136 Chapter 135 Signature Dish (1)
“Granny Ma, are you trying to do a one-time deal? If I remember correctly, a woman would only sell for 8 taels of silver at most, and only a young and beautiful virgin could be sold for 10 taels.” Zhou Ying said with a faint smile.
The original her grew up with a group of servants. She couldn’t guarantee anything else, but she was very clear about the price of buying labor.
“Well, you know, they are all people with skills, so…” Granny Ma said with a smile.
“No matter how skilled they are, their age and physical condition are obvious. For Uncle Liu’s sake, I won’t haggle further. How about 90 taels?”
Granny Ma hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright, then 90 taels it is. If you need more in the future, you have to come to me.”
“Alright.” After Zhou Ying agreed, she immediately gave her nine silver ingots.
Granny Ma took them and weighed them in her hands. Then, she turned around and took out their indenture contracts. “If you need anything in the future, just let me know so I can prepare for you in advance.”
“I will.” Zhou Ying promised, and she took a group of people out of the labor dealer. First, she took them to a clothing shop and bought them two sets of ordinary clothes.
At the same time, she bought a mattress for each of them, including the couple.
After they came out, Zhou Ying gave their contracts to Gu Chengrui and said, “Rui, go to the officers to register them under us.”
“Okay, I’ll go to the restaurant to find you.” Gu Chengrui answered and left with the contracts.
As for Zhou Ying, she took a group of people back to the restaurant and said, “Other than the main house, you can choose your room anywhere else in this courtyard.
“I’ll give you fifteen minutes to make your choice and gather back here.”
“Yes, Madam,” The few of them immediately started discussing where they should stay.
Zhou Ying saw they were harmonious, so she didn’t care about them anymore. Instead, she turned around and went to the kitchen.
Since they were going to live here, she should prepare some food.
They didn’t have much firewood left, but the remaining wood from the renovation should be more than enough to burn for three to five days.
There was no food or vegetables.
She took out 50 pounds of black flour, 50 pounds of crushed rice, 10 pounds of millet, a bag of sorghum, and a bag of beans from her interspace.
Also, there were cabbage, carrots, and some dried vegetables.
She didn’t have pots here yet, so she took out a set of five pots of different sizes from her interspace that she had stolen from the Qiao family’s house.
As for spices, she didn’t take out any. Instead, she planned to give them some silver and let them buy it themselves. It could also be considered a test of their cooking skills.
Then, she walked out and waited in the courtyard.
After a while, the group of people came out of their living quarters and stood in a line, waiting for her orders.
When Zhou Ying saw this, she knew these people were probably trained and must have worked for a prominent family before.
“All of you, tell me your names and what you are good at,” she asked directly.
The hesitating chef was the first to speak, “My name is Li Sheng, and I’m good at cooking. Stir-fried meat is my specialty.
This is my wife….”
Zhou Ying interrupted him. “Let her say it herself. She’s here to work in a restaurant, so even if she lacks skills, she needs to be able to speak and talk to people.
When a customer asks her something, she will have to answer the question clearly.” When Zhou Ying said this, she looked at the woman and said, “Will that be a problem?”
“No, no, I used to work in a sewing room and am good at cutting clothes.
As for my name, it’s a name that my master gave me in the past. Please give me a new name.” The woman answered as she bowed.
“Mistress, please give us a name.” The others echoed.
Even the little boy chimed in with the others.