Chapter 152 The Children's Division
Mentioning Ajiu, Madam Min Qiao couldn't help but think of the dozens of children who had been taken to the suburban estate.
"Go and see those children for yourself. If any are usable, bring them back."
Madam Min thought for a moment, "When you take over the affairs outside, you'll need to have a few skilled people by your side. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease having a young girl like you running around outside."
"Also, take some time to find the indentures of Granny Fang's family, go to the yamen to cancel their slave status, and while you're at it, get them civilian status."
“Then another fifty mu of land in the suburban manor will be transferred to Granny Fang’s name.”
Even the usually composed Wei Jia was astonished and opened her mouth wide after hearing Min Qiao's words.
Seeing her like this, Madam Min Qiao looked at her with amusement, "Don't worry, in a few years, when you get married at twenty, I will also remove your slave status. What Granny Fang has, you will have too."
Wei Jia smiled awkwardly and said embarrassedly, "This servant is just too shocked. The Fang family are all trusted and loyal servants of the Grand Madam. With them leaving the household registration, the Grand Madam will suddenly have several fewer people available to her. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find suitable replacements for them in a short time."
I won't go into detail about Granny Fang and Yang An. One was the head nanny of Madam Min Qiao, and the other was Madam Min Qiao's chief steward.
The couple had two sons, the eldest, Yang Youfu, who managed the businesses of Min Qiao's various shops, and the second son, Yang Yougui, who managed the affairs of the estates in various places. Both were capable and loyal stewards.
Even the two daughters-in-law were loyal and capable head maids who served Min Qiao before their marriages.
All six adults in Granny Fang's family are capable, and her grandchildren are gradually becoming capable of doing their jobs as well.
This single act of releasing the entire Yang family from slavery... Ugh, Wei Jia felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it for the old lady.
Not to mention, the Dowager Lady also wants to give Yang An fifty acres of land in the suburbs of Beijing.
Heaven knows, the fields in the outskirts of Beijing are basically either in the hands of the imperial family or in the hands of nobles and powerful officials like the Dowager Lady.
If any family shows even the slightest interest in selling land in the suburbs of Beijing, that land will be snapped up in no time.
Therefore, land in the suburbs of Beijing is truly valuable and in high demand.
The fifty acres of land that the old lady wanted to allocate to the Yang family could easily fetch eight hundred to a thousand taels of silver.
Ultimately, it was because the Dowager Lady was kind-hearted and unwilling to mistreat those who loyally served her.
After thinking about it, Madam Min realized that this was indeed a problem.
"I'll talk to the Yang family later. If they're willing, they can continue working for me, and we'll sign an employment contract with monthly wages. If they're not willing, then you'll have to hurry up and find someone to replace them."
Hearing this, Wei Jia smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, "I don't think the Yang family will refuse."
If she were to find a few loyal and capable people to replace the Yang family members in a short period of time, she would really be in a difficult position.
“However,” Wei Jia changed the subject, “Madam, your estate in the suburbs wasn’t very big to begin with, only about two hundred acres in total. If you were to allocate another fifty acres to Steward Yang, it would be too small.”
"How about we move to Linjing Prefecture? The Grand Madam's place there isn't far from the capital; it can be reached in a day by fast horse."
"If the Madam feels that the value is not commensurate, the number of acres can be increased slightly."
"Madam, what do you think?"
After carefully considering Wei Jia's suggestion, Madam Min Qiao finally shook her head. "No need to change it. Let's just settle on the farmland in the outskirts of Beijing."
Wei Jia wanted to persuade her further, but Madam Min Qiao raised her hand to interrupt her, "As you know, I brought back dozens of special children from Jiangnan. Most of them will be living on the estate for a long time. I allocated part of the land to the Yang family so that they could help take care of those children."
“I’m still not entirely comfortable handing those children over to someone else.”
Hearing this, knowing that Madam Min had her own considerations, Wei Jia stopped trying to persuade her.
"Then this servant will go to the estate first thing tomorrow morning and bring Ajiu back with me."
Madam Min Qiao nodded. "Go and see if the children are settling in well on the estate. When you go, bring plenty of grain and a few dozen catties of pork as well, so the children can have some meat too."
"Yes," Wei Jia replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, a drama of division is unfolding in a rural village on the outskirts of Beijing.
From the moment they woke up on the ship, the children reacted in different ways.
Some were terrified and helpless, while others were full of ideas, waiting for their chance to strike.
Since they had spent most of the journey on a ship, and there were dozens of skilled bodyguards watching over them, they dared not make any rash moves.
As time went on, for almost two months, they had no training, no injuries, and no beatings or punishments. On the contrary, they were able to eat every day, and Dr. Mu, whom they trusted, was with them every day.
Gradually, many people lowered their guard and began to accept what Doctor Mu and Ajiu told them.
Dr. Mu and Ajiu told them that they had been saved by kind people.
From now on, no one will force them to train, and no one will beat or scold them at the drop of a hat. As long as they behave well, they will be able to eat their fill, stay warm, and live a good life like A-Jiu.
Many people yearn for this.
However, a small number of people scoff at this.
These people firmly believe that there are no truly good people in this world! Any so-called kindness shown to them is merely for their own gain!
Some even suspect that the so-called kind people who saved them are actually in cahoots with the assassin organization!
Otherwise, how could that person have such great ability to rescue so many of them silently in one go?
It must be said that their reasoning was sound and their arguments were irrefutable.
However, regardless of their attitudes, none of them acted rashly before arriving at Zhuangzi's place.
Until they were taken to the manor, all the bodyguards and servants left, leaving only three old women responsible for cooking and guarding the manor, and Ajiu, an outsider.
That's when that small group of people with ulterior motives started to stir.
They had been at the manor for a day and a night, and had already searched the area around the manor. They found that apart from the tenant farmers, there were only ordinary farmhouses around the manor, and no guards, bodyguards, assassins, soldiers, or any other people who could threaten them.
So, after figuring out the situation around them, this group of people rallied together, wanting to lead everyone away from the village and escape the clutches of the "well-meaning people".
"Are you all stupid? Why aren't you leaving now? Are you going to stay here and be treated like livestock?"
The speaker was a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, with sharp eyes and a hint of shrewdness, clearly a troublemaker.
"Have you all been through so much that you've already forgotten? How can you still be so foolish as to believe that there are still truly good people in this world?"
"What they're saying—that they saved us and gave us food and clothing—is just a way for them to win people over!"
"They used to use force, now they're using soft tactics! In the end, aren't they just trying to get us to be completely devoted to them?"
Just then, another child, about his age, urged him on, "Are you all stupid? What are you standing there for? Come with us!"
"Exactly, why aren't you leaving? What are you doing here?"
"Hurry up, hurry up! Let's go together, so we can look out for each other."
...
In the large storage room, dozens of children were sitting, standing, or leaning against the wall. They all looked at the children who were talking with different expressions.
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