Early in the morning, the workers in Xiao Man's shop came to help. They worked with the servants of the Yang Family to clean up the place. It was almost noon when everything was cleaned up. At this time, even Chef Lin was exhausted. Seeing this, Xiao Man gave them some money and told them to go eat something outside and bring some back for the people who stayed behind.
Once these people left, Xiao Man immediately found Yang Fan and said, "Langjun, we really don't have enough servants in this house. Other than the gatekeeper and the cook, there are only two maidservants in this house with three courtyards. It can't even hold up the facade. I just walked in and out of the house twice and didn't dare to go far. Here! Look, there are precious gifts piled up in this room in the back, and there is no place to put them.
I've thought about it. We need to have a steward in our family. We can't let you worry about all the big and small matters. We also need a servant in the study. Even if Langjun doesn't like to study, it is inevitable that he will have to socialize in the future when he goes to the government. There must be someone to serve him.
Also, the front and back courtyards have to be separated. The inner house is the inner house, and the outer house is the outer house. We can't let the servants go in and out as they please. That would break the rules. I reckon that we need at least six people in the inner house. Six may not be enough, so let's count it as six for now. If we really don't have enough people, then we'll think about it.
As for the cook, one cook can't do it. Not to mention that he can't handle the meals of this big family alone. What if he has a headache and the whole family goes out to eat? We need at least three cooks to handle it.
In addition, Langjun needs to ride a horse when he goes out. The Di Family just happened to give us a good horse. We can't not have someone to feed the horse in our house, so we need a groom. After the inner house and outer house are separated, we need to add two more maidservants to serve and clean the outer house. That way, we can barely maintain the appearance of the house.
There are also these gifts. Not to mention the expensive gifts from Princess Taiping's residence and Monk Xue. Sigh! I couldn't sleep last night. That might be one of the reasons. There's a lock on the door! I came out a few times at night and couldn't stop worrying! The news that we have a treasure in our house has to spread today. This thing can't be casually placed here.
I just walked around the backyard twice and found that the original owner had a secret cellar to hide important things, but it's a little too small. I plan to move the more valuable things to my shop in Nan City in the afternoon and put them in the treasure vault there. Then I'll ask the craftsmen to renovate our secret cellar. "
"Uh …"
As soon as Yang Fan opened his mouth, Xiao Man opened her mouth again. Yang Fan quickly shut his mouth again.
"The treasure vault must be surrounded by rammed earth. Then, a five-foot-thick stone wall must be built, and glutinous rice juice must be poured to seal the gaps. Finally, a layer of iron plate must be cast. There is only one exit, which is built in the bedroom. I know a locksmith who has a position in the Ministry of Works. Many of the locks in the palace are designed by him. His designs for the five-pick lock, maze lock, and secret door lock are the best. I'll ask him to design three locks for our secret cellar. "
"Ah …"
"That's right! Our family now owns a street of shops. All the money we collect has to be kept at home. Just having a secret cellar won't be enough. Although this is the Emperor's territory, it's inevitable that there will be bold thieves. When the secret cellar is built, we'll have to hire some warriors to guard the house. Do you have anyone you know that can be hired? "
"I …"
"Forget it. You've only been in Luoyang for a short time, so it's normal that you don't have any connections. I do know a few of these people. Most of them are old martial masters who retired from the palace or the disciples of these old martial masters. Currently, the martial guards that I hire for my jewelry and head ornament shop were hired from among them. These people are absolutely reliable! "
Xiao Man seemed to be afraid that she would forget and said everything in one breath. After she finished, she saw that Yang Fan wanted to say something but hesitated. She couldn't help but ask, "What do you want to say?"
"I … I …"
Yang Fan said "I" for a long time before he said with a bitter smile, "Do we have so many things to arrange at home? Why do I feel that everything is fine? Uh … My wife is right! My wife is really thoughtful. In fact, I don't know much about these things. That … what you think should be done, it's up to you. "
Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "That's what you say, but we have to import more children and carry out large-scale construction. If you don't agree, how can I make my own decisions? Who asked you to be the head of the family … "
Xiao Man made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly turned around. A blush crept up on her clear and flawless face. She said somewhat embarrassedly, "There's no one at home to order around, so I can't do anything. Since you agree, then … I'll go find a middleman in a while. You stay at home. This place can't be left alone now. "
Xiao Man said and wanted to escape. Yang Fan suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Oh right, you can go and take over those 16 shops. I don't know the way of management. In the future, I'll have to trouble … trouble my wife with these things. "
Xiao Man responded and quickly walked out. When Yang Fan saw her leave, he unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Now that he was with Xiao Man, he often felt a little uncomfortable. Husband and wife were not like husband and wife, and friends were not like friends. He didn't know how long this awkward situation between the two of them would last.
Xiao Man had just walked out of the living room when Third Sister ran over with the hem of her skirt and said breathlessly, "Madam, Miss Gao, Miss Lan and the others who came yesterday are here again."
