Chapter 104: Buying Servants

Chapter 104: Buying Servants

The autumn wind was bleak, and the cold was approaching. It seemed like in the blink of an eye, the people on the streets of Xiangping Prefecture had all changed into winter clothes.

This winter, the common people had a bountiful year, mostly living in peace and prosperity, but the court and the country were anything but peaceful.

The Yuanhua Emperor, nearing his twilight years, had become more irritable and short-tempered than in his youth. He had cracked down on several major corruption cases, dealing with a large number of officials, ranging from confiscating their property and exiling them to flaying them and stuffing their skins with grass.

This time, no officials in Xiangping Prefecture had fallen, but there was a long line in front of the official servant market, all servants brought from elsewhere after their families had been confiscated and sold.

Du Yunse discussed with Qiu Huanian, "Winter brings heavy chores, with frequent snow shoveling, firewood carrying, and coal hauling. Jin San and old lady Jin are too old to handle it all, and it would be dangerous if they slipped and fell in the freezing cold."

"In the second or third month of next year, we will go to the capital for the imperial examination, and we need to bring servants with us, while also leaving someone to take care of the house. Why not use the current crowd at the official servant market to hire more help?"

Qiu Huanian nodded, as Du Yunse's words reminded him.

Previously, they had chosen Jin San and his family for their cost-effectiveness. The people in Qiu Huanian's household were not particular, and the three of them were enough to handle all the chores.

But as Du Yunse's status rose, their responsibilities and travels increased, and these three servants were no longer sufficient.

Just like when they returned to Du's village, after taking Jin San, old lady Jin, and Shanhu, there was no one left to watch the house, and they had to ask Zhu Jingwei for help.

Qiu Huanian wasn’t the type to overwork a few servants. With more tasks to do, it was indeed necessary to hire more people to lighten the load.

"After lunch today, let's go to the official servant market together. You need to have a servant by your side."

Jiu Jiu fully supported Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse's decision to add more servants to the household. She felt that both brothers needed to have someone by their side, and now only she had a personal servant like Shanhu, which didn't seem right.

Chun Sheng looked forward to a livelier household with more companions and happily agreed.

Jin San and the others felt uneasy, but they knew that as the master's status rose, this was inevitable. They were the earliest servants in the household and had already secured their positions.

At least Shanhu, who stayed by the young lady's side, was irreplaceable.

After lunch, Jin San drove the carriage to take Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse to the official servant market.

The overseers at the official servant market were well-connected and recognized Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian, the two famous figures in Xiangping Prefecture. When they saw them, they immediately greeted them with smiles.

"Scholar Jieyuan, Lady Qishu, are you here today to pick out some servants?"

Qiu Huanian nodded, "We’re looking for someone skilled in household management and someone familiar with the affairs of the capital. Do you have any recommendations?"

The overseer smiled, "Servants with clean backgrounds and management experience are the most in-demand at the official servant market. They are picked as soon as they arrive."

"But since it's Scholar Jieyuan and Lady Qishu who are asking, I’ll make sure to find the best."

No matter where you are, skilled managers take time and resources to train. Servants who had once risen to the positions of housekeepers or managers, as long as they had clean backgrounds and were not involved in illegal activities, still had value even if their families were confiscated and sold.

The people at the official servant market knew how to please their clients, reserving some servants with good qualifications to introduce to important people when they came to buy, as a gesture of goodwill.

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse, who had a good reputation and had passed the imperial examination, deserved such consideration.

Qiu Huanian understood and naturally said, "As long as the people you recommend are truly suitable, I’ll send over a bottle of oyster sauce as a token of thanks."

The overseer's smile widened. He’d never managed to get his hands on oyster sauce before, and the only time he had tasted it was after queuing for weeks at the Shuyi Inn near the examination hall.

Now, the people of Xiangping Prefecture were divided into two categories: those who had tasted oyster sauce and those who had not.

It wasn’t just about the flavor—it was a status symbol!

The steward invited Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse to sit inside, and shortly after, he brought a group of people to the door.

"Master, Township Lord, I have three households here. Let me introduce them."

"The first household is a couple in their forties with a son and a daughter, who were relocated from Suzhou and Hangzhou. The man used to manage the servants of a villa, and the woman oversaw the sewing room. Both children worked with her in the sewing room."

Qiu Huanian looked outside the door. The household stood on the left, their clothes neat and tidy, their demeanor calm, not showing any signs of distress despite their misfortune.

"The second household is larger, with nine servants. The oldest is around fifty, and the youngest is three or four years old. The head of the household is the eldest son, who was previously the head steward of a third-rank official in the capital. The rest of the household also have their own skills. This household alone would be enough for the Township Lord's needs."

