Chen Ahfu asked Dabao to take Ergou and Erniao to Luo's house to play, while she went back to Luyuan to call Wang. They got on the carriage together, and Aunt Luo was also sitting in the carriage.
Aunt Luo smiled and said, "Yesterday my eldest daughter-in-law brought back to Tangyuan the vegetarian dishes and garlic sprouts fried dried tofu prepared by Ah Fu. My uncle and my sister really liked them. Especially my sister, she couldn't eat enough. Please ask Ah Fu to cook another dish today. It would be better to make more vegetarian dishes, because the master will be returning to the nunnery tomorrow. When she goes to Lingyin Temple to give orchids to Master Wuzhi, she can also send some more dishes to the master."
Chen Ahfu laughed and nodded, saying, "I can make more stewed food. But there are not many garlic sprouts left in the pot, only enough to stir-fry a small dish. I will stir-fry it and send it to you tonight."
Manager Luo and his wife thanked them with a smile.
Chen Afu also talked about the people he wanted to buy. Not only did he want to buy two or three people to do the work, he also wanted to buy one who was familiar with the general affairs and one who was good at housekeeping.
Manager Luo said, "It's easy to buy people who can work, as long as they are adults and have all their limbs intact. But it's hard to buy servants who know how to do housework and manage the household. The master won't sell such capable people easily. If they are sold, they must have made a big mistake, and it's a pain to buy such people home. Another situation is that the master has committed a crime and the servants are sold by the government. This situation doesn't happen all the time."
Chen Ahfu was a little worried after hearing this. She didn't have to buy a servant to manage the family, but she wanted to buy someone who knew the household affairs. Chen Ming was simple and didn't know many things, so he needed someone to guide him. She was busy and a woman, so it was not easy for her to manage the land and do business directly...
Manager Luo said, "How about this? There are a few such people in the Dingzhou Lieutenant General's Mansion. If Ah Fu is trustworthy, I will talk to the master and send two people to you. Don't worry, the slave contract will be given to you, and they will not have any second thoughts about you."
Chen Afu shook her head and smiled, "The servants in the lieutenant general's mansion are used to enjoying a good life in the city. How could they be willing to live in our countryside, let alone be a servant to a country girl like me." She didn't want to bring someone who was in Cao's camp but whose heart was with Han to her home.
Manager Luo had nothing more to say.
Arriving at the county town, Chen Ahfu and her daughter bought some household items, some New Year goods, a ginseng root, a few jars of wine, and two piglets. Steward Luo and his son bought even more New Year goods, as it seemed that Chu Lingxuan and the old marquis would come to Tangyuan to celebrate the New Year, so everything had to be fully stocked.
They hired another ox cart and asked Aunt Luo to take the things back first, while Manager Luo and his son went to help Chen Afu and her daughter buy someone.
Several people ate a bowl of noodles in the noodle shop, and Chen Afu rushed to pay the bill.
There were only two dental shops in the county town, and they all went to see them, but they really didn't see anyone who knew about general affairs. Chen Ahfu bought a mother and son, Aunt Mu, 32 years old, and Shanzi, 13 years old.
Buying people is similar to buying piglets, with a group of people standing there for them to choose. This made Chen Afu, who came from a civilized society, feel a little uncomfortable.
Manager Luo looked around at the people being sold, asked a few more questions, and whispered to Chen Ahfu, "That woman is not bad. She looks capable and knows the rules. You can get the hang of it once you buy her home."
Aunt Mu was a capable woman with clear eyes. Even though her clothes were very dirty, she still pulled them neatly and combed her hair smoothly, making her stand out among the crowd.
Chen Afu bought her.
But she didn't like Shanzi because he was too young and couldn't work or fight. She wanted to buy another strong man. Aunt Mu knelt down and begged. Chen Afu liked Aunt Mu and couldn't bear to separate them, so he bought them together. The mother and son didn't expect to be sold together. They cried and kowtowed to Chen Afu and her daughter.
Afterwards, they hurried to the county government office to sign the slave contract. The carriage arrived at the opposite side of the county government office. Wang asked Chen Afu to wait in the carriage while she and Luo Yuan went to sign the contract. Manager Luo also got off the carriage and watched the excitement from outside.
Chen Afu sat in the carriage talking with Aunt Mu and Shanzi, trying to find out about their life stories.
Aunt Mu said that her family were servants of the county magistrate's family in the neighboring county. After her husband died, the old man wanted to take advantage of her. She didn't want to, and when she resisted, she made a lot of noise. The old lady found out and sold her and her son...
As he was speaking, a loud voice came in, "Mr. Luo, nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
Manager Luo also hurriedly cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Zhao Lizheng, what a coincidence."
I only heard that voice saying, "I just ran into Mr. Luo in the yamen. The woman with him looked familiar to me. Is she Wang, whose maiden name is Wang Juanniang?"
When Chen Ahfu heard this, he quickly lifted a corner of the curtain. It was an old man in his fifties, wearing a silk cotton gown, a cotton hat with ears, and his hands tucked into his sleeves. His big nose was red from the cold, and it was annoying to look at.
Manager Luo said, "Yes, it is her. Because our Tang Garden has some connection with her, my eldest son is helping her with something."
Zhao Lizheng chuckled twice with a fake smile. He had just heard a few days ago that Wang Juanniang's daughter was working as a needlework teacher for the young master of Tangyuan, and he didn't want Wang's mother and daughter to get too close to Tangyuan.
I heard that the master of Tangyuan is a high-ranking military official in Dingzhou Prefecture, and he is from a noble family in the capital, so he has great power. If he was a high-ranking local official, it would be easier to deal with, because he would be under the command of Shiying. But he is an officer in the army, and Shiying can't control him even if he is a great official...
He was afraid that some things would be known by the master of Tangyuan, which would be bad.
Li Zheng Zhao smiled again and said, "We in Zhaojia Village are holding a buffet this time, and we have invited all the prominent men in the neighborhood. We hope that Mr. Luo will come and have a few drinks."
Manager Luo smiled and said, "Sure."
Li Zheng Zhao leaned closer to Manager Luo and said with a smile, "I see that Master Luo is a righteous man, so I want to remind you. Master Luo, please don't blame me for being nosy. I heard that Wang Juanniang's reputation doesn't seem to be very good. Her daughter is a needlework teacher for your young master, and it seems... hehe..."
Manager Luo laughed twice and said with a double meaning, "Thank you for the reminder, Zhao Lizheng. In order not to bring discredit to my uncle, I, Luo, have always been very careful in identifying and employing people. I would first find out the truth about a person before I dare to employ him. Master Chen is very good. My uncle is very satisfied with both his character and his craftsmanship. I heard that Master Chen's mother is also very good, virtuous and thrifty. A woman actually supported a family, not only raised a pair of children, but also cured her husband's illness. Now, she finally waits for her daughter to grow up, and her life will be better."
Zhao Lizheng choked and laughed dryly, "That's right, that's right." He bowed to Manager Luo and left.
Chen Ahfu was very angry. That old man was really wicked. Not only did he want to ruin Wang's reputation, he also wanted to make him unemployed. Fortunately, Manager Luo was very capable and kicked the old man out of trouble.
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