finally came upon a heavy iron-banded door deep in the estate blocked by two guards. The guards saluted and stepped aside while Manager Lin pulled out a brass key and fitted it to the heavy lock.

Chen Haoran had to do a double take when he saw it. He knew Manager Lin was his closest servant but how trusted was he to just casually carry the key to the treasury? Chen Haoran didn’t have a key like that, and he had practically torn up his bedroom and office looking for anything useful. Was it hidden? Or was the key Manager Lin using his own? No matter how much of a waste the Young Master was it didn’t make sense that a noble would make it harder for himself to access his personal wealth.

While Chen Haoran was theorizing, Manager Lin unlocked the door and stepped to the side. Inside was… nothing special. It was a room, not particularly large, with four blocky stone walls and a paved floor. Within were various cloth-covered objects of different sizes that Chen Haoran assumed were furniture and many chests. Manager Lin at his bidding went around opening them, revealing silver taels, and as they moved further to the back silverware, gold cups and plates, and fine porcelain glazed in blue and cyan.

No Gold Taels though.

Still, Chen Haoran was impressed, he had never seen so much precious metal gathered in one place before, and some of the pieces he saw seemed fit for a museum. Lan Fen on the other hand disinterestedly observed the Young Master’s ‘famous wealth’, on the other hand, Lan Fen always looked like she was looking down on something which made it difficult to tell.

Manager Lin at this point was showing off a particularly old-looking bureau. Lan Fen idly said something about quality wood that Manager Lin seemed to take offense to but Chen Haoran felt the conversation fly over his head as he looked at the chests again. Lan Yao had given him fifteen thousand taels to buy Lan Fen’s misery.

“How many of these chests are Lan Fen’s dowry?” he said.

Manager Lin froze while Lan Fen became much more interested in the displayed silver.

“It doesn’t matter I guess,” Chen Haoran said. Manager Lin relaxed for a brief moment. “Just give her the fifteen thousand taels we received.”

“Young Master!”

Ignoring Manager Lin’s shock Chen Haoran turned to Lan Fen “Would you do me the honor of accepting this gift Lan Fen?”

“If Master Chen wishes to give how can this wife refuse?” she said.

While she said she’d accept it no prompt appeared to give him the reward.

“You really will accept it won’t you?” he said. “I won’t have you taking a single tael less.”

“This wife feels honored by Master Chen,” Lan Fen said. “This wife will endeavor to use it responsibly.”

He didn’t think she was lying about accepting it there had to be another reason then. Chen Haoran scooped up a few silver taels and forced them into Lan Fen’s hands.

Received Hundred-Fold: Gold Taels

So he couldn’t just say she owned something there had to be a transfer involved. He needed to figure out the limits though he'd have a problem if he had to stuff a chest full of silver in her hands. Chen Haoran finally looked at Manager Lin who was holding his goatee in a vice grip.

“Empty the closest room to Lan Fen’s and have the money brought there for her convenience,” he ordered.

“Young Master we should really discuss those reports,” Manger Lin said through gritted teeth.

“In my office then,” he said.

Chen Haoran had a report for this wannabe Disney villain too.