Chapter 334: Establishing Rules
The group cleaned up two main rooms, along with two side rooms adjacent to the main rooms.
When the original owner of this house moved away, they had taken almost everything, leaving only simple beds, tables, chairs, and benches behind. There were quite a few items that still needed to be purchased.
Fortunately, they didn’t live here permanently. Purchasing a few daily necessities, some items for the kitchen, and several sets of bedding would be enough.
By the time they finished cleaning up and stepped out to the front courtyard, the four young manservants had already swept the entire front courtyard spotless under Xun Feng’s direction—not even a single fallen leaf could be seen on the ground.
Wen Yao was thoroughly satisfied.
“You four,” Wen Yao called out, standing at the entrance of the main hall. The four hurriedly set down the work in their hands and trotted over, respectfully standing in a line before preparing to drop to their knees to kowtow to her.
“Hey…” Just as Wen Yao wanted to tell them there was no need to kneel, Nanny Shi held her back slightly. Catching Nanny Shi’s gaze, Wen Yao shrank her neck and shut her mouth.
Once the four knelt on the ground and gave firm, solid kowtows, Nanny Shi spoke up: “Raise your heads.”
Only then did the four dare to raise their heads, though none dared look straight at Wen Yao.
Wen Yao spoke up softly and cautiously: “Nanny, can I talk now?”
Only then did Nanny Shi respectfully step aside.
Looking at them, Wen Yao didn’t tell them to get up either. Nanny had said that rules had to be established, so sigh, she could only listen.
“What are your names, you four?” Wen Yao asked.
The four answered in unison: “We request Young Miss to bestow names upon us.”
Ah, this… Wen Yao looked at Nanny Shi for help, but Nanny Shi stood motionless, offering her merely an encouraging glance.
Nanny Shi was a nanny who knew her boundaries; she knew well what she could do on her young mistress’s behalf and what required the young mistress to do in person.
Bestowing names meant these four would officially acknowledge her as their master.
Pondering for a moment, Wen Yao recalled that the two maidservants in her family had names starting with the character Ming. Suddenly, four words crossed her mind:
Wu Gu Feng Deng—A Bountiful Harvest of the Five Grains.
Wasn’t this precisely her father’s deepest wish?
“You four stand up, and line up according to age,” Wen Yao said.
The four rose immediately, lining up in order of age. Wen Yao then continued, “From left to right, you will be named Ming Wu, Ming Gu, Ming Feng, and Ming Deng from now on, taking the meaning of Wu Gu Feng Deng.”
The four recorded their names in their minds, kneeling back down to kowtow once more: “Ming Wu / Ming Gu / Ming Feng / Ming Deng thanks Young Miss for bestowing our names!”
Wen Yao: “Get up. Nanny Shi will tell you your duties later. I have only one requirement: once you enter our Wen family, you must remain loyal to our Wen family. If I ever find out that anyone has harbored thoughts of betraying their master, being sold off will be the lightest punishment—even if you are beaten to death directly, no one will redress the grievance for you. Do you understand?”
“These servants have noted it down,” the four answered again.
Having done all this, Wen Yao handed the organized list over to Nanny Shi: “Nanny, these are the items that need to be added at home. Take two people along to buy them back. Sister Rongrong and I are going over to Sister-in-law Ruyun’s place this afternoon to arrange the matters regarding the workshop.”
Tucking the list away safely, Nanny Shi nodded: “Rest assured, Young Miss. This old servant will arrange everything at home properly.”
The new residence had nothing available. At noon, Wen Yao directly had Xun Feng go to a restaurant to pack food and bring it back. After eating, Nanny Shi took Ming Wu and Ming Feng out to make the purchases, while Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong had Xun Feng drive the horse carriage straight to the Ma family’s place.
Having visited once before, Wen Yao was familiar with the route, and seeing them arrive at her doorstep, Ruyun felt a surge of excitement.
