Chapter 59 Fifty-nine Golden Legends
In early June, the main structure of Olivia's house was finally completed.
Next, all that remains is the finishing work of building the surrounding walls.
Seeing that the house was almost repaired and the workers were paid their wages and leaving the village, Caesar returned to patrol as usual.
However, for Olivia, now is not the time to rest.
The decoration and furnishings on the first floor are almost finished, and it’s time to clean up the rooms on the second floor.
The north wing where they originally lived was also going to be redecorated, so Olivia and Caesar moved their master bedroom to the east wing.
This is a large suite with a living room in the middle, a bathroom on the left, and a bedroom and dressing room on the right.
As for the south wing, there are three rooms in total, two of which are the most ordinary bedrooms, with only the most basic furniture in them, and the two rooms share a fireplace.
There is also a utility room for storing things.
Two slightly larger guest rooms were built on the west side, with slightly more luxurious furnishings, separate fireplaces, desks, and small compartments for bathing or toileting.
The south side is the same as the west side, so there are a total of seven bedrooms on the second floor, six of which are for guests.
As for the semicircular towers at the four corners, they are connected by aisles. Each semicircular space is about ten square meters and has a narrow and long lookout window.
The first floor of the tower is connected to the corridors and cellars on both sides.
Each cellar can store approximately twenty hectoliter barrels.
There are vertical stairs on the second floor of the tower, which lead directly to the spire on the top of the building.
Each of the four spires has a wall as high as a person, with a conical roof covered with tiles, and holes in the walls for windows and doors.
The roof of the entire house is pierced into a U-shaped passage, with parapets on both sides of the passage serving as shelters, where spears or stone throwers can be used.
If there are bandits moving outside the house, archers can flexibly attack along the passage without any blind spots.
As for the courtyard surrounded by buildings in the middle, it is very spacious, a full ninety square meters. In the center is a larger water well, surrounded by gravel.
This yard can be accessed from the corridors on the east and west wings of the first floor. Olivia plans to transplant two fruit trees into this yard in a few days. It is better than leaving it bare.
In the manor, the main house can accommodate the kitchen and servants, while the original old kitchen and servants' room were cleared out and converted into a stable, which is still used for livestock.
The old well is still preserved and used for feeding livestock and slaughtering pigs and sheep.
She ordered the servants to clean up every corner of the estate, from the courtyard in the livestock area to the front and back of the main house. She pulled out the grass, leveled the ground, and laid a thick layer of gravel.
On June 15th, all the places in the manor were ready.
Olivia got up earlier than Caesar in the morning and planned with the housekeeper to invite guests to warm up the house on June 20th.
The butler sent a few new errand boys to various places to invite people, most of whom were knights and merchants who often had dealings with his family.
On that day, the guests sent their servants to reply to the letter.
Not only did they say they were coming, many also said they would bring guests and asked Olivia to save a seat for them.
So, the next morning, Olivia got up earlier than Caesar and quickly arranged the dinner party.
In the yard, all the servants employed in the entire manor were called over.
Olivia stood by the door and looked into the yard. Seeing a group of people standing in the open space next to the well, she realized that the family had indeed expanded a lot in the past month or two.
Standing in the front were Graya and the housekeeper, followed by Lucy, Jagabu, Ethan, Adam, and Vansh.
Graya hired two new maids, both of whom are the mothers of soldiers in the family and are both powerful characters.
They are responsible for guarding the door and making sure nothing in the house is lost.
Behind them were the two cooks and two servants from the kitchen.
In the livestock area under Lucy's management, the number of livestock is increasing, and they are getting bigger and bigger. She needs two servants and two handymen.
Jagbu's orchard and nursery bed hired two handymen.
After Adam and Ethan went to take care of the goods in the workshop, the housekeeper found four honest farmers to run errands.
After the house was expanded three times, three helpers were found for Fanxi to be responsible for cleaning.
Even Ethan and Adam hired two handymen to help carry the goods and pull the cart. The two men used the profits from the pottery workshop to buy two donkeys and two carts, looking like they were going to make the business bigger and stronger.
Therefore, the servants of the manor have now expanded to an astonishing number of nearly thirty people.
Olivia had been busy recently, brainstorming with the architect every day, and hadn't gotten to know everyone yet. She took this opportunity to get to know each of the servants one by one.
Fortunately, these servants were either the soldiers’ mothers, fathers, wives, sisters, or recommended by the miller.
The salary was not expensive. After reducing taxes on their families, the servants were given a total salary of a few silver coins every month.
After getting to know the people and looking through the character cards, Olivia put her hands behind her back and started to lecture them like a black-hearted boss.
After waking up these servants, he began to give instructions for the arrangements for the banquet.
"Lucy, go back and pick out a sheep that weighs forty or fifty pounds, and catch ten tender roosters. Kill them all, and then have Antona keep ten salmon."
Lucy nodded, turned around immediately, and called a few men to go to the back to catch the sheep.
Ethan's sister-in-law Ada now has the final say in the kitchen, so Olivia asked her to take out ten pounds each of smoked venison and rabbit meat.
