After seeing off Master Wu and his group, all Mu Yi'an and the others could do was wait for news of their safety.

Several family members had gone to the Northwest, and Steward Li was in a hurry to go to the brokerage firm to buy more people.

Manager Wei and Wei Dong both went, and Sister-in-law Wei has been feeling uneasy these past few days.

Although they knew there was no danger, the father and son went out for a better future.

However, Sister-in-law Wei couldn't help but worry.

Not only did Sister-in-law Wei find it difficult to adapt, but Shao Yun did as well.

Master Zhao has been accompanying him in martial arts training for several years, almost without missing a single day, getting up early every day to be with him.

Suddenly, Master Zhao was no longer by his side, and he really wasn't used to it.

Every time I shout, "Master Zhao, how did my horse stance look today?", I suddenly remember that Master Zhao isn't here; he's gone to the Northwest.

No matter what, life goes on.

In the village of the county town, since Shuhe had gone to the northwest, Wang Hu was put in charge of managing the village. Wang Hu had learned a lot in the past two years, and he did a good job in both farming and management.

When Jiang Shuhe returns, he will be transferred to the estate in the prefectural city as a manager.

Over the next year or so, Steward Li will have to work harder and make more trips to Xinyuan County.

Butler Li has been looking for suitable people these past few days. Madam wants to hire a new batch of servants, and they will all have to sign life-long contracts.

You can't give others the opportunity to poach the people you've trained yourself.

After visiting several brokerage firms, Steward Li returned with a group of people.

"Madam, the person has been brought back. Doctor Chu has already examined them and they are in good health with no problems."

"Butler Li, you've worked hard. Is everyone here now?"

"That's all there is. There are skilled guards, a cook, and a head maid. There's also a retired palace maid who was swindled out of all her money by her family and then sold."

There were also several younger girls and boys, all bound by death contracts.

Steward Li handed a stack of indentures to Sister Fang; they were all red deeds exchanged at the government office.

"What are the responsibilities of retired female officials in the palace?"

"Replying to Madam, the main responsibility is silk music."

Mu Yi'an had mentioned wanting Chu Yue to learn some music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, not necessarily to be proficient, but mainly to cultivate her character.

"That's quite remarkable. How did you manage to leave the palace unscathed and still be plotted against by your family?"

She said she was caught off guard by her family, was drugged, knocked unconscious, and sold to human traffickers.

That old woman, Granny Hai, was from Jiangnan; the slave traders smuggled her out overnight.

Butler Li inquired and checked her indenture, and found no problems.

"Alright, let Sister Fang explain the rules of the household first, and then arrange for them to do the work."

As for the younger children, regardless of gender, they all participate in the exercise to improve their physical health.

"Understood, madam."

Butler Li and Sister-in-law Fang led people down to make arrangements, but there still weren't enough places to stay.

There was only one courtyard left in the back row of houses. Among the newcomers, two families had brought their children with them.

Later, it was Sister Song who thought that her husband was away in the Northwest and wouldn't be back for a while. It wasn't safe for her to live alone with her two young children.

She moved into the back building with her daughter and youngest son. Since her two children were still young, it would be safer for them to stay in the back building.

Sister-in-law Song is good at combing hair, but since the lady of the house rarely goes out to attend banquets, she has no opportunity to use her skills.

Now, she mainly watches over the young lady.

After Mu Yi'an learned that there wasn't enough room in the back row, she realized that with more and more people in her family, there wasn't enough space, and she needed to find a solution.

However, one side of her yard is wasteland where livestock sheds have already been built, and the other side of the yard hasn't started planning to sell their houses.

"Butler Li, take a look around. Are there any houses for sale nearby with independent courtyards, larger than the houses in the back row?"

"Your and Manager Wei's children are all grown up now, and they'll be getting married and having kids in a few years. The back houses definitely won't be enough for them. Find some time to look for suitable courtyards and buy a few."

Mu Yi'an thought that if she wanted the people who worked to do things for her to be truly dedicated, she had to take good care of their basic needs.

"Thank you, madam, I will go and find it."

Butler Li was overjoyed; his wife was even thinking that their family was about to have a new addition and they wouldn't have enough space.

Butler Li handed the newly purchased servants over to Sister Fang, as he still needed to check out two shops.

Manager Wei went to the Northwest, and he had to look after the shop at home.

Accountant Song also went to the Northwest, and he wanted to take a look at the family's accounts.

Butler Li truly deserves the title of the busiest butler in history. There's no way around it; that's the difference between a family with a strong foundation and one without.

Sister Fang explained the household rules to the newcomers. Apart from a few younger girls and boys, everyone else had been servants since birth, and they all understood the rules.

Now that the rules have been explained, the newcomers are ready to get their work done.

The first person arranged was Granny Hai, a woman in her forties with an ordinary appearance, who came from the palace.

Granny Hai was heartbroken and didn't want to go through with it anymore. She decided that her kinship with her family would be severed from now on.

Having survived in the palace, she has a good eye for people.

She entered the palace at the age of ten, and every day she thought about leaving the palace as soon as possible, going home, and living with her family. This became her obsession.

She was so blinded that her parents were no longer the loving parents she remembered. All they cared about was the money she brought back, and they didn't care about her at all.

When she woke up in the pharmacy, she understood what had happened without anyone telling her.

Having lived for over forty years, what is there left to not understand? It's just that obsessions are harmful.

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