Since she couldn't make any decisions for the time being, Xie Yushu simply put it aside. Seeing that Xiao Yi's leg was getting better day by day, Xie Yushu said that Xie Tianqi had found them work in the prefectural city to help wealthy families acquire land. She and Qu Xiaodie would work there for more than a month, just to earn some money to add to Xiao Yan's dowry.
Xiao Yi didn't interfere much with her whereabouts. He would be able to throw away his cane in a few days, so he wouldn't need her much anymore. He just told her to "be careful on the road" and let her go.
Xie Yushu and Qu Xiaodie sorted and put away the dried medicinal herbs, packed up their clothes, the thousand-year-old ginseng, snake venom and gall, as well as gold and silver jewelry, and then went to the mountain villa with Qu Xiaodie.
For no other reason than that she simply didn't trust Old Madam Xiao's family! So she decided to take all her valuables with her.
Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and the once barren land has become more lively. The land that Xie Yushu had designated for them two months ago has been used to build houses, which are sturdy and clean with blue lime tiles.
Not only were the houses built, but a road was even opened from the valley to the outside of the mountain!
When a young boy saw Xie Yushu coming, he first greeted her, and then ran to inform the people inside. Before long, all the adults and children in the mountains came over.
They automatically split into two groups and stood before Xie Yushu. One group consisted of the five family servants led by Wang Wu, and the other group consisted of sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls and boys led by Aunt Su. Both groups stood in neat rows and bowed to Xie Yushu, saying in unison,
"Greetings, Master!"
"Get up! Come inside with me!"
"yes!"
Aunt Su and Wang Wu, as expected of those who have managed things, not only got the work done, but also taught them manners very well; they were all very well-behaved!
Before noon, Xie Yushu gathered everyone in the meeting room next to the dormitory. The meeting room, which was 100 square meters, was quite spacious and had more than a dozen rows of tables and chairs, similar to a student classroom.
Xie Yushu sat down at the front, and Aunt Su and Wang Wu reported to Xie Yushu on their work during this period, and then handed the account book to Xie Yushu for review.
Actually, it wasn't a big deal. She had drawn up the plans for the place, and they built it according to the blueprints. Now they have all moved in. Wang Wu was able to lead them to drive the road from the mountain to the outside, which can be considered as exceeding expectations.
During this time, Aunt Su taught them the rules and etiquette of servants, all in the same way she taught new palace maids in the palace.
She instilled in them the idea of loyalty and protection of the Lord every day, and emphasized the consequences of betraying the Lord, citing many examples she had seen.
Now, these people have been trained by Aunt Su to the point that they are capable of serving Xie Yushu, or even serving nobles in the palace!
Xie Yushu looked at the rules and regulations for servants that Aunt Su handed her. There were more than sixty articles, ranging from small things like dressing and eating, and how to treat others, to big things like accompanying someone when going out. There was also an additional article on observing people's expressions and even how to pay attention to the verbal routines of outsiders.
Even a fool would grow more shrewd after being trained by Aunt Su!
Xie Yushu exclaimed that she had hit the jackpot!
The accounts were also very clear. Later, tables, chairs and benches were added, two cabinets were added to each of the five families, and a 1.5-meter wardrobe was added to each dormitory for the boys and girls.
Another batch of cotton was purchased, and Aunt Su, along with the maids and servants, has already finished making everyone's autumn cotton-padded jackets and trousers, winter cotton-padded clothes and trousers, cotton-padded shoes, and cotton-padded quilts!
At the same time, he went to Jinyang to buy grain and salt for the winter. He still had eight taels and three mace of silver left by Xie Yushu, plus a few copper coins.
After purchasing all these items, they still had fifty taels of silver left over. Considering the current prices, Aunt Su and Wang Wu were indeed very frugal.
Xie Yushu was very satisfied with this. She immediately praised Aunt Su and Wang Wu for being conscientious and responsible, and rewarded each of them with one tael of silver. The others also learned the rules well and did their work well. Those over thirteen years old were rewarded with one hundred copper coins each, and those under thirteen years old, who did less work, were rewarded with fifty coins each.
They were given half a day off, and after lunch they could go to the market. They had gone through so many ups and downs, from famine to being sold, and now they were finally settled. They all had their own rooms, and they were told to buy whatever they needed or liked.
Everyone was very happy, and they happily thanked the person and left.
In the afternoon, Xie Yushu and Qu Xiaodie went to the lime kiln outside the west city of Tai'an Prefecture and ordered thirty cartloads of lime to be delivered to the villa, which cost a total of twelve taels of silver. They also bought two donkeys and two carts, which cost thirty-six taels. They broke a five-hundred-tael silver note, exchanged four hundred taels for silver notes and hid them in their hairpins, leaving them with fifty-two taels.
She gave fifty taels to Qu Xiaodie, intending to leave Qu Xiaodie here and Aunt Su by her side.
Now that the rules have been taught to her, she will consolidate them during her month-long stay here. At the same time, she will let Aunt Su and Qu Xiaodie transition their positions. Once the rules are set, she plans to focus on martial arts training for the next year!
Therefore, Qu Xiaodie is more suitable to manage them!
When evening came, everyone returned, chattering happily!
The women mostly bought needles and thread, the girls bought hair accessories and rouge or snacks, and the boys mostly bought all kinds of food, meat buns, roast chicken, and wine!
Fortunately, they all knew their limits and didn't drink too much.
After dinner, Xie Yushu gathered them together for a second meeting.
Seeing everyone looking at her with a mixture of restraint and curiosity, Xie Yushu cleared her throat and spoke.
"The morning meeting was a summary of everyone's work over the past period. Everyone did a good job, and we have rewarded them accordingly. Let's put the past behind us. Next, I will talk about the future plans for our resort."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
