Ye Caiping spent the whole day looking at the brokerage shops, from the county town to the prefectural town.
By noon the next day, they had finally selected a few satisfactory servants to take home.
In the main room, Ye Caiping and the elderly couple sat at the head of the table, while Jin'er, Huan'er, and Xiao Yan sat to the side.
"Greetings, Madam Ye, Old Madam, Old Master, and all the young ladies." Several servants knelt down and performed a deep bow.
The elderly couple had never seen anything like it before and were quite surprised.
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Everyone's up. Introduce yourselves."
There were four people in total: a woman in her thirties, two young servants around sixteen or seventeen years old, and a maid.
The woman had a round, gentle face, but her eyes held a hint of experience as she said:
“My surname is Yang, and I am thirty-five years old this year. I used to work for the Lu family in the prefectural city, but later the Lu family fell into poverty and sold us all. Before, everyone in the Lu family called me Yang Ma.”
“These two boys are my sons. The older one is 17 and his name is Shanzi. The younger one is 15 and his name is Shizi. Their surname is He.”
Old Mrs. Ye said, "Then your man..."
Yang Ma said, "My husband passed away many years ago."
Grandma Ye nodded and looked at the maid beside her: "Then who is this girl...?"
The maid was pretty and said, "My name is Guixiang. I am 14 years old and I was originally from a farming family. Three years ago, my parents sold me to a brokerage firm, where I learned a few things. Madam Ye is my first mistress."
Ye Caiping said, "From now on, your monthly wages will be the same, 800 wen each. If you do well, you will be promoted to 1 liang after the New Year. Shanzi will guard the front gate, and Shizi will guard the back gate."
"Besides guarding the gate, you'll also be responsible for tasks like chopping wood and carrying water. Sometimes you'll even have to be my grooms."
"As for Yang Ma and Gui Xiang, you can leave it to Xiao Yan to decide!"
"Yes." Xiao Yan quickly stood up.
Yang Ma and the others were pleasantly surprised. In the past, when they lived in the wealthy man's house, second-class servants received 600 coins a month, while first-class servants only received 1 tael.
Surprisingly, even though it was a farmhouse, they gave me 800 coins.
"Here are some bolts of cotton cloth. Take them and make yourselves a couple of outfits." Ye Caiping pointed to the coffee table beside her, which she had bought in the county when she returned.
Servants are required to have two sets of clothes each season; this is a basic perk.
Yang Ma thanked them repeatedly, then, carrying the cloth and her bundle, left with Xiao Yan.
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Mother, please don't go into the kitchen anymore."
Grandma Ye laughed: "That won't do. Sometimes I like to cook for you, and I also like to pick vegetables."
Grandma Ye loves picking vegetables. She would move a small stool and sit on the corridor, picking vegetables while waiting for her daughter and granddaughter to come home.
"Then you should pick something light and easy to do."
"How much did you spend to buy these people?"
"Yang Ma costs 30 taels. She used to work in the kitchen and can also do needlework. The rocks and stones cost 25 taels each. They are experienced and therefore more expensive. Gui Xiang is a novice, so she costs 15 taels."
Just then, Xiao Yan and Yang Ma came in together.
Yang Ma smiled and said, "It's already noon. I'll go to the kitchen now to cook for you and the old lady, so I can show off my skills."
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Go quickly."
After Aunt Yang left, Xiao Yan said, "Shanzi and Shizi are already guarding the front and back gates. It's just a matter of what to eat..."
Xiao Yan used to eat with Ye Caiping's family, but now that they've bought servants, she doesn't know what to do with them.
Ye Caiping said, "Mother and Xiaoyan, you can decide this. Give them a piece of meat, an egg, or chicken for each meal, one meat and one vegetable. By the way, the dishes we used to provide for the workers when we built the house weren't bad either, so let's use that as the standard!"
“Oh, they’re eating in the kitchen. Xiao Yan, you’re eating with us. Also, I’ll raise your wages to 1 tael and 2 mace.”
Xiao Yan felt both grateful and ashamed: "I have less work, but I've been paid more. How can this be?"
"That's called a promotion and a raise, isn't that how it is?" Ye Caiping laughed, "That's how it is for management."
She had been watching what Xiao Yan had done over the past six months.
These tasks, which would normally require three people to complete, she managed to organize perfectly all by herself. At first, Grandma Ye only did some light work.
Xiao Yan is a bright and capable child, worth nurturing. Whatever she does in the future, it will be a worthwhile investment.
Ye Caiping said, "Also, don't you like embroidery? We're going to make summer clothes, so we'll leave this task to you."
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up: "Okay. From now on, all the clothes, shoes and socks in the house will be yours."
Xia Buye Caiping had already bought the cloth. After the incident with Magistrate Lu, she was preparing to leave the city with Jin'er and Huan'er, but they were not allowed to leave. On the way back, she bought the cloth.
Lunch was ready soon, and as expected of someone who was a cook by profession, Yang Ma's cooking skills were really good!
As for Yang Ma and the others, Old Lady Ye gave them a large piece of cured meat and let them pick any vegetables they wanted from the garden.
We ate fatty cured pork stir-fried with garlic and stir-fried bok choy.
The four of them were very satisfied with the meal, thinking that the host was really generous, as there was even meat to eat.
After the meal, Xiao Yan took Gui Xiang up the mountain to cut pig feed and taught Gui Xiang and Shi Zi how to feed the livestock and clean the livestock shed.
Ye Caiping walked to the gate with her hands behind her back and saw Shanzi sitting inside the gate, guarding it very seriously.
"Madam Ye." Upon seeing her, Li Shanzi immediately stood up.
Seeing that no one was around, Ye Caiping stepped forward and said, "I'm telling you... if someone brings you fish, you must tell me, quietly, don't let anyone else know, understand?"
"Send fish?" Shanzi scratched his head. "Okay. But... what kind of fish?"
Ye Caiping was a little embarrassed to say, "It's just a small fish basket, and there's a small fish inside..."
"A...small fish?" What kind of operation is this?
"It's just a small fish anyway. Once you receive it, don't tell anyone, just give it to me quietly."
"OK."
Ye Caiping was very satisfied and went back to her room.
Shanzi looked puzzled; he had just arrived and was already receiving this strange task.
Unexpectedly, only a quarter of an hour later, Old Lady Ye quietly approached. Seeing that no one was around, she whispered, "Shanzi..."
"Grandma." He stood up.
"Shh, sit down, don't be anxious. I'm telling you, if someone suddenly brings you a small fish, remember to tell me. Understand?"
Shanzi's lips twitched slightly: "I understand."
Grandma Ye was satisfied and turned to leave.
Shanzi watched her retreating figure, feeling somewhat devastated.
Oh no! I thought I'd come to the countryside and live a simple life, but this little village has so many twists and turns. What did this little fish do to offend anyone?
What earth-shattering case could this be?
Or is it some kind of coded message for murder and robbery?
Or perhaps it's some kind of food that could cause miscarriage or poisoning?
I don't want to think about it anymore!
We're already here, what else can we do?
He was bought by Ye Caiping, so naturally he only listens to Ye Caiping. He can only give things to Ye Caiping secretly and cannot tell anyone else.
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