Chapter 56
Qiu Qing wasn't doing charity work. The accommodations and food he provided were barely enough to make ends meet.
Lin Yi couldn't help but feel sorry for everyone when he saw them all sleeping on the floor in the same room.
Mingzhou City experiences frequent rain in summer and autumn. The dampness creeps up the body along the ground. While it may not cause immediate illness, over time it could damage the spleen and stomach, or even lead to diseases such as arthritis.
Lin Yi hesitated, pondering whether or not to take the person back to the Xie residence.
While dining at Zuixianlou Restaurant, Xie Chengnan casually mentioned that he was planning to recruit workers.
There wasn't much work to do at the Xie residence. Cang Xie was capable, doing the work of three people, and often handled it all with ease. But it was still a large mansion, and there were always times when they couldn't keep up.
Although these people were women, they were not pampered or spoiled.
Besides, there's no such thing as a free lunch. This world is indeed unfair to them, but no one is obligated to support them for nothing.
As a transition, it would be better to let them work odd jobs at the Xie residence, such as washing clothes, cleaning, and shopping. They could also be assigned light physical labor.
These people don't have any skills to rely on right now. If they were really released, they would probably be sold off. At best, they might end up as concubines in a kind and wealthy family.
But this is tantamount to handing over one's life to others, and Lin Yi really doesn't want to see such a situation.
They must have had the same concern, which is why they were unwilling to leave.
Lin Yi shared her idea with Xue Ya, and immediately received her full support. However, a question from Xue Ya immediately brought her back to reality.
How should wages be calculated?
You can't hire people without paying them, even if the Xie family has plenty of empty rooms for food and lodging. Not paying them isn't hiring labor. But with so many people, the wages can't be high. After all, Xie Chengnan spends his days idly, never seeming to have any money-making ventures. And the Xinglin Medical Clinic hasn't been open for a long time, so they don't have much money. They can't just sit around and eat away the meager gifts their father gave them upon his return.
Wait a minute—Xinglin Medical Clinic!
How could she forget about that?
The clinic will definitely need more staff as it expands and grows. If we can teach them about medicinal herbs, they can help dispense medicine according to prescriptions. Then we can just pay them the market price for pharmacists, right?
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. If you can teach them how to identify medicinal materials and prepare medicine, then you can teach them how to study medicine. If we can truly teach them, they can then make a living on their own in the future.
Lin Yi suddenly laughed out loud, secretly marveling that there's always a way out. The answer was right in front of her; all she had to do was take one step forward, and the predicament would be resolved.
When leaving the city, it was a simple horse-drawn carriage; when returning, it was a grand procession.
It's impossible for such a trip to go unnoticed.
At first, some people were worried that they would be in trouble if their husbands or old customers saw them.
Later, I wasn't afraid anymore.
Because Miss Qiu told them to just walk confidently and proudly into the city.
They were going to work at the Yong'an Marquis's residence, not to do anything shady, so why were they sneaking around?
I'm going to show those scoundrels that girls can live better lives without them.
These words are very touching.
Perhaps, since they were born, no one has ever been so certain of their own strength.
Thus, a strange sight appeared in Mingzhou City that night—Miss Qiu, the young mistress of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, led a large group of people into the city from the outskirts, laughing and joking as they headed straight for the Xie residence.
By the light of the night market, some people could see the girls and women following behind her. Some were plain-looking, some were stunningly beautiful, some were nearing the end of their lives, and some were still very young.
The onlookers speculated wildly. In the end, most of them came to the same conclusion: perhaps the couple was having marital problems, and Qiu Qing, in a fit of anger, wanted to take a concubine for the young marquis.
Judging from the diverse group of people, young and old, it seems they were deliberately trying to annoy the young marquis.
That Miss Qiu was no pushover; how could an ordinary person possibly enjoy such a privilege? Even the young marquis was no exception.
Meanwhile, Xie Chengnan, at the center of the gossip, was leisurely enjoying the last moments of peace at home, munching on a lychee. Little did he know that soon, the usually quiet Marquis's residence would be overflowing with people.
The commotion stopped at the entrance of the Xie residence. After instructing Xueya to settle everyone in, Lin Yi went to find Xie Chengnan.
Squeak—
"You're back?" Having lived under the same roof for several months, Xie Chengnan no longer treated her like an outsider. Without even lifting his eyelids, he turned over and lay face down on the couch, continuing to read intently the 'Record of the Crown Prince's Grudges' that Cang Xie had found in a small workshop.
Just as I was reading about how the current crown prince was troubled by love, becoming increasingly dejected and indulging in sensual pleasures after his beloved left, a hand snatched the book away from above.
"Hey—what?"
Xie Chengnan pursed his lips, still seemingly unsatisfied, and asked helplessly, "What's wrong?"
Lin Yi gave an awkward smile: "I want to discuss something with you."
Looking at her expression, Xie Chengnan had a bad feeling.
Lin Yi's expression was indeed unusual. Heaven knows how decisive she was when she made the decision, but how guilty she was as she spoke!
