Chapter 736 - 738: Assignment
Chapter 736: Chapter 738: Assignment
The recent activities of Jin Qianqian and her team couldn’t be kept under wraps. Not only did various households send people out every day to inquire, but the commoners of Yongchang County were also highly curious. Some even formed groups to stroll around the area and take a look.
Looking at the novel, exquisite buildings, everyone grew even more curious about what the scene would be like once they officially opened.
Watching different people bustling in and out of these shops every day without being able to glean a single piece of information pushed their curiosity to its absolute peak. In particular, the name of each shop was tightly concealed behind a piece of red cloth, generating endless topics of conversation for the entire East City.
Citing her busy schedule, Jin Qianqian refused all visitors. Even Mrs. Wu, who had some distant ties to the Gu family, was turned away at the door. Seeing this, the others finally gave up on trying to pry.
Another escort team arrived in Yongchang County. After asking the guards at the city gates for directions, six of their carriages headed directly for the Gu Mansion.
In the main hall of the Gu Mansion, Jin Qianqian received four exhausted-looking nannies and hurriedly ordered the servants to offer them seats and serve tea.
"Thank you for your consideration, Madam," the leading nanny said, standing back up to express her gratitude. "I am Wei Jinhua."
The three beside her stood up simultaneously.
"I am Yuan Yuzhuo."
"I am Ning Qingchu."
"I am Zuo Wan."
"Greetings, Madam!" they chimed together.
"It must have been a grueling journey for you all," Jin Qianqian said kindly. "Please sit down and rest first. We have plenty of days ahead of us."
These nannies had been found for them by Zhou Shixiong; all of them were veterans from the palace.
"This gift list was prepared by Mr. Zhou, and I am now passing it on to you," Wei Jinhua said. She was clearly the leader of the four, and they all deferred to her today.
Pressed beneath the gift list were two letters.
Ming He walked over and accepted the items with both hands. Jin Qianqian was in no rush to read them. "You have all worked hard on this journey. I have already had rooms prepared for you. Go and take a look. If anything is unsuitable, just mention it to the servants. Once you are well-rested, we can take our time and chat."
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam!"
Jin Qianqian waited until they had all left before taking the gift list and letters from Ming He. One of the letters was addressed specifically to Gu Wenheng, while the other was for her two boys.
She set the letters aside, opened the gift list, and glanced over it. Aside from the items prepared for the mansion, the vast majority of the gifts were for the two children.
She smiled and shook her head. Zhou Shixiong certainly cared deeply for the two kids. His newlywed wife would likely have good news soon as well; when the time came, the congratulatory gifts she sent in return would have to be considerably generous.
"Madam, those nannies have been settled in," Lichun came over and reported.
"Assign a few young maids to attend to them," Jin Qianqian instructed. "When you have free time, go over and chat with them to find out what their exact strengths are."
Jin Qianqian knew they must have notable strengths, or else Zhou Shixiong wouldn’t have sent them over. However, she would have to rely on herself to discover what those were.
When Lichun went to gather information, Wei Jinhua and the others knew exactly what she was doing. During their casual chats, they laid their cards on the table and revealed their backgrounds.
Wei Jinhua had the most impressive history among them. She was formerly the tea-serving Chief Maid in the late emperor’s Upper Study Room. When the new emperor ascended the throne, she was transferred to the harem to manage unoccupied palaces. Upon reaching the appropriate age, she beseeched the Empress for permission to leave the palace and retire.
Yuan Yuzhuo was a Chief Maid from the Imperial Kitchen, specializing in medicinal cuisine. Ordinarily, someone like her would not be allowed to leave the palace. However, a few days ago, she had helped the Eldest Prince deflect a disaster, invisibly getting in the way of certain people. The Empress felt sympathetic that she had drawn unprovoked trouble upon herself. Right when Zhou Shixiong entered the palace to ask for personnel, the Empress included her on the list.
Compared to those two, Ning Qingchu and Zuo Wan were not as conspicuous, but they were still veterans who had served in the palace for many years. Ordinary families couldn’t hire them even if they begged.
After hearing these introductions, Jin Qianqian felt even more satisfied. She immediately arranged for Ning Qingchu and Zuo Wan to serve in the two boys’ courtyards. She assigned Yuan Yuzhuo to manage the main kitchen for now, planning to bring her along when attending banquets in the future.
That left Wei Jinhua, which gave Jin Qianqian a bit of a headache. She called for Lichun. "Mrs. Wei has so many skills that it would truly be a waste to bury them. I originally intended for her to manage the backyard and have you go over to the East City to handle the business. What do you think?"
"Madam, why don’t we let Mrs. Wei choose?" Lichun replied. She knew the Madam was still biased toward her, otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked this question. "It is all the same to me wherever I work. As long as I am by your side, Madam, there is no difference."
"I just wanted you to make a decision first," Jin Qianqian said. "If you want to continue being the inner steward, then I will put Mrs. Wei in charge of the East City. However, I am more inclined to send you over."
There was only so much to do in the inner courtyard, but the East City was completely different. Jin Qianqian still wanted her own capable right-hand woman holding down the fort there.
"Then I will go to the East City," Lichun said. "I am just afraid that my lowly status and lack of influence might make it hard to convince the others."
"Everything has to start somewhere," Jin Qianqian smiled, seeing that Lichun understood her intentions. "When you get there, take charge of their account books. You can leave all the other external matters to Minghai.
"I believe that after following me for so many years, these trivial matters won’t stump you."
Over the years, the major maids had always helped verify the account ledgers. Let alone a small set of account books, Lichun would definitely be able to handle it with ease.
"Then I will hand over everything to Mrs. Wei over the next few days," Lichun said, knowing that the East City business was about to open and it was best to finish the handover as soon as possible.
"First, take her around the courtyard to familiarize herself for a few days," Jin Qianqian instructed. "And remember to explain the situations of the various households to her."
If the inner courtyard steward did a good job, Jin Qianqian, as the primary Madam, could also relax a lot more.
While Gu Wenheng was reading his letter from home, Gu Benluo’s little head peeked in from outside the door. Seeing that Gu Wenheng only glanced up at him once, the boy quietly stepped inside and shuffled with small, quick steps until he was right behind his father.
"Dad, is it a letter from my mother?" He stood on his tiptoes, trying to sneak a peek, but Gu Wenheng moved the letter out of his line of sight.
The letter contained intimate words from his wife. What business did this brat have looking at it?
"Dad, you have to tell me what my mother said. It’s not a letter meant just for you. She definitely asked about me," Gu Benluo pressed, stretching his neck even further as he recognized his mother’s handwriting.
"Your mother has nothing to say to you. This is written for me." Gu Wenheng simply folded the letter, tucked it into his chest pocket, and gave it a firm pat.
"How is that possible? I’m my mother’s precious son! I’ve been away for so long, she must be worried sick about me.
"Dad, I miss my mother. Hurry up and give me the letter she wrote for me."
Gu Wenheng grabbed him by the collar and pulled him around to stand in front of him. "You have the nerve to say that?
"A few days ago, when I was writing to your mother, I told you to write a letter back. What did you say then? Do you need your father to help jog your memory?"
Gu Benluo’s eyes darted away evasively. What did he say back then?
At the time, he seemed to have been preparing to go out for a stroll with his brothers. In order not to be left behind by them, he had simply tossed out a remark that he would write it later.
Later on, he completely forgot about the matter. Thinking back on it now made him feel quite guilty.