Linxia

Chapter 212, Interlude

If Qiuqiu, Guaiguai and Huahua were just happy to come to the new environment, then Fang's father, Fang's mother and Tian Xuan were more aware of the changes in their living environment. Looking at the inner and outer courtyards, gardens, and rockery, compared with here, the West Lane alley where they lived before was really nothing.

However, the shock they received had just begun.

"Dad, Mom, Sister Xuan, these are our servants."

Fang Lin introduced: "These two are Caiyun and Cailan, first-class maids. Dad and mom, Caiyun will follow you, Sister Xuan and Cailan will follow us, just tell them if you have anything to do; these are second-class maids, Liu'er, Feng'er, Xing'er, Zhao'er, Ying'er, Zhen'er, who are responsible for the affairs of the inner courtyard; there are also these third-class maids, who do some heavy work... and these servants... This is the housekeeper Deng Yong..."

In the past, due to the limited environment in Xixiang Hutong, there was no servant at all. Now there were so many servants all of a sudden. Fang's mother was greatly shocked and felt her head buzzing: "Are the noble families in the operas like this?"

To be honest, her mentality still hasn't changed. Although Fang Lin only holds an honorary position of fourth rank, he is still fourth rank. From a certain perspective, the Fang family has long been a noble family!

"So many people, serving the four or five of us?" Father Fang had gained a lot of experience at the dock, but he was still quite shocked at this moment.

"Yes!" Tian Xuan originally thought that there would be at most two or three servants to help take care of the children and cook!

"Is it a lot? Not much! Compared with those big families, what our family has is nothing." Fang Lin was speaking the truth. Compared with big families like Fan, Gu, Ma, Shao, and Duan, which often have hundreds of servants, his family only has a few!
In the past when extravagance was prevalent, such a configuration of two senior maids, six second-class maids, and twelve third-class maids would be considered a joke in the circle of dignitaries. Even now when the trend is restrained, it is considered low-end.

It’s not that Fang Lin is reluctant to spend money, there is naturally a reason for this.

One is safety.

These maids were bought through formal channels, have clean backgrounds, and have been educated and trained since childhood. The merchants are extremely reputable.

Even so, Fang Lin still did some "background checks", such as their real names, growth trajectories, and found out the families who betrayed them. He took their families to the factory, arranged them into factory dormitories, and kept them under full control. Those with unclear family backgrounds were not hired at all.

The same goes for housekeepers, servants, and maids, all of whom are chosen to have families and are under complete control.

It can be said that it was extremely difficult to plant a "spy" in the first place, and after what happened, it is truly impossible, so all the melodrama must be eliminated.

Therefore, there naturally won’t be too many of these people who have been repeatedly screened, have suitable conditions, have no hidden dangers, and can be fully controlled.

Secondly, I don’t want to test people’s hearts.

This is not about Fang Lin and Tian Xuan, but Fang's father and mother. They have a good relationship, but they have so many beautiful maids, too many people and too little work. They dress up all day long and do nothing. Who knows what will happen?
For lunch that day, Fang's mother and Tian Xuan didn't have to do anything. They just gave an order and soon a sumptuous meal was served on the table.

The two head maids, Caiyun and Cailan, stood by, ready to serve their master at mealtime, such as bringing tea, rinsing mouths, and picking up dishes.

Fang's father, Fang's mother, Tian Xuan, and in fact Fang Lin, were all a little uncomfortable with it and refused.

Fang's mother wanted to ask the two maids to sit down and eat together, but how dare they? In the end, Fang Lin nodded and divided the meal to eat at the small table next to him.

But don't sympathize with them or feel sorry for them just because of this. To be frank, they are just senior maids. If they were second-class maids, they would not even be qualified to eat at the small table next to them.

In addition, in fact, 99% of the people in this world have no right to sympathize at all. The two senior maids receive three taels of silver per month, which is more than the coolies at the dock. Not to mention their food, clothing and other expenses, which are better than those of ordinary well-off families. Compared with the second and third class maids below, they have many more rights, such as the distribution of leftover meals and so on.

——Yes, in this world, people are divided into different classes, and even servants like maids are clearly divided into classes.

The two maids, Caiyun and Cailan, were eating at the small table here. They felt relieved. The host seemed quite kind, which was their luck.

……

When the Fang family moved here, they naturally had new neighbors. All the people nearby were respectable people with considerable wealth. Coincidentally, one of the families next door happened to be Xu San, the owner of the ice cave. It was he who acted as the middleman to resolve the issue when the ice cave was tampered with and melted.

On the same day, the other party brought gifts and visited.

This place is not far from Manager Liu's home, Dong Zugao's Dong family, and Xu Kuo's old home. It is quite convenient to go for a walk with Manager Liu in the morning and evening, or to go to Xu Kuo for a drink.