But the die was cast, and the people had already been taken to the hospital; there was no turning back.
Lin Yi forced himself to speak: "I bought a... residence in the suburbs, you know that, right?"
Calling it a mansion is too romantic; it was actually just a dilapidated courtyard that someone else had abandoned and abandoned. After some minor repairs, people moved in.
Xie Chengnan, of course, knew nothing of this. He simply nodded and asked in confusion, "I know. Didn't you mention it at Zuixianlou?"
“Then you probably don’t know… I settled some people in that courtyard earlier.”
Xie Chengnan vaguely sensed what was about to happen and asked warily, "Who is it?"
"Most of the homeless and pitiful people are women who have been abandoned by their husbands' families or have nowhere else to turn. There are absolutely no bad people among them."
With such a confident assurance, Xie Chengnan could easily guess what she was going to say next.
"Miss Qiu, you're not going to tell me you want to bring him back, are you?"
"……no."
Before Xie Chengnan could even catch his breath, she whispered, "It's not that I wanted to bring it back, it's that I've already brought it back."
"What did you say?"
Her voice was so soft that Xie Chengnan doubted he had heard correctly.
Lin Yi closed her eyes and opened them again. What was bound to happen would happen eventually. She'd already done it, so what was there to be afraid of? She'd just brought a few people back; Xie Chengnan couldn't possibly beat her, could he?
If he really disagrees, he can just move the person to the Qiu family's residence. His mother should then take him in, right?
Although she told herself there was nothing to be afraid of, she was still afraid that Xie Chengnan would be angry with her or even disappointed because of this.
This wasn't the first time she'd made decisions for Xie Chengnan. Even if Xie Chengnan himself didn't pursue the matter, wasn't it a bit too disrespectful to him?
"I'm sorry, I brought him back without consulting you. If you don't agree... it's too late today, I'll send him away first thing tomorrow morning. Is that alright?"
In the end, Lin Yi's tone carried a hint of caution and ingratiation that she herself was unaware of.
For some reason, Xie Chengnan felt a little uncomfortable listening to this.
"You really know how to stir up trouble." Xie Chengnan finally sighed. "Take me to see it."
Lin Yi knew that this meant he had agreed.
The feeling was like biting into a sour green tangerine on the outside, only to have the juice burst open and reveal a refreshing sweetness. A sense of relief and joy at this being the right thing to do welled up inside Lin Yi, who covered his chest as he opened the door.
That's just how he is; he complains, but he's willing to compromise for her time and time again. That's probably why she can always make decisions on her own.
Xueya settled the people in a secluded courtyard that had been abandoned for many years.
Having been unused for many years, the facilities and roads were covered with a thick layer of dust, and the weeds had grown taller.
Even when she first arrived, Xie Chengnan deliberately made things difficult for her, ordering others to weed, but he didn't dare let her weed this far, which shows how dilapidated it was.
The girls, however, did not mind and spontaneously began cleaning and tidying up.
Dust billowed up. Soon, an experienced person fetched a basin of water and sprinkled it on the ground, which stopped the dust from rising. However, the dust made the ground muddy and difficult to clean in a short time.
When Xie Chengnan reached the entrance of the side courtyard, Lin Yi reminded him, "There might be a lot of people."
Xie Chengnan listened intently, but the courtyard was unusually quiet. He figured the number of "many" probably wasn't too many.
The slap in the face came so quickly. The moment Xie Chengnan pushed open the door, he thought he had entered the dormitory of the Fairy Tale of the Snail.
Xueya helped out from the side, while waiting for her young mistress to return. Unexpectedly, it was the young marquis who pushed open the door.
She timidly called out, "Young Master." The other girls followed suit, saying, "Greetings, Young Master."
Xie Chengnan turned his stiff neck, and Lin Yi, whose gaze had been locked onto him again, awkwardly smiled and touched his face: "There are a few too many people."
Xie Chengnan turned back, looked at the dozen or so pairs of eyes staring at him, and nodded in agreement, "Indeed, that's a lot."
He took a step forward and stepped right into the mud. A pretty woman next to him immediately knelt down to wipe his shoes, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Xie Chengnan stepped aside, saying, "It's nothing."
Although she said it was nothing, she still looked at her shoes with a pained expression, as a few large drops of mud were splashed on the brocade surface.
These were his favorite silk shoes, sent by Yao Niang a few days ago, which he hadn't been willing to wear. He wore them out to dinner today with a secret intention: to see if Qiu Qingye would notice his new shoes.
Unfortunately, no one saw it, and it got dirty for no reason.
Xie Chengnan looked away, unable to bear it any longer, and asked, "How do you plan to settle them? They can't really live in the mansion forever, can they?"
Concerned about their future, the girls kept their heads down and swept, but they all quietly pricked up their ears.
"Since we are short of manpower at home, I think we can have them work here first. Once the clinic opens, we will select some people to help out at the clinic."
There are always more solutions than problems.
"Okay, think it through and then do it."
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