The voices of more than a dozen people echoed outside the courtyard. The villagers passing by Song Anxin's house couldn't help but marvel. Aunt Lin's status was truly extraordinary now. She had such a large house and so many servants. It was said that she was sent by the county magistrate. Aunt Lin was now a real benefactor.
Song Anxin was startled, and Song Mei, Lin Fengnian, and the other children also took a step back in surprise.
Song Anxin sighed. In this era, the master was completely above the servants, but for her family, a farming household, to do this in the village was definitely unconventional. Besides, as a modern person, she really couldn't stand people kneeling to her all the time. But there should still be rules and boundaries, otherwise, over time these people would easily lose sight of their place and start to bully the master, which would be bad.
So she straightened her face and said, "I don't know what you were like before, but since you've come to my house, you have to abide by my rules!"
“Our family are farmers, so we don’t do that kind of kneeling. Therefore, you must never kneel down casually again. Even so, you must not be disrespectful to your master. You must abide by the rules and do your duty. And most importantly, you must never act on your own initiative. If you overstep your bounds or do anything improper, don’t blame me for not showing any mercy to you as master and servant!”
The group of people kneeling below immediately buried their heads in the ground and said tremblingly, "We will obey Lady Hui's teachings!"
She softened her voice and said, "Alright, get up. As long as you work honestly and diligently for my family, we will never mistreat you."
Only then did the group dare to stand up. Several old women thought to themselves, "This Lady Hui truly lives up to her title bestowed by the Emperor himself. We originally thought she was just a country bumpkin who had caught the eye of a nobleman by luck. But today, upon seeing her, we realized that her demeanor is just like that of a noblewoman from the city. Her air of being in charge is in no way inferior to that of wealthy families. With such a combination of kindness and severity, they wouldn't dare to harbor any other thoughts in the future."
After the servants had all left, Song Anxin asked Song Mei to come into her room. Song Mei was now looking at her mother with starry eyes; her mother had been so domineering just now.
Song Anxin couldn't help but chuckle at the look of admiration on Song Mei's face. She said, "Meizi, do you also want to be like your mother just now?"
Song Mei sincerely said, "Mother is so amazing, I'm afraid I'll never be able to become like her in this lifetime."
Song Anxin solemnly said, "Meizi, how will you know you can't do it like me if you don't try? I see you're doing very well in reading and writing now. From now on, you should follow Granny Sun and learn how to manage a household. This household will be in your hands from now on."
Song Mei's face was filled with shock and horror. She quickly said, "Mother, how could I...?"
Song Anxin interrupted her, saying, "Why not? You've been in charge of all the affairs of the household. You're the head of our family; you've just moved to a different courtyard."
"But things are different now than before, I'm afraid..."
Song Anxin held her hand: "Meizi, it's precisely because things are different now that you should take charge. You've been by my side for so long, you must have learned a lot. Show your composure and courage without worry. With me here, Granny Sun will also be there to help you."
Her tone was gentle yet empowering: “Mother knows you are kind-hearted. You can be compassionate, but you must have your own principles, be fair in rewards and punishments, and show your authority when necessary. Never let the people below you bully you. You manage the duck egg workshop very well, and Mother believes you can do it well.”
In fact, Song Mei is quite excellent in all aspects and learns things quickly, but she just needs to establish herself as the matriarch.
Song Mei's eyes slowly hardened. Since her mother trusted her, she was certain she could do it. She said:
“Mother, I understand and I get what you mean. I will definitely learn from Granny Sun and manage the household well.”
After Song Mei left, Granny Wei came to report: "Madam, your uncle has arrived."
It took Song Anxin a while to realize who the "uncle" she was referring to was, and she was immediately speechless.
"Anbang, come in."
Song Anbang walked in wearing a thick brocade robe. With the family's life improving and these children studying away from home, Song Anxin naturally bought them several sets of decent clothes made of good material.
"Anbang, come and sit down. Is there something you need from your sister?"
Song Anbang sat down, a hint of hesitation on his refined face: "Sister, the magistrate... did you... give me Tianqing wine...?"
Song Anxin knew exactly what he wanted to say. "Anbang, you're right. I gave Tianqing Wine to Magistrate Yan."
“But Sister, what you offered before were all things that benefited the country and the people, things that brought good fortune to the common folk. Yet you gave this Tianqing wine to Lord Yan…” He paused, “Now you’re tied to Lord Yan. Magistrate Yan is an official from the capital, and I’ve heard his background is not simple. I’m afraid that you…”
Song Anxin smiled and said, "Anbang, you're overthinking it. So what if I'm on the same side as Magistrate Yan? I'm just a seventh-rank official's wife, powerless and living in this rural village. I only rely on the emperor's favor. Don't worry."
Immediately after being reminded by his elder sister, Song Anbang realized that he shouldn't be thinking about this matter using the worldly wisdom he had learned. His elder sister was a titled Lady bestowed by the Emperor and had her name on the Emperor's list. She did not threaten the power of any party. Moreover, his elder sister was in Linjia Village. He had been overthinking things.
He couldn't help but admire his elder sister's wisdom even more; giving the sake to Magistrate Yan was the best choice.
His elder sister has now caught the eye of Magistrate Yan, an official from the capital who should not be underestimated. In addition, his elder sister is indeed very talented, having won an imperial title as a peasant woman. He always felt that his elder sister would not stop there.
Two days later, Song Anxin's family received an order from the magistrate of Yan County authorizing them to brew and sell wine. This was equivalent to a business license today. So, Song Anxin's family once again gathered the men in the village to build a workshop.
The villagers of Linjia Village were overjoyed, but the happiest of all was Lin Lizheng. The persimmon cake workshop was bringing in a considerable amount of money, and his maternal family was building workshops and houses during this bumper harvest. This year, the villagers had made a lot of money, and he could hold his head high when he went to the county to report on his work.
This workshop was built even larger than the previous ones, located behind the rooms for duck eggs and mushrooms. It was also arranged by number. Room number one was divided into two areas: one for storing sorghum and the other for fermenting sorghum. Room number two was used for distilling liquor, containing ten distillation tools, which were much larger than the distillation equipment used in the previous experiments. Twenty large pots were specially made, and the stills were made by Uncle Bai, Brother Lin, and Ah Si together, and were even more refined than before. Room number three was used to store the brewed liquor in batches.
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