"I know, don't worry. Don't you know me? If it can be solved with money, we absolutely won't do it ourselves. I still have to think about how to do business!"
Gu Qingshan nodded with a smile, that was indeed true. "Sister's brain is sharp, so she naturally saves energy from using her brain."
Qin Siyuan was stunned. He hadn't even had to work hard to become the younger brother of a self-made millionaire? He was speechless...
"How can my sister be so capable? I was hoping to earn money for you all and even get an official title!" Qin Siyuan said ingratiatingly, her face falling.
Seeing him like this, Liu scolded him, "You child, just mind your own business and don't make us worry."
Qin San Niang, however, thought his personality was excellent; one should have a way with words in front of family! "Although I don't need you to earn money, I really need an imperial title! If you could help me get one, I'd be laughing in my sleep! Then our Ruyi brand would be famous throughout the world, with unimpeded success..."
"Don't worry, sister, I can definitely do it!" Qin Siyuan encouraged herself silently.
The current situation may seem complicated, but it also presents opportunities. With enough courage, one can certainly achieve something great.
After finishing their meal, it was time to say goodbye. They packed their belongings and left the house, departing amidst their families' reluctant farewells.
The hardships of the journey are self-evident. They were carrying so much food and medicine. Although the county was peaceful, the northwards after leaving Dingzhou was a scene of widespread poverty and suffering, which would inevitably attract attention.
Fortunately, the Zhou family's caravan banner was there, and hopefully it could keep out the bandits and mountain brigands. As for the roving marauders, this group was confident they could resist them as well.
Although Da Wa and the others didn't see their little uncle, they knew that something must have happened at home, and that Uncle Qingshan was also missing!
Qin San Niang was surprised by A Zhi's small mouth, which was like a sawn-off gourd, unable to pour out anything. She guessed that A Zhi was trying to protect her father.
Worried that her good sister was lonely, A-Nan stayed by her side with her from then on, eating and sleeping together, which made Qin San-Niang feel much more at ease.
The current situation has made Qin Sanniang even more worried. What if the war spreads to He County? Furthermore, even if the fighting doesn't reach He County, the number of refugees will continue to rise, leading to further unrest. It's truly a worrying situation!
However, pressure can be a motivator, and necessity is the mother of invention!
After counting his silver, he decided to use some to buy food and the rest to increase his defenses.
He now has over forty broadswords, but that's still not enough against large-scale bandit attacks; he needs to increase his forces. Furthermore, he needs to provide more personnel for his household; having only the elderly, weak, and disabled is unacceptable.
Now, their four families have become two. Fortunately, the Lu family has come in to fill the gap, otherwise, only the women would be left.
Hiring servants is imperative!
When Jiang Ji Dental Clinic saw an acquaintance, Jiang Daya smiled so beautifully!
They warmly invited Qin San Niang into the house, only to find out that she actually wanted to buy servants? That wasn't surprising, but they were a little taken aback when they asked about the number.
Qin San Niang specifically requested six able-bodied men and two old women.
Jiang Daya said, "Master Qin, are you sure you want so many male servants? Have you forgotten about the head tax? In our Great Sheng Kingdom, the head tax for male servants is three times that of ordinary people!"
Um, can she really say she doesn't know?! Three times that of the average person? That's no small number!
"Why not just hire a few young servants? They can be treated as ordinary servants, and those under sixteen won't have to pay taxes!" Jiang Daya knew her situation; the shop already had shop assistants, so there was no need for so many adult men. Nowadays, very few families buy male servants. Firstly, adult men are difficult to manage, and secondly, the poll tax is enormous. The tax rate only gradually decreases when they are over forty-five years old. Just imagine, the total amount added up year after year is not a small sum.
As for the male servants of wealthy families, they were all born into the household, or at least raised at home from a young age. Male servants brought directly from outside were extremely rare.
Aside from these reasons, male servants were also scarce in brokerage firms. In this era of male chauvinism, men were considered superior to women; a man with strength could survive anywhere, or at worst, join the army and always have food to eat. In wealthy families, male members, unless old, weak, or disabled, were rarely sold off. In ordinary families, male members were the pillars of the household; why would they sell themselves? Even if they did, they were probably lazy and ignorant of farming!
Therefore, male servants who entered the brokerage business for special reasons were not cheap.
After his reminder, Qin San Niang immediately realized that she had only thought about needing a strong and healthy person to guard the house, but she hadn't thought of this reason.
“I see. I was being too attached to appearances.” Qin San Niang took a sip of tea and said, “My family is all women, and they really can’t handle anything. I’m also very busy and worried about the safety of the house, which is why I was thinking of buying a few men to guard the house. Alas, it seems that won’t work.”
Jiang Daya was able to run his brokerage business so successfully in this chaotic world; he must have had some real skills.
Sure enough, after listening to her story, Jiang Daya frowned and said, "If that's the case, I do have a few good candidates, but they are all families or couples. If you don't mind, why don't you take a look?"
In the brokerage, there are also many people who sell themselves, while most others are sold by their owners. Because they are sold in bundles, they have not found a buyer and have been staying in the brokerage, waiting for a suitable buyer.
Keeping these people around would be a waste of food, and a shrewd person like Jiang Daya would certainly not do such a losing business. The male servants could also help him with some hard labor, and the women could help with sweeping and washing clothes, so they were still somewhat useful.
Even so, he still hoped to sell quickly, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get his principal back!
"If that's the case, then I'll meet him!" Qin San Niang agreed.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Daya was overjoyed. He hurriedly sent his servant to summon those families.
Da Wa and Lu Song sat to the side, feeling quite uneasy. In their view, their family had only recently escaped poverty, yet they were already able to buy people! Moreover, while they were comfortable with doing business, they were somewhat unaccustomed to buying and selling people.
Jiang Daya recognized the two of them and knew that one of them was the young master. He smiled and said, "Young master, you'll get used to this once and then again. Your family's life will get better and better. You'll have to get used to it slowly. If you have a lot of servants in the future, don't forget to take care of this old man's business."
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