As she spoke, she took out five taels of silver from her sleeve and handed it to him. "Take this. You'll need money to transfer the property deed. I almost forgot. Is this enough?"
Previously, they had to pay taxes on their house and land deeds in Shiligou. I heard He Yingyuan mention this before, and he also gave the village head two taels of silver at the time. This house is so big, I wonder if five taels of silver will be enough?
Guo Er took the burning silver and returned it. "Master, the clerk next to the registrar in charge of household registration has a bit of a relationship with me. Others pay money, but I don't. You can take the money back. But... Master, do you really trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll swallow that house?"
“What’s there to worry about? Trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you don’t trust! Besides, didn’t you just return the money to me on your own initiative? That’s something not everyone can do. You are truly kind-hearted!” Qin San Niang answered confidently. She was becoming more and more satisfied with Guo Er.
Hearing her say that, Guo Er was incredibly excited! Someone actually recognized him, this hidden gem, despite his clouded judgment? He felt he had to show his loyalty, when he heard Qin San Niang's voice ring out, "Besides, you don't have the guts, do you? Anyone who dares to cause trouble under my nose is definitely asking for trouble! Don't you all agree?"
Wang Ergen was quick-witted. As soon as he heard Qin Sanniang speak, he nodded immediately, "What the boss says is right. Don't worry, we brothers will definitely handle this matter well for you!"
"Yes, yes, Ergen is right! Don't worry, boss!" Gou Dan'er joined in the fun; he was a lively person! Although he wasn't very bright, he could make up for it with his cuteness! He was mainly there to liven things up!
"Alright, here's ten taels of silver. When you're signing the deed, don't skimp on the benefits you should give. After all, favors can't be taken lightly, so if you can settle things with money, don't try to win people over."
If there's anything left, find a few people to tidy up the plants and trees in that house. Oh, I'll be back in two days. When I come, you guys should also look around and see if you can find any suitable craftsmen. We need to get the house tidied up as soon as possible.
Your wages will vary depending on your roles. Guo Er is the steward, so he'll be paid three taels of silver a month. The rest of you will be paid two taels of silver a month. This is your basic salary. If you all do a good job, I will give you a raise.”
Guo Er and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Two taels of silver a month?! That's the price even the shopkeepers at the stores pay! Where did this windfall come from? They might as well just be crushed by it! Three taels of silver? That's the wage of a second-class manager at a grand restaurant in He County! What's there to be dissatisfied about! The men were practically begging Qin San Niang for forgiveness!
"Thank you, boss. From now on, you're our boss. We'll listen to you in everything. If you point east, we'll never go west. If you point west, I'll break the legs of anyone who dares to go east!" Guo Er had come to terms with it. With so much silver, who would want to be a thug? The protection money they collected each month didn't even add up to three taels of silver!
The others nodded vigorously in agreement. They wouldn't let their boss break their legs; with such high wages, they would absolutely obey! Who hates money!
"Alright, that's enough for today. Here's the deed. Good luck to Guo Er tomorrow! See you in two days. I hope you won't let me down. Do a good job!" Looking at the sky, it was past noon; it was time to go back. If they were lucky, they could hitch a ride on an oxcart and avoid walking.
On the way back, Qin Sanniang indeed hitched a ride on an oxcart and arrived at Shiligou in less than half an hour.
The children quickly surrounded her when they saw her. In the past, when she came back, she would always bring them things! Of course, the children really missed her. They all knew very well that their families were gradually getting better off, all thanks to the eldest brother's mother.
"Mother, Mother, you're back! I've missed you so much!" The first one to run over was Xiao Er. This child has good eyesight and a sweet tongue. He'll never have to worry about finding a wife when he grows up!
"I miss my mother too! Just like my second brother!"
"Wow, I didn't expect to be so popular! Do you all miss me? Or do you miss my good stuff?"
"Of course we miss Auntie, not those good things! But if there were good things, we'd be even happier!" Ah Zhi has become increasingly clever lately, and her speech has become much more lively! Before, Qin San Niang and the others were worried that she was too mature for her age and that too much intelligence would be harmful, but now they are relieved. She does look like a child now!
Qin San Niang laughed heartily. She just loved the feeling of the children surrounding her and flattering her. Perhaps it was because she hadn't managed to get the children to cooperate with her before, but she had a natural affinity for them, especially since these were children she had watched grow up.
"Look, what is this?"
The children excitedly gathered around, eager to see what Qin San Niang had taken out of her sleeve. The object was about the size of a fist, made of wood, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, gradually tapering to a point like a funnel. What was it? None of them had ever seen anything like it before.
He Mingzhe, being more knowledgeable, exclaimed excitedly, "I know what this is! It's a whipping ox! You whip it and it spins really fast! My grandpa made one for me when I was little!"
His maternal father? Isn't that Liao Hongying's father? I didn't expect that old man could make spinning tops! These spinning tops are from the space. Actually, there are many plastic ones, which are more fun, but there are too many people around now, so to avoid causing trouble, Qin San Niang took out a few wooden ones and gave them to the children to play with, so they wouldn't be bored at home!
However, the craftsmanship of this wood should be much better than that of today; there are steel balls installed on the pointed end! I didn't expect He Mingzhe could still recognize it.
“That’s right. When I went to the county this time, an acquaintance gave it to my mother. My mother doesn’t know how to play with it. If Mingzhe knows how to play with it, let him take you to play with it.”
However, you must not let yourselves become distracted by play. Your mother only provides this to relieve your boredom, because you are always at home. If you don't finish your homework and are punished by Mr. He, don't blame me for being ruthless!
Qin San Niang was still a little worried that He Yingyuan would be unhappy. Wasn't that how all old teachers were? These things that interfered with their studies were considered playthings and could not be kept.
Everyone was deeply attracted by the spinning top, and now that they understood Mr. He's temperament, he wouldn't object to them playing with it as long as they memorized their lessons well and completed their calligraphy practice.
"Mother, don't worry! We always finish our homework before playing, so we definitely won't make the teacher angry!" Xiao Er jumped out and said, his eyes already glued to the spinning top.
Qin San Niang smiled helplessly and gave them several spinning tops, now called "beating the ox" toys, so they could play together. The children, who had been huddled together just moments before, suddenly scattered like birds and beasts.
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