With all the guests gone, Mu Yi'an needed to start preparing for the move.
Finding a time when everyone was resting, Mu Yi'an and Jiang Shuyun led everyone to the new house.
"Father, Mother, the new house is not far from here; it's in the west of the city."
That's one of the downsides of ancient times. Wearing ruqun, shanqun, and changshan was not only inconvenient for walking, but also very hot.
Underneath dresses and long gowns, you don't have bare legs; you wear trousers.
When Mu Yi'an was at home, she asked Yun Duo and the others to make simple dresses or two-piece sets consisting of a top and pants, which were both convenient and cool.
However, humans are quite adaptable to their environment, which is why they have survived for so many years without going extinct like dinosaurs.
The carriage stopped at the gate, and everyone got off. The gate was already open.
"Father, Mother, let's go in and take a look."
The main courtyard is similar in layout to the original house, also a three-courtyard house, but it is more spacious than before, with three additional courtyards on the east and west sides.
The original owner was an old scholar who had retired to his hometown. He wanted to live in a large mansion, but he couldn't exceed the regulations, so the layout was a bit strange.
Otherwise, such a large house would have been bought long ago.
As Jiang Shuyun walked inside, she introduced the house to her parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were surprised to find that the house was so big. When they came over earlier, they lifted the curtain and saw a very long wall.
"That's good. It'll be enough room for Shao Ming and his brothers when they get married in the future."
"Yes, that's the plan. Unless something unexpected happens, we won't be moving again."
Jiang Shuyun and Mu Yi'an plan to retire in the prefectural city, and they will not interfere with where their children live in the future.
"Mom and Dad, where would you like to stay? Pick a room you like, tidy it up, and we'll have it for you to stay in."
In the main courtyard of their current main building, there are six main rooms and four rooms each in the east and west wing rooms.
"Let's take Yunxi and Ziqing to live in the first courtyard on the east side. It's convenient to come and go, and it's quiet."
Jiang's father did not want to live in the main courtyard, and they would not stay here often, so there was no need to occupy the rooms in the main courtyard. Living in the side courtyard would be quieter.
"Okay, what matters most is that you're all comfortable."
Jiang Shuyun made the final decision: the courtyard for her parents had been chosen, and the rest was up to the children.
"Chuyue, you live in the first courtyard on the west side. Shaoming, you live in the easternmost courtyard. Shaoning and Mulin live in the east and west wing rooms of the same courtyard as you."
Shao Yun, you will live next to your sister. Gu Zheng and Shao Kun will live in the side rooms of the same courtyard as you.
Shao Rong and Shao Ke are still young and live in the side rooms of the main courtyard. They will move to the side courtyard when they are a few years older.
"Alright, go check your own yards and think about how to tidy up your things."
Mu Yi'an was afraid that Chu Yue would live alone in the west wing. Gu Zheng and the others were still young, and the strict separation between men and women wasn't as enforced then. Otherwise, they would have lived in the outer courtyard.
Of the two corner courtyards in the outer courtyard, one was used as a school for Shao Rong and his classmates, and the other was reserved for Mr. Liang to live in.
His servant got married and had children. They lived in the side room of the corner courtyard and continued to take care of Mr. Liang.
Jiang Shuyun had talked to Mr. Liang, who was only in his thirties, and asked if he had thought about starting a family.
Mr. Liang said he no longer had that heart, having witnessed too much life and death, joy and sorrow. He just wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life for the rest of his days.
Jiang Shuyun also promised that as long as Mr. Liang doesn't mind, the Jiang family will always welcome him.
As for Shao Yun's training ground, Mu Yi'an had a relatively large one built on the open space behind the house, next to where the servants lived.
This piece of land is about fifty acres, with plenty of open space; it's Shao Yun's favorite.
The courtyard wall of the entire house is more than three meters high, which is Mu Yi'an's favorite part, as it makes her feel safe.
What's even more satisfying is that there are no trees around the perimeter of the wall, which can prevent thieves from climbing trees and scaling the wall.
The courtyard wall is over three meters high; unless you can scale walls, it's very difficult to get in.
After viewing the house and choosing their accommodations, the group headed back.
The next day, Mu Yi'an and Jiang's mother, along with Jiang Qi, went to a Taoist temple outside the city, where a famous feng shui master calculated an auspicious day for moving.
With the moving date set, Mu Yi'an and Jiang Shuyun jointly drafted the guest list for the banquet.
They've been in the prefectural city for several years now, and they know quite a few people there.
Moving can't be done quietly. Once the house is settled, we can host a banquet.
Before moving, Mu Yi'an asked Steward Li and Sister Fang to take stock of the servants in the house.
Now that the house is bigger, we need more manpower.
However, many of the servants in the household also got married, while almost none of the girls got married. Instead, quite a few women married into the household, even signing indentures.
Of course, such women often come from poor families or families that favor sons over daughters.
All the women who marry into the family from outside have had their backgrounds thoroughly investigated by Steward Li; only those who are deemed to have no problems are allowed in.
Previously, there were many people, and not everyone had the opportunity to enter the courtyard to serve.
Now we can allocate them properly. If we need more people, we can buy a few more.
Busy as we went, the day of moving arrived.
The same process had already been done once before in the county town, so Jiang Shuyun and the children were already very familiar with it.
Every step was taken exactly as described, strictly following ancient customs for moving.
The previous furniture all had specific dimensions, so none of it was moved over.
The furniture in the new house was all newly made, so it took several months to renovate not only the exterior but also the interior.
Especially in the bedroom where Mu Yi'an and the others lived, the bed was simplified, but a hidden compartment was added.
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