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墨書 Inktalez
Chen Wenyue and Bai Yunsheng, along with others, left Wudang County. Qin Yaru suddenly felt much more relaxed; her greatest annoyance was naturally Chen Wulang, that scoundrel. However, the appearance of someone like Bai Yunsheng, who seemed to be no ordinary character, in such a place also made her uneasy.
With all matters settled, Qin Yaru went to the Yamen to establish an independent female household for herself. This was not difficult, thanks to Xu Meng and Xu Constable's connections, as well as Zhan Yu's good fortune. Such matters were handled quickly and easily.
Having separated from the Chen Family, Qin Yaru felt refreshed and was in the mood to organize her household. She built a chicken coop in the yard, pondering about going out to find some chickens and ducks to raise.
Wudang County had a market, and she took Da Lang out to have a look. There were indeed sellers of chickens, but chicks were rare; they mostly had adult roosters and old hens.
After wandering around for quite some time, Qin Yaru finally spotted a dozen or so not-so-large chickens and bought a cage full. The price was reasonable—ten wen each. The cage contained nine chickens: one rooster and eight hens. She had the seller deliver them home and also looked for two large white geese, several ducks, and even bought a puppy.
Now that she had her own household, it was necessary to have a dog for guarding. After spending two hours handling these matters, Qin Yaru felt that her home had some liveliness to it, resembling a domestic life. However, the group of chickens running around the yard made it quite smelly and unpleasant, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Previously at the Chen Family, she had spent some time raising chickens and ducks herself, but that felt like a distant memory. While at County Horse Manor, although she lived in comfort, there was an unavoidable feeling of being dependent on others; thus, she couldn't fully enjoy herself or be overly particular. However, in modern times, she tended to be somewhat fastidious about cleanliness and appearance, exhibiting a bit of pretentiousness.
This was also due to Gao Feng's indulgence.
Now that she was raising chickens and ducks herself—feeding them and cleaning up after them—she felt an awkward discomfort about having to do everything by hand.
Wang Shi occasionally came by for visits and noticed that every time Consort Qin fed the chickens and ducks or cleaned their droppings, she would have to take a bath afterward as if she couldn't sit still without washing up. Wang Shi couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head: "You are still the same refined young lady as before. If you truly can't stand it, why not hire a few Lady-in-Waiting? I never suggested you buy any when you were short on funds before, but now that you have those things from that scoundrel Chen Wulang, it’s only right to get a few Lady-in-Waiting."
Wang Shi made this suggestion mainly because recently the number of refugees in Wudang County had been increasing significantly; labor was becoming cheaper by the day. One could buy a girl of around ten years old for just one hundred guan—a real bargain.
Not long ago, business at the tooth shop was booming; many wealthy families took this opportunity to pick out numerous Lady-in-Waiting servants to bring home.
"However, if you want to buy people from a reputable dental shop, as a woman who has been divorced from the Chen Family Village, it’s not like before; you would be inviting wolves into your home."
Qin Yaru thought about it and realized this was indeed the case. She considered finding time to inquire at the dental shop and buy a few honest Lady-in-Waitings. Although she had spent quite some time in the Twenty-First Century, she didn’t feel awkward about buying Lady-in-Waitings to serve her. After all, she was still a person of the Song Dynasty, not a true person from the future.
Naturally, there was no need for Consort Qin to go personally to a place like the dental shop. She sent a letter to Lai San, and within a day, the most famous dental shop in Wudang County sent someone over, bringing with them more than ten Wives. They had all undergone simple training and appeared honest and straightforward, without any tricks up their sleeves.
This highlighted the benefits of connections. If Qin Yaru had gone herself, she certainly wouldn’t have received such good treatment; it was entirely possible that she could have encountered some who were abducted.
The person sent from the dental shop was a woman in her fifties, who called herself Wang Po. Contrary to what many might imagine, this woman was tidy and neat in appearance, with a simple and honest face. Upon meeting Qin Yaru, she was courteous and polite. The group of Wives she brought along also behaved appropriately; although several showed signs of fear, they stood tall and steady in the courtyard without anyone appearing timid.
Qin Yaru looked closely and asked Wang Po several questions before finally selecting three. These three girls were not too old—one was thirteen and two were fifteen—an age that was just right; they were old enough to work but not so old that they would be difficult to train.
In the Song Dynasty, people tended to marry later. It was quite rare for someone like Qin Yaru to marry at fifteen after reaching maturity; most would marry around twenty-one or twenty-two. These girls would still have several years of service before marriage, and if trained well, they could continue serving even after getting married without any issues.
Among these three girls, two stood out: one was excellent at needlework, and the other could read. The third girl was more ordinary—she was the daughter of a household—but according to Wang Po's introduction, she was quick and could do the work of several people at home; her farming skills were exceptional, making her worth quite a bit.
Initially, Qin Yaru planned to have them sign on for ten years; it would be cheaper that way, and signing a service contract was better than signing a lifetime contract since their social status was completely different.
However, these three girls clearly needed a lot of money and were eager to sign lifetime contracts. After thinking it over, Qin Yaru decided to go along with their wishes. She ended up spending two hundred eighty strings of cash, which was already discounted by the dental shop.
With three more girls added to her household, it indeed felt much livelier. However, Qin Yaru found herself idle; previously she had done some work at home, but now everything came easily—clothes were brought to her and meals served—making her life very leisurely. Compared to her time at County Horse Manor, it was no less enjoyable.
In such leisure, Qin Yaru developed an interest in reading and painting. She exchanged for several travelogues from outside and often lounged in the courtyard reading. When she grew tired of reading, she would sketch or ponder new flower crown designs. However, this business had nearly reached its peak; although it still made money, it lacked the previous high profits.
It is quite normal; nowadays, there is no patent law. As soon as a new idea emerges, countless imitators spring up. It is only because Qin Yaru can occasionally come up with new products that she earns a bit more than others. However, these ideas do not come easily. She has no intention of making a fortune from this; she only occasionally feels inspired to create something unique. Once her stock runs out, she will simply stop and does not mind.
One day, a worker from Ji Ren Tang suddenly arrived in a horse-drawn carriage to pick her up. Elder Ji had found an ancient medical book and invited her to take a look.
Just as Qin Yaru was feeling bored, she didn't think much of it. She instructed Da Lang to stay home properly and told Aye to keep the doors tightly shut. If anything happened, they could go directly to the nearby Yamen to find Xu Meng, and then she set out.
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