"Aida, remember to prepare a few baskets of bread in advance as a meal for the servants or coachmen who bring the guests."
"Jagabu, how many vegetables do you have that are edible? Didn't you say that the green fruits of the peppers are edible? Pick me a basket of each."
She then instructed the butler, "When the time comes, have your men guard outside the gate, guide the guests' carriages, and help bring food."
He also instructed Adam and Ethan, "Don't go out to deliver the goods these two days. Stay home to receive the gifts and make a clear list for me to see."
"Fanxi, you will be the one to clean up the restaurant. I estimate that the banquet will be held twice a day, lunch and dinner, and there may be guests staying over. Remember to provide them with water."
As for Graya and the two old women, ask them to guard the only gate and prevent guests from wandering around the house.
Everyone agreed in unison and dispersed to do their own work.
The two old maids called by Graya carried two buckets of water from the well and poured them around the front and back of the house.
Aida took a servant with her and asked Adam to borrow their donkey cart to go to town to buy food.
Jagbu took his men to the vegetable garden to pick a few baskets of ripe peppers, spinach, cucumbers, snake beans, eggplants... and planned to pick fruits.
The housekeeper also took people to the backyard to prepare a temporary shed for the guests to feed their horses.
After giving these instructions, the sun had just risen, shining with golden light.
She yawned, thought for a while, and when she saw that she had not missed anything, she went back upstairs and walked into the bedroom, intending to take a nap before getting up for breakfast.
The bedroom is much simpler than the living room and dining room.
As soon as you enter the living room, you can see a fireplace, next to which are a round table, chairs and a linen carpet.
Going further into the bedroom, a corner of the bed curtain was lifted and Caesar yawned and sat there tying his belt.
It was still very early, but daybreak was approaching. Caesar couldn't fall asleep after hearing the voices coming from downstairs.
Olivia disliked him as soon as she saw him: "Didn't I make new clothes for you? Why are you still wearing this old one?"
As he said this, he pulled his ear.
Caesar put his arm around her waist, buried his face in the soft spot for a long time, then raised his head and said that he had to go to the Baron's Mansion for a meeting today.
"Baron Burrows and Lord Forrest are here too."
These two barons were Lavosen's neighbors on the left and right, one in charge of Hallegnie and the other in charge of Caron.
"So that's how it is. Then wear this and go play with those stinky old guys. Remember to come back early..."
Caesar got up, put on his boots, washed up, and then pestered Olivia and kissed her for a long time before going downstairs. He ate a little meal casually, and with an expressionless face, asked the servant to lead the horse and prepare to go out.
George was standing nearby, and he knew from the manor's expression that he had been busy with the manor a while ago and hadn't spent enough time with his wife. Now that the house had finally been repaired, the Baron was looking for trouble every day.
This resentment is not ordinary.
After he left, Olivia went back to sleep peacefully and didn't get up until noon.
In the small restaurant on the first floor of the north wing, she began to have her first meal of the day, a simple steamed egg custard with vegetarian steamed buns, a plate of meat sausages, and a handful of nuts.
At this time, Adam and Ethan had already received the first wave of gifts, moved them into the warehouse, and came to read the list to Olivia.
"Mr. Charles sent a pair of silver combs, two treasure boxes, and ten glass smelling-salt bottles.
Lord Ferrer sent a set of six enameled goblets.
Madame André sent a pair of white geese and a bundle of peacock feathers.
Lord Kusman sent a set of cowhide saddlery.
Mr. Moncas brought a bottle of mint powder, a bottle of rose water, and a bottle of wine.
And Mr. Angni gave me a pair of silver bracelets and two silver fans."
These people are either colleagues with whom I have only spoken, or businessmen with whom I have dealt.
There were also some businessmen and relatives who had never dealt directly with Fanon, Letilen, and my aunt, but they had connections with them. They also sent many gifts, so many that Ethan was counting them.
Even as they were talking, many more people came knocking on the door of the manor, ready to give gifts.
Olivia thought that accepting gifts was also an art. Since she couldn't refuse everyone's gifts, she might as well accept everyone.
After hearing the gift list, Graya suddenly came from the hall and asked Adam and Ethan to wait.
"Madam, Madame Funa has come to deliver the reward on behalf of the Baroness."
"Oh? Ask the kitchen to prepare something to eat and drink. I'll meet her up front."
As she spoke, Olivia threw away her breakfast, walked across the corridor, and went to the living room of the south wing. Funa and two other people were sitting in the living room drinking honey water.
When she saw Olivia, Funa praised her beautiful house.
"This is all thanks to Mrs. Baudel for introducing me to a good architect."
After a few pleasantries, Funa took out a set of cups given by the Baroness.
Olivia looked at it from a distance. It wasn't made of glass, but crystal. She felt surprised that the Baroness was willing to spend so much money on it, considering that she had only given her a pair of shoes when they didn't know each other.
Funa herself sent a box of dye.
As the two of them were talking, Graya came again and said that Letilen's men had delivered gifts.
Funa was curious and followed to watch. Letilen had sent boxes of high-quality wine, apparently preparing to buy all the wine for the banquet.
