Chapter 210

Shuiqing was preparing lunch at midday.

Li Dani, Li Erni, Wang Qiuyue, Zhou Yu, and Zheng Yan hurriedly made their way to the kitchen, where they saw Shuiqing cooking, looking startled.

When Shuiqing turned around and saw them, she froze and asked, “You’ve been tired these days, why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?”

Even Madam Hu hadn’t expected them to wake up after such a short rest. Was that little time enough for them to rest?

Li Dani and the others looked like they had made a mistake, lowering their heads and feeling uncertain. “We overslept and woke up late. We promise it won’t happen again.”

“Madam, let us handle it?”

“Can Madam really do these tasks?”

In the past, at the Zhuangzi, chores were always shared among them, not to mention when the owner was present.

Madam was indeed the owner!

Shuiqing considered herself not to be a heartless mistress. Smiling warmly at the five women before her, she said, “It’s alright. You’ve just arrived, everything is still unfamiliar. Take your time to adjust. There’s no rush to start working right after resting.”

They had just been through a great ordeal, both physically and mentally. They should take a few more days to rest.

Besides, when they weren’t here, cooking and such chores were not burdensome for Shuiqing. It wouldn’t be right for them to arrive and suddenly be treated as precious, needing them to work.

Upon hearing this, Li Dani and the others looked up at Shuiqing in astonishment, then quickly lowered their heads again.

Madam really didn’t blame them and sincerely wanted them to rest more!

However, “Once we’re rested, Madam can instruct us to do anything.”

“We can learn as we work.”

“Or maybe, we can handle our own meals?” They couldn’t expect Madam to cook for the entire group!

And it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to always eat the same as the owner. That would be impolite.

Seeing their apprehensive expressions, Shuiqing was perplexed. Was she really that intimidating? Why were they so afraid of her? Did she come across as a cruel mistress?

Qin Yilin, the most experienced in the house, calmly approached the five women and reassured them, “Don’t worry, Madam understands. She’s thinking about tomorrow when the men will be leaving on a long journey. Today, she’s hosting a meal for everyone to celebrate;

After they return, a new house will be built for you all to live in. Once the house is ready, there’s no rush for you to start cooking for yourselves.

Moreover, after your long journey, it’s important to rest and recover before working properly. There’s plenty of work here!”

With Qin Yilin’s words, the five women immediately felt relieved.

As long as there’s work to do!

They feared having no work. Without work, it meant they weren’t worth keeping, and they’d be sold sooner or later.

They didn’t mind working; they feared the instability of being bought and sold.

Qin Yilin suggested that the five women familiarize themselves with the surroundings or continue resting in the house. They would be called when lunch was ready.

The five women nodded quickly and left the courtyard to explore the surroundings.

In the kitchen, Madam Hu, no longer tense, curiously asked, “I didn’t know what to say earlier. Why were they eager to do the work?”

It wasn’t their own household work; why were they competing to work for the owner?

Qin Yilin placed a few pieces of firewood in the stove and explained, “They’re different from those who were sold halfway or sold. According to Ziqian’s father, these people are born into slavery in the master’s house.”

Seeing Madam Hu’s puzzled expression, she explained further, “Born into slavery means they are the children of slaves born in the master’s house. Some may save enough money to buy their freedom, or the master may kindly release them to live their lives. However, most continue to stay in the master’s house as slaves, that’s what being born into slavery means.”

Madam Hu nodded in understanding but was still puzzled. “Why would anyone not want to leave?”

She originally thought that it was mostly impossible, unable to gather enough money, but this group of people heard from Master Bai that they had already bought their own freedom through indenture contracts; it’s just that they themselves didn’t want to.

Qin Yilin’s next words clarified things for Hu’s mother, “It’s different being born into a family; from birth, they either work on the estate or serve the master’s family. All they see and learn is how to be servants.”

Venturing out to live independently poses too great a risk for them. Compared to that, they would rather depend on the master’s family to get by.

They just follow the master’s orders without worrying about what happens later.

Shuiqing thought their life skills had degraded, like domesticated birds and wild animals, it’s difficult for them to survive if they are suddenly released into fields and forests.

People are stronger than birds and wild animals, but given the choice, they prefer to stick to their familiar ways of life and are unwilling to change.

Hu’s mother understood too.

Her understanding was simple; just like her own family members who were used to life outside and didn’t want to be servants, they were the opposite.

Qin Yilin said to Shuiqing again, “When they come back later, arrange some easy tasks for them in the afternoon. As long as they have something to do, it’s fine; I know you feel sorry for them losing their loved ones, but it’s actually better to have something to distract them, as long as it’s not too tiring.”

Shuiqing nodded, “Alright!”

This was equivalent to diverting attention.

When Li Dani and the other four carefully looked around, they found that their new master’s place was indeed nice!

It was a high place with no flooding, and even heavy rains couldn’t submerge it. They no longer feared floods!

There was a large area of more than ten acres with only one household of the new master. The nearby village was not far, but it was separated by a short distance, providing mutual assistance while maintaining some distance.

And they discovered that the new master was diligent. In the chicken coop, they saw about a hundred and fifty or sixty old hens. They were diligent in digging earthworms and catching green caterpillars to feed them, and they could pick more than a hundred eggs a day.

They had just noticed that there were rabbits too!

One by one, fat rabbits, bigger and fatter than the largest wild rabbits they had ever seen!

They didn’t know how the new master raised them, but even the rabbits were fatter than those elsewhere.

In addition to small chickens and rabbits, there were also sheep and pigs, and the old sow might be pregnant, with a noticeably larger belly.

The vegetable garden was also neatly organized and very well maintained. They had never seen so many varieties of vegetables here—it was after all Guangning Prefecture, not Nanning Prefecture, so different varieties and styles of vegetables were common.

Listening to Uncle Daniu, during those days of heavy rain, he had been able to fill his stomach with potatoes given by Master Bai, which were said to be very filling.

The new master had a good relationship with Master Bai, and it was also possible that the seeds had been brought by Master Bai who traveled far and wide doing business.

In any case, Master Bai had a kind heart and had chosen a good place for them to settle.

The five of them felt slightly relieved and started to walk back.

When they returned to the kitchen, Shuiqing pulled out a bulging cloth bag and said, “They will be going on a long journey tomorrow, so we need to prepare some dry rations. Since there are many people, we’ll need a lot. It will trouble you!”

Upon hearing that there was work to do and that the lady of the house was thinking about them, Li Dani , Zhou Yu, and the others smiled happily and replied, “No trouble at all! We’re not inconvenienced at all. We’re grateful that the lady is considerate!”

They had heard from Master Bai that they were going to plant potatoes, and they said that potatoes had a large yield and were delicious—better than buckwheat!

They could eat potatoes to fill their stomachs on the road, but they had never eaten them before. What if they couldn’t get used to them?

Originally, they were worried about what dry rations to bring on the journey, but they didn’t expect that the lady had already thought about it.

It didn’t matter if buckwheat was not as delicious as potatoes; after all, it was what they had always eaten and were used to.

And with such a big bag of buckwheat, it was sure to keep them full every meal!