Chapter 434: Utilization
Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Utilization
The next day, Gu Kaiyuan left with Chen Qingmu and the other three. Knowing that they were being taken to see the estates and taught how to manage them, the four members of the Chen Family felt a bit relieved. At least Gu Kaiyuan wasn’t treating them as mere manual laborers.
However, they rejoiced too soon. As soon as they arrived at the estate, Gu Kaiyuan simply washed his hands of the matter and led his attendants into the mountains. He left the four of them behind to familiarize themselves with everything about the estate and handed over some ledgers for them to manage.
As descendants of the Chen Family, they were naturally well-educated. Handling a few ledgers was, of course, a piece of cake for them.
Once they started, they couldn’t stop. Back in the Chen Family, they had never been given such an opportunity to show what they were made of.
Gu Kaiyuan had even instructed them to treat these properties as their own, offering them a chance to practice. Otherwise, if Mr. Chen were to divide the family assets in the future, they couldn’t possibly remain entirely clueless about their own properties.
This painted such a rosy picture that the four men of the Chen Family felt a surge of gratitude toward Gu Kaiyuan. It seemed he truly intended to teach them something.
They knew their own family’s situation well. Although Chen Dafu currently enjoyed a prosperous political career, the entire household was solely supported by him. Even so, Chen Dafu was getting older and wouldn’t be able to shelter them for much longer. That must have been why he wanted them to learn some real skills.
They wondered if their father or grandfather had said something to Gu Kaiyuan to make him train them in this direction. If they each owned an estate in the future, they would all be minor landlords, and their lives surely wouldn’t be too bad.
Having figured this out, the group became even more dedicated. They treated the tasks assigned by Gu Kaiyuan as their own business and acted much more respectfully toward him.
The managers and tenant farmers who initially looked down on the Chen Family uncle and nephews were completely brought to heel in just a few short days. For common folk like them, government officials were the most terrifying entities. Even the county magistrate was someone way beyond their reach, let alone the family members of an Imperial Envoy. They simply couldn’t afford to offend them.
Gu Kaiyuan’s trick of borrowing their prestige was indeed a brilliant move.
After suppressing any rebellious thoughts among the staff, they audited the accounts with lightning speed. Those who were useful were kept, while those who weren’t were dismissed with a plausible excuse and replaced by servants they had bought themselves.
Gu Kaiyuan couldn’t quite understand what those wealthy old landlords had been thinking in the past. Did they actually trust these people? Or did they believe they could control them by merely hiring them instead of buying their indentured contracts outright? However, for those who were exceptionally capable, Gu Kaiyuan wasn’t opposed to making an exception. But naturally, the level of trust he placed in them could never match those whose servitude contracts he held in his own hands.
This busy period lasted for several months. During this time, they occasionally ran into Chen Dafu. Seeing the rapid growth of the younger generation, Chen Dafu sometimes doubted himself. He wondered if he truly didn’t know how to raise children. They had only followed Gu Kaiyuan for a few months, yet their entire mental outlook had completely transformed.
Gu Kaiyuan was speechless. Well, of course. When they were constantly controlled and suppressed by you every day, and where doing more meant making more mistakes, who would want to show off in front of you?
He had given them such a grand stage to perform on, and it truly turned out to be a win-win situation. Now, everyone in Lingnan knew that Chen Daqin was in charge of this region. His reputation had long since spread far and wide. As his sons and grandsons, how could they possibly fail to keep these commoners in line?
Once a person tasted the sweetness of power, things would spiral out of control.
After these past few months, Chen Qingmu and the others could now hold their own and take charge independently. Gu Kaiyuan had given them immense authority and ample freedom, allowing them to fully unleash their potential. Starting from the very first estate, they had actually regained some of their self-confidence. They realized that issues could be handled in this manner and that they weren’t completely useless after all.
As they continued to manage the subsequent estates in a similar fashion, their confidence soared significantly. They realized their previous mindset had been entirely wrong. Hiding in the backyard of the Chen Family, waiting for Chen Dafu to provide them with a bite to eat—whoever wanted to live that kind of life could go right ahead. They certainly didn’t!
Now, working as managers under Gu Kaiyuan, they commanded respect all day long and were flattered by their subordinates. When they did a good job, they even received rewards of gold and Silver from Gu Kaiyuan. After just a few months, their coin purses were already bulging. They had never been this wealthy before. If they were asked to return to the capital and resume that pig-like, idle life trapped in the backyard, they would vehemently refuse.
Life here was so liberating. They could build their own careers and earn their own Silver. They were incredibly proactive in their work now, wishing Gu Kaiyuan had an endless stream of tasks for them every day.
Sometimes, watching them work so hard made Gu Kaiyuan feel a twinge of guilt. He even approached them to offer some comforting advice. "We have plenty of time now. You don’t need to rush so much. Take things one step at a time..."
Chen Dafu’s second grandson, Chen Zile, immediately looked at Gu Kaiyuan with disapproval. "Sir, what are you saying?
"If we discover these parasitical subordinates even a day late, who knows how much they would have embezzled.
"Don’t worry, we are all very experienced now. As long as we flip through the ledgers, we immediately know where the problems lie.
"If they try to deceive us with lies, we can instantly catch them by tracing the subtle clues."
After being lectured in return, Gu Kaiyuan could only drop the subject. However, he genuinely missed his wife and daughter. Thus, he simply assigned Lin Hua and Lin Wei to assist them, provided a detailed list of the newly purchased estates and shops, and left the group to run wild with their management.
The men of the Chen Family patted their chests confidently. "Rest assured, we will definitely handle these matters perfectly."
Gu Kaiyuan said, "As long as you work hard and learn as much as you can, rest assured, I won’t mistreat you."
They naturally believed what Gu Kaiyuan said. They were also currently working hard to save up their Silver. Perhaps in a few days, they would each be able to buy a small estate of their own and have their own properties. Just thinking about it was beautiful.
On the other side, Bai Suihe was also very busy. Every day, she accompanied Nanny Pang to the newly opened herbal medicine shop to provide free medical consultations for the locals.
At first, no one believed in them. What could a young lady possibly accomplish?
Eventually, a few ladies from the county town who were on good terms with Bai Suihe brought their maids and older female servants over for a pulse diagnosis. Although Bai Suihe couldn’t accurately diagnose the illness every single time, she had Nanny Pang standing behind her. Once Nanny Pang stepped in to check the pulse, her skills proved even more miraculous than those of the doctors from the other medicine shops.
The symptoms she described matched perfectly, and the prescriptions she provided brought about a swift recovery. Gradually, their reputation spread, and more and more people came in for consultations every day.
For this, Bai Suihe specially hosted a banquet to thank the ladies. She also gifted each of them a shop design blueprint, which finally paid off a portion of the favor she owed them.
Bai Suihe transitioned from making frequent mistakes in the beginning to slowly reducing her errors. Her daily progress made even Nanny Pang a bit envious. If she had possessed such talent back in the day, she wouldn’t have failed to fully master everything her master had taught her.
"The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner." As the temperature rose, Bai Suihe began to understand why this place was so unpopular and why it required exiling people just to increase the population.