Chapter 355: Twelfth lunar month (1)
A Blessed Daughter
Chapter 355: Twelfth lunar month (1)
Translator : Virichime
This translation made by Moonlight Teatime.
Please read my translation only at Moonlight Teatime.
If you like our translation, please support us on Patreon or Ko-fi or donate
The existing houses on the estate were not enough to accommodate the newly hired workers, so from the beginning, these people had been living in temporary shelters. Later, a portion of them were assigned to build new houses.
At the same time, Wei Ruo’s five small workshops were also being built.
Now, the five workshops had been completed, while the housing—due to the large number required—was still under construction.
Wei Ruo hoped that everyone could move in before the temperature dropped below freezing and ice formed.
As soon as Wei Ruo arrived, Steward Yu led her to inspect the newly built houses. “Mistress, look, in a few days we’ll be ready to install the beams, and all the buildings can be completed by the end of the month.”
“Mm, you all have done very well,” Wei Ruo said.
“This is all thanks to your kindness, Mistress. Everyone knows you’re building these houses for them to live in, so they’re very grateful and work even harder,” Steward Yu said.
Land is so valuable—other people would definitely want to keep more of it for farming or to build homes for themselves. But their mistress generously set aside a large area to build more houses so that the hired long-term workers and their families, who had no place to live, could have better accommodations.
The estate’s original long-term workers had lived in smaller places. Usually, several workers squeezed into one room. Where would they have ever had a nice and comfortable private room to sleep in?
“I want them to put their hearts into working on the estate and treat it like their home. Naturally, I have to provide them with a home-like place that shelters them from the wind and rain, where there’s food to eat and clothes to wear. Otherwise, how can I expect them to genuinely take care of the estate and treat it like their own home?”
“Mistress, you are truly kind-hearted!” Steward Yu couldn’t help but exclaim emotionally.
After working as a long-term laborer for twenty years and then serving as a steward for another ten, this was the first time he had met a mistress with such a mindset.
“Just follow my instructions and don’t worry about the high expenditures on the estate. As long as the expenses are reasonable and lawful, and the silver is being used properly where it should be, I won’t be stingy. Next year, when the fields yield more crops, everything will come back.”
Currently, Wei Ruo had several shops earning stable profits, so expenses were not a problem. Once the collaboration with Drunken Immortal Restaurant began, it would also bring in an additional stream of income.
Moreover, Wei Ruo’s ambition wasn’t limited to just one Drunken Immortal Restaurant . She was also preparing to enter the markets of ordinary households, and other restaurants in different places were part of her future plans as well.
“Alright, Mistress, don’t worry. I’ll record every single expense on the estate clearly in the account books to ensure that every coin of yours is spent transparently.”
Wei Ruo nodded. The account books naturally had to be clear.
After that, Wei Ruo went to the workshops. Since things had just started, there were inevitably some problems. Over the next few days, she would still need to put in extra effort to supervise the work and promptly correct any issues she found.
Time quickly passed, and it entered the twelfth lunar month.
A heavy snowfall blanketed the entire Taizhou Prefecture.
Inside and outside the city, everything was covered in silver. On the eaves, tree branches, and steps, there was a thick layer of white snow.
In such a year, it was indeed a hard time for poor families.
Some families had even begun to sell their daughters. The better cases were sold into wealthy households as maidservants. Whether they signed a death contract or a living contract, at least they would have enough to eat. If they performed well, they might even have a future.
Less fortunate ones weren’t so lucky—some were sold as concubines, some were bought by human traffickers and taken north, and some became “skinny horses” (a euphemism for young girls sold into prostitution).
Although Wei Ruo had not seen these things with her own eyes, she knew they were indeed happening.
The houses on Wei Ruo’s estate had all been completed just before the snowfall, and everyone had moved in.
At the same time, Wei Ruo’s five small workshops were also being built.
Now, the five workshops had been completed, while the housing—due to the large number required—was still under construction.
Wei Ruo hoped that everyone could move in before the temperature dropped below freezing and ice formed.
As soon as Wei Ruo arrived, Steward Yu led her to inspect the newly built houses. “Mistress, look, in a few days we’ll be ready to install the beams, and all the buildings can be completed by the end of the month.”
“Mm, you all have done very well,” Wei Ruo said.
“This is all thanks to your kindness, Mistress. Everyone knows you’re building these houses for them to live in, so they’re very grateful and work even harder,” Steward Yu said.
Land is so valuable—other people would definitely want to keep more of it for farming or to build homes for themselves. But their mistress generously set aside a large area to build more houses so that the hired long-term workers and their families, who had no place to live, could have better accommodations.
The estate’s original long-term workers had lived in smaller places. Usually, several workers squeezed into one room. Where would they have ever had a nice and comfortable private room to sleep in?
“I want them to put their hearts into working on the estate and treat it like their home. Naturally, I have to provide them with a home-like place that shelters them from the wind and rain, where there’s food to eat and clothes to wear. Otherwise, how can I expect them to genuinely take care of the estate and treat it like their own home?”
“Mistress, you are truly kind-hearted!” Steward Yu couldn’t help but exclaim emotionally.
After working as a long-term laborer for twenty years and then serving as a steward for another ten, this was the first time he had met a mistress with such a mindset.
“Just follow my instructions and don’t worry about the high expenditures on the estate. As long as the expenses are reasonable and lawful, and the silver is being used properly where it should be, I won’t be stingy. Next year, when the fields yield more crops, everything will come back.”
Currently, Wei Ruo had several shops earning stable profits, so expenses were not a problem. Once the collaboration with Drunken Immortal Restaurant began, it would also bring in an additional stream of income.
Moreover, Wei Ruo’s ambition wasn’t limited to just one Drunken Immortal Restaurant . She was also preparing to enter the markets of ordinary households, and other restaurants in different places were part of her future plans as well.
“Alright, Mistress, don’t worry. I’ll record every single expense on the estate clearly in the account books to ensure that every coin of yours is spent transparently.”
Wei Ruo nodded. The account books naturally had to be clear.
After that, Wei Ruo went to the workshops. Since things had just started, there were inevitably some problems. Over the next few days, she would still need to put in extra effort to supervise the work and promptly correct any issues she found.
Time quickly passed, and it entered the twelfth lunar month.
A heavy snowfall blanketed the entire Taizhou Prefecture.
Inside and outside the city, everything was covered in silver. On the eaves, tree branches, and steps, there was a thick layer of white snow.
-heavy snow
In such a year, it was indeed a hard time for poor families.
Some families had even begun to sell their daughters. The better cases were sold into wealthy households as maidservants. Whether they signed a death contract or a living contract, at least they would have enough to eat. If they performed well, they might even have a future.
Less fortunate ones weren’t so lucky—some were sold as concubines, some were bought by human traffickers and taken north, and some became “skinny horses” (a euphemism for young girls sold into prostitution).
Although Wei Ruo had not seen these things with her own eyes, she knew they were indeed happening.
The houses on Wei Ruo’s estate had all been completed just before the snowfall, and everyone had moved in.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!