Outside, the selection was in full swing, with many unmarried young women led by the Land Officer from their villages to the town to participate. Those who were chosen would be sent to the county, and finally to the prefecture. The process was extremely strict at every level, from appearance to background checks. It was said that there were two old women at each level who examined the women’s bodies specifically.
It seemed that Lord Prefect’s plan was useless. Even if he dared to do this in Funan, it would be pointless in the Capital City. But she wondered how the Lord Prefect was doing? A local official with such questionable morals was far from a blessing for the people, and she hoped he would be replaced by someone else.
Because of the selection, the town was bustling every day, and even this year’s August Festival was not as lively as in the past. Counting the days, it seemed that Brother An would be going to the prefecture for the examination soon, and some things needed to be prepared.
"What’s the young master doing?"
Xiu’er replied, "The young master is in the study, and so is Divine Doctor Mu."
"Hmm, let’s go to the storage room and see what fabrics we have. The young master will be traveling to the prefecture soon, so we need to prepare more clothes for him, and also get the best writing materials ready in advance."
The storeroom was in a small room on the first floor around the corner. Normally, Mother Li’s son would watch over this area.
"Tomorrow, we need to find Uncle Old Gen. Our house is getting a little crowded."
Yang Chuxia looked around their home. The two rooms where Ye Zi’an used to live were renovated and now housed Mother Li’s family. Mother Li lived in two rooms next to the kitchen, while Xiu’er and Mingcui, along with a few other maids, lived in the side hall on the first floor.
Luo Linhao and Mu Shaoling lived on the second floor, and Luo Linyu sometimes stayed at the Yang Family’s place. Though there was enough space for everyone, it looked quite messy.
"Do you want to build more rooms, madam?"
"Yes. When we built this small building, we didn’t think about having servants, so we only prepared rooms for me and the young master. But the young master bought two houses of servants, and they live on the east and west sides. It doesn’t look very nice."
When they finally reached the storage room, it was so full that it was difficult to even step inside, which further confirmed the need for more rooms.
"See, we have to build more rooms." Yang Chuxia said, "Tomorrow, we’ll ask Old Gen to come and build another floor in front and behind our building. Also, build two rows of brick and tile houses at the back and connect the courtyards."
Xiu’er immediately understood Yang Chuxia’s intention, "The front building will serve as a guesthouse, the middle one for the young master and madam, and the back one for the young master when he has a son. The servants will live in the brick and tile houses at the back."
"Look how clever you are!" Yang Chuxia said, pointing to the top shelf, "Take down both the moon-white and the sky-blue rolls of fabric!"
She thought Ye Zi’an looked best in these light colors, which added an indescribable elegance and nobility to his appearance.
Seeing some dark blue and light pink cotton cloth, she asked for those to be taken down as well.
"Give these rolls of fabric to both Mother Li’s, so they can help make clothes for everyone. From now on, all the people in our household will wear uniform clothing, so that we don’t look disorderly when we go out."
"Thank you, madam, for your generosity. We’ll be able to wear new clothes again." Holding several rolls of fabric, Xiu’er bowed to Yang Chuxia.
Shaking her head, Yang Chuxia said, "You should be more careful; you’re a grown-up now."
At this point, she looked at Xiu’er, who appeared to be two or three years older than herself. If not for her servant status, she should already be married by now.