This villa is four times larger than the Xishan Villa!
There are nine entrances in total, including the front and back yards!
When Fu Xiaoguan saw it, he took a breath of cold air. Dong Shulan was also surprised. He was calculating in his heart how much money it would cost to renovate this villa!
Of course, this villa is also extremely exquisite, but because the treasury of the Yu Dynasty has been tight in recent years, the old empress dowager has not stayed here for a long time, so this place has been neglected. Now, there are only two elderly palace maids looking after this huge villa.
Chunjiao and Shuxiang had been here for over twenty years, having witnessed the Nanshan Villa's decline from its former glory. They had assumed it would continue to decline until their old age, when it would also be on the verge of collapse. They had never expected it to have a new owner today.
They didn't know Fu Xiaoguan, but they knew the Ninth Princess Yu Wenyun.
Led by the two men, Fu Xiaoguan and his party spent an hour touring the entire courtyard and then sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard.
Chunjiao brought the stove, Shuxiang served tea, and the two of them stood behind Yu Wenjun politely.
Fu Xiaoguan frowned and thought for a few breaths before speaking, "It's still relatively well-preserved. Let's start by repairing the three front courtyards. Tomorrow I'll go find the Minister of Works, Bi Dong, and ask him to send someone from the Ministry of Works to plan and supervise the work. But the workers have to be found in the slums. Just a few craftsmen, about a hundred will be enough."
Dong Shulan quickly estimated in her mind, looked at Fu Xiaoguan, and said seriously, "The total cost of the three courtyards is roughly 100,000 taels of silver."
This thing has no output, and given their current situation, it is impossible for them to live here permanently. In Dong Shulan's view, this is a meaningless investment, and she naturally holds a negative attitude.
"Well...it's not mainly here, it's mainly outside. The geographical environment of this place is similar to Xishan, so we will set up an industrial base here and move your small clothing workshop here when the time comes, but we estimate that it will have to be expanded."
"If we start construction now, the workshop here will be operational by next summer. I'll have to come visit occasionally by then. It would be nice to have a place to stay."
After visiting the Nanshan Villa, Fu Xiaoguan made plans for the place. When they returned to the Fu Mansion in Jinling, it was still snowing heavily and it was getting dark.
Lu Xiaodong arrived at the door of Fu Mansion in the morning.
He stood under the eaves of the Fu Mansion to avoid the falling snow, with his hands in his sleeves, hunched over, and walking back and forth on the ground.
Too cold and too worrying.
What he was worried about was whether Young Master Fu would see a worthless pauper like him, and he was also worried that Young Master Fu was a very busy man and whether he would be lucky enough to meet him.
He stayed at this station for half a day. Li Zheng, the doorman of the Fu Mansion, watched him for a long time. Until noon, Li Zheng came out.
"Are you waiting for someone here?"
Lu Xiaodong was startled, and quickly put on a smile, "I want to meet Master Fu."
To see my master?
Li Zheng immediately laughed, "What's the matter?"
"...Ah, I want to ask Master Fu to give me a meal."
Oh, looking for work... Li Zheng thought about it, the mansion has no shortage of servants now, how should this be handled?
Naturally, he did not drive the man away like other doormen did, because he had been in the Fu Mansion for a year and knew the temperaments of the young masters and mistresses very well - the young masters and mistresses were not mean people. They had compassion for the world and were rarely harsh to their servants.
So he thought for a moment and said, "It's really unfortunate today. The young master and his wife are out so early this morning. How about this? It's already noon now. Why don't you come in and have a bowl of hot rice and wait in the courtyard? There's a heater in the courtyard. It's so cold, and you're wearing so little. Don't get sick from the cold."
Lu Xiaodong opened his mouth in astonishment. "I am of low status, how dare I step into the threshold of the Fu Mansion? I will be waiting here. It's okay, it's okay."
Li Zheng laughed. "You don't really know my young master and his wife. If they come back and see you waiting in this snowy place for a whole day, big brother, they'll blame me. Wouldn't you be ruining my job?"
"Don't say anything more. Dinner is almost ready. It's just a matter of adding another set of bowls and chopsticks. Come in quickly."
Lu Xiaodong hesitated for a moment. He carefully wiped the mud off the soles of his shoes outside, patted the dust off his body vigorously, and said with an embarrassed smile, "I, I am sorry to trouble you, sir."
"I'm not an adult, just call me Xiao Li..."
Li Zheng took Lu Xiaodong to the side room and courtyard, "Brother, what's your name?"
"My last name is Lu, Lu Xiaodong."
"Brother Lu, the New Year is almost here, and it's not easy to find work."
Lu Xiaodong's heart skipped a beat. Li Zheng continued, "But you've come to the right place to find my master. He's got big business going, so he'll probably need people. It's just that... I'm afraid it'll take until after the new year."
Lu Xiaodong's heart suddenly turned cold. Today was only the third day of December. How was he going to get through the next month?
Li Zheng was leading the way and did not notice Lu Xiaodong's pale face. He took Lu Xiaodong into the dining hall in the side courtyard, which was warm and lively.
Today, the Fu Mansion has thirty servants, thirty maids, and fifty security guards, a total of one hundred and ten people.
They all had their meals here. There were twelve tables in the dining hall, and hot dishes were already placed on the tables.
"Just sit down somewhere and I'll get you some food."
Lu Xiaodong went to the most remote corner and looked at the table full of dishes, including three meat dishes and five other vegetarian dishes... Is this the food for the servants in the Fu Mansion?
Lu Xiaodong sniffed the delicious aroma and his stomach started to growl.
This is simply paradise on earth!
Young Master Fu treats his servants so well!
For this meal, Lu Xiaodong only ate a small bowl of rice, and he only ate a little of the dishes on the table, but he thought a lot.
He stayed in the dining hall all afternoon. There was a stove here, so he didn't feel the slightest bit of cold.
He longed for such a life and became more and more eager to meet the young master of the Fu family.
After Fu Xiaoguan and his party returned to the Fu Mansion, Li Zheng naturally reported the matter of Lu Xiaodong.
Fu Xiaoguan thought for a moment and said, "Bring him to Li Chenxuan."
Lu Xiaodong followed Li Zheng all the way, keeping his head down and not daring to look left or right.
This was a wealthy family's residence, and he was a commoner. This was not a place for someone like him to go. He even considered backing out, but the delicious meal at noon strengthened his resolve to move forward.
He needs to seize this opportunity so that his wife, his daughter, and the unborn child in his wife's belly can live a life without worries about food and clothing.
Fu Xiaoguan was receiving Lu Xiaodong at his residence, completely unaware that the Yi country's delegation had already arrived outside the city of Jinling.
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