"That works too! Anyway, with the Emperor investing, no one in the capital will dare to cause trouble. It would be a waste not to open a shop."
When do you plan to set off?
"The day after tomorrow! I'll pack my things tomorrow; there are some things I need to clarify."
If they have any unresolved issues, please keep an eye on things for them here!
"That's natural!"
"Your journey to the capital is long; have you prepared a carriage?"
"It's all ready. I sent someone to order a carriage a few days ago. As soon as I received the imperial decree, I sent someone to pick it up. The horse was also bought a long time ago. Although it's an ordinary yellow horse, it's young and strong, only two years old. It's raised in the back mountain with those donkeys. It's been trained for almost a month and is very obedient!"
I named it "Treading on Snow".
"That's good. You can pack your things now. I'll head back first. I'll see you off when I leave."
"good!"
After Han Zhongyu took his leave, Xie Yushu convened an emergency meeting with the managers of various departments to assign tasks for the next two to three months.
Zhao Hu, Xinghuo, and Zhaotu were responsible for training the sixty new recruits they had bought.
The staff hasn't been fully selected yet, so we can still squeeze in. Besides, she took a group of people with her, freeing up some dorm rooms, which can be temporarily accommodated for a while.
Once everyone has been chosen, it might be too crowded. Xie Yushu asked them to urge the construction of the dormitories for the new recruits when the weather warms up.
We should try to train them as soon as possible.
Secondly, regarding Wang Wu's side, before planting in the spring, he fully cooperated with Zheng Dacheng and his team to meet the demand for glassmaking, ensuring sufficient supplies and making clear arrangements for what to plant this year.
Aunt Su accompanied me to the capital, and Qu Xiaodie took over all the affairs of the villa, including but not limited to the recruitment of construction workers, staff allocation, and personnel movements within the villa.
Xiao Haitang provided assistance.
In fact, Xiao Haitang's age should have been the time for her to study and play. However, this dynasty was too harsh on women. The county school did not accept girls, and the only place for girls to learn was the embroidery room. Xiao Haitang had no interest in needlework, so Xie Yushu let her learn to manage things from Qu Xiaodie, so that she would not suffer losses when she went out in the future.
Sun Chongren was in charge of business negotiations and coordination.
The hospital and the patients were handled by the Liu family father and son.
The factory will be handled by Zheng Dacheng.
After assigning tasks, he told them that if they encountered anything they couldn't handle, they should go to Han Zhongyu.
After assigning tasks, Xie Yushu gave each manager two thousand taels of silver for their daily operations and left Qu Xiaodie twenty thousand taels of silver notes for future recruitment expenses and the purchase of building materials.
After explaining the internal affairs of the manor, he talked to Yu Muyang about the wages. The foreman Yu Muyang brought, along with a total of fifteen people including him, was responsible for Xie Yushu's work. The total wages were three thousand taels of silver. He asked Xie Yushu to pay half of it first, and the rest could be paid after the work was completed and she was satisfied.
For such a large project, Yu Muyang only asked for three thousand taels of silver. Xie Yushu knew that he must have asked for less because of Han Zhongyu's influence. She planned to give them a red envelope after the project was completed, so she didn't say anything and gave Yu Muyang one thousand five hundred taels of silver directly, telling him to tell Qu Xiaodie what kind of workers he needed and what materials he needed to buy.
It was already very late when the meeting ended. After resting for a night, I started packing clothes, medicine, first aid kit, toiletries, food and supplies for the road, fodder for the horses and donkeys, and then checked the vehicle.
After everything was ready, Xie Yushu took a moment to check on Chu Jinyu, afraid that the little guy would be unhappy if she left quietly.
When Chu Jinyu heard that Xie Yushu was going to the capital, he burst into tears. Xie Yushu wanted to take him with her, but when he heard that he was going to the capital, he was afraid that Chu Mingzhu would find out and drag him back, so he was unwilling to go with her. He just kept nagging Xie Yushu to come back quickly!
Xie Yushu had no choice but to promise him that she would return immediately after treating the Eighteenth Prince, and that he should eat well and study hard. She also promised that Xiao Haitang would come to keep him company during his days off. Only then did she relent.
The Emperor summoned her, and it wouldn't be good to linger too long. Once everything was ready, Xie Yushu set off the very next day.
Han Zhongyu escorted Xie Yushu all the way to the border of Tai'an Prefecture before riding back. Once back at the prefecture, he sent a letter to his grandfather, asking him to look after Xie Yushu.
Sigh! Ever since I met Xie Yushu, I've always had so much to worry about!
Now let's talk about Xie Yushu's side.
During the first month of the lunar year, the weather was freezing cold, and few people traveled far. Most of the time, the road was occupied by Xie Yushu and her group, so it was quite quiet!
Aunt Su and Nanxing followed Xie Yushu in the horse-drawn carriage, while Zhou Yi and the others drove the donkey cart behind them. Although they all had carriages and small heaters, the warmth was not enough in the cold temperature, so they still had to wrap themselves in large cloaks and wear hats!
The first two days were fine, but on the third day, it suddenly started snowing heavily, and the temperature dropped even further. Not only were the roads difficult to travel, but even the horses and donkeys were shivering from the cold! (Don't criticize me for exaggerating here. When I was a child, my grandfather's donkeys were so cold in winter that they couldn't walk. So every day, he would take them out to sunbathe, and in the morning, he would spread wood ash on them. Even the dogs had to be put on a cotton pad or a bag of ash.)
Back in the 1990s, animals didn't wear clothes, and people sometimes didn't even have enough to keep warm!
Helpless, Xie Yushu found an inn to rest for a day and went out with Nanxing to buy a piece of cotton cloth and cotton to make cotton clothes for the horse and donkey!
Nanxing hadn't expected this kind of thing to happen, but imagining Ta Xue and Benben dressed up would definitely be fun, so she excitedly went to the street with Xie Yushu to buy wood and cotton!
The two chose two pieces of printed coarse cotton cloth, one red and one green, and bought a few kilograms of cotton. When they got back, Aunt Su and Chunyu started sewing.
Aunt Su was very skillful; she even sewed a hat into the shape of a horse's head, leaving only an opening so that the horse could hear the sound.
Except for the eyes, nose, and mouth, everything that could be covered was covered.
So the next day, a horse and a donkey, dressed in bright red and green, appeared on the road, running happily!
At first, Nanxing and her companions laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight at the sight of the colorful horses and donkeys. But after getting used to it, they relaxed and continued on their way.
Unsurprisingly, the horses and donkeys, all wrapped in brightly colored cotton-padded jackets reminiscent of the Northeast wind, caused a stir wherever they went. When passing through villages and towns, some children would even chase after the horse-drawn carriages for a long distance, laughing and watching the excitement!
The donkey and horse, not only warmed up by their clothes, but also pleased to be watched by the children, ran with their heads held high and chests puffed out, galloping very fast.
If Nanxing and the others could see into the horse's eyes, they would be able to discern a sense of smugness within them!
However, when people are successful, disaster is often not far away, and the same is true for horses!
When Ta Xue, wrapped in a bright red floral cotton-padded coat, ran up the official road with her head held high, she bumped into a horse-drawn carriage that was traveling normally on the road.
Ta Xue rushed forward somewhat stunned. The driver had already heard the noise and spurred his horse to the side. However, the horse was stunned when it saw Ta Xue. Yes, it was stunned in a very human way. Then, following the driver's instructions, it moved to the side, but its head was tilted and staring at Ta Xue. As a result, the horse and the carriage overturned into the ditch by the roadside.
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