After having lunch at Aunt Gu's place, the Gu family and the remaining fifty-odd people went to the estate they had bought the day before.
With over fifty people, they would need to rent at least five cars. Gu Shouxin rented cars as soon as he returned after completing the indenture.
On the carriage, Gu Xin talked about what she had learned today: how to select people.
Gu Xin analyzed the questions that Da Huang and Xiao Lü asked when choosing people, and the purpose of asking those questions.
Not only Gu Hui and Gu Si felt that Gu Xin had changed a lot, but even the time-traveling trio felt that Gu Xin had changed too much.
This is no longer the pitiful little thing they saw when they first arrived.
Although he's usually a bit silly, he has his own opinions when it matters, and he's becoming more and more capable.
The trio who had traveled through time felt gratified; they had watched him grow up!
...
Upon arriving at the estate, they selected two older individuals from among the fifty-odd people to manage it.
One of them was surnamed He, and the other was surnamed Liu.
These two men seemed quite composed; they used to be managers in wealthy households.
Cai Xiaolian gave them twenty taels of silver and asked them to arrange their lives thereafter. She told them to familiarize themselves with the environment for the next two days, and then have the two of them choose four girls with the most skillful hands. They didn't have to be girls; women would do too.
He and Liu were entrusted with important responsibilities and secretly resolved to do their jobs well. They could tell from the big yellow nanny and the little green nanny that they were not raised by ordinary families, even though their names were strange.
Moreover, their master's brother-in-law is a young scholar who may pursue an official career in the future. Their master's demeanor and manner of speaking are also unlike those of an ordinary person. If he does well, they should have someone to rely on in their old age!
It has to be said that Da Huang and Xiao Lü are very good at picking people, and Cai Xiaolian is also good at judging people. Among this group of people, she chose these two who are the most loyal.
The people in this manor all left with their master, and it's now empty. So, there's no problem finding accommodation for fifty-odd people; the only problem is that they'll need money for food and clothing.
As for safety, all five villages belong to the Gu family, and the other three villages are inhabited by villagers who rent the land. Gu Shouxin has already given instructions, so there shouldn't be any major problems here.
After making the arrangements, on the way back, Gu Nian asked them what would happen if they went back and some of them ran away.
Cai Xiaolian was also quite curious about this question.
Gu Xin didn't even need Gu Shouxin to explain; she already knew: "Mother, sister, we need travel permits to travel in our Great Zhou. Just like every time we come to the prefectural city, Father has to show his travel permit to the soldiers guarding the city. Smaller places don't need them, but every two years, the government has to conduct a census of the population under its jurisdiction, asking every household, including those with servants. If you go to a place and are spotted by the soldiers, and you can't produce a travel permit or say where you live, you'll be arrested. Our village is so safe; they're all women, they won't run away. If they wanted to run, they would have already escaped through the brokerage."
Gu Shouxin nodded: "Xinxin is right. From now on, we'll take travel permits with us when we travel far away. It's a kind of identification! Like that wealthy family who sold the estate to our family, when they moved north and left Qingzhou Prefecture, they had to go to the yamen to get a certificate. When they arrived at their new place, they had to go to the yamen there to get a new travel permit. This includes not only their family, but also their maids, servants, old women, coachmen, and so on."
Cai Xiaolian and Gu Nian exchanged a glance: Although there were still some who slipped through the net in the ancient population census, it was still quite good that they could do this much.
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