The large household stood in the center, with a mix of old and young, most in their twenties or thirties. They also showed no signs of unease and maintained strict etiquette.

"The third household consists of three people: an uncle and his two sons, also relocated from an official's household in the capital, barely meeting the Township Lord's requirements. The uncle's late husband was previously in charge of procurement but passed away last year. His eldest son is seventeen this year and has learned a lot from his father. The younger son is over nine years old, mature for his age, and can also handle some tasks."

The third household stood somewhat apart. The seventeen-year-old eldest son stood at the front, shielding his younger brother and father. Compared to the other two households, they appeared somewhat isolated.

—If they hadn't been relocated from the capital, and if the steward hadn't thought the eldest son had some ability, they wouldn't have been grouped with the other two households for selection.

After briefly introducing the three households, the steward fell silent, waiting for Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse to decide.

Du Yunse looked at Qiu Huanian, "Let's choose the first and third households."

Qiu Huanian nodded, "I think so too."

For large households with many servants, the second household would be the best choice. A steward from a third-rank official's household is usually hard to come by, and a household of nine with both old and young servants could be easily dispersed and managed.

But Qiu Huanian's household currently has too few people. This household, coming from a third-rank official's household, would certainly have their own pride. If they were used throughout the household, it could easily lead to situations of deceiving superiors and bullying subordinates.

It would be better to choose the other two smaller households, which could balance each other out.

However, whether to choose them or not would require meeting them first before making a decision.

Du Yunse asked the steward to bring in the first and third households, and the second household left. They were confident they could find a new master without difficulty, so they showed no concern.

The man in the first household was named Wu Da, and the woman was named Lark. The uncle in the second household was named Mumian. The names of the younger servants were not mentioned, waiting for the master to give them names.

Unlike Jin San's household, who spoke with a slight accent, both households spoke fluent Mandarin. They answered Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse's questions clearly and logically, even the youngest boy.

In the end, Qiu Huanian decided to take both households back.

Wu Da's contract cost eight taels of silver, Lark's five taels, and their two children two taels each. Mumian's eldest son cost five taels, and Mumian and his younger son two taels each.

Seeing Qiu Huanian pay twenty-six taels of silver in one go to buy all their contracts, both households sighed in relief, and their expressions and demeanor subtly changed.

They already knew that their new master was the newly appointed top scholar of Liaozhou, and his spouse was a titled Township Lord, both very young.

Although this household's status and position were not particularly high at the moment, their potential was immense, and they were sure to become a prominent household in the future. Following such a master, the servants felt optimistic about their future.

On the way back, Wu Da took the initiative to call for a carriage by the gate of the official market, pulling all the servants along with Qiu Huanian's carriage without wasting any time.

Back at home, Qiu Huanian had everyone briefly introduce themselves and assigned roles according to his previous thoughts.

Wu Da, with his rich experience, would be the household steward, responsible for all affairs, so Qiu Huanian wouldn't have to worry about everything. Wu Da could handle procurement, receiving guests, and keeping accounts, and Qiu Huanian only needed to review the accounts.

Lark, who had previously overseen the sewing room, was skilled in her craft. She would continue to oversee the sewing room with her daughter, who was fourteen this year. Following the naming convention similar to Coral, her new name would be Agate.

The uncle in the other household, Mumian, had a special skill. He had previously helped the master's household with childbirth and infant care. When Qiu Huanian heard this specialty, a series of strange and embarrassing thoughts flashed through his mind, and he fought to keep his expression neutral.

Du Yunse, seeing Qiu Huanian's tense face, understood and hid his smile.

In any case, Mumian’s skills might come in handy later, but for now, it’s too soon to tell. Qiu Huanian had him start by helping Jin San with cleaning duties.

Mumian’s oldest son caught Du Yunse’s attention, so he was made Du Yunse’s personal attendant, named Bai Quan, after a famous wine. His younger brother was named Bai Ye, also a wine name, to keep Chun Sheng company, much like Coral does for Jiu Jiu.

Then there was the sixteen-year-old boy from Wu Da and Lark’s family. Qiu Huanian decided to take him under his wing and, after much thought, named him Xing Mi, after a medicinal herb. As a self-proclaimed medicine aficionado, Qiu Huanian now finds the names of medicinal herbs quite endearing.

And so, the seven newcomers were given their roles, though not entirely fixed. If new tasks arose at home, they could be reassigned.

There were a few empty rooms in the back, so Qiu Huanian handed out cotton fabric and batting to each of them, and Wu Da and the others got to work organizing their living spaces.

