Two new groups of tenants came to the compound where the Xia family lived.
Coincidentally, on the same day the new tenant moved in, Jiang's family also arrived.
They stayed in a large carriage inn near the slum and booked a bunk bed. Perhaps because they were quick to seize the opportunity and made sufficient preparations, the whole family was together and was able to survive the long journey and the rough seas without any damage.
The last time they sent a message to inform the Xia family that they had taken a boat and traveled by sea to visit their relatives in Jixiang County, Xia Daohua began to keep an eye out for their accommodation.
At that time, Xia Daohua didn't know how many people there were in total, so she just made a rough estimate in her mind and asked a familiar broker to help her look for a suitable courtyard.
He looked at several places, both big and small, both near and far, and planned to wait for the Jiang family to come so that he could recommend the places he thought were suitable to them and let them go and see them for themselves before making a decision.
In order to let the pawnshop keep these courtyards and give her family priority, she also bribed the manager of the pawnshop and the pawnbrokers she was familiar with.
This was not the first time that the brokerage firm had dealt with Xia Daohua. They knew that this deal of hers had an 80% chance of success, so they were happy to do as she wished.
In fact, unless you meet someone who is extremely wealthy, most people, whether buying or renting a house, would be extremely cautious, choose carefully, think twice, hesitate, and compare prices from three different stores.
Not to mention that Xia Daohua gave extra money, even if this hadn't happened, she would have looked at a few more houses and asked the person who was in charge of buying or renting the house to come and see them before making a final decision. These were all reasonable requests.
Dental clinics are always very considerate before the deal is done.
After the business is done, it is often necessary to maintain a good reputation.
Even if you don't buy a house, you might still buy a few acres of land to farm and a few servants to serve you.
Even if your life gradually becomes worse and you can no longer buy houses or land, you may have to sell your house, land or even yourself in the future!
With this friendship and a good impression left, when you have something to do or need something, you will think of him first!
Therefore, each of these brokers pays great attention to maintaining their reputation.
Unless you meet someone who is extremely difficult to get along with, everyone is very polite and easy to talk to, and their mouths are as sweet as honey.
Just a few words can make the guests smile and feel comfortable, and the tone and expression are very natural and not deliberate.
Xia Daohua had personally experienced this kind of treatment several times, and each time she was able to resist the maids and servants they tried to sell her, and she felt that she had extraordinary determination.
It felt a bit like being in modern society, smiling and politely declining those extremely enthusiastic card-issuing masters all the way.
After meeting the Jiang family, Xia Daohua told them about her plan to find a house. After getting their approval, she contacted a broker she was familiar with.
As a result, as soon as they met, Lai Shun gave her a good sales pitch and encouraged her in various ways to buy a few girls.
Xia Daohua was in a state of confusion:
"Laishun, your good girls and boys should be left to others. I am not of sufficient status, and even if I can afford the money, I cannot use servants."
Xia Daohua looked helpless and refused again without hesitation.
Lai Shun is not annoyed:
"Hey, Madam Xia, you are being too cautious.
Our Great Chu Dynasty emphasizes agriculture and suppresses commerce, and merchants are the lowest of the four classes. But look, those merchants with some money, which one doesn't employ slaves? Even those local tycoons with hundreds of hectares of fertile land, which one doesn't buy a few maids and servants to serve them?
Xia Daohua smiled and shook her head, not saying much, just refusing.
Lai Shun did not bother to argue further, but simply said sincerely:
“This time, I personally handled these girls.
He is really a child from a good family, with a clean background. He is from Zhongzhou County and came here with his family to escape famine.
The family had run out of money and could not survive. Seeing that they were about to starve to death, they sold them.
Each of them has a simple and peaceful personality, is nimble in their hands and feet, clumsy in their words, and obedient in their behavior. None of them looks alluring.
They all signed death contracts with the pawnbrokers and sold themselves voluntarily. Even if their families became rich in the future, they would not be able to redeem them.
Such a good girl is not something you can meet every day.
If you don't take this opportunity to buy a few, it will be difficult to find people when you need help in the future!"
Xia Daohua was somewhat interested in what he said, but then she thought, the Xia family has a shallow foundation, and they have only been making a living in Jixiang County for a short time. The mud on their legs and feet has not been washed clean yet, so what kind of maid would they use?
When I heard him say that he was about to starve to death, I couldn't help but frown.
It stands to reason that County Magistrate Yang and the Wang family have done a pretty good job in providing relief. How could someone still be so miserable?
Lai Shun observed her expression and seemed to know what she was concerned about, so he took the initiative to explain:
"This guy, sometimes he just lacks a bit of luck, it's really hard to accept.
Among this group of little girls, the first one to sell herself was because her younger brother was ill, and they had spent every penny of their family's money on seeking medical treatment. However, if the treatment for her brother was only halfway through, and she stopped taking the medicine, all the money she had spent would be wasted...
The family had no other choice but to sell her, the eldest sister, with great reluctance.
The last child in this group to be sold had only been there for half a day when the county government posted a notice to appease the public. It was telling them where the young and strong could find work, where women and children could receive food relief, and where the elderly and weak could receive porridge and water...
When the whole family heard about this, they hugged each other and cried bitterly. Their reluctance to part was so strong that even a heartless person would cry with them.
But the contract has already been signed. If I want to regret it, just returning the silver won't be enough."
After hearing this, Xia Daohua's face became gloomy.
Indeed, County Magistrate Yang and Wang have done a very good job, but there are bound to be some areas that they have overlooked.
For example, if these migrant workers fall ill, where can they go to see a doctor and get medicine?
County Magistrate Yang and Wang Shi did set up several medical tents.
But compared with the needs of the refugees, these medical tents are at best a drop in the bucket.
The herbs used were all bought on credit. This was not a long-term solution.
After all, you can't ask the pharmacy and the clinic to pay for it!
Besides, even if the pharmacy and the clinic are willing to spend money, they can’t take care of so many people!
What's more, pharmacies and medical clinics also need to eat and drink, how can they possibly keep losing money?
Xia Daohua was worried for a moment, then she calmed down and smiled again, shaking her head.
"There's nothing we can do about it."
"I do need help. But I don't need servants or maids to wait on people or do rough work. I need trustworthy and reliable managers, accountants, and managers... Do you have such talents?"
"This... I don't have any ready-made ones. But this maidservant is young and hardworking. If you train her carefully, wouldn't she be more reliable than someone you find outside?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
good evening.
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