They also came over once because they moved into a new house.

Well, Qiuqiu has been very happy recently. Grandpa Liu, Grandpa Dong, and Uncle Xu have all brought her many new and interesting things.

……

After moving here, half a month passed quickly.

Having servants do all the work is a blessing, but it also makes people bored.

Mr. Fang works at the dock outside, so it's not so difficult to deal with him.

Fang's mother was in a bad situation. All her tasks, such as buying groceries, cooking, and sewing clothes, were taken away from her. She had nothing to do. She wanted to go back to Xixiang Hutong to chat with her former neighbors, but she couldn't. Firstly, the place was not very close; secondly, she would not fit in if she went back with her maid and guards.

Fortunately, Tian Xuan is with me, so we can go to restaurants and teahouses to watch a play.

Dinner that day.

Fang Lin asked, "Dad, Mom, Sister Xuan, how do you feel about living here? How does it compare to the alley?"

"Everything is fine." To be honest, Father Fang didn't have much feeling. When he lived in Xixiang Hutong before, he would come back at night to eat and live. It is still the same now. He doesn't have to worry about cooking, washing clothes, etc. There are even people flattering him at the dock. His life is so wonderful.

He had long since come to terms with it. His son was capable and his family was rich, so it made no difference whether he worked or not. It was fine for him to just lie back and relax.

"Yes, everything is good, but it's not like in the alleys, where there are so many people talking. These past two days, Xiaoxuan and I went to the teahouse to watch plays. We've seen a lot of them, so it's boring to watch them."

Fang's mother sighed and said, "When I was little, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could watch a play every day. But now that this day has come, I am tired of it."

This is a happy trouble.

Tian Xuan smiled but said nothing. When Fang's mother went out, she would accompany her. If she didn't go out, she would learn calligraphy and check accounts, so she wouldn't be bored.

"Well, Mom, you go to the women's factory and help me keep an eye on things. Sister Guihua and Sister Xiaoqing are both over there, so there's someone to talk to." Fang Lin just wanted to find something for Fang's mother to do so that she wouldn't get sick from being idle.

"Okay, I'll go over after Xiaoxuan gives birth." Fang's mother said happily.

"Mother, no need. I have a maid at home to look after me. Don't worry. I won't be bored. I will learn to read and do the accounting."

Time passed quickly as the family ate and talked.

After dinner, the maid Liu'er fetched water for Mr. Fang to wash his feet, but Mr. Fang hid and said, "I'll do it myself," and avoided him in a panic.

When Fang Lin saw this scene, he keenly realized that there was something wrong with Fang's father's attitude towards Liu'er, and frowned.

Because they had no concept of status, Fang Lin and Tian Xuan were not good at putting on airs. They looked kind and were very easy to serve. The maids had put their minds at ease these days.

"It's just that, in such an overly relaxed environment, some people seem to have some thoughts that they shouldn't have."

Fang Lin would not wrongly accuse someone without investigation, so he called the maid Caiyun to ask what happened. The other party followed Fang's father and mother, so if there was any situation, she would definitely know.

"Master,"

Caiyun knew something, but she didn't want to say it actively, so as not to leave the impression of gossiping. But now that Fang Lin asked, she naturally wouldn't hide it: "Liu'er seemed to be intentionally getting close to the master... The day before yesterday, she bumped into the master's arms... Yesterday, when she was pouring water, she accidentally spilled it on the master's clothes..."

"Are you trying to climb into Dad's bed?" Fang Lin's face turned cold.

In fact, this is normal. The masters are easy to talk to, and the maids feel at ease. But those who are ambitious, dissatisfied with the status quo, and want to pursue progress, don’t they want to take the initiative and achieve success overnight?

As for why not choose him?
First, Fang Lin was relatively cold and distant, and difficult to approach, while Fang's father gave people the impression of being honest and sincere, and seemed to be the kind of person who would take responsibility for what he did; second, these maids might think that Fang's father was Fang Lin's father after all, and being the concubine of the young master was not as good as being the concubine of the young master's father? Or maybe they also thought that if the mother became famous because of her son in the future, they could even fight for the family property by whispering in his ear?
——This is just like Fang Lin’s previous life, some women thought that marrying a rich second-generation man is worse than marrying his father directly.

"Send Liu'er away and sell her off!" Fang Lin said calmly.

"Yes." Caiyun, the head maid, agreed, her heart trembling slightly, knowing that Liu'er was finished.

Not to mention what a huge loss it would be to miss out on such a good owner like the Fang family. Just the fact that it would be sold by the owner would most likely be considered to have defects, reduce its value, and would almost certainly be doomed to a tragic fate in the future.

