Chapter 485: Chapter 485, None Would Work (1 update)
Xie Zhinuan smiled, poured a cup of tea for Mu Rourou, “Now that you have Auntie Chen and Grandma Chen to train you, what about the others? What are your plans for those?”
“The others?” Mu Rourou asked, puzzled.
What others could there be?
She had never been in charge of a household before, knew nothing about such matters, nor did she understand how to go about them.
All she could do was look to Xie Zhinuan for help.
“Sister Xie, is there anything else I need?” Mu Rourou asked pitifully.
“…”
Xie Zhinuan understood, this was a complete novice to life.
Born into a good family, with a good father, and now having met a kind-hearted person like herself, otherwise, she might have been so naive as to be sold and even help her seller count the money.
“Do you plan to buy a house in Gaocheng County?” Xie Zhinuan asked.
Mu Rourou blinked, “Can I buy a house? How much does a house cost? Is it expensive?”
“Not expensive, two to three thousand taels should be quite good. Right now it’s just you living alone, so there’s no need for anything too fancy, something decent will do!”
Without a second thought, Mu Rourou immediately nodded, “Yes, I want to buy!”
With a house, she could be the mistress of her own domain. She could eat whatever she wanted, get up whenever she wanted, and live her days in comfort and ease.
How wonderful.
“Alright, then our first step will be to buy a house!” Xie Zhinuan declared.
Mu Rourou nodded repeatedly, “And the second step?”
“For the second step, you’ll have to establish a set of rules to manage your purchased servants. Decide how much salary to give them each month, how many sets of clothes, shoes, and socks they’ll need for the four seasons, and calculate your own monthly expenses as well!”
“…”
Mu Rourou was stunned.
She had never dealt with such things and had no idea how to.
Nor had anyone taught her.
“Sister Xie, I don’t know how to do these things!” Mu Rourou said softly.
Xie Zhinuan could see that Mu Rourou truly was clueless.
“When the time comes, I’ll have Auntie Chen help you out for a few days!”
She glanced over at the grandmas and maids, thinking that by the time they got to Gaocheng County, they would probably be somewhat useful.
At the very least, they wouldn’t be hasty and shock-prone in their actions.
The boat traveled at a leisurely pace; when passing by a village, they stopped. Auntie Chen led some people to fetch water from the village and they purchased two hens, some eggs, and greens. Dinner was cooked by the two head chefs and was fairly sumptuous. After a good meal and a wash, they fetched water to fill the tanks before the boat resumed its slow journey, eventually stopping at the edge of a vast field.
“I’ve never been on a boat before, or spent the night on one. This is all a first for me!” Mu Rourou refused to leave Xie Zhinuan’s cabin, cozying up inside.
She stayed there, propped against the window, gazing out into the night without a care for the cold.
Xie Zhinuan, however, didn’t have time to mind her, as she was busy practicing her calligraphy by lamplight.
She wrote with great care, occasionally pausing to admire her work before continuing.
Mu Rourou watched, filled with envy.
The more time they spent together, the more she became attracted to the demeanor of Xie Zhinuan, something she could never achieve so effortlessly.
Admiration, fondness, a mix of emotions, but not a hint of jealousy.
Xie Zhinuan was beautiful, and Mu Rourou thought herself not too shabby either, also considered a beauty. But looks fade with time, only the soul remains unchanged, and Xie Zhinuan’s soul, in particular, was exceedingly likable.
The cabin was silent, with no one to attend to her. Mu Rourou slumped in the chair and fell asleep.
Xie Zhinuan finished a page, looked up and saw that Mu Rourou had fallen asleep, shook her head slightly, and approached to nudge her, “Rourou, Rourou?”
“Hmm? Sister Xie? What is it?” Mu Rourou rubbed her eyes, asking groggily.
She was somewhat unable to discern the evening.