"Sir, why did you take my job?" the middle-aged man asked, following behind Lin Weiming, his face full of confusion.
He was the steward assigned by the Prince's mansion, and he was thinking that on his first day, he should make a good impression on his master and mistress.
But to everyone's surprise, this gentleman from outside was quite different. He had such a good relationship with his wife that he wouldn't even let anyone help him get down from his seat.
"Nonsense, would your wife let other men touch her?" Lin Weiming rolled his eyes at him.
housekeeper:"……"
Was he touching?
Huh? Huh?!
He asked me a question!
Lin Weiming had no idea how he, with his muddy legs that hadn't even been washed yet, had become a master with a butler after just one trip to the capital.
That's not comparable to Master Liu and Master Jiang in the county town.
Lin Weiming personally helped Liu Junlan and Xue Fu down, but the kids were quick enough that they jumped off the carriage from the other side without his help.
They've never lived in such a big house before!
What's more, I've heard that this huge house belongs to their family.
They were all incredibly excited, grabbing their younger sisters and trying to run inside.
"Hey, you guys!" Xuefu called out to him, "Be careful, this is after all..."
She suddenly remembered that the guard who was driving the carriage had just said that such a large room was a gift from Qi Sichen to their family.
The steward immediately arranged, "Madam, I'll have a few servants and maids take the young master and young lady to take a look. And I'll arrange for a few old women to carry your things to the main room, is that alright?"
"Ah, this..." Xuefu looked at her mother-in-law nervously.
She felt that she and her husband, Lin Weiming, were both country bumpkins, and that they were a little hesitant to act freely in such a bustling city as Beijing.
Having been a general's wife for several years, Liu Junlan still exuded the air of a young mistress when she asked the butler, "What's your name?"
"Replying to the old lady's question," the steward replied hastily upon hearing the question. "My original surname was Wang, and my name was Wang Youcai. If the old lady does not like it, it would be my blessing to be given a new name."
She has good judgment.
"No need, just keep this name, it sounds nice."
Liu Junlan told him to first collect his belongings and put them in the main house, then lead the carriage to the backyard, and also arrange accommodations for the guards sent by the Regent.
"Yes," Wang Youcai agreed to each one.
Liu Junlan instructed Xue Fu to give them silver as a gift.
The servants were overjoyed to receive their reward money and wentssiping about it among themselves.
Everyone felt that although the Lin family came from outside, they were not an ignorant family, and they also seemed to have some kind of relationship with the Regent, which made them even more worthy of currying favor with them!
Xuefu was originally a country girl. She was only married to Lin Weiming by Liu Junlan because of her diligence and competence. She only learned to read a few words after the marriage.
Being surrounded and served by so many servants for a while was really uncomfortable, so he could only follow Liu Junlan more obediently and silently, afraid of showing his fear and being looked down upon.
"You silly child," Liu Junlan patted her hand to comfort her, "What are you afraid of? We still have to pay them wages, they're not working for us for free."
"Huh?" Upon hearing that they would have to give them money, Xuefu's attention was immediately diverted, and she quickly asked, "How much silver should we give them?"
"According to the old practice, a head maid can earn five hundred coins a month, a working old woman can earn three hundred coins, and a junior maid can earn less, but still one or two hundred coins."
"The servants and attendants who went out with Lin Weiming and the others also paid about the same amount," Liu Junlan told her, explaining some of the rules of the capital.
When Xuefu followed Liu Junlan, she lowered her head and began to calculate how much silver she would have to spend this month.
They had just seen six or seven maids and servants, and probably about the same number of servants. The middle-aged steward must have asked for even more money.
Just to support these people, they would have to spend at least three or four taels of silver a month!
Xuefu suddenly became anxious and quietly pulled Liu Junlan aside to ask, "Mother, I just took a look around. Our courtyard is big, but if you don't count the rooms they live in, we only have a dozen or so rooms under our own name. I can manage to clean them all by myself, so why do we have to spend so much money every month? Three or four taels of silver a month adds up to dozens of taels a year!"
A few dozen taels of silver—let alone the fact that they might not have been able to save up that much in their entire lives back in Ning'an Village.
Even after I moved to the county town and started a business, it still took a lot of hard work to earn money.
So much silver was just being spent. Even just thinking about it in her mind made Xuefu feel her heart bleed.
...
Unlike the adults who were calculating and scheming, the four Lin brothers took Lin Wanyue on a tour of the house and were extremely satisfied.
This is a three-section courtyard, and even without counting the back rooms where servants and maids lived, there are a total of fourteen rooms!
There are also several small courtyards, planted with flowers, grass, and bamboo, and each window offers a different view. Although the birdsong and cicada chirps have long since disappeared this season, the lingering snow and the sight of a red plum tree peeking over the wall are enough to bring a delightful surprise.
Lin Zhongyuan did a quick calculation and realized that there were enough rooms for each of them to have two rooms!
"I can have two rooms too? Then... then I want one room specifically to store all kinds of herbs!" Lin Ziqiu jumped up happily, his face full of excitement.
Hu Jiuyuan nodded reluctantly, "At least this kid knows he should learn something."
Lin Zhongyuan then looked at his third brother, Lin Zihan: "Third brother, would you like a room to use as a study?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Zihan certainly wouldn't refuse such a good thing that came to him, even though he hadn't found a suitable master yet and didn't know what he would learn in the future.
But it's always good to have a study just in case!
In any case, his parents will definitely teach him to read.
Just like Lin Ziqiu now, even if he studies medicine every day, he still has to memorize the texts with Master Cui.
It was precisely because of this realization that Lin Zihan no longer wanted to find a master to teach him his craft as much as before.
Lin Zihan could still clearly distinguish whether studying was more difficult or studying and learning a trade at the same time was more difficult.
Lin Wanyue was indifferent to this. Like her third brother, she didn't like studying much, and besides, she could enter the villa at any time from her room, which was much more spacious than the outside.
"Brother, I don't need that! I think this big courtyard is enough for me to put a few sandbags and a few wooden figures." Lin Zheyun was quite satisfied with the large courtyard and looked at the old trees planted in the courtyard with a determined look.
The twin brothers both felt sorry for those old trees.
He's finally grown up, and I guess he'll be ruined by his second brother.
After discussing it for a while, the brothers went to find Lin Weiming to divide the rooms.
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