As for monthly pay, Jin San and old lady Jin used to get two taels of silver each, while Coral received one tael. Qiu Huanian took this chance to bump up everyone’s pay.

Wu Da, the housekeeper, got the most at one tael a month. Bai Quan and Xing Mi, Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian’s personal attendants, got five taels each. Lark, Mumian, Jin San, and old lady Jin received three taels per month, while the others received two taels.

The Jin family was thrilled about the raise, and their initial worries about the new hires faded fast.

Wu Da and Lark were making a bit less than before, but with important roles under a promising master, they weren’t sweating future money troubles.

With seven new faces around, the place suddenly buzzed with life.

The new hires settled in fast and started showing what they could do.

Wu Da, working off Qiu Huanian’s list, sorted through the gifts that had piled up in the storeroom over the last half year, pulling out plenty of winter essentials.

Big-ticket items included a hollow, vine-carved heated bed and a brocade cloak, while smaller finds included a brazier with an outer water groove to cut down on smoke and a hand warmer designed to keep the coal from scorching your fingers.

Seeing these, Qiu Huanian realized he had forgotten about these miscellaneous items he had received at some point, and he had originally planned to spend money to buy them.

Lark and Wu Da, being a couple, didn’t lag behind. After measuring the sizes of all the household members, they began to showcase their skills with their daughter Agate. The winter fabrics and furs Qiu Huanian had bought were transformed into beautiful garments that rivaled the best ready-made clothes from outside shops.

Jiu Jiu was very interested in this and often watched Lark and Agate making clothes these days, occasionally offering design suggestions.

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse didn’t like having people constantly standing nearby in their daily lives, so although Bai Quan and Xing Mi were called personal attendants, they didn’t need to be in the room at all times.

Both were literate, so Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse discussed and gave them several books from Qimin Bookstore, including "Elementary Mathematics: Equations," to read and improve themselves in their spare time.

The two didn’t expect their first specific task in the new household to be reading, and they looked at each other with the books in hand.

"Encourage each other?"

"...Encourage each other."

Qiu Huanian didn’t forget Bai Ye, who followed Chun Sheng. Since Chun Sheng attended a regular private school and it wasn’t appropriate to bring a servant, Qiu Huanian enrolled Bai Ye in the same school, so they could go together.

Bai Ye was serious and meticulous, with the concerns of a ninety-year-old at the age of nine. Under his influence and persuasion, Chun Sheng’s behavior became more stable, which pleased Du Yunse.

As for Coral, she always followed Jiu Jiu to the Zhu family’s small school, and Jiu Jiu was intentionally teaching her to read and write, so Qiu Huanian didn’t need to make additional arrangements.

What is this called? This is called the famous overachiever Qiu Huanian, even after traveling to ancient times, continuing to drive the entire household to strive.

Congratulations, congratulations.

...

By November, Xiangping Prefecture had several heavy snowfalls in a row, and the temperature suddenly dropped below zero. Water left in outdoor water jars would freeze into a thick layer of ice overnight.

Qiu Huanian’s household had long been using high-quality charcoal, with large red felt curtains blocking the cold outside. The braziers and warmers filled the rooms with a cozy fragrance.

This winter was much more comfortable than the last. Qiu Huanian leaned on a warm bed with charcoal burning underneath, hugging a large fluffy pillow, thinking to himself that this was the meaning of striving.

Xing Mi carefully lifted the thick door curtain and entered to deliver a message, "My Lord, my father said he’s got a cart of charcoal, five bolts of thick cotton cloth, and some rice, flour, oil, and meat ready. He asked me to inquire when you plan to depart."

"Head to the study and check; we’ll leave as soon as Yun Se’s done with his essay."

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse planned to visit Wang Yinzhi's home.

Wang Yinzhi had saved some money by tutoring the grandson of the Assistant Prefect of Xiangping and rented a small courtyard. In early November, he brought his whole family from their village to the city. Winter in the city is definitely more comfortable than in the village.

Since they’re new here and don’t have everything they need, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse planned to put together a thoughtful gift to help them out.

They’d gotten a lot of help from folks along the way, and now they could finally lend a hand themselves.

Author's Note:

This chapter introduces many new names (don't worry if you don't remember them; they'll appear more frequently later)—

Steward (head servant) — Wu Da

Seamstresses — Lark, Agate

Housekeeper (also a midwife) — Mumian

Qiu Huanian — Xing Mi

Du Yunse — Bai Quan

Chun Sheng — Bai Ye

(Among them, Wu Da and Lark are married and have Xing Mi and Agate;

Mumian is an uncle—basically, an older brother—and is the father of Bai Quan and Bai Ye.)