"Maid?"

Zhu Niang and Aunt Li felt very strange about Zhu Hao's proposal.

Zhu Hao nodded and said: "Yes, we don't need to sign any deed of sale, just find a girl from a small household outside the city to come back, the kind that needs to be diligent, give Yu Lu every month, and let her help the family move or something...... Mother, we should learn to lighten our burdens if we have silver, if we work too hard...... You and your aunt are exhausted, so how can our lives be better? ”

Zhu Niang was silent for a while.

In order to save money for her son to study, she had to deal with the exploitation of the Zhu family, even if she gritted her teeth no matter how hard and tired she was, she had to support this family, and every penny had to be used on the blade, and she did everything herself, and she never thought about hiring someone at all.

But now that she is mentioned by her son, even she thinks it makes sense.

At present, the family conditions are good, and the business is very busy, although the son is not at home a lot of the time, but always rely on two women to shoulder the business and housework, which is really embarrassing.

Aunt Li said: "Young Master Hao, you don't need to invite any maids, there is not much work at home, I can handle it, just let Mrs. take care of the business...... It's just that something has gone wrong these days. Besides, if you're really busy, can't you ask your neighbors to come over and help temporarily? ”

It seems that Aunt Li feels a little embarrassed, if it weren't for the cut on her hand, the family would not be embarrassed to the point of looking for a maid.

"Mother, only if the family is stable, I can rest assured when I study in the palace, not to mention that our life is better, and others are more willing to take care of our business." Zhu Hao smiled.

Zhu Niang was puzzled: "Why is this?" ”

Zhu Hao said with a smile: "It's easy to put the icing on the cake, it's difficult to send charcoal in the snow, we invited a maid, which will make people feel that we have a good life and do business more sincerely, so there are more guests who come to patronize...... Besides, my mother and aunt only care about business, what should Xiaoting do? She needs someone to take care of her too. ”

"No...... No need to ......"

Zhu Ting said timidly.

Zhu Niang didn't make up her mind, but seeing that Zhu Ting was young, she was usually helping adults do things, and she had to take on some housework at a young age.

If the conditions at home were still as difficult as before, there would be no way, but now that the living situation has improved significantly, it would be too stingy to be so mean to the child.

"Okay, just listen to Xiao Hao, go out of the city tomorrow and invite a maid back......"

Zhu Niang made a decision.

Zhu Hao said with a smile: "Mother, I'll go with you too, it's best to invite two of you at a time, one is responsible for cleaning the yard and laundry, and the other is responsible for helping with the fire and cooking, and my mother and aunt can concentrate on taking care of the business." ”

……

……

The family is happy.

But early the next morning, the old lady Zhu Jiashi entered the city when the city gate was opened, went straight to the small courtyard, and called Zhu Hao over for questioning.

This time, Zhu Hao didn't find out more news, and Zhu Jiashi was a little dissatisfied after hearing it, but he was helpless, and it didn't take long for him to leave with a black face.

"What did your grandmother say?"

Zhu Niang was not allowed to enter just now, and she was afraid that her son would be bullied by her mother-in-law.

Zhu Hao said: "It's just to ask me about my experience in the palace...... I didn't encounter anything special when I went back this time, and the palace was still very wary of me, so I told the truth, and then my grandmother left. ”

Zhu Niang nodded suspiciously.

She has always been apprehensive about her son entering the palace as a companion.

On the morning of the same day, Yu San drove a carriage to the rice shop to pick up Zhu Niang's mother and son, and went out of the city to recruit maids.

Yu San was notified last night that he sent someone to the village early this morning to inform him, and at this moment there were already several old women waiting under the big tree at the entrance of the village.

Zhu Niang asked her son to stay in the carriage, and followed a few mothers-in-law into the village to talk to the village elders.

Introduce the girls in the village to the rich people in the city to be maids, there have always been people in the village to do it, but they are all directly signed and sold deeds, but now they hire one to go back to do long-term work, unless they are not married, they can only find widows, so it is the safest choice to find the village elder.

"Brother Hao, the business of the bookstore has been too good in the past two days, but troubles have also followed, some people have come to our stall to collect taxes, and there are also soap subordinates over there in the yamen who have come to collect protection fees, and I am very annoying......

There was a lot of helplessness between the three looks.

With his network, he can prevent ruffians and hooligans from running to make trouble, but when he encounters a local security officer with an official background or even a person from the yamen, he can't do anything.

When others see that you make money, they will definitely find a way to rip a layer out of you.

Zhu Hao said: "Even if we set up a shop and open a bookstore, the result will not be much better, we should still blackmail, we can only give money according to the rules...... I'll figure it out later! ”

Although Zhu Hao is the son of the late Jinyi Wei Baihu, and the family also has a grandfather who was Jinyi Wei Qianhu, others don't know that he is the behind-the-scenes boss of the bookstore, and even if they do, they know very well that his mother and son have a bad relationship with the family, and it is difficult to take advantage of the situation.

Zhu Hao originally wanted to pull Lu Song into the gang and suppress the place with the prestige of Xingwangfu, but unfortunately Lu Song refused, and now it seems that he must find a way to support the façade of this bookstore.

"By the way, there are other storytellers who come to our bookstore to listen to the story, take a pen and paper to record it and prepare to go back to tell, if I find it during the patrol, I will immediately drive people away, but some people have very good brains, and they will be familiar with it after listening to it a few more times, and they can't prevent it......"

Business is good, and people are worried everywhere.

Some people come to the door to pay exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and some people want to steal business.

Zhu Hao thought for a while and said: "In this way, you build a few more sheds next to the bookstore, and then visit the storytellers in the city, invite them to our bookstore to tell books, I will give them different storytellers, and tell stories in different sheds every day."

