The couple, exhausted from a long day, were too tired to talk. After finishing their dinner in silence, Lu Chuan called out to Han Qi, who had been waiting outside.
"Sir, did you call me?"
"Okay, go and find Li Wen, and while you're at it, have someone come in and clear out the food."
Lu Chuan was clearly not used to having people outside all the time, which is why he spoke up.
The person who had been waiting further away for the two to finish their meal and clear the table immediately went in to clear the table when Han Qi arrived.
Li Wen guessed that the host would look for him after dinner, so he quickly finished his meal and waited in the outer room.
Ever since Xu Han told Juxiang to follow her, Juxiang has been on standby at all times. Knowing that neither of the two masters likes people following them around all the time, she waits at a distance.
After finishing their dinner, Xu Han and Lu Chuan moved to the main hall to wait for Li Wen.
Juxiang, being very perceptive, served each of them a cup of hawthorn water.
Juxiang learned this from Danniang and Granny Ma. Knowing that the Madam and Master didn't drink tea at night and had trouble sleeping, she specially prepared it according to their preferences.
Li Wen and Ju Xiang quickly finished their work and stood respectfully waiting in front of the two.
Xu Han took a sip of hawthorn water and nodded slightly, clearly very pleased with their tact.
Not only were they quick to act, but their words and actions were also impeccable.
Lu Chuan listened from the side without intending to speak, but Xu Han saw this and asked, "Li Wen, tell me about what has happened in the last few days."
Seeing this, Li Wen quickly took out the bill he had recorded and handed it to Xu Han, saying, "Reporting to Madam, I have been in the county town these past few days mainly to purchase some daily necessities needed for the mansion and to order various items needed for opening the shop."
The shop's storefront was finished, but I only went to pick it up today. When I arrived, I noticed that the plaque for our residence hadn't been changed. After inquiring around, I learned that the plaque we had was for another master's household. So, I took it upon myself to have a carpenter make a new plaque for the Lu residence, and it's already up.
The two were stunned for a moment upon hearing this. They had indeed neglected the house since buying it, always coming and going in a hurry, and had completely forgotten about changing the house number.
She was too tired when she got back to look closely, and didn't realize that the signboard had been changed.
Xu Han looked at Lu Chuan and saw him nod without changing his expression, so she knew that he had noticed it.
She then said, "You did a good job. This house has hardly been lived in since it was bought, so the plaque hasn't been changed."
Seeing that his wife was very satisfied, Li Wen smiled slightly and dared not be smug. He continued in a serious tone, "During this period of time, based on the people that Master gave me last time, I bought some things such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, candles, and oil lamps to replenish the items that the house was lacking. In addition, I also bought a cow and a horse, which are currently in the livestock shed in the backyard."
I have already written down the specific prices and items in my notebook. The total cost for this purchase was 246 taels. Please review it, Madam.
Xu Han looked through the ledger for a while and saw that the prices on the ledger were indeed not much different from the prices she usually paid, and some items were even a few coins cheaper than what she paid. She knew that the ledger she was shown was indeed genuine.
Even if Li Wen had such thoughts, he probably wouldn't dare to. After all, he had only been here for a short time, and he was currently in the crucial stage of gaining the trust of the couple. There was absolutely no need for him to ruin his future.
Li Wen is a reasonable person. He can see that his master values him, and he knows that if he works hard in the future, he will receive more benefits than this.
Closing the ledger, Xu Han said to Li Wen, "Well done. I've looked at the items you bought, and the quality is quite good. To be able to buy such a variety at this price, you must have put in a lot of effort."
Upon receiving the praise again, Li Wen's lips curled up even more, and he humbly replied, "I dare not accept such praise. I will certainly do my best to serve my wife and husband in the future."
Xu Han didn't like this kind of flattery, so she turned to Juxiang beside her and said, "Tomorrow, you will check the warehouse against this bill. You will be responsible for all incoming and outgoing items and the collection of goods from now on. Remember to keep good records."
Dan Niang acknowledged the order and replied, "Yes, Madam."
Juxiang was used to doing these things; they were not difficult for her, and could even be said to be a piece of cake for her.
Today I saw Juxiang's inventory of the items in the shop. The items she sorted out were very orderly and clear, and you could understand them at a glance.
After reading it, Xu Han thought to herself, "As expected of someone who is used to making these, it's even better than what I make. I'm afraid even if I were to take stock of my inventory, I still wouldn't be able to make it as well as she does."
After seeing it for myself, I felt much more at ease with her.
The couple looked at the two people in front of them, one in charge of the home and the other in charge of external affairs, and most importantly, each of them was exceptionally outstanding.
Each person is responsible for their own area, without competing or fighting, and acts in an orderly and methodical manner, requiring no one to worry about them.
The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning. They thought to themselves, "We've really struck gold this time. The extra money we spent on buying people was definitely worth it."
That evening, after washing up, Xu Han and Lu Chuan lay in the soft quilt, chatting idly.
She mentally calculated the money she had spent recently, plus the money she had spent on buying servants and bricks and tiles a while ago, and then considered how much money she still had at hand.
After deducting the expenses incurred during this period, I only had about 120 taels of silver left.
This amount is indeed not much for the two of them now. There are so many people in the family, and the monthly expenses and allowance are not a small amount.
Xu Han turned to face Lu Chuan and said, "We don't have much money left at home. I estimate we only have about 120 taels of silver. If this continues, we're afraid we'll be completely broke."
Before Lu Chuan could reply, Xu Han continued, "Our family currently has 38 people who need wages. Each person pays 100 cash, which is 3.8 taels of silver per month. In addition, there are daily necessities such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other daily necessities, which will cost at least 2 taels of silver."
This doesn't even include their clothes and shoes for all four seasons, or the gifts they receive during holidays.
"Now, if you calculate it, these expenses alone add up to about 15 taels a month."
Looking at his wife who was worried about money, Lu Chuan put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her, "What are you afraid of? With me here, you don't have to worry about not having money to spend."
Besides, our shop is about to open, which will be a big source of income. In addition, there's the batch of canned fruit and fruit wine you made; none of those are cheap.
Most importantly, there's also sweet potato wine. Even if nothing else works, there's always this! I guarantee it will sell out as soon as it hits the market, and at a pretty good price.
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