Olivia didn't accept it for nothing, and immediately told Funa that Letilen was the most reliable businessman and the goods he sold were also good.
Funa was envious when she saw this. No one would compliment her like this when she had something to do.
However, we just need to get rid of the two maids in front.
In the afternoon, Olivia saw off the guests and put the gifts in order before going to the kitchen to check the menu prepared by the cooks.
Seven dishes were prepared according to the highest standards, including two soups, two staple foods, four desserts, and three kinds of snacks and fruits. The drinks were sent by the good comrade Letilen.
In the kitchen, Olivia watched Ada cutting up the lamb that had been slaughtered this morning on the chopping board.
Olivia now has some financial resources, so she becomes more generous when treating guests.
Since this was the first time she was hosting a dinner party in her new home, and the guests were familiar ones, Olivia planned to show off her skills and make some dishes that were both not too difficult to accept and novel.
Therefore, she taught the cook how to prepare and what the menu contained.
"The main course for lunch was roasted venison and chicken. The venison was braised with radish in soybean sauce, and the chicken was stewed with pepper.
In addition to this, make a dish of pine mushroom fish balls, a dish of braised seasonal vegetables, a dish of fried cheese-wrapped shrimp, a dish of morel beef patties, and a dish of red wine-baked ox tongue."
"As for soups, I make one sweet and one savory. The sweet one is pear and nut soup, and the savory one is salted egg yolk and ham.
For dessert, make the same ones you’ve made before, and for lunch, change the way you cook the meat.
The staple food is bread and steamed buns.”
Olivia gave a series of instructions, and Ada repeated them carefully before asking the people in the kitchen to pluck the chicken feathers and wash the mutton.
On the day of entertaining guests, Olivia and Caesar did not go out. They woke up before dawn and were overwhelmed with things to deal with.
Early in the morning at around seven o'clock, Theresa and her aunt brought servants to help serve the dishes.
At about ten o'clock, the nearest neighbors arrived. Olivia and Caesar accompanied these guests around the manor.
At noon, thirty guests came and the tables in the restaurant were rearranged into two rows by the servants before they sat down.
There was no one Olivia didn't know, but they were all old acquaintances who came with their families.
Some people who were not invited did come, but they just gave their gifts, said a few words and left. There were countless people who came.
I was busy until another meal in the evening, and then there were many people to greet and see off.
Olivia was so tired that her mouth was dry. Fortunately, old Renault came back for dinner in the evening, so Olivia pushed him out to help see the guests off.
When she wanted to drink a sip of water, she couldn't find a servant who was not busy to pour it for her.
He could only hide in Graya's storage room with Caesar. The two of them drank half a bottle of kumquat wine, rubbed their backs, and then went to greet people.
I was drinking with my uncle at the Baskin Knights banquet, but I couldn't hold my liquor well, so I was drunk and was taken to the guest room to sleep.
It was not until late at night that the guests gradually dispersed. Letilen, his wife, his uncle and aunt, and Olivia's parents stayed to help clean up the house and simply rested until the next day.
Everyone was very satisfied with the banquet. Not a single dish was left over, and the kitchen restocked the snacks four times.
There is nothing wrong with the construction of this manor, it is decent and simple.
The next morning, the sober Knight Baskin felt very embarrassed. Olivia asked someone to boil honey water for him. He stayed for breakfast and then sent him home in a carriage.
After this incident, Olivia was so tired that she slept for a whole day before she dared to open the ring to check for new tasks.
Congratulations on completing the "Main House Expansion"
+100 experience points
+＊1 blank character card
Congratulations on completing "Prosperity and Development"
+20% soybean production
+30 Experience Points
Olivia first dragged the blank character card into the card drawing interface and clicked to use it.
Suddenly, a mirror appeared on the card drawing interface, allowing Olivia to write and draw on it freely.
With years of experience playing games, Olivia drew a number, and the mirror disappeared.
She closed her eyes, and after two seconds she slowly opened them while covering them.
Golden legend!
Click on the card to flip it over and the character card details will appear.
Gaussley Watt
"Favorability: 0"
Health: 90
Personality: Relaxed
"Talent: Construction (Five Stars)"
!
Olivia suddenly jumped up from the bed, and the noise woke up Caesar beside her.
She sat up and looked up the character's profile.
"Gauthier, born in Anko City, is the son of a wealthy merchant. He is now fifteen years old. After his father's death, his family fell into poverty. He brought his mother to Lavosen, intending to stay with relatives and open his own blacksmith workshop."
Olivia opened the map and found that this character and his mother were outside the gate of Lavosen City, and seemed to be trapped outside.
She checked his mother Lisa's character card again and found that the character's health value was a little low, and she was suffering from a cold.
The soldiers guarding the city gate were afraid that the man had the plague, so they would not let them in.
So, Gao Lisi planned to rent a room outside the city and take care of his mother's illness first.
However, Olivia discovered that her own sister Lainie had taken the person back to the monastery first.
As soon as Caesar woke up from his daze, he saw his wife lying back straight.
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
