Mu Yi'an and the other two strolled back to the courtyard. Butler Li and the others should have finished tidying up by now.
"Madam, the yard is all tidied up, it looks really nice!"
Butler Li had a smile on his face; it seemed this courtyard was truly nice.
Mu Yi'an knew that Butler Li was no naive man. Judging from his expression, this courtyard was more than just a nice place.
The main gate was fully open, and upon entering, one was greeted by a beautifully carved screen wall.
“Madam, this courtyard also has three sections. This is the first section, with side courtyards on the left and right. After passing through the hanging flower gate, you will reach the main courtyard, which is the second section.”
Mu Yi'an and Sister-in-law Fang followed Steward Li through the hanging flower gate. The main courtyard was larger than the courtyard in their prefecture city, with more rooms in the east and west wing rooms. The main house was also spacious and seemed to have quite a few rooms.
"The main thing is the furniture in the room, which is all brand new, and there are also a lot of decorative items."
Mu Yi'an entered the room on the east side. It was a suite, furnished neatly with a carved bed, a dressing table, and a carved wardrobe...
Mu Yi'an even wondered if she was blessed with good luck; it was just too incredible!
Why didn't they find this when they raided the house? These things are worth a lot of money.
Moreover, didn't that wealthy businessman come to see it either?
The vases and ornaments on the display shelf—Mu Yi'an didn't know if they were real or fake, but they looked nice.
Opening the wardrobe, there were still quite a few clothes inside. There was also a small storeroom in the room, filled with bolts of fabric. Mu Yi'an couldn't distinguish between leather, brocade, and Hangzhou silk... In her opinion, cotton clothes were the most comfortable.
After leaving the bedroom, I looked at the other rooms.
Some of them look like guest rooms, while others are the young ladies' boudoirs. The side rooms should be for the young masters of the family, and there are quite a few writing brushes, inkstones, paper, inkstones, and books. Jiang Shuyun should like these.
Now, Zhuangzi belongs to her, and everything in Zhuangzi belongs to her.
"Sister Fang, Sister Wei, please register the items in each room."
We don't need these clothes; the fabric is all pretty new. We'll just take them all to the pawnshop and pawn them all.
Mu Yi'an knew that pawnshops existed in this era, and many things could be pawned.
"I understand, madam. We won't wear these clothes, and they're all made of good materials. The tenants on the estate can't wear them either. It's best to pawn them."
Sister-in-law Wei looked at the clothes in the wardrobe, and found that several of them were only suitable for people with a certain status or position.
Mu Yi'an didn't understand these things; she just thought that the old clothes of these ladies and young women were impractical for working. They were easily scratched, easily soiled, and not very durable.
It would be better to pawn it and get the money to buy some cloth to distribute to the tenants.
Since there is a lot of land on the estate, it is impossible to hire long-term laborers for all of it; tenant farmers are indispensable. Therefore, it is necessary to set good rules for the tenant farmers, maintain good relationships with them, and use both kindness and strictness.
Sister Fang and Sister Wei, along with several maids, began to record the contents of the room.
"Steward Li, Steward Wei, take a look at what's in the storeroom and register it all. Don't waste anything that can be used, and dispose of anything that can't be used. Inspect every area thoroughly, don't leave any blind spots."
That's all Mu Yi'an could think of for now; the rest, she'd leave to her subordinates.
Although there are many inconveniences and uncertainties in traveling to ancient times, there is one thing that I did not enjoy in my previous life, and that is the ancient system of servants.
Although I wasn't used to buying and selling people at first, I found it quite nice once I got used to it.
Having finished explaining everything, Mu Yi'an had nothing else to do, so she went for a stroll in the courtyard to take a good look at its layout.
Butler Li and his men went to the two warehouses, but they were empty. That makes sense; the new grain was about to arrive, and the old grain had probably been sold or confiscated during the raids.
The granary was very large and sturdy, with no signs of leaks.
Butler Li and the others opened the warehouse door to let in some fresh air; the wheat was ready for harvest.
After leaving the warehouse, we went to the livestock shed.
"According to the ledger, there is no shortage of livestock here; horses, oxen, and mules are all here."
"Boss, are we able to pay wages this month?"
Butler Li looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man with a hunched back walking over, his face filled with hope and trepidation.
"Are you in charge of taking care of these livestock?"
"Yes, boss. I've been working here for several years. I used to get paid once a month, but I didn't get paid last month, and I didn't get paid this month either."
The man had no choice; someone in his family was sick, and he couldn't afford to run out of money, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get medicine.
"I'll open it for you in a bit. This estate has changed owners, and I'm the steward. You continue to take good care of these livestock, and you won't be shortchanged on your wages."
"Thank you, Master Butler, thank you, Master Butler."
The middle-aged man's words were incoherent; he was naive and didn't know how to address people.
"My surname is Li, you can just call me Butler Li. What should I call you?"
"My name is Hu Dagen, but everyone calls me Dagenzi."
Butler Li told Hu Dagen to wait here for a moment, and that he would bring his wages over shortly.
Steward Li went back to check the accounts and found the livestock feeding section. He then asked Accountant Song for the copper coins according to the wages recorded there.
Two months, a total of eight hundred coins.
After paying Hu Dagen's wages, Steward Li went to check on other places. The estate was large; there were many things to be careful about and manage.
In the courtyard, Aunt Fang and the others had finished tidying up and made notes.
"Madam, all the men's and women's clothes have been packed up, quite a lot indeed. There are dozens of bolts of cloth, which have already been stored and accounted for."
In addition, there were some jewelry items, such as gold and silver hairpins and earrings.
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