Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 356: Giving Up Thoughts_1

Chapter 356: Chapter 356: Giving Up Thoughts_1

Zhulan’s main courtyard was empty, with only Zhulan herself. After she finished drawing the blueprint of the courtyard and calculated how many servants were needed, Zhou Shuren finally arrived at the main courtyard.

Zhou Shuren was covered in sweat. Having a large household was not always a good thing. He had run all the way there, "Mother, I was not at home just now. I went to the city for a turn and have only now returned."

Zhulan said, "Xue Han told me. First catch your breath and drink some water before speaking."

Seeing him drenched in sweat, she knew that he must have run over as soon as he received the message.

Zhou Shuren sat down to catch his breath and said, "Mother, you asked me to go to the broker. Is there anything else?"

Zhulan, "No other matter. You’ve just been out for a while, tell me about the situation in the city."

Zhou Shuren spoke with lingering fear, "The streets were full of people heading to the government office to collect food, with lines so long the end was nowhere in sight. All the shops on the streets were closed today, and I went to the market for a round, but there were no people there either."

Zhou Shuren lamented that no matter if it was natural disasters or man-made calamities, the common people always suffered the most. Fortunately, he had an impressive father, and the Zhou family was no longer at the mercy of others.

Zhulan sighed and no longer desired to continue the questioning, "Go to the broker. Our family needs twenty servants, preferably a whole family of them. Ask around to see which broker has a whole family of servants for sale, then have the broker come to the manor."

Zhou Shuren stood up, "Mother, I’m off."

"Mhm."

As Zhou Shuren walked, he thought about how, a few years ago, he never dared to dream about having servants like the large households did, let alone envy them. Now, he had become the master of the Zhou family, and buying servants was no longer a big deal. Zhou Shuren walked with a steady and imposing gait, exuding the air of a Zhou family master.

After an hour, Zhou Shuren brought the broker. There were many brokers in Lizhou City now, representing various powers, and Zhou Shuren had invited the one as per his mother’s request.

The broker, a man in his forties, had the most informed news in their line of work. They were all waiting for the big sale at the new prefect’s household. The broker respectfully said, "Madam."

Zhulan didn’t beat around the bush, "Shuren has told you our requirements. Do you have any suitable candidates?"

The broker had a clear idea and said smilingly, "Madam wishes to have a family of servants. I have four suitable families available. Coincidentally, two of them were servants of this very estate. The household accrued gambling debts, sold the estate, and all their servants were sold. Now, they are all in our hands."

Zhulan thought it was indeed quite a coincidence, "Why haven’t they been sold yet?"

The broker didn’t hide anything, "Madam, one of the families includes a steward. We were planning to send them to Jiangnan to sell, but upon hearing that the prefect was arriving soon, we decided to keep them for a few more days to see if they might catch your eye."

Zhulan fell silent. The information network of all sorts of people was too well-informed; they even knew how many servants her family had brought, "You are quite honest."

The broker smiled, "Madam, if you are interested, I will go back and bring them over."

Zhulan said, "Don’t rush. First, tell me about the people in the two families."

The broker flipped through his book, "The steward’s family’s surname is Ding; a household of ten. Steward Ding himself was originally a young servant and later gained trust to become a steward. He is thirty-eight this year, his wife rose from a maid to become the stewardess of the inner courtyard, and they have three sons. The eldest and the second are already married. The youngest son is twelve, and there are two grandsons, the elder is four, and the younger is three."

Zhulan raised her eyebrow; the family was all of fairly young age and had experience managing as stewards—a most welcomed type of servant. Had it not been for receiving news that they would be available, this entire family would have been sold in Jiangnan long ago.

The broker continued, "There’s another family surnamed Wan, four in total. The young servant and maid married, with two children, a boy and a girl. The elder girl is twelve and the younger brother is eight years old."

Zhulan thought these two families were indeed fine servants. "Bring the people over for me to see, then bring some maids and young servants over as well. These girls and boys, I don’t want the ones sold on their second round."

The broker knew what she meant; the lady had taken a liking to these two families, "Understood, I will bring them over at once."

The broker made quick work of it, bringing not only the two families but also ten maids and five young servants.

Nearly thirty servants filled the courtyard; Zhulan, followed by Lady Li and Xue Han, began inspecting them, her gaze first fell on the young servants and maids—children sold off by their families. The ones the broker brought all had decent appearances.

Zhulan squinted her eyes, noticing a few maids around fifteen or sixteen, quite pretty, and not seeming like they came from peasant families. Zhulan fondled the bracelet on her wrist, mockingly thinking, were these prepared for Zhou Shuren?

The broker too was feeling anxious but then remembered that the gentleman only had one official wife and felt more at ease. The maids he brought were carefully trained, and to avoid revealing too much, he chose girls with demure appearances.

But he was frustrated; he thought Zhou, being forty, would have a wife of similar age who should be older. However, upon meeting her today, she appeared to be only in her thirties, more beautiful than the girls he had selected. Fortunately, youth was on their side, so he calmed himself.

Zhulan’s attention passed over the older candidates, focusing instead on those between ages six and ten—for Yushuang and Yu Lu at six, and for Xue Han at ten. The young servants needed to be a bit older; the household was short-handed, so Zhulan was more concerned with the thirteen to fifteen-year-olds.

Zhulan called out three maids and then three young servants, her gaze never missing Ding and Wan’s families. The two families, despite the initial excitement of arriving at the new residence, quickly calmed down, standing quietly without looking around, proving indeed they were fine servants.

Having made her selection, Zhulan said to the broker, "Take the Ding and Wan families, as well as the six maids and young servants I chose. Send the rest back."

Then addressing the eldest master Zhou, "Take the silver and exchange it with the broker for the new indentures."

The broker was taken aback, "Madam, aren’t you choosing a few older maids to serve?"

Zhulan’s smile was mocking, "To serve me or to serve my master? This is our first and last transaction. Now, take them away."

The broker felt a chill in his heart; they had been very discreet, not expecting to be seen through. The information clearly stated that Master Zhou came from a scholarly family. To think Zhou’s wife had such discernment. The broker felt uneasy—this was their last trading opportunity in Lizhou Prefecture, and they wanted to curry favor with the prefect, not to offend. He quickly apologized, "I had no other intentions, madam, you misunderstand."

Zhulan was too lazy to listen to explanations and turned to Xing Hua, "Take them to the back quarters to wash up and change clothes, then come to see me in the afternoon."

Xing Hua felt a strong sense of crisis. Although her family was among the first set of servants, she was well aware of their capabilities. She now hoped to complete the tasks assigned by the mistress as obediently as possible, counting on that to earn more trust for the Ma family, "Yes."

Zhulan finished giving instructions and stood up; today’s chicken would have to be slaughtered—the outside world was unaware how many wished to offer people to Zhou Shuren. If she did not sever these outside hopes today, they would only grow more upsetting in the future.