The group set off from home, and even though Huang Xiaoliu increased his speed, it was still an hour later when they arrived at the village.
Once they arrived at the destination, Jiang Nuan finally understood why Jin Ming had been advising her to buy the estate.
The entire village is irregularly concave in shape, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a stream flowing down from the mountains in the middle. The terrain slopes gently downwards, and is generally relatively flat.
Although it is flanked by mountains on two sides, it does not feel narrow and is very suitable for building a village.
The Jin family's villa was built halfway up the mountain. It was a three-courtyard house with an elegant layout. The main courtyard was planted with many orchids, which, although ordinary, were neatly trimmed.
The side courtyards on either side, one is filled with pine and cypress trees, and the other is filled with hibiscus.
The other courtyards, while also tidy, weren't as meticulously maintained.
Looking at the courtyard, Jin sighed, "I heard from Father that it cost nearly a thousand taels to build this courtyard, but we only spent two thousand five hundred taels to buy the whole estate..." It was like buying cabbage.
Ms. Jin didn't say the last sentence, as she felt it had the air of someone who had gotten a good deal but was now acting innocent.
"All the utensils are still here," Xie said, covering her mouth in surprise. "Isn't the Jin family short of money? Why didn't they sell these utensils?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Er stroked his chin and said, "The Jin family is so wealthy and powerful that they probably don't care about these small things."
Jin looked around and touched them with her hand, then said uncertainly, "These utensils seem to have been replaced. They're just made of ordinary willow wood. The worst ones used to be made of camphor wood. But if you really want to sell them, they'll definitely fetch seventy or eighty taels."
Hearing this, Madam Xie felt a pang of heartache, "So much silver, how can you just throw it away like that?"
"Who knows what wealthy families are thinking? Maybe they feel ashamed to bring these things back," Huang Xiaosan said dismissively.
"You're out of your mind," Huang Lao Er couldn't help but shake his head. "Is face more important than substance? We're in dire straits, and you're still worried about these things."
"What's so shameful about that?" Jiang Nuan was speechless. "Wouldn't selling people be even more shameful?"
“It’s different,” Mr. Kim explained. “For the Kim family, selling people is much more respectable than selling these worthless old things.”
"Are you out of your mind?" Xie said unhappily. "How can these inanimate objects be compared to people?"
She really didn't understand. Even for poor families, selling people was a shameful thing, so how come it became a respectable thing for wealthy families?
If you weren't so poor you couldn't survive, who would dare sell themselves? You'd be drowned in spit.
Otherwise, her deadbeat parents wouldn't have been so disgusted with her, only rubbing her hands and not daring to sell her!
“In wealthy families, buying and selling people is very normal,” Jin explained. “Selling out the useless ones and buying in some young, quick-witted people is a way of managing the household.”
She paused for a moment, then continued, "It's really hard for servants to have a good ending."
She benefited from her parents' influence and was released from her indenture, and even found a good marriage. However, over the years, she has seen many people being sold off. In just over ten years, the kitchen staff alone has changed four times.
Of those who were replaced, most were dismissed, except for a very few who were transferred elsewhere.
"Good heavens!" Madam Wang exclaimed in shock. "How could such a wealthy family, which is so particular about rules, act in this way?"
“Paying attention to rules is for outsiders to see,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “Only they know what happens behind closed doors. However, those who are sold off are just useless people. The confidants know too much and cannot be sold off easily.”
What if the rival buys it back...
“Even trusted confidantes can be sold,” Jin said weakly. “The lady originally had four maids who came with her as part of her dowry, but now only two remain. My mother became the second young lady’s wet nurse, and the other one married the steward of the estate.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan remained silent for a long time, then said, "Is this person mentally challenged?"
She's starting to wonder how the Jin family has managed to survive until now.
I was wondering why the household was so lax in its management, with servants betraying their masters and I still not taking care of them. It turns out I was the one who started it all.
“Mother, Second Sister-in-law,” Madam Jin said with a bitter smile, “Madam is not unintelligent; on the contrary, she is very shrewd. However, in her eyes, those servants who have sold themselves are not as valuable as a hairpin in her hand.”
"You don't treat servants like human beings, do you?" Madam Xie sneered. "Is this what you call shrewdness? They may have sold themselves, but they still need their food, drink, and bodily functions. If you really push them too far, they won't have a good outcome."
“The consequences have already appeared,” Huang Lao Er said, stroking his chin as he briefly recounted what happened last night. “I think the servants of the Jin family have already made their plans. Perhaps they are the ones who replaced these utensils.”
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Jiang Nuan shook her head. "No matter what, we are the ones who benefit. It's really not good to talk behind people's backs. Let's keep moving forward and not waste time."
“Mother, you know what,” Huang Xiaosan said happily, “we really made a great deal by buying this estate. If we build a house later, we can live in the separate courtyard first.”
“This villa is indeed nice,” Old Huang analyzed seriously, “but it’s built halfway up the mountain, so it’s not very convenient to get in and out. And this mountain isn’t low either, so I don’t know if there will be any wild animals.”
"Has the Jin family scouted the area?" Jiang Nuan turned to ask the Jin family, "How did they do it?"
"Mother, the Jin family has many servants, so they're not afraid of these things. The manor will scatter some every two days..."
Before Jin could finish speaking, Jiang Nuan quickly pulled her behind her, grabbed the purse containing loose silver and threw it at her, hitting the snake's head squarely.
Jin stared blankly at the scene, muttering to herself, "...powder to repel snakes, insects, and rodents."
“Mother,” Huang Lao Er said casually as he leaned closer, “this is a cabbage snake, it’s not poisonous.”
“Caitou snake is delicious and nutritious,” Old Huang immediately chimed in. “Mom, let’s kill an old hen and stew it together later.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan silently lowered her head. "Is this the important point?"
"Mother doesn't want to eat it like this?" Huang Lao Er asked tentatively. "How about stewing it directly? It tastes good too."
“Husband, it’s not a matter of whether we eat it or not,” Xie tugged at Huang Lao Er’s sleeve. “There are snakes in the yard. We need to find a way to get rid of them all.”
"Didn't you say there's snake repellent powder?" Huang Lao Er turned to Jin Shi, "Third sister-in-law, where did the Jin family buy it from? We'd like to buy some too."
"A clinic in the county town."
"Oh, let's buy some later too."
"You're really carefree," Jiang Nuan said, glancing at her pale-faced daughter-in-law and then at her indifferent son. She rubbed her head and said, "We've seen enough of the villa. Let's go down the mountain and take a look around. We need to find out which land we can cultivate ourselves and which we can rent out, and what percentage of rent we can collect."
"Alright," Huang Lao Er said, still somewhat unsatisfied. "Anyway, we've already bought it, so we can look at it another day."
Hearing these reluctant words, Xie couldn't help but stomp on his foot hard.
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