During dinner, the tables were set under the bamboo pavilion in front of the main gate. Originally, the three tables were sparsely filled, but after the seven newcomers joined, all the seats were taken.
Seeing the large bowls of communal dishes and the towering mound of white rice in front of each of them, all seven were stunned. While astonished, their mouths also watered uncontrollably, flowing down the corners of their lips.
Tian Guihua watched their dazed, saliva-swallowing expressions and couldn't help but laugh. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and eat. If you don't have enough, get more from the pot!"
The seven of them, still with saliva in their mouths, mumbled an indistinct "Yes," and eagerly picked up their bowls.
In an instant, the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks, the slurping of rice, and the chewing sounds created a lively and urgent atmosphere.
These seven had worried for nothing. At their new masters' home, they were actually able to eat their fill, not just half, a third, or a fifth of a portion. This was far better than their previous masters, who at most would let them eat until they were half full.
At this moment, their life's aspiration was to eat until they were full. The seven of them only wished that their new masters would never sell them. They belonged to their masters in life and would be their ghosts in death. They would definitely work hard and stay with their new masters for a lifetime.
Lu Huo's mouth was wide open, feeling as though the rice in her bowl was being poured directly down her throat without chewing. In no time, she finished her first bowl.
Her unfamiliarity with the new surroundings made her a bit embarrassed to get a refill.
Tian Guihua had been quietly watching her. Seeing her holding an empty bowl and looking hesitant, she urged her to get more rice without any reservations, to eat until she was full.
She also wanted to test the girl's true appetite to get a better estimate for future cooking.
Lu Huo responded with an "Yes" and excitedly stood up to get rice from the kitchen.
At the agency, she was actually the least likely to be sold. Although she was strong and had great physical strength, she also looked like she could eat a lot, making her a costly expense for anyone who bought her.
Raising her was not cost-effective, as food was extremely scarce for everyone now.
At that time, when Bai Sheng and Lu Ye decided to buy her, the agent was so overjoyed that he almost lost his composure and jumped up.
Lu Huo saw that there was still a lot of rice in the large iron pot, and others would likely have enough, so she became a bit bolder. She packed the rice in her bowl tightly, wishing she could stomp on it with her foot.
Therefore, when she returned to the table with a "flat" bowl of rice, Tian Guihua was briefly surprised. "Huo, why are you eating so little? There's enough rice in the pot. You must eat until you're full, don't starve yourself."
The others at the table all craned their necks to look at her, urging her to eat more and not to starve.
Lu Huo's broad face turned red all the way to her ears, and she nodded continuously, mumbling "Okay, okay."
Seeing her use her chopsticks to dig at the rice in her bowl with great effort, Tian Guihua knew the girl had deliberately compacted the rice to prevent it from being mounded.
She couldn't help but smile. This sturdy girl was quite concerned about appearances, wanting to eat her fill without letting her masters think she was a glutton.
Tian Guihua felt that she would have to cook more in the future. The First Lady had said that her family members, regardless of their appetite, must eat until they are full and never go hungry.
She, Tian Guihua, listened to the First Lady the most.
With seven more people suddenly in the household, housing became tight again.
One of the two side rooms was where Prince Yu usually stayed. Bai Sheng had to leave it for him. That kind of germaphobe with a discerning and arrogant personality would surely voice his displeasure if he heard that the room had been occupied by servants.
Ji Cheng He lived in the other room. Old Madam Ji resided in Lu Huo's room. Bai Sheng had Lu Yu and Tian Ya sleep in Lu Yun's room temporarily. Lu Yu, Lu Yin, and Lu Huo shared Lu Yu's room.
Lu Tie, Lu Tong, and Yang Ming squeezed together, and the two from the kitchen shared Tian Guihua's room.
Thus, everyone was temporarily accommodated.
Lu Ye called Feng Pingyuan and Zhao Da Zhuang to his side and told them that another row of servant quarters, with an estimated twenty rooms, needed to be built below the sand embankment.
Additionally, ten guest rooms were to be built on the sand embankment, next to their warehouse.
In any case, there was no shortage of bamboo and wood in the space. The people from the mine had been captured, and discarded stones from the large sand pit could be used freely.
Feng Pingyuan and Zhao Da Zhuang nodded repeatedly, promising to start the work as soon as possible.
Furthermore, Zhao Da Zhuang had an idea. He believed that since the First Lady had planted so many crops and fruits and built roads, many merchants would eventually come to buy grain and fruit.
Those who made long journeys would inevitably have to stay overnight at Hongshu Slope if they couldn't return the same day. It would be inconvenient for them to stay at their home, so building an inn would not only solve the accommodation problem for merchants but also generate income.
Upon hearing Zhao Da Zhuang's suggestion, Lu Ye highly praised him, believing that Da Zhuang had a very long-term perspective. He immediately agreed.
Zhao Da Zhuang said he had already decided on the location for the inn, about 100 meters south of the well.
Lu Ye patted his shoulder and told him to start building the inn after finishing the houses, and that he could get the funds from him.
Zhao Da Zhuang excitedly rubbed his hands together, exclaiming "Oh my, oh my" in admiration.
For such a long time, he had felt a bit inferior.
Tian Guihua and Liu Shi were busy in the kitchen every day. Huang Gousheng opened a carpentry shop, Yang Shi opened a cloth shop, Ma San, Yang Ming, and Hu Da Niu were in the security team, and even his mother, Granny Zhong, was preparing to open a weaving shop. His son Tie Zhu was also following General Fen in pioneering the dung-collecting enterprise. He, however, seemed to have remained unremarkable. In fact, he also wanted to earn money for the Master and Mistress.
Over the past year, he had been learning house construction from Feng Pingyuan and had learned a great deal, which led him to think of building an inn.
He hadn't expected the Master to be so supportive!
On the way back to his room, Zhao Da Zhuang clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and was filled with renewed vigor.
Bai Sheng kept Lu Yin.
She explained that Lu Yin's baldness was due to ringworm contracted in childhood, which had worsened due to a lack of timely treatment.
In the future, she would help Lu Yin cure her ringworm. Lu Yin also needed to pay attention to personal hygiene, wash her hair frequently, and keep her scalp clean. In time, her hair would grow back.
Upon hearing that her mistress would help her cure her baldness, Lu Yin was so excited that she knelt before Bai Sheng.
Because of this baldness, she had been ostracized and bullied by children in her village since she was young. Her parents also disliked her, and when she was eight years old, they sold her for 800 wen.
Her first master ran a handicraft workshop. Although they didn't scold or beat her, they only gave her a coarse steamed bun each day, while the workload was substantial. She had fainted from hunger many times.
Even so, her master complained that she ate too much and then sold her to the agency for one tael of silver.
For some reason, at the agency, the first time she saw her mistress, she liked her immensely and wished to be bought by her.
However, she didn't want to deceive her mistress, so she took off her hat, allowing her mistress to see clearly that she was... bald.