Xiao Man was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to greet them. As soon as she walked to the front yard, she bumped into Gao Ying and Lan Yiqing. Xiao Man happily jumped up to greet them. Before she could speak, the female guards surrounded her and looked her up and down. Xiao Man asked curiously, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gao Ying said with a faint smile, "We want to see what's different about you from yesterday." The group of women roared with laughter. Xiao Man blushed and glared at her. "What difference can there be?! Stinky girl, you came to make fun of me today. Aren't you afraid that I'll make fun of you when you get married in the future? "
A female guard squeezed forward and said with a wink, "Sister Xiao Man, I heard that the first time you did it was very painful. Did it hurt?"
"Uh … You guys … How can you ask such a question!" Xiao Man was angry and shy. Her face turned red. Gao Ying held her right arm with her left hand and pinched her chin with her right hand. She nodded and said with a serious face, "It doesn't seem to hurt too much. Look at the few steps Xiao Man took just now. Her steps are light and there's nothing unusual."
"That's hard to say. When the jade is broken, how can others know whether it's painful or not? This night of sexual intercourse with Langjun, the joy of fish and water, and the wish to fly together. In the end, the bitterness is over and the sweetness comes. It's not strange to walk lightly. I heard that this kind of thing is to eat sugar cane and gradually get into a good state. "
"You guys … You guys are really asking for a beating …"
Being teased like this, Xiao Man's face was so hot that an egg could be fried. As soon as Xiao Man moved, the female guards started to tickle her. While playing, they asked with a smile, "Quick, does it hurt? Does it hurt? "
Yang Fan came out of the backyard and happened to hear the question "Does it hurt?" He laughed and said, "Haha, I was wondering who came early in the morning. What do you mean does it hurt?"
"Uh …"
The group of women looked at each other in dismay. When girls were together, they dared to say all kinds of crazy things, but when a man suddenly appeared, it was very embarrassing. Lan Yiqing and a few younger female guards called out "Brother-in-law" with red faces, then quietly hid behind others.
Gao Ying was also a little embarrassed. She was afraid that others would spill the beans. She bit her lip and hurriedly said, "Oh, when we just came from the palace, we saw that Wang Qingzhi, who repeatedly persuaded the emperor to change the crown prince, was punished with a cane. Did it hurt when the cane hit his butt?"
"That's right, that's right!" The seven or eight female guards nodded in unison like a group of chickens pecking at rice.
Yang Fan could see that they were not being sincere, but his attention was already attracted by the name "Wang Qingzhi". Yang Fan hurriedly took two steps forward and asked in a deep voice, "You are saying that Wang Qingzhi, who petitioned for Wei Wang, was punished with a cane by the emperor?"
Gao Ying saw his serious expression and hurriedly said, "Yes, we didn't care about it at first. Later, we heard that the current Prime Minister Li was personally supervising the punishment, so we took a look. When we left the palace, Wang Qingzhi was being punished outside the Meridian Gate. Looking at Prime Minister Li's posture, it didn't look like he was going to be punished with a few light canes."
Yang Fan nodded, thought for a moment, and said to Xiao Man, "Wife, since your sisters are here, I think it's better to ask them for a favor and bring over the expensive gifts that need to be stored in Nan City's treasury. Don't you still need to pick some servants? It's a good opportunity to ask them to help with the details. "
Xiao Man nodded in agreement. After a while, the more expensive items were taken out by Xiao Man and carried by her sisters as they rushed to Nan City. At this time, the drum for the opening of Nan City had just sounded. Following the bright rhythm of the drum, the army of women chattered along the way, attracting the attention of passersby.
Gao Ying listened to Xiao Man's plan and said, "Do we need six people in the back residence? Well, the people in the back residence are the most important. They must be loyal, so we can rest assured. They must also be considerate, otherwise it will be troublesome. Leave it to me, I'll help you find … "
"What? You want to find a fourteen or fifteen year old maid? That won't do, if you want to find a few aunties in their early fifties, it's not safe if they're too young! "
"Climb high to get a feel for the room? That … that's fine, they're just maids in the inner residence, they don't see outsiders, we have to find the ugliest one. "
Lan Yiqing was unconvinced and said, "Sister Yingying, you're too careful, Sister Xiao Man is so beautiful, are you afraid of being outshone by a girl?"
Gao Ying said, "Little girl, what do you know! This woman, even if she looked like a fairy, if he married her, San Yue 'er would become a faded old woman. There was no man who didn't like to try new things. A pretty and clever little lass swayed under his eyes all day long, how could he not be tempted? Xiao Man needs to take care of the shop, right? She needs to be pregnant for ten months, right? Hey! If I don't keep an eye on her, that old cat will steal a fish! Let me tell you, I'm speaking from experience, a few of my aunties took advantage of this, making my mother so angry … Learn from your mistakes, you have to be careful! If you don't find the oldest, find the ugliest, it's safe! "
A group of unmarried virgins were teaching Xiao Man the Manhood Scripture, all at once. Hearing this, Xiao Man felt a headache coming on.
As soon as they left, Yang Fan hurried to the gatehouse and said to Chen Shou, "Wang Qingzhi has been punished at the Meridian Gate. It seems that Wu Chengsi's actions have angered the Emperor. I still have three days before I return to the palace, have Zhao Yu help me keep an eye out, if there's any movement, immediately report to me!"
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