Undercurrents II
Because the estate was somewhat remote, Mu Chuan also wanted to choose a carriage for the two sisters.
Wang Pan'er shook her head vigorously: "No, no, feeding foals is extremely expensive, it's too extravagant."
In the end, instead of buying a carriage, Mu Chuan brought a donkey cart, which Wang Pan'er gladly accepted and tied up in the thatched shed beside the gate of the manor.
The newly purchased estate in the suburbs was larger than Wang Pan'er had anticipated, more than twice the size of a standard athletic field. Pushing open the door led to the front hall, used for receiving guests and dining, as well as a collection hall. The display cases were exquisitely crafted, with intricate openwork carvings that showcased the original owner's aesthetic sense and wealth. Unfortunately, they were all emptied, leaving the cabinets bare, and Wang Pan'er had nothing to put on them.
Further inside are pavilions and terraces, artificial hills and ponds, flowers and trees, full of leisure and charm, clearly a place for wealthy people to escape the cold and vacation.
The main house is at the very back, divided into east and west wing rooms. A small area in the corner of the west wing room is designated as a space for servants, so the east wing room is slightly larger.
Wang Pan'er's ideal layout was to pass through the front hall to the main house, and then plan a field for Chinese medicinal herbs inside the main house. Unfortunately, building the house would take some time, and the spring was also at the very back of the stilts. After much consideration, Wang Pan'er felt that rebuilding the house was not worthwhile, and that it would be better to level the rockery, pond, flowers, trees and shrubs to turn it into a field.
Mu Chuan accompanied Wang Pan'er on a careful tour of the manor: "You sisters will stay here permanently. You can live in the larger east wing, and I can use the west wing. Also, if you renovate, these landscape stones, flowers, and plants can all be sold for money. Don't let anyone just take them away."
Wang Pan'er nudged Mu Chuan with her elbow: "Good heavens, are you a mind reader? How did you know I wanted to call someone to pull me out?"
Mu Chuan was pushed back half a step, and then shouted righteously, "I saved you money, so you have to treat me to dinner!"
Mu Chuan had helped a lot these past two days, and only made this small request. Wang Pan'er readily agreed, "Okay, okay."
After finishing his meal, Mu Chuan had to go back to find his attendants.
Qianji Wanying Pavilion was just starting out, and Wang Xiaoyao was busy attracting business. Mu Chuan wanted to say goodbye to his closed-door disciple, but the disciple was nowhere to be seen all day. So he could only pick up his pen and help Wang Xiaoyao's Qianji Wanying Pavilion put up a promotional advertisement at the entrance of the medicinal cuisine restaurant before watching Wang Pan'er leave reluctantly.
After finishing his work, Wang Xiaoyao was overjoyed to learn that his sister had bought a manor. He ran to the garden and rolled around for a while. When he saw the hot spring in the inner room, he took off his shoes and socks and pulled Wang Pan'er to soak their feet while he sighed, "The rockery garden is so beautiful, it's such a pity to change it."
Wang Pan'er said noncommittally, "But my original intention was to find a piece of land to grow medicinal herbs. I chose this manor because it has a hot spring. If I miss this opportunity, I won't find another one like it."
“Alright.” Although Wang Xiaoyao was reluctant to part with the beautifully laid out rockery garden, business was more important. “The scenery is everywhere. If we make more money in the future, we can redesign it. It’s just a pity that there are many girls who register here, but few buyers who give me tasks. I have to run around more and open up more channels. I don’t have time to accompany Sister Pan’er to renovate the estate.”
"It's alright. If it weren't for you, how could I have chosen such a capable manager?" Wang Xiaoyao had grown about ten centimeters taller than when she first arrived, almost as tall as her. If she grew any taller, she would probably be close to 1.7 meters.
No matter how tall Wang Xiaoyao grew, Wang Pan'er would still always poke her hair and cheeks: "Our Sanya is now a capable young lady."
The renovation of the estate was a major event. After seeing Wang Xiaoyao off to his room to rest after enjoying a foot bath, Wang Pan'er summoned all the servants from the estate.
The front yard and external affairs were managed by a male steward who was about fifty years old, while the internal affairs and meals were handled by a plump nanny who was about the same age as the steward.
When the steward met the new master, he also brought with him the account books of the estate's harvest and expenses.
That shows they've thought things through thoroughly.
Wang Pan'er casually flipped through the account book.
The master family doesn't reside on the estate often; the majority of their expenses are for maintaining its landscape. The flowers, plants, and trees are all rare and valuable, requiring meticulous care. Personnel costs aren't high, except for food expenses, which are slightly higher, yet none of the maids or servants are thin.
