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From now on, the three would live and eat together here, and all expenses would be managed from their accounts.

Shopkeeper Niu saw that the hostess was a woman, but her words and actions were far from those of an ordinary woman. He was rather pleased with this.

Before coming, Assistant Qiu had told him that Qiao Mai was generous and that working under her would not lead to any grievances or unfair treatment.

He had been secretly observing this mistress. She had an ordinary appearance but exuded confidence from every pore. It was her first time ordering servants, yet she handled it effortlessly.

Everything had been arranged properly. It seemed that what Assistant Qiu from the Broker Center had said was correct.

Leading his two assistants, he procured all the necessary household items. Afterward, he allocated the rooms in the courtyard.

There were three rooms on the upper floor. The living room was for receiving guests or temporary resting. It had to be prepared, whether it was being used or not.

On the left was the kitchen for cooking and dining, and on the right was his bedroom.

The two assistants had their rooms in the west wing, with one room serving as storage, and the other for miscellaneous items.

Upon hearing that this shop was for selling fruits, vegetables, and snacks, Shopkeeper Niu immediately bought several loads of bricks. He had the entire backyard, including the rooms and courtyard, paved with green bricks.

A clean environment was crucial when selling food. On rainy days, mud would be off-putting to customers.

Seeing that Madam Qiao didn’t object, he was relieved.

He could tell she had faith in him. He had a reason for everything he did. As a leader, it was better not to meddle too much.

As his boss refrained from asking further, Shopkeeper Niu gained a better understanding of Qiao Mai. The three of them eagerly anticipated the shop’s opening.

On the twelfth of April, the remaining workers also arrived.

Due to limited space at home, Qiao Mai temporarily arranged for these nine people to stay in another court’s backyard.

During the daytime, they helped with household chores at Qiao Mai’s residence. At night, they returned to stay in the backyard. For now, this was the only arrangement possible.

With these people, Qiao Mai’s life became much easier. Two maids helped with her child, and five servants handled the cleaning and washing. Two cooks took charge of the kitchen.

Their cooking skills were quite good. They all came from wealthy families, and basic snacks were within their repertoire.

Qiao Mai had heard from Assistant Qiu that they hadn’t done anything wrong; it was the masters who had erred, which had led to the sale of these servants. This meant these two people had no issues.

It was only April. There were barely any fruits or vegetables in the market, but the two cooks exchanged glances.

The kitchen was filled with spices and ingredients they hadn’t even seen before, let alone various fruits and vegetables.

What kind of person was their new mistress? They didn’t dare to speculate, but they knew she was no ordinary person.

This is something even wealthy households can’t obtain easily. The fact that it’s present in such a modest household suggests that the owner is quite extraordinary.

In private, the two cooks had informed the other servants to keep their eyes open. They should not underestimate the mistress. If something happened, they should not blame them for not giving a heads-up.

Without being told, the servants were well aware. They had been trained by the Broker Center in serving.

When it came to serving others, they were top-notch, especially the two maids, who were observant.

On their second day here, Qiao Mai took them to a clothing store and bought several pieces of fabric, along with needles and thread. She wanted them to sew clothes for each other when they had free time.

Everyone had high-quality cotton fabric, much better than what they were wearing.

Shopkeeper Lu couldn’t believe her ears when she heard that Qiao had hired people. She came to check it out and almost fainted.

“How many people have you hired?”

“Twelve. Three are in the shop. It will open mid-month.”

“You’re quite something, stunning us as soon as you take action.”

“I’d feel afraid moving into such a large house with only a few of us. It’s a 35 -acre estate. How can we maintain it without someone to clean and take care of it? And I would be exhausted to cook for so many people. You talk a big game but haven’t bought any maids yet.”

“Hehe, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“I do. Once we live together, you’ll come home to eat?”

“Of course, with our maids and your cooking, why would I eat outside, especially when it’s so expensive?”

“I’m teaching them to make one dish every day. Once we move, they’ll be able to do what I do.”

Lu Sanniang swallowed. “Every time you mention it, I get hungry.”

“Have lunch here then. You can taste our cooks’ skills.” “When will you give me two embroidered pieces?”

“I’ll give you three in May.”

While they chatted, Xiu Hong appeared at the courtyard gate. “Mistress, a guest is looking for you at the store.”

Lu Sanniang felt a little regretful. “Next time, I’ll come to your house for dinner. I’ll leave now.”

“Okay.”

Shopkeeper Lu left, and Qiao Mai focused on her embroidery while the two maids accompanied her daughter, Ling’er, and played with her.

However, not long after, Shopkeeper Lu returned with a parcel.

“Sister?”

“Yes, what’s up?

“Could you take a look at this screen? Can it be repaired?”

Qiao Mai opened the parcel and inspected the screen. “It’s impossible to repair in this condition. It’s beyond saving.”

“What should we do? The customer said their child accidentally knocked it over, and a candle fell on it. By the time they rescued it, it had become like this. Can you think of something?”

“Do they want a replica?”

“Yes, the customer loves this peacock design.”

Qiao Mai remembered that this screen had been taken out of her space. It wasn’t something she had embroidered since she arrived here. According to her understanding, the space would produce an identical replacement when the original was damaged.

It was indeed there.

“When does the customer need it?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“I can do it in half a month. If they can’t wait, give it up.”

Shopkeeper Lu gritted her teeth and left. Soon, she returned.

“Alright, half a month it is. The customer was in a hurry, so I charged an additional five hundred taels. They’ll pay five thousand five hundred taels for this screen.”

“You’re becoming more sensible now. Good things should be expensive, and expedited orders should be even more expensive.”

“Hehe, now that she’s gone, I’ll have lunch at your place.”

Turning to the cooks, Qiao Mai instructed, “Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhou, make some good dishes for lunch. My sister wants to eat here.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Shopkeeper Lu looked enviously at Qiao Mai. “Look at the people you bought and then at mine!”

“Well, you’ve turned your purchase into embroiderers. They’ll make you money.”

“Hehe, speaking of that, when Ruxin gets married, I plan to buy two maids to accompany her. ”

“Don’t choose the beautiful ones; they tend to be restless and might end up in your son-in-law’s bed.”

“Alright. Speaking of this, I plan to buy two shops in the county for my eldest daughter and provide a dowry of three thousand taels, one thousand taels in cash. What do you think?”

“That’s for you to decide. As a master, I’ll pay one thousand taels when Ruxin marries. I won’t add jewelry or anything.”

“So much?”

“It’s not much. When Ruyi gets married, I’ll contribute the same. That’s what being a master is about; I can’t contribute less.”

“Hehe, thanks.”

“You prepared so much for your daughter’s dowry. Have you received a betrothal gift from their side?”

“Their side mentioned thirty bridal sedan chairs.”

“I think they’re not that well-off. Thirty sedans? It would be good if they give you a thousand taels.”

“Their family isn’t as rich as ours, but as long as they treat my daughter well, it’s fine.”

“I don’t think highly of such families that have concubines.”

“What else can I do? It’s rare to find a wealthy household without concubines.

They wouldn’t even consider someone like us.”

Qiao Mai’s eyes flashed with a hint of disdain. In the wicked old society, men could have three wives and four concubines as the norm. Even someone as strong-willed as Shopkeeper Lu had to accept it.

Fortunately, women here were allowed to remain single. Unlike what was written in books, in some dynasties, if girls reached a certain age, they had to marry or be forcibly wed by the government to any man.

If Yuan Jiaqi took a liking to someone else, she would readily grant him his freedom.

Qiao Mai had always been rational. Regardless of whether she had feelings for this man, she would never force it..