"Ruǎnruǎn, grow up quickly," Shen Xiaoyan whispered to the baby as she fed her, "and then Mother will teach you how to ride horses, hunt, and fish."
"What are you talking about? Where would a girl learn such things?" Zheng Wei frowned slightly.
"Do you think I'm not like a woman?" Shen Xiaoyan's eyebrows arched, her tone displeased.
Zheng Wei was startled. How could he have forgotten?
"No, I meant she's too young now. You can teach her when she's older."
Seeing Zheng Wei's somewhat placating smile, Shen Xiaoyan turned her head away haughtily. Did he think she would forgive him just because he changed his tune now?
He wished.
That night, Zheng Wei didn't get a peaceful sleep.
Shen Xiaoyan lay on one side of the kang, Zheng Wei on the other. On Zheng Wei's other side, their three children slept soundly in a row.
At night, Zheng Wei had to handle the feeding and diaper changes for the three little ones. With the children taking turns, he hadn't slept at all the entire night.
The next morning, Shen Xiaoyan opened her eyes and couldn't help but laugh when she saw the two large dark circles under Zheng Wei's eyes.
After breakfast, Zheng Wei asked Qu shi and Zhou shi to accompany Shen Xiaoyan and the three children in the main house. He and Huo Si then each took a carriage to town.
When Zheng Wei and Sima Han had returned before, they each rode a horse. So, they had bought two more carriages, giving them a total of two carriages and one large cart. As their household grew, more vehicles were a necessity.
The two carriages arrived in town and went straight to the human traffickers.
Since they had come often, the traffickers recognized Zheng Wei. Upon hearing Zheng Wei's request, they brought out a group of people and let Zheng Wei choose slowly.
After a round of selection and questioning, Zheng Wei finally chose ten people.
Two women, both around 40 years old, were skilled in needlework and cooking, making them experts in household chores.
Four burly men, all around 30 years old, were good at farming and strong enough for manual labor.
There were also eight teenage girls, who would serve as wet nurses for the children in the future. Naturally, two of them would be assigned to Yue Qingxin's children.
Zheng Wei also picked out two 15-year-old boys. Although boys of this age couldn't be considered full laborers, they were young and quick-witted. If taught diligently, they could be of great use in the future.
Zheng Wei bought a total of sixteen servants, making the human trafficker who stood aside beam with joy. When calculating the bill, he gave Zheng Wei a significant discount, saying that if he ever needed anything in the future, he should definitely come back.
Fortunately, the carriages of the two vehicles were large enough, and these 16 people could squeeze in.
Zheng Wei had noticed earlier that these people had no luggage. Even if they did, he wouldn't allow them to be seen in tattered clothes around the children.
Therefore, after leaving the traffickers, they went directly to a clothing store.
When the Huo family of five first arrived, Shen Xiaoyan had bought them fabric and let them make their own clothes.
Unexpectedly, Qu shi had ingeniously made the clothes for Huo Fen and her sisters in the same style and color, while Huo Cheng and Huo Si had their own matching style and color, and she had her own unique style.
Shen Xiaoyan found the styles attractive and somewhat reminiscent of the servant attire of wealthy families she had seen in dramas in her previous life. So, she instructed Qu shi to follow that custom when making clothes in the future.
When the Fan family arrived later, they followed the Huo family's lead, and their clothing styles also became uniform.
Therefore, Zheng Wei planned to buy some fabric to bring back and have them make clothes quickly.
The fabrics were of ordinary colors and not expensive, but they were very durable, so they sold very well and were always in stock at the clothing store.
Zheng Wei bought dozens of bolts of fabric at once, as well as cotton wadding, sheets, and sewing supplies. He thought of everything that would be needed.
Finally, because there were too many items, the two carriages couldn't hold them all. They had to hire another cart to transport everything back.
After unloading the goods at home, Zheng Wei instructed Huo Si to make another trip to pick up the three wet nurses. Huo Si agreed and drove off.
Zheng Wei told the 16 new arrivals to wait in the side courtyard and went to the main house, asking Qu shi to boil water in the kitchen so that the new arrivals could wash up and change their clothes before coming to the main house.
By the time Zheng Wei saw the new arrivals in the main house, it was already afternoon.
