Yan Xia then looked at the Huang brothers, Huang Yi and Huang Er.
"Are you willing to sign a life-or-death contract? If not, I won't force you. If you are, you can stay in this shop and help sell pastries, act as waiters, and clean the area in front of the shop on weekdays. There's nothing heavy to do, so it won't tire you out."
Yan Xia had actually taken a liking to the two brothers at first sight.
Huang Yi, in particular, is loyal and righteous.
He was willing to sell himself into slavery for his younger brother's sake; in fact, he could have easily reclaimed wasteland, farmed, and slowly built up his family fortune on his own.
When I have money, I'll get married.
Isn't it better than being a servant?
Huang Yi wasn't stupid; he knew from what Manager Yan said that she had taken a liking to him.
The last sentence, "It won't tire your body out," really appealed to him. His younger brother was in poor health, and even if he were sold to another family, he wouldn't be able to do any heavy work. If he had to work hard his whole life, it might shorten his lifespan.
Well, he's twenty-five after all.
He still has the audacity to dream of having a wife and son.
As long as they work hard, this kind-hearted manager will surely not mistreat them.
Huang Yi pulled her younger brother along.
Kneel on the ground.
"Master, we are willing."
Yan Xia's lips curled up slightly.
"Alright, then stand at the back. Zou Yaren, let's settle the score."
Zou Yaren put down his teacup and took out a booklet from his sleeve.
After recording the list, the prices were quoted.
"There are eight people in total. Manager Yan, you only need to give us 25 taels. Our brokerage will handle the registration with the government..."
Zou Yaren wanted to explain the prices one by one, but Yan Xia stopped him.
I need to get things done quickly; the shop will be open for business soon.
She had to move.
After handing the silver to Zou the broker, signing the contract, and registering it at the government office, it was already afternoon.
Yan Xia led the eight people on a tour of the restaurant and pastry shop, and then introduced them to the people there.
"The eight of you can sleep in the backyard of the restaurant. Young Master Jinlu will make arrangements for you later."
"I'll come up with a new name."
"Huang Yi and Huang Er will be renamed Qian Yi and Qian Er. Zhang Luzi will be renamed Qian Lu. Gu Xiaomei will be renamed Baomei. Wang Yangdi will be renamed Baolan and given the surname Yan."
The group immediately knelt on the ground.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me a name and surname."
To be able to share the Lord's surname is the greatest honor.
As long as you don't make any major mistakes, you can stay here for life.
They were overjoyed and kowtowed in gratitude.
"Get up. Don't kneel down so easily in the future."
"Yes, Master—"
Yan Xia then looked at the three old women.
"As for the three of you, from now on you will be called 'Granny'. You will be given the surname Yan, and your surnames will be used as your given names. You will take 'Yu' as the middle character. An will be renamed Yu An and called Granny An, Tao will be renamed Yu Tao and called Granny Tao, and Zhu will be renamed Yu Zhu and called Granny Zhu."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me a name and surname—"
The same act of kneeling in gratitude happened again.
Yan Xia did not stop her.
"Alright, let Xiao Ji take you to buy a couple of changes of clothes, as well as towels and basins for washing your face. Oh, and we don't have any bedding either, so let's buy that too."
Yan Xia handed Xiao Ji 20 taels of silver.
Eight people, two sets of inner garments, two sets of middle garments, two sets of outer garments, one set of bedding, one set of toiletries, and two pairs of shoes and socks each.
Each person should have a budget of about two ounces, with the remaining money in case there isn't enough.
"Come on, everyone, follow me."
Xiao Ji took the money and went shopping with eight people.
Time is tight, there's no time to buy fabric, so I can only buy ready-made clothes and quilts.
After everyone left, Yan Xia went to the restaurant to find her youngest son and asked him to arrange accommodations for the newlyweds.
That night, the eight people stayed in the backyard of the restaurant.
Qian Yi, Qian Er, and Qian Lu shared a room, the three nannies shared a room, and Bao Mei and Bao Lan shared a room.
To welcome the newlyweds, everyone gathered at a restaurant for hot pot that evening.
Three tables were set up this time.
The new servants had never tasted such delicacies before. Except when Yan Xia was speaking, they all ate without lifting their heads, like locusts swarming across the land.
Yan Xia glanced at it and then looked away; she didn't really care.
When she first transmigrated, she had no money and was so hungry that she wanted to eat wild boar raw.
They all came from poor backgrounds.
Everyone's the same now.
There's no need to lecture others while they're eating. These slaves are the lowest of the low, with no human rights, no self, and even their lives are in the hands of their masters. Yan Xia felt it was going too far not to feed them properly.
Once they get used to it, they will naturally improve their dining manners.
The meals in Yan Xia's family were always standardized; basically, whatever their masters ate, the servants ate too.
There is meat, vegetables, and fruits every day.
Balanced nutrition.
When there was no more food left to scoop out of the pot, and the newcomers were all burping from being so full, Yan Xia finally said it was time to end the meal.
"Alright, everyone's finished eating. Clean up the table later and then get some sleep. The newcomers, remember to shower and change so as not to neglect the guests tomorrow. Qian Yi and Qian Er will work at the pastry shop tomorrow, helping the young master sell pastries, take orders from the second-floor customers, serve food, clean, and so on. The three nannies will be in charge of laundry, cooking, and washing dishes for now. When the young mistress is about to give birth, they can all focus on taking care of her. As for Bao Mei and Bao Lan, they will start learning to make pastries tomorrow. Gui Hua and La Mei, you two will teach them, understand?"
"Oh, by the way, promote Xiao Ji to head maid. From now on, she will be responsible for conveying my orders. You must obey her."
With more and more people in the family, Yan Xia couldn't manage them all, so she simply handed them over to Xiao Ji.
During this time, Xiao Ji has been trained by her and is now able to stand on his own.
"Yes, Master—"
"Yes, Mother."
"Okay, Auntie!"
Everyone responded to Yan Xia together.
Yan Xia nodded slightly upon seeing this, and the group returned to the backyard of the pastry shop.
After washing up and getting into bed, she deliberately pulled Xiao Ji aside and talked for a long time.
In the quiet morning, the dazzling sunlight pierced through the clouds, spreading gold across the earth. The air carried the unique freshness of spring. Yan Xia stood in the yard brushing her teeth, slightly raising her head to smell the air. She could feel that everything was full of vitality.
Yesterday, she deliberately didn't tell the new employees their start date.
I just wanted to test them.
When she got up, the eight people were already in place.
Qian Yi and Qian Er were cleaning up on the second floor. The tables and chairs were gleaming. It seemed they had arrived before dawn. Xiao Ji probably opened the door for them. Xiao Ji always got up early. The three nannies had already washed and hung up everyone's clothes. Breakfast was also prepared under Xiao Ji's direction: simple white porridge, scrambled eggs, and four side dishes.
Two maids are learning how to make pastries from Guihua and Lamei.
They are all very diligent; they truly deserve to be called the 'elites' of Zouya's selection.
Yan Xia was very satisfied.
After the shop opened for business, these people busied themselves in an orderly manner.
In the morning, Yan Xia had a rare free time. She planned to ask Zou Yaren for help in finding two experienced midwives. Although she had earned a lot of money, she didn't have many connections. After all, she had only been here for a short time and hadn't yet established herself.
"Jin Fu, you keep an eye on the shop. I'll go find two midwives for Xiao He."
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