Grandmother Qin sighed again, unsure if it was regret for not wearing the floral dress when she went out, or regret for not going to the temple with Old Man Hou to admire the flowers.
"The children in those two rooms don't need to be treated too well. Servants are just servants. The more people you have in your courtyard, the stricter the rules must be. That Grandma Wang is good; listen to her more."
Although Qin Junyao didn't quite agree with Grandmother Qin's statement about not being too good to those children, she didn't argue.
She still wanted to know about Grandma's outing with Grandpa Hou to admire flowers, and about her father's changes.
Qin Junyao could only nod along with Grandmother Qin's words.
She had expected Grandmother Qin to at least talk about her father, if not about her and Grandpa Hou's outing.
To her surprise, Grandmother Qin sat in the chair and looked at the room's furnishings, finding them increasingly displeasing. She asked Qin Junyao to find someone to help her move the furniture around.
"Grandma, isn't this in a hurry?"
Grandmother Qin stood up and walked around the room. "It is. It offends my eyes. You go attend to your business and hurry to send a letter to Xiao Chui Zi."
"And quickly go call someone for me."
Qin Junyao was practically shooed out of the room by Grandmother Qin. She reluctantly got up. "Grandma, what about my father?"
"Your father has become an official and wants to fly. Don't worry, even if he floats to the clouds, I can pull him down and smash him into a pit."
Qin Junyao stood at the doorway, watching the servants rearrange the cabinets, tables, and chairs as instructed by Grandmother Qin. Knowing she couldn't help, she returned to her own room.
The room Grandmother Qin was staying in was the one Qian Shi used to occupy. It was large and well-lit, though farther from Qin Junyao's room.
On her way back, Qin Junyao saw Fu Zi leading two round-faced boys, shorter than him, around the courtyard.
"Fu Zi, what are you doing?"
"Sister-in-law," Fu Zi excitedly pointed to the two boys behind him. "They are my new attendants. Their names are Da Yong and Xiao Yong. I'm taking them to my place."
Qin Junyao looked around. "Where is Grandma Ma?"
"Grandma Ma is going to set up a bed in my room and is looking for someone. She also needs to find quilts from the storeroom."
Qin Junyao glanced at the sun's position in the sky. "Alright. Don't wander off. It's almost time for school. Don't be late."
"Got it, Sister-in-law."
Qin Junyao made sure Fu Zi wasn't running around before returning to her room.
Qin Xiao Yu had just finished bathing and was sitting in a chair with a rosy complexion, while Liu Yu was applying medicine to her hand.
"Liu Yu, is it serious?" Qin Junyao asked as she walked to Qin Xiao Yu's side.
"Madam, the wound is a bit deep. It cannot touch water or be used for strenuous work for three days."
"That won't do," Qin Xiao Yu pulled her hand away from Liu Yu's grasp. "There's still so much work to do at home."
Qin Junyao grabbed Qin Xiao Yu's wrist, gesturing for Liu Yu to continue applying the medicine. "You don't need to do any work. Stay with me until your hand is better. Today, I ordered people to send firewood to the house. There are hired laborers in the fields, so what much work is there to do at home?"
"Father hired few long-term workers. Eldest Brother and Second Uncle are in the fields every day. Mother still needs to fetch water when she gets back," Qin Xiao Yu explained to Qin Junyao, looking up.
Qin Junyao frowned. She had been busy watering and transporting saplings recently and hadn't checked how many people were working on the Qin family's land.
The purpose of hiring long-term workers was to relieve the Qin family from arduous farm labor.
With Aunt Qin Er pregnant, Uncle Qin Er would need to manage the acquisition of wolfspur roots in the spring.
After Qin Da Niu got married, he and Zhang Da Ni would run the ox cart food stall. Since Mother Qin's noodle shop had lost Zhang Da Ni, Qin Junyao intended to have her father help out.
Later, there would be the planting of saxaul trees and *cistanche*. These were more important than the newly reclaimed land.
This was because the growth of wheat in the fields was controlled by Qin Junyao, not by how many people the Qin family put into the work.