Fisherman’s Noodle shop officially closed down on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month because the workers were all bought by her, it was only right that they returned to the farm to celebrate the New Year. Therefore, after the noodle shop shut its doors, Yuanbao drove them back to the farm for the New Year festivities.
Xiao Yu was not the kind of ruthless master who would harshly criticize her servants. Although she had bought them, she had also granted them absolute human rights and freedom, providing each person with a monthly allowance of twenty cents, as well as distributing food, clothing, and necessities on a seasonal basis. All they needed to do was to perform their duties well, and that was enough.
When it came to food, she did not treat them badly either. Basically, they could enjoy meat dishes once every three days, the kind that would truly satisfy cravings—not the kind where a few slices of meat were thought to be enough. Through continuous interaction, these servants who had sold themselves gradually realized they had encountered a kind person. The daily routine of working from dawn to dusk allowed them to settle down, and they became even more willing to work hard on the tasks Xiao Yu assigned.
Moreover, Xiao Yu had also bought cattle, donkeys, various agricultural tools and carts for the farm, to reduce their physical labor as much as possible. Everyone truly appreciated her from the bottom of their hearts.
Now, to ensure a good New Year celebration, the farm had bought thirty to forty fish, a pig, and over a dozen chickens. They even ensured that every person could have eggs and tofu every day. Who wouldn’t yearn for such a happy life?
But Xiao Yu wasn’t just a pushover either. Not every servant was treated the same. She also had the people at the manor supervise each other. If anyone was caught being dishonest or lazy and the truth was confirmed, they would be sold off directly and would never be allowed to return.
With this deterrent rule in place, those who thought about taking advantage of their kind-hearted boss, slacking off on the job, had to think twice before acting.
After Xiao Yu had settled everyone down at the farm, she had Yuanbao take her to a small courtyard in Yan Qing’s residence. There, he had arranged for a Maid to be with her. She did not want this, thinking it could easily become a point of ridicule for others, but Yan Qing argued that the Maid was there to help her get to know more people and places in the Imperial Palace, because the palace was too big, and men and women had separate quarters. He did not trust her to anyone else, so he had specifically assigned a female dark guard to accompany her.
The female dark guard didn’t look very old, probably around fifteen or sixteen, yet she was an expert fighter. Knowing that Xiao Yu was Shen Ze’s sister and esteemed by Prince Qing, she showed great respect for her. Having been born in the Imperial Palace, her familiarity with it was no less than that of a palace maid, so Xiao Yu felt much more at ease with her around.
Xiao Ya had a plain appearance and rarely showed any smile—what we often call a poker face. It was difficult to discern her emotions from her face. By comparison, Xiao Yu felt she was rather low, because she found that in this life, it was hard for her to control her emotions from showing. This was probably related to her upbringing, as she was used to freedom and living alone. Whenever she saw crowds of people, she would inexplicably feel nervous.
Therefore, Yan Qing arranging for Xiao Ya to accompany her was truly thoughtful. The most update n0vels are published on novel_fіre.net
Moreover, Xiao Ya seemed to be quite capable, even knowing how to arrange hair. Xiao Yu at least had more feminine charm than she did, but she was all thumbs, taking a long time to learn the simplest hairstyles. Yet Xiao Ya, with hands accustomed to wielding swords and throwing hidden weapons, could create such beautiful hairstyles with ease, which was truly admirable.
She always felt that such an excellent person should not look so ordinary. So, she would stare at Xiao Ya’s face in the mirror, scrutinizing it intently.
"Miss Shen, you’ve been staring at my face all day. Don’t your eyes feel sore?"