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When Shen Yu’an and her entourage arrived at the edge of the village, the Shen family members had just finished dealing with the thatched huts.
Grandma Shen, who was standing in front of the house, saw Shen Yu’an returning and exclaimed with delight, “An’an is back!”
Shen Yu’an smiled and ran up to her grandmother. “Grandma, I’m back.”
Looking at the several people Shen Yu’an had brought with her, and thinking about the five young men who had returned with Sanlang earlier in the day, Grandma Shen asked in surprise, “You must be exhausted today. What made you think of buying people?”
“Our family is so busy, and everyone works so hard every day. I thought it would be a good idea to buy a few chefs and extra hands to help with the work. That way, everyone can have an easier time.”
Zhao Shi chimed in, “Oh my, Shen Yu’an, you’re so clever. With these servants, our family will definitely have an easier time.”
The group followed Shen Yu’an into the courtyard, including the nine new servants.
Once inside the courtyard, the Shen family members stood on the steps while the four elders of the Shen family sat on benches. The new servants lined up neatly in the courtyard.
Shen Yu’an first introduced the Shen family to Tian Qiu’s family and Chen Quan’s group. Then, she turned her attention to the five men who had been bought back to work as guards and do various chores.
“What are your names?” she asked.
They each stated their names, including three individuals with names like Lu Dan and Gou Dan, which were not only unpleasant but also confusing. Shen Yu’an decided to rename them based on their ages, so they became Shen Yi, Shen Er, Shen San, Shen Si, and Shen Wu.
Afterward, she introduced them to the various members of the Shen family to ensure that they knew the household’s occupants.
“We have plenty of household chores to be done. The five of you will mainly help with those tasks. Tian Qiu and Chen Quan, the responsibility for cooking at home will fall on you. We always have enough food, so if anything is running low, come to me to get the money and buy what’s needed in town.”
“As for Huang Yuan, you can accompany the young masters of the family. They study most of the time, so you’ll assist them with their tasks.”
Shen Yu’an had arranged tasks for everyone in a full circle but hadn’t mentioned Huang Ji’s name. When she finally paused, Huang Ji asked, “Do you have any tasks for me?”
Shen Yu’an replied, “You’re still recovering from your injuries and running a high fever. Take a few days to rest. Once you’re feeling better, you can start working.”
“Understood.”
Outside, there were three temporary thatched houses built by the road. One of them was occupied by the Huang family – a family of three. The remaining two were shared by Chen Quan and six others.
When these people arrived, they didn’t bring much with them and made no formal greetings.
Shen Yu’an only just noticed that they were still wearing their tattered clothes. She decided to take note of their clothing sizes and planned to buy them matching clothes in town tomorrow.
Currently, she instructed Tian Qiu and Chen Quan to prepare a meal. Without further instructions, the others willingly started to help with various tasks.
Song Shi led the two to the kitchen in the backyard. There were three pots in the kitchen, and the pantry nearby was neatly stocked with grains, vegetables, and meat.
Upon arriving at the Shen residence, both of them used all their culinary skills to prove their abilities. After a hearty meal, everyone was holding their full stomachs as they returned to their rooms.
Before leaving the kitchen, Tian Qiu and Chen Quan meticulously cleaned the stove and the floor.
The other five people cleaned the courtyard thoroughly, placing any miscellaneous items in the storage room or neatly against the walls. This level of tidiness made the Shen family members somewhat uncomfortable.
Before bedtime, Shen Yu’an provided them with a measuring tape and asked them to measure their own clothing sizes, with Shen Erlang noting down the measurements.
As Fei Xi had already gone to the mountain camp, and Sanlang had returned to the Shen family at noon, Shen Yu’an decided not to send him back to the mountains today.
The following day, Fei Xi descended from the mountain to visit Shen Yu’an, and his main purpose for coming down was to deliver a letter.
Late last night, a letter from Fei Yanchen arrived from the capital.
Shen Yu’an entrusted Sanlang to Fei Xi and then went back to her own room with the letter.
Fei Xi handed Shen Yu’an two bamboo tubes, which were not very large. Shen Yu’an opened one of them and took out several sheets of paper.
The content of one of the bamboo tubes was a response from Fei Yanchen to Shen Yu’an’s previous letter.
In the letter, he encouraged her to do whatever she wanted but didn’t inquire about how she managed to acquire so much grain during a time when the entire capital of Da Wei was facing a shortage.
Shen Yu’an had mentioned the grain situation in her previous letter, stating that she had a plan to obtain grain and intended to establish a People’s Grain Store within Da Wei’s borders to normalize grain prices.
What Shen Yu’an needed Fei Yanchen to do was to be the public face of the grain store, while she would remain behind the scenes to provide the grain.
Fei Yanchen mentioned that he had already sent someone to assist Shen Yu’an with her plans.
The other bamboo tube contained a letter detailing Fei Yanchen’s recent experiences in the capital.
His entire family had gathered together, and although they couldn’t leave the capital, they were at least all together.
Towards the end of the letter, Fei Yanchen inquired about the members of the Shen family.
Even though he was in the capital, he had recently learned about the results of the imperial examination, which had just taken place. He was surprised to know that Sanlang had actually passed the examination on his first attempt. In the letter, he suggested that Shen Yu’an hand Sanlang over to Fei Xi, and he also mentioned that Sanlang should be informed about the matters on the mountain.
Shen Yu’an couldn’t help but smile when she read this. She had to admit that the two of them seemed to be in sync, as Fei Yanchen’s arrangements for Sanlang aligned perfectly with her own thoughts.
After lunch, Shen Yu’an called Shen Si, who was preparing to leave for town, and they set off together for the town.
Upon reaching the town, Shen Yu’an headed straight for the ready-made clothing store with Shen Si.
She handed the shopkeeper the measurements for Chen Quan and the other nine people, each of whom needed two sets of summer clothing.
To make identification easier, Shen Yu’an chose a uniform style for their clothes.
Since the Shen family members had no shortage of clothing, she didn’t make any additional purchases. Her purpose for coming to town today was to rent another small courtyard to store the grain.
Once Fei Yanchen’s people arrived, Shen Yu’an could store the grain in the courtyard in advance, and then her associates could transport it later.
She returned to the same pawnshop she had visited yesterday. The pawnbroker remembered her well, as she had recently spent a substantial amount of silver purchasing both a shop and a residence.
Seeing Shen Yu’an again, the idle pawnbroker smiled and asked, “Miss, are you here today to look at shops or houses?”