Zheng Wei sat in the main seat, looking at those standing below, including the Huo family of five and the Fan family of three. He remained silent for a long time.
It wasn't until the people started to look uneasy that Zheng Wei finally spoke, "Today, I will explain your duties. Listen carefully and perform them diligently. Regarding your monthly wages and daily treatment, you will absolutely not be mistreated. However, if you have any ulterior motives, it will not be as simple as a deduction of pay."
Zheng Wei's voice was mild, but it sounded extremely heavy to everyone present. They all bowed their heads and replied affirmatively.
Seeing their fearful expressions, Zheng Wei continued.
"From now on, Qu shi and Zhou shi will be responsible for the kitchen in the side courtyard, cooking only for us few. As for yourselves, you will temporarily eat in this kitchen for the next few days. When cooking, let the new arrivals, Guo shi and Shi shi, do the work. Once the new kitchen in the front is built, you will eat in the front."
"Uncle Fan will be responsible for taking care of the herbal medicines and the health of everyone in the household. As for your son, Fan Chang, who is not well, he will stay with you," Zheng Wei said, looking at Fan Yong.
"Yes, my son and I will definitely take good care of the herbal medicines," Fan Yong replied, pulling Fan Chang to kneel on the ground together.
His son was frail and, to put it bluntly, could do nothing and was a burden. However, Zheng Wei did not mind and was willing to take them in. This was a great kindness.
Zheng Wei told them to rise and then looked at Huo Si and Huo Cheng. "Uncle Huo, you and Huo Cheng will continue to be responsible for guarding the gate and driving the carts. You don't need to move; you can live in the gatehouse."
After speaking, Zheng Wei looked at the eight young girls. "You will now follow the wet nurses to care for the children. This is the most important task, and you cannot afford the slightest carelessness."
"Yes," the eight girls replied in unison, kneeling.
They had learned some basic rules from the human traffickers, so they appeared quite presentable.
The remaining four strong men and two young boys were responsible for the heavy labor around the house.
The planting of watermelons was imminent, the fruit trees also needed tending, and the mountainside and barren land needed clearing. There was indeed a lot of work to be done.
Huo Fen and Huo Ying would continue to stay with Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin.
With this, all the servants had been arranged. Many things would no longer require Shen Xiaoyan's worry, saving her a lot of trouble.
However, the accommodation for these people was a major issue. Although there were auxiliary rooms in the back, they couldn't mix men and women, so building more rooms was essential.
For now, the eight young girls and two older women, along with the three new wet nurses, would live in the auxiliary rooms in the back with Huo Fen and Huo Ying, two to a room, which was just enough space.
Among them, one wet nurse had a room to herself, but this was temporary. Once Yue Qingxin gave birth and another wet nurse arrived, they would again share rooms.
As for the Fan family of three and the remaining six people, they could temporarily stay in the side rooms on the east and west sides of the front courtyard.
After arranging these matters, Zheng Wei went to town again and found a builder. They agreed that construction would begin in two days.
Houses needed to be built quickly in the east and west side courtyards of the front yard. The east side courtyard would have rooms built in the same style as the auxiliary rooms in the back. The west side courtyard, in addition to living quarters, would have a new kitchen built.
The design of the new kitchen was by Shen Xiaoyan, resembling a school cafeteria in her previous life.
The kitchen was large enough, with tables and chairs inside, and a long counter in front of the stoves for displaying food. Anyone could choose what they wanted to eat.
Since there were enough workers and the people in the household could also help with odd jobs, the construction of the houses only took 18 days and was completed on the first day of the third lunar month.
After completion, the Fan family of three moved into the west side courtyard, and the remaining six people lived in the east side courtyard, two to a room.
On the third day of the third lunar month, Yue Qingxin went into labor.
Shen Xiaoyan was in confinement and couldn't go out to see, so she asked Huo Fen to go out and check, then come back and tell her the situation.
At noon, Yue Qingxin gave birth to a baby boy and then fell asleep from exhaustion.
Although Shen Xiaoyan had been using the immortal spring water to condition Yue Qingxin's body, Yue Qingxin's health had not been good previously. Therefore, even after some time to recover, she couldn't compare to Shen Xiaoyan.