However, food is the most important thing for people, and eating, drinking, and excretion take precedence, so Wang Pan'er wouldn't care too much about this matter.
Since it was within the reasonable scope and they were all experienced in the village, Wang Pan'er was too lazy to make trouble, so she decided to keep this group of people.
The old nanny, with her sweet tongue, praised the new master's kindness and then left with her entourage. The steward, on the other hand, took on the task assigned by Wang Pan'er: to find someone to convert the landscaped garden into farmland.
With Mu Chuan's reminder, Wang Pan'er had the housekeeper specially arrange for someone to remove the artificial rockery stones and those precious plants.
The enormous garden sold for eight hundred taels of silver, more expensive than buying a medicinal cuisine restaurant. Wang Pan'er clicked her tongue in amazement at the extravagant lifestyle of the wealthy. After these deductions, she had some money left over.
Apart from the courtyard needing renovation, the rooms, layout, and furniture of the side rooms were all extremely exquisite. Wang Pan'er couldn't find any fault with them, so she asked the steward to keep an eye on the craftsmen who had come to renovate the medicinal garden, and to have the maids and servants clean the manor in a timely manner. She then went to buy daily necessities, such as bedding and sheets.
By the time Zhuangzi was completely revised, it was already the end of the twelfth lunar month.
Wang Pan'er went to Tianchengyuan Money Shop and asked Manager Xu to deliver a letter to Mu Chuan, asking him to bring his entourage to the shop for New Year's Eve dinner. She then rushed to the medicinal cuisine restaurant to give the busy staff "year-end bonuses".
The girls were overjoyed to receive nearly two months' worth of wages.
Wang Pan'er made a promise: "We'll work until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, then close the shop and reopen on the 5th of the first lunar month. We'll clean the pots and pans and welcome the God of Wealth together. Next year, everyone will continue to work with me. As long as the shop is well-managed, everyone will have plenty of good days ahead!"
"My wages in five months at the medicinal cuisine restaurant are equivalent to what my husband earns in a year."
"That's right. All that talk about men plowing and women weaving, men being in charge of external affairs and women being in charge of internal affairs, is just a lie to deceive us. Going out to work is much more enjoyable than staying at home and having to watch other people's faces. Now it's time for them to go and be good wives and mothers."
“Since I received my first month’s wages, my mother-in-law has never dared to say a harsh word to me again. Every day when I come home, there are hot meals waiting for me to be served.”
Watching the young women chatter amongst themselves, Wang Pan'er sighed inwardly: "You've all truly experienced how the economic base determines the superstructure."
When Aunt Tian first arrived, she was pale and thin, but now she is radiant. She and Li Qingyan are each carrying a large bag of New Year's goods to go back to Da'an Town for the New Year.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Mu Chuan replied to the letter, specifically requesting to eat hot pot.
Mu Chuan was very sensible. Apart from occasionally indulging in his adorable little quirks, which Wang Pan'er found quite endearing, he never made any outrageous requests. Wang Pan'er always spoiled him; if he wanted hot pot, then he absolutely had to eat it.
The servants on the estate were also granted leave by Wang Pan'er and allowed to return home.
The steward and the nanny were born into the household; wherever the master's family lived, that was where their family lived. Including the nanny's son and two other maids who had nowhere else to go, there were five people left.
Wang Pan'er counted on her fingers and found that, including Mu Chuan's dozen or so followers, there were nearly twenty people who could celebrate the New Year together.
She didn't want to squeeze in with the men to fight for the meat, nor did she want to eat with unfamiliar servants, so she prepared to use three separate pots to stir-fry the base ingredients.
The two sisters were in the dining hall together, while the servants went back to their own courtyards to eat. They were given plenty of wine and meat, and were required to eat their fill.
On New Year's Eve, just as Wang Pan'er set up the stove, Mu Chuan and his group began to arrive one after another.
The attendants followed Mu Chuan and treated Wang Pan'er as one of their own. After exchanging greetings, they joined Wang Pan'er and her sister in preparing the dishes and doing the washing and cleaning.
For a time, the entire Zhuangzi was filled with joy and harmony.
One of the maids was unhappy and threw the vegetable basin on the ground with a bang, splashing a servant brother with cold water all over his face.
"Huh?" The older brother looked completely bewildered, not understanding at all. "What happened, little sister?"
The maid spoke with certainty: "The master clearly promised to start the holiday on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, but on New Year's Eve he invited so many people to dinner and asked us to do things."
Mo Feng handed his older brother a cloth to wipe his face, and said with dissatisfaction, "Everyone is working, and besides, aren't you going to eat any of this?"
Seeing the smell of gunpowder rising, Wang Pan'er quickly tried to smooth things over, summoning the old nanny with a glance.
