Chapter 57: Xu Xiaoyu (I)

“Langjun, my other name is Xiaoyu,” the teenager answered. He looked down to hide the anger and hatred in his eyes.

Jiang Pengji asked sarcastically, “Xiaoyu, have years of study made you dumb? I know you wanted to take revenge for your mother, but you should have calculated the risk. Your enemy is still alive, and you were arrested for murdering a servant. I am beginning to regret buying such a fool!”

Toudu Feiqiu: “Hahaha, but a minute ago you said it was a bargain.”

Feiqiu Qiyu Huanying Nin: “I’ll tell you what, though. Time travelers usually find treasures in slave shops. Xu Ke can be one, eh? Dumb as he is, he could be a sweetheart… Maybe he will become your husband in this world!”

Nongfu Shanquan Youdianxuan: “Why not your wife?”

Jiang Pengji turned away from the boy who had abruptly raised his head. She gestured to the housekeeper to add him as her selection.

After another round of strict selection, she picked another six people, including Xu Ke. In total, she chose 20 young men.

“Have you noted all their names?” she asked the housekeeper. “We will first settle them in one of our farmhouses and then make further arrangements after training them.”

“Yes, my Langjun.” The old man was reluctant, but he did not show his feelings on his lined face. Besides, Master Liu had instructed him to let the Langjun determine everything for today. All he could do was comply.

“Oh! We need two more adult women who are strong enough to cook meals for all the servants.” Jiang Pengji took a few steps and then told the trader, “I prefer diligent people who can keep secrets. You can skip the cunning ones.”

This perplexed the housekeeper. The Lius had enough female servants to meet their needs at their home, which was not particularly spacious. Why would she want two more stout women?

Selling 22 slaves was a huge deal for the shop. Males cost more than females, and adult men were the most expensive. The two women would cost eight to nine weights of silver each.

The shop was official, so Jiang Pengji just had to inform the local affair office about her purchase. But that would not take much time.

Jiang Pengji obtained the slaves’ contracts after making her payment and then took away Xu Xiaoyu’s contract.

“Tell those in the farmhouse to keep a close eye on him. Do not let him run away.” She tucked the sheet away in a safe place and added, “Inform me immediately if you catch him at night. You know the punishment for letting him get away.”

Buying the slaves was only one of her tasks. Liu She was also testing her ability to settle and train the slaves. Additionally, he wanted to monitor her spending habits. To allocate resources properly, she needed to learn where to purchase equipment and how much everything should cost.

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“This is similar to what Liu She made me do before.” She sat in the carriage. There were paper and a brush on the desk. She opened the housekeeper’s booklet and noted the details of all the servants, including their names, backgrounds, and prices.

The audience laughed at scene, which was a rare instance of the host being troubled.

“They can train on the vast land and farm for their food. A self-sufficient system can help make ends meet. In addition, we need to pay for their clothes and equipment each quarter. There should be rewards and punishments to encourage them to actively train on their own.” She thought about these measures and then wrote them down on the bamboo sheets.

At last, she was content with the paper that was now packed with characters.

Her next task was to find out how much things generally cost so that she could minimize her expenditure.

Afterward, she would need to implement a training program to transform those timid lambs into roaring lions. Their physical strength was currently terrible according to her former standards. Many of the popular training methods that she had used in her era would not work for these boys. Even after making adjustments, the basic training would still be a nightmare for the boys.

With excitement flickering in her eyes, Jiang Pengji licked her lips. Challenges always boiled her blood and animated her. “I cannot wait to start!”

Toudu Feiqiu: “Why do I have an ominous feeling? The temperature fell the moment she smiled.”

Yimi Yangguang: “You are not alone, man. I am shivering in the cold!”

Jiang Pengji suppressed her emotions after viewing the comments. Simple people often had strong intuitions.

It was not yet mid-March, so night still came early. There was less entertainment in ancient times, so the poor often had dinner at dusk and went to bed soon afterward. The rich, however, lit candles for reading or watched traditional operas until meal time.

The housekeeper urged Jiang Pengji to return home for dinner. The family only had dinner separately when Master Liu was not at home. Now that the master was back, the family would eat together.

When she entered the living room, she was surprised to see Madam Hu sitting by Liu She’s left-hand side. The stepmother was too ill to join.

Jiang Pengji quickly greeted her father and nodded at Madam Hu. Then the servants began to bring the dishes to the table.

“Are my brother and sister having dinner in their rooms?” Jiang Pengji asked as the servants set up.

It was important to remain silent while eating. Although this family was less strict than others, she still needed to observe the basic manners and speak either before or after the meal.

Madam Hu dropped her gaze and observed the patterns on her dress. Liu She frowned without replying.

In the end, it was Madam Hu who broke the silence. She smiled. “Third Langjun injured his head, so he is having a separate meal that has been prepared according to the physician’s instructions. He said that it would prevent a scar. As for your sister, she is too little and shy to dine with us. Master is always stern with her. We do not want to make her cry, do we?”