City’s Best Divine Doctor
Chapter 728 - 0729: Barely Breaking Even [Second Update]

Chapter 728: Chapter 0729: Barely Breaking Even [Second Update]

Some say the happiest life is to marry a Japanese wife, hire a Huaxia chef, bring in a French housekeeper, and live in a big house in the United States.

It’s apparent that a French housekeeper is indeed exceptional, and Housekeeper Eugene has been taking care of the castle for Count Charley for nearly twenty years. Although he rarely attended to anyone else, he managed both the castle and the estate excellently inside and out.

However, Ye Qiu found that the servants here in the castle seemed somewhat lazy and arrogant.

It might be because they have grown accustomed to freedom; after all, Count Charley rarely visited, so, even though there was a new master of the castle, they saw it as no different from before.

"How much do they get paid each month?"

Ye Qiu asked.

"Viscount Ye Qiu, we have the accounts here,"

Housekeeper Eugene said.

As he went to retrieve the accounts, detailed bills were available, covering the maintenance expenses of the castle, the expenses and income of the estate, as well as the incomes and expenditures of Housekeeper Eugene and the servants.

Perhaps because the castle had to pay a substantial amount in taxes each year, the income and expenses were almost balanced.

Why was this the case?

After all, the estate was more than one hundred thousand square meters, including the land beyond that, which also belonged to Count Charley.

Such an extensive area, yet it only provided for these few people and the upkeep of the castle?

Most notably, land in France is private property; even though it belongs to individuals, the government still charges the landowners a considerable amount in taxes each year.

Therefore, many wealthy people could afford to buy a castle but might be incapable of affording the taxes, in addition to the substantial amount of money needed for maintenance each year.

In such circumstances, the income produced by the vast estate might only suffice to support the castle itself.

Housekeeper Eugene, noticing Ye Qiu silent while looking at the ledger, looked somewhat anxious. Over the years, he had always been diligent, aspiring to be an excellent housekeeper.

Although "the mountains are high and the emperor is far away", and he was the only housekeeper,

he dared not entertain any thoughts of embezzlement. Because he knew the Archbishop Count Charley was no ordinary man, and besides, he ascribed to such a faith, how could he possibly embezzle those funds?

After examining the ledger, Ye Qiu shook his head.

"Viscount Ye Qiu, is there a problem?"

"Such a waste!"

These ten thousand square meters are equivalent to fifteen acres of land in Huaxia, and there is even more than one hundred thousand square meters here; it’s just that Count Charley has given Ye Qiu ten thousand square meters, and the rest still belongs to Charley himself.

He had just seen that there were more than two hundred thousand square meters, almost close to four hundred acres, which would definitely be considered a vast piece of land in Huaxia.

Unexpectedly, the income harvested now was barely enough to support the maintenance and expenses of the castle here.

If only Ye Qiu’s hundred thousand square meters were taken into account, that would certainly be insufficient to sustain the castle’s income. Over time, the castle might very well fall into ruin.

In other parts of Europe, many castles were abandoned for these reasons.

On one hand, owners couldn’t afford the steep taxes, and on the other hand, the high maintenance costs were unsustainable.

"Then the produce and income from the remaining hundred thousand square meters will definitely be insufficient to support the castle’s future maintenance and taxes, right?"

Ye Qiu turned to Housekeeper Eugene and asked.

Housekeeper Eugene indeed knew that was the case. It was also because they grew grapes that they could earn so much money by selling the wine they produced each year.

If they switched to other ordinary crops, they would probably be even less valuable.

Like wheat and potatoes, these were priced almost the same as in Huaxia. The produce from these few dozen acres of farmland was simply not enough.

Two middle-aged maids, the coachman, and the servant, who had seemed quite lazy and carefree, and the gardener now all grew tense. Could it be that the new master intended to dismiss them, to fire them all?

Housekeeper Eugene’s monthly salary was now five thousand Euros, which was a little over forty thousand Huaxia Yuan. The wages of these workers were also about two thousand five hundred Euros, which, compared to France’s minimum wage of two thousand Euros, was five hundred Euros higher.

However, these workers’ jobs were very relaxed, and on top of that, they had full health insurance. In fact, their lives were much easier than those of the city dwellers in big cities.

Now, having heard what Ye Qiu had said, Housekeeper Eugene and the others thought that Ye Qiu intended to dismiss them.

After all, if other people were sought out, like illegal immigrants and some workers from Asia who came to Europe to work, they might be willing to work for as low as one thousand five hundred Euros and were likely to be more hardworking than these French people.

"It’s not enough. We might fall short by two-thirds, but Count Charley has already told me that he will let the income from those outside estates compensate to ensure the castle’s regular maintenance," said Housekeeper Eugene.

Originally, when Ye Qiu was still in Huaxia, he hadn’t considered this problem at all. It was only after he stayed with Count Charley in Europe that he became clearly aware of how different the situation was from back home.

Of course, Ye Qiu had not expected Count Charley to be so generous, even now willing to make up for the shortfall to ensure the proper maintenance of the castle, even paying the taxes for it.

But in reality, Ye Qiu only had the property deed for the Eastern Castle and the nearby one hundred thousand square meters of the estate. The additional hundred thousand plus still belonged to Count Charley’s property.

Seeing Ye Qiu silent, Housekeeper Eugene, the workers, and Louise did not know what he was thinking.

However, Zhou Wenting felt that without Count Charley’s compensations, the castle might become a burden for Ye Qiu, offering no real benefits after all.

After all, Ye Qiu didn’t even reside there more than a few times a year, and if he had to subsidize it with tens of millions annually, that would indeed be a major loss.

Originally, when she heard about a reward of a castle and an estate, even Zhou Wenting, who had studied in France for many years, thought it would be a significant advantage.

Of course, Ye Qiu could also directly sell the castle and its one hundred thousand square meters of estate and still get quite a lot of money in return.

But if he didn’t sell it, and if Count Charley stopped the compensation later, then the longer it went on, the more money Ye Qiu would need to subsidize, and the greater his losses would be.

"Who is the chef here?" asked Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu had not heard mention of a chef before. Did these people normally cook for themselves? He thought that was unlikely; at Count Charley’s place, there were likely more than ten chefs just for French cuisine alone.

"Viscount Ye Qiu, I am the chef here," said Housekeeper Eugene.

Ye Qiu was surprised. Wasn’t he the housekeeper? Was he doubling as the chef too?

Or was it because his cooking skills were very good?

"How good are your cooking skills?"

"The French dishes I make should be considered quite acceptable. If Viscount Ye Qiu is to stay here for a long time, I could also learn to make Huaxia cuisine."