"With the quality and update speed of our book, I think it will attract a lot of people, and I believe that it won't be long before we are the only one in the Anlu world...... In the future, people in the city can only come to our bookstore on West Street if they want to listen to books, so as to avoid vicious competition! ”

Zhu Hao could only come up with a temporary solution.

Yu San looks clever, but after all, he has no experience in business, so he will be at a loss when he encounters trouble. Now that Zhu Hao has come up with an idea, Yu San only needs to be responsible for the specific implementation, and his face is sad.

As for the effect, we can only know it after practice.

At this moment, Zhu Niang came out.

"Mother, why didn't you let me follow you into the village just now?" Zhu Hao didn't continue to talk to Yu San, and when he came to Zhu Niang, "Did you find the maid?" ”

Zhu Niang said: "There are many big girls and little daughters-in-law in the village, you are a boy after all, it is inconvenient...... Let's go back to the city, and later the village will send the girl to the city......"

Zhu Hao looked surprised: "Didn't it finalize it on the spot?" ”

Yu San reminded: "The girls in the village, but those who are not married, most of them are helping the family to do farm work, now is the autumn harvest season, although the grain has been harvested, but still busy drying, turning the ground and planting vegetables, there is too much work at home, I am afraid that people will have to wait until the farm work at hand is done before people go to the city to choose." ”

Zhu Hao looked at him: "Little third brother, how do you know everything?" ”

"I grew up in this village, so I don't need to ask about these things."

Yu San touched the back of his head and said embarrassedly.

While Zhu Niang went to talk to a few mothers-in-law who were sending off guests, Zhu Hao asked in a low voice: "Little third brother, is there a good friend of you in this village?" ”

Yu San was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Brother Hao, don't make fun of me, how dare you talk nonsense about this kind of thing...... If the word gets out, I'll have to break my leg by the village elders! ”

"Huh."

Zhu Hao smiled and said no more.

Then Zhu Niang came back, and the party went to the vicinity to check the salt pans built in the secret place of the mountain col, and then entered the city.

……

……

Before sunset in the afternoon, sure enough, a maid who should be chosen came to the shop, and a familiar mother-in-law led the way, and the coachman stayed in place to guard the ox cart.

A total of four people entered the house, and the mother-in-law took three thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls who were not married, standing in front of Zhu Niang and Aunt Li, waiting to be selected.

"That's the case, I heard Mrs. Zhu say that you don't sign the deed of sale, everyone is very excited, there are many girls who want to run for the election, and there are also in the next village, after the old woman discussed with the village elder, she chose the legs and feet that can find life in her eyes, and the people are also beautiful and send it to you, you see which ...... to choose."

Zhu Niang said: "It's hard work. ”

Then beckoned Aunt Li to give the mother-in-law a reward.

This kind of thing is equivalent to Yazi helping to introduce the servant, but this time the situation is a little special, and the reward must be indispensable.

Women in an agricultural society are weak, it is difficult to gain a foothold in the society alone, Zhu Niang invited a maid this time, and the salary given is equivalent to working in the city, and the three dollars of silver per month are also in charge of food and housing.

"Mother, can I choose it? I think pull over this ...... It's beautiful. ”

Zhu Hao is like choosing an oiran in a kiln, only focusing on appearance.

There's no way, ask a maid to come back, if it's not good-looking, how can you save face when you take it out? How can I be a leisurely and leisurely prodigal young master?

"Nonsense, stand next to it!"

Zhu Niang looked over and found that the girl on the edge was already blushing, which made her even more delicate.

Zhu Niang called her mother-in-law to her side, asked the girl's family background in detail, and reprimanded her son, but she still tended to listen to her son's opinion on this kind of thing.

"Her surname is Bai, her father is not from Honzhuang, more than 20 years ago, the Bai family fled from the south of the river, and gave birth to several of them one after another, she has a sister above, who is a maid in a large family, and has a body deed estimated to be twenty before it can be released...... There are two younger brothers and two younger sisters...... Her father is not in good health......"

Four daughters and two sons.

It's not easy to be able to support them all, my father is not in good health, and my sister was sold to a big family as a maid early, and even she has to come out to work.

Zhu Niang nodded: "That's her, there are difficulties at home, you know how to do it, and you can work quickly and diligently." ”

Then Zhu Niang and her mother-in-law discussed specific matters.

The remaining two girls who were not selected went out to the carriage to wait for the mother-in-law to go out of the city together, of course, even if they were not selected, they would give the full carriage and horse fees and tea money, but in the end, it is difficult to say whether the mother-in-law will be greedy for ink, even if she is chosen, it is estimated that she will give her a lot of benefits.

"Your surname is Bai? What is your name? ”

Zhu Hao squeezed out a harmless smile on his face.

To say that this girl is six or seven years older than Zhu Hao, she is already a big girl in this era, but in the face of Zhu Hao, a little child, her pretty face is dyed red.

Or maybe her sister will instill some ideas in her when she comes home occasionally, and the young masters of big families don't have any good things, they are all colored embryos and the like......

"I ...... My name is Erdan......"

This name, no matter how it sounds, it sounds like it was given casually, Zhu Hao flattened his mouth, and the Bai family doesn't take their daughter seriously.

"Two eggs? It's not a good name...... My name is Zhu Hao, usually I am not at home, I study in the palace, and I only come back every Friday or during the holidays, my mother and aunt are very busy at home, and it is all up to you to help take care of them! ”

Zhu Hao spoke very politely, and he didn't take the master's shelf at all.

After saying this, the little girl's face was immediately less nervous than before, and she looked at Zhu Hao carefully, as if she wanted to remember this face.