"Young Master, I know I was wrong! Master, help..." Then, there was a whimpering sound with his mouth blocked.

When Fang Lin heard this, his expression was cold and he did not show any fluctuation at all.

After arriving in the city, he took every step carefully and everything went smoothly. The anger in his heart also dissipated. Especially after having a daughter, he cultivated himself, restrained his edge, and became as gentle as jade. But this does not mean that he has no temper or edges.

You have to know: once on the way to the city, in a ruined temple on a rainy night, he was a man who could suddenly kill people. His family was his Achilles' heel, and because of this, he could ruthlessly eliminate any factors that were unfavorable to this family.

"As for you..." Fang Lin looked at the head maid Caiyun.

Caiyun fell to her knees with a thud, her face pale.

"You will be fined half a month's salary. If something like this happens next time, tell me immediately."

"This slave will remember it."

……

This was just a small episode. At this time, the news that Fang Lin’s factory was recruiting people spread back to Xiaohe Village.

……

Xiaohe Village.

The dim light of the setting sun shone on the mottled yellow mud wall. On the firewood pile in the corner, two big roosters flapped their wings. A little further away, large flocks of yellow dragonflies were flying over the straw stacks.

In the Qiao Family Courtyard, at this moment, Qiao Cun was reading Fang Lin's letter: "... Finally, Lord Fang said that his factory is recruiting people. As long as you are from our village and meet the age requirements, you will receive... these benefits..."

The villagers naturally went into an uproar upon hearing this earth-shattering news.

"Did I hear correctly? As long as the people in our village are of the right age, they can go to the capital city and work in Lord Fang's workshop? There are dormitories to live in? They don't even have to worry about finding a house..."

"This is great news. I didn't quite understand the 'skills training class'. It seems like a school. Can you become a manager after you graduate?"

"You have to learn well, right? Hey, regardless of that, Master Fang is from our village, he will definitely not cheat us, so we should just go for this great opportunity."

……

The villagers were talking in a noisy manner, discussing excitedly, but going to the provincial capital was not a trivial matter after all, and each family had to go back and discuss the details.

However, those who thought they had a good relationship with the Fang family had already made up their minds to go and were very happy.

——Although they all went to the capital city and entered Fang Lin’s workshop, there was still a degree of closeness, right? They had a better relationship with the Fang family, so the workshop they entered would be better.

When many people thought of this, they became more enthusiastic towards the Fang family, and the Fang family straightened their backs and felt proud of it.

……

Joe's house.

When the villagers' excitement died down, Qiao Cunzheng called his eldest son Qiao Sheng: "Shengzi, if you want to go to the city this time, just go! Our countryside is getting worse and worse..."

As a villager, he felt it deeply. After the tax reform, things only got better for a few years, but in recent years the tax rates have been increased year by year.

This is actually because the wealthy families created "fake fields" and concealed their land properties, but the total amount of taxes to be collected could not be reduced, so they had to transfer this part to ordinary people. Naturally, they felt that their lives were getting harder and harder.

In fact, Xiaohe Village was not so bad, as County Magistrate Hou was still doing something. But the situation in other counties was getting worse, especially after County Magistrate Pu was transferred and County Magistrate Yan came, many wealthy families became more and more rampant.

"Your brother went to the city earlier and became a small manager at the dock. He has found a way for you..."

"Dad, that's right. I also want to go to the provincial capital, but if I leave, what will happen to our land?" Qiao Sheng hesitated.

"Don't worry about it. There are so many people and so little land now. Are you worried that there will be no one to farm? If you bring some food, you can get help from other villages... You'll see, there are many people in our village who think the same way. I'm afraid most of them will go to the capital this time."

……

The old Fang family.

Grandpa Fang called the second and fourth wives to come over for dinner and asked, "Eldest, second, fourth, what do you think? Who will go home?"

"Both Chuanzong and Yuyu from my family are going." said the eldest lady Fang Liu.

Second wife Fang Wangshi immediately followed and said, "My daughters Cao'er and Xiaoxiao are going too. Didn't Linzi say there is a women's workshop? This is perfect."

"My child An An is small and can also attend the skills training class." said the young lady Fang Qin.

"It's good to go, it's good to go. It's getting worse and worse to dig for food in the fields." Grandpa Fang was also a wise man. He looked at the little ones and said, "When you go, listen to Linzi's words carefully."

Fang Chuanzong, Fang Yuyu and others all nodded, with burning anticipation in their hearts.

It can be said that since Fang Lin became successful, the old Fang family has truly united. All branches are smart people who know that Fang Lin does not owe them anything. Maybe after two or three generations, they will take it for granted, but at least not now. This stage is really suppressing all contradictions in development, making everyone of one mind and one rope, bursting out unprecedented cohesion.

……

(End of this chapter)