The old woman hurriedly stepped forward and led the maid away, scolding her all the way: "The master is doing his own work, you should be content. Do you expect others to serve you good wine and meat? If you don't have that kind of life, don't have such unrealistic dreams."
This whole thing during the New Year is really a downer. Wang Pan'er doesn't usually mistreat these servants. During the New Year, everyone is preparing the New Year's Eve dinner together. If she washes or cuts a little more vegetables, she gets upset. This maid is really petty.
Wang Pan'er looked displeased and ordered the steward to take away their share of ingredients and not let them appear in the front hall, lest they cause trouble and annoy people again.
After all the servants had left, Xianying spoke up: "Miss Wang should set some rules for these unruly servants. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished."
“That makes sense.” Wang Pan’er replied while stirring the base sauce. “I thought it would be more convenient to keep the experienced ones here, so I let them do what they wanted. I never expected them to pull this stunt. Oh well, it’s the New Year, let’s ignore them for now and just enjoy ourselves.”
Mu Chuan was the last to arrive.
He held a hand warmer, wore a snow-white fur coat, and had his hair tied up high, meticulously groomed, looking like a banished immortal descended to earth to undergo tribulation.
It's so beautiful!
Wang Pan'er stared blankly as the little immortal approached, then stepped forward to take his hand warmer and cloak, and went inside: "You've come at the perfect time, it's almost time to eat!"
Upon seeing the guests, the attendants immediately carried the pot and pot stand into the room, neatly arranged the dishes on the table, and the aroma of the red oil pot instantly spread throughout the room.
Wang Pan'er couldn't help but tease, "You're dressed so fancy today, like a white peacock, but it's a pity you're about to be covered in the smell of chili oil."
Mu Chuan glared at her, gave a soft snort, and turned his head arrogantly. His high ponytail swung across Wang Pan'er's face, carrying a delicate sandalwood scent.
Wang Pan'er instinctively grabbed a strand of hair, then, realizing what was happening, pulled it to her nose, sniffed it, and chuckled mischievously: "What a handsome young man!"
The attendants around them also joined in with their shouts and yells.
However, Mu Chuan had been talking about hot pot to his followers for several days, so their expectations were already at their peak. As the broth began to bubble, Mu Chuan, who had stopped making a fuss about opening his tail feathers, could only keep swallowing and drooling.
Wang Pan'er went into the bedroom, took out a stack of red envelopes, and handed them out to everyone she met. The amounts were small, one tael of silver per envelope, for good luck. Although the servants made a scene, Wang Pan'er generously kept eleven for herself.
The attendants were laughing so hard their teeth disappeared.
"Thank you, Miss Wang, we have some too!"
"Eating at Miss Wang's house and receiving a red envelope from her, where else can you get such treatment except at home?"
The red envelopes given to Mu Chuan and Wang Xiaoyao contained separately made pure gold safety buckles.
Wang Xiaoyao also prepared a gift.
Wang Pan'er received a jade hairpin, and Mu Chuan received a jade pendant, both specially chosen with auspicious cloud patterns: "Thank you, Sister Pan'er and Brother Mu Chuan, for your life-saving grace. Without you, I would probably just be a skeleton under the yellow earth now."
The jade ornaments are lustrous and translucent, clearly indicating that a lot of money was spent on them.
Wang Pan'er did not refuse her sister's gift and praised, "Xiaoyao often goes with Madam You, and her taste has improved by leaps and bounds. I really like this hairpin."
Mu Chuan also gave him plenty of face, hanging the safety buckle and jade pendant together on his belt, not caring that the gold and jade together looked a bit comical.
Wang Pan'er reached out her hand to Mu Chuan: "What about ours? Surely we're not missing one!"
"No way!" Mu Chuan pulled out two strings of Buddhist prayer beads from his pocket. "These are eighteen beads that I asked the abbot of the temple to personally consecrate and bless for me. May everything go smoothly for me in the coming year!"
No wonder he arrived the latest, and he was carrying sandalwood incense with him.
The attendants started yelling and shouting again.
Xianying, always quick to stir things up, shouted, "I've never received a red envelope from you, young master! What about ours?!"
Mu Chuan rolled his eyes at their commotion: "Didn't Miss Wang pack these for you? You're eating her food and taking her things, but what about what was prepared for her?"
Everyone fell silent.
Reluctantly, Xianying dutifully reached into his pocket.
Mo Feng and his companions went even further, completely forgetting the etiquette of giving red envelopes. Since they only had the red paper wrapped by Wang Pan'er, they simply tore it in half and rewrapped silver dollars to give back to the two girls.
Wang Pan'er and Wang Xiaoyao accepted the red envelopes from their attendants, finding the situation both amusing and absurd.
A true talent!
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