“Owners, why have you come?” Ruyun had changed her form of address for the two as well.
Taking the toy bought for Little Hutou from Mingyue’s hands and failing to spot Little Hutou’s figure, Wen Yao asked, “Where is Little Hutou?”
Ruyun smiled faintly: “Playing next door! I’ll go call him back.” Saying that, she prepared to step outside.
Stopping her, Wen Yao placed Little Hutou’s toy into her hands and said, “Let him play. We just came over to ask if you’ve found the people yet. The house for the workshop has been vacated, so work can begin anytime.”
Accepting the toy with an embarrassed smile, Ruyun nodded: “Found them! I went over there this morning, originally intending to inform both owners about this, but since no one was home, I returned.”
Wen Yao continued, “We bought a residence in the prefectural city and will move over to live there from now on. That original courtyard will be handed over to you as the workshop in the future. If anything comes up, seek us out at the new residence. I arranged a few people to stay over there and watch the house; if you need anything, you can also have them send word to me.” With that, Wen Yao gave the address to Ruyun.
As a true native of the prefectural city, Ruyun knew where the place was the moment she heard it.
In truth, Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong entrusting the salted duck egg and century egg workshop here to Ruyun’s management had another layer of consideration: Ma Qiang worked at the yamen after all, so even if someone wanted to bully Ruyun and her group, they would probably have to weigh the consequences.
Although Ma Qiang was merely a low-ranking yamen runner, he was still an official employee of the yamen, which would exert a bit of deterrent effect more or less.
Inviting the two to sit down, Ruyun spoke about the people she had selected:
“One is my sister-in-law, Ma Qiang’s younger sister, who just married two years ago. She was very diligent and nimble when she lived at home. Another is Auntie Li next door—the household where Little Hutou went to play. The man in their family serves at the yamen just like Ma Qiang, and the two families share a good relationship. Her mother-in-law is a sensible person as well; upon learning that she was going out to work with me, she took the initiative to offer help with watching the children.
“The other two are also ordinary folk living in this alley of ours. Their households are clean and honest, the people work nimbly, and their character is quite decent as well. I have agreed with them on everything—as long as the owners nod your heads here, work can begin.
“Both owners, how about I go call them over right now for you two to take a look?” Ruyun looked at the two and said.
Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong exchanged a glance and nodded.
Only then did Ruyun go happily to call the people over. Before long, Ruyun led three women who appeared slightly older than herself through the door, explaining along the way, “My sister-in-law doesn’t live in this area, so I’ve sent someone to fetch her, and she’ll arrive shortly. Both owners, these few are the people I mentioned to you.”
Seeing Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong, the several women appeared somewhat constrained, hastily offering greetings.
Wen Yao bade them sit down to talk, and Ruyun quickly fetched small stools for them to sit on, while standing by the side of Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong herself.
Wen Yao offered a smile, taking the initiative to break the silence: “Greetings, sisters. I believe Sister-in-law Ruyun has already explained to you what our workshop does—it’s making salted duck eggs and century eggs. The work isn’t exhausting, and after consulting with my elder sister, the monthly wage is set at one tael of silver.
“Working hours run from the chen hour in the morning until the wu hour. Finishing work at the wu hour, you can return home to care for the elderly and children in your families. In the afternoon, it runs from the wei hour to the you hour, finishing work at the you hour to return home. Each person gets one day off per month on a rotating basis, and you can consult among yourselves to settle the schedule.”
Hearing this, the several women couldn’t believe their ears, and even Ruyun’s face overflowed with complete surprise and astonishment.
Surprise was followed by immense joy.
Two double-hours every morning, two double-hours every afternoon, plus a full double-hour of break at noon to care for the elderly and children at home, alongside a monthly wage of one tael of silver—where on earth could one find such a wonderful opportunity?
Immense excitement washed over the several women, and they voiced their resolve repeatedly: “Rest assured, owners! We will definitely work hard! We will definitely work hard!”
