"That fast?" Lin Caisang raised an eyebrow.
Zhe Jue’s efficiency in handling affairs was indeed extraordinary; he had bought the maids so quickly.
"Well, I’ll go tomorrow then. I’ve already told my brother that we’ll go to the county tomorrow, and then make a trip to Yejun."
Perfect timing, she was worried that Clan Chief Ya would come to her tomorrow. She’d better stay out of the way. After all, he was one of the village elders, and she didn’t want to confront him directly. She’d rather let Clan Chief Lin handle it.
The next day, Lin Caisang, accompanied by Ya Molian, went to Qianlin County early in the morning.
After the opening of the ’Scent Pavilion’, the business was pretty good. There were many people buying dried fruits. Lin Caisang even had the boss display some of the fruit wine she had brewed herself. With the aroma of wine lingering in the air every day, even more customers came around.
In no time at all, the two of them had left, heading towards the mulberry field in the outskirts of the county.
They had hired some temporary workers nearby to outline the newly purchased land. Directly fencing it with bamboo, although a bit of a hassle, didn’t cost much for the labor.
Inside, the trenches had already been dug at various angles.
Upon entering, Lin Caisang noticed a large wooden house in front of her that could presumably accommodate many people.
"Miss Lin, this is a temporarily built wooden house," Zhe Jue, who had been anticipating their arrival early in the morning, stated after seeing Lin Caisang.
"We need to build a courtyard," Lin Caisang said.
However, when all the manpower here was confirmed, they would deal with it themselves, so Zhe Jue wouldn’t have to expend his energy on it.
"Where are the people?" she asked Zhe Jue.
"They’re all waiting over by the wooden house," Zhe Jue replied.
"Miss Lin, this new batch of people from the commandery mansion consisted of mostly young maids around seventeen or eighteen years old. I couldn’t find many married women, so I decided on my own to pick a few more maids," Zhe Jue explained.
If young girls were compared to some slightly older women in terms of working, they would be less effective, so the workforce would need to be increased.
"As for the matters entrusted to you, whatever you do is right," Lin Caisang responded.
A few more or a few less people here didn’t matter to her. They all needed to work with their hands. No matter how many people were here, they could all earn their keep through their work, which was not something she was worried about.
"A little younger is better. They can earn me money for a few more years, so it’s worthwhile."
Hearing this, Zhe Jue stealthily glanced at his own master. Seeing that he had not said anything, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Young maids also had their shortcomings. Their mindsets were not stable, and because they were young and felt they had decent looks, they always believed that once they were in the master’s house, as long as they worked hard, they could gain a place in front of the male master.
Such thoughts were not rare; many maids had them.
"How many maids did you buy?"
While Zhe Jue was leading the two to see the maids, Ya Molian suddenly asked.
Zhe Jue immediately felt a chill on his back and inwardly exclaimed that this was bad news. He stammered out a reply, "Master, fifty people in total, fifteen around the age of thirty and thirty-five below twenty."
Hearing his reply, Ya Molian remained silent for a while.
"Aren’t there ten male slaves in the mulberry garden? Pair all these thirty-five with them, don’t leave anyone out." It was a long while before Ya Molian finally spoke.
What’s going on here?