Hu Ma hadn't just done his share of the work—he'd gone above and beyond.
He knew how important an opportunity was. Once he'd received that promise, he threw himself into the estate's affairs.
The estate wasn't large, and it was a quiet time of year, but its chores were still truly complicated.
He had to keep track of the inner courtyard's needs, the livestock and cleaning in the outer yard, chopping firewood and buying rice for the kitchen, and the nightly patrols. Every so often, people from the neighboring villages came by to report something, and he had to send someone to investigate.
The Shopkeeper didn't like handling affairs, so all of them fell to Hu Ma.
Hu Ma didn't shirk. He simply made careful arrangements every day.
He knew he couldn't afford to make a mistake now, so he took care of everything personally. He also made a point of acting differently from Xu Ji, whose arrogance had alienated everyone. Whether it was the night patrols or other odd jobs, Hu Ma distributed them evenly among the men, without ranking anyone above anyone else. They took turns at all the various tasks.
At first, he worried that Zhou Datong and the others from Great Sheep Village might resent it. After all, when Xu Ji had been in charge, his two lackeys hadn't lifted a finger for the chores. They'd even expected the others to pay them tribute in private.
Now that Hu Ma held real authority, Zhou Datong and the others still received no such tribute. Even the night patrols were assigned by rotation, and sometimes they still had to haul water or feed the horses.
But when Hu Ma asked about it, Zhou Datong's response was surprising. "What are you talking about, Brother Hu Ma?"
"What you're doing