Shuiqing is preparing lunch.

Li Dani, Li Erni, Wang Qiuyue, Zhou Yu, and Zheng Yan hurried to the kitchen and were shocked to see Shui Qing cooking.

Shui Qing turned around and was stunned when she saw them. She asked, "You've been working so hard these past few days, why didn't you get some more sleep?"

Mrs. Hu was surprised that they had only slept for a short while before getting up. Was that enough time to rest?

Li Dani and the other four looked like they had done something wrong, lowering their heads and saying helplessly, "We overslept, we promise it won't happen again."

"Madam, shall we do it?"

“These are not things a lady should do.”

In the past, when they lived on the village, they had to share the work of the village head, let alone when the owner came to help.

The lady is the boss!

Shui Qing didn't consider herself a heartless tyrant, so she looked at the five women in front of her and said with a smile, "It's alright. You've just arrived and aren't familiar with everything yet. Take your time to get used to things, and you can start working after you've rested."

They have just suffered a great calamity and are physically and mentally traumatized. They should rest for as many days as possible.

Besides, I didn't get tired from cooking when they weren't here. I can't just become precious and insist that they do everything for me as soon as they arrive.

Upon hearing this, Li Dani and the other four looked up at Shui Qing in shock, then quickly lowered their heads again.

The lady truly doesn't blame them; she genuinely wants them to get more rest!

However, “We are rested, Madam, please feel free to tell us what to do.”

"We get familiar with the work as we go."

"How about we cook for ourselves?" We can't expect Madam to cook for all of them!

Besides, it's impossible to always eat the same food as the employer; that would be too inconsiderate of them.

Looking at their fearful and apprehensive expressions, Shui Qing was puzzled. Was she really that fierce?

Why are they so afraid of her? They seem like a wicked mistress!

Qin Yilin, the most experienced among the group, calmly walked up to the five people and reassured them, "Don't worry, your wife is well-informed. She thought that the men would be going on a long trip again tomorrow, so she decided to have a welcome feast with everyone today."

When they return, we'll have to build you another house to live in. Once the house is built, you can then divide it up and cook your own food.

Besides, you've had a long and tiring journey. You'll need to rest and recover before you can work properly. There's a lot of work to be done here!

Upon hearing Qin Yilin's words, the five women immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there's work to do, that's fine!

The worst thing is that the new employer won't have any work. If they don't have any work, it means it's not worth keeping them, and sooner or later they'll be sold off.

They are not afraid of hard work, but they are afraid of instability and being sold from one place to another.

Qin Yilin told the five of them to take a walk around the area around the house to get familiar with it, or to continue resting inside. She said she would call them when the meal was ready.

The five of them nodded quickly and went out of the courtyard to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Hu, no longer nervous, asked curiously, "I didn't know what to say just now, why were people scrambling to do the work?"

It's not like we're working for our own family; why would we fight over work for the employer?

Qin Yilin placed a few pieces of firewood into the stove and explained, "They are different from those who sold themselves into slavery or were sold into slavery. According to Ziqian's father, these people are all born into the household."

Seeing Hu's mother's confused expression, she explained in more detail: "A 'houseborn son' is the child born to a servant in the master's household. Some may save enough money to redeem themselves or be released by the master to live a normal life, but most of them continue to stay in the master's household as servants, and that is what a 'houseborn son' is."