The maid's road to success

Everyone in the two courtyards on the left and right had left. Thanks to them, the leaky house had been repaired, making it just the right size for Julien and his children to move in.

"Brother Julien, I'm here to help you."

Wushan was holding a tarpaulin and a cart, pushing the luggage of Julien and the other children.

Most of them were bedding and clothes purchased by Wen Niang and her friends.

There were also a few children who went to the mountains to pick up dry firewood.

Julien was brave enough to take the children to a cave on the hillside. There were a lot of firewood in the cave that had been chopped and stored by hunters. It was a bargain for them, so they wrapped the firewood in oilcloth and brought it back.

"Thank you."

The room was warmer than the bamboo shed. Several children came to the room in the left yard first. Wen Niang felt a little distressed when she saw the children standing there stiffly.

She and Bihe were bought into the mansion almost at the same time, and were assigned to Fushou Hall to serve the ancestors almost at the same time.

They were all daughters who were not valued by their families. When they arrived in a place full of strangers, they were worried and scared.

They are afraid that if they don’t do well, they will be kicked out and there will never be such a good place to take them in again.

Just like these kids are now.

Bihe also noticed the worries of these children, and also recalled what she and Wen Niang were like when they were children.

Almost all the people in the mansion were born in the family. Even if they were not, they were bought into the mansion at a very young age like them. They were raised by the maids for a few years and learned the rules before they could serve the master.

Everyone else's parents worked in the mansion and knew each other. Only Wen Niang and I were the only two who were bought from outside and given a share of Fu Shou Tang.

From then on, the two of them kept each other together and helped each other gain a foothold in Fu Shou Tang.

Bihe was smart and good at speaking, so she caught the old ancestor's eye first. She kept mentioning Wen Niang's name in front of Yumei and Yulan, and as a result, Wen Niang became a popular second-class maid.

Having come this far, we are like biological sisters even though we are not.

Just like these children now, no matter how scared or worried they are, they still hold each other's hands tightly and protect each other firmly.

"You are still young and growing up, so let the older ones take care of the tidying up, and you can sit on the kang and eat the cakes we made."

The children looked at each other, thanked Bihe, and sat on the kang, waiting obediently for Bihe to distribute the sugar cakes to them.

They held it in their hands and looked at a baby of about eight years old inside. Only when they saw him nod did they hold it and eat it.

Some people's eyes turned red while eating.

"It's the first time I've eaten such delicious and sweet pastries."

Some of the children here were abandoned in charity homes since birth.

If there was a baby in the charity hall, the managers would almost always give the baby rice porridge to older children and feed him. He would not normally get to eat cakes. Sometimes, if he behaved well, he would get some leftover food from the manager, which was already a very good meal.

"Thank you, my lady. This is the best food we have ever eaten."

Julien is not here, and the oldest person here is the eight-year-old child.

At the age of eight, he can already take care of a group of children.

"Stay here with peace of mind. No one will chase you away. This will be your home from now on."

The children nodded excitedly. Although some of them didn’t know what it meant for them to stay here, they were happy too when they saw their older brothers and sisters happy.

In the charity, they were looked down upon because they were too young to do much work. Occasionally, if someone wanted to adopt a child, the managers would give them some delicious food and nice clothes in exchange for the gifts they sent.

But most of the time, no one is willing to adopt a child from a charity, even if they don't have any children or can't give birth. They would rather adopt one from their clan relatives, because at least there is a blood relationship.

Therefore, most of these children were beaten and scolded. During heavy rains, the water in the charity hall reached their knees, so they had to leave.

The managers themselves thought they were too young and didn't want to take them with them, as this would slow down their progress.

Julien's brothers and the older children did not give up. They took care of them and tried their best to take them on the journey.

But even so, they still fell behind. Several carriages and horses were stuck in the mud. The crowd was in chaos and disrupted the charity's team. They were squeezed to the back, and when they caught up, the people from the charity had long disappeared.

It was brother Julien who insisted on coming up to see if we could get a place to stay, so we were fortunate enough to be allowed to stay here.

They walked for a whole day without a place to shelter from the rain. Their clothes were soaked by the rain and they were so cold that they could not react.

When they got here, they found their clothes to change into and also found a way to build a bamboo shed so that they could finally avoid getting wet in the rain.

They no longer liked rain in their lives, and that night they slept soundly in the bamboo shed, covered with thatch.

There is also white rice and greasy stewed meat to eat, it's like the Chinese New Year.

Later I got a quilt, which made me so happy.

Now that the nobles who came before have moved away, they now have their own rooms. Isn’t this a home?

"You guys rest here, we'll go see if there's anything you need."

Bihe, An Ning and others went out to see if there was anything they needed to buy. When the children came here, they brought almost nothing with them, so they couldn't buy anything now, but they could share a lot over there.

Julien was very capable. Not long after moving in, he had already built a simple stove using a mixture of thatch, stones and yellow mud.

The room here is an empty hall in the middle, with small side chambers on the left and right. It is obvious that it was once inhabited by a large family with a large population.

Julien's stove was just inside the hall.

"I'm worried that the children will be too cold at night, so I put a stove here and boil some hot water for convenience."

Wen Niang thought it was very good. If the stove was durable, they could actually build a few.

"Very good. You are smart, willing to use your brain, and hardworking. You will definitely live a good life in the future."

Julien scratched his head shyly. In fact, he knew a lot, but no one had ever praised him.

This is the first time that someone in my family has been praised for being smart and hardworking.

"Wushan, what's missing here?"

Wushan raised his finger.

"We have firewood, bamboo mats and quilts. I just sent over some food and condiments for the kitchen, as well as some pots, pans, and bowls. The children don't have shoes or socks. Their shoes are rotten and have been soaked in mud for so long that they can no longer be worn. As for the other furniture, Brother Julien can make some, and we can help make a pair of shoes later."

Bihe nodded. They usually taught several girls needlework. Wulan and Anya could already make shoes. Although they didn't look good, it was nice to have something to wear at this time.

"We have some smoked chicken and lard. Send some over. The children need to be well-nourished. They are so skinny. Julien, don't feel bad for them. Take them with you to do handicrafts. They can learn some skills in the future."

Julien nodded, and Bihe, Wen Niang and the other two walked to Chunyuan. Wushan patted Julien on the shoulder and said.

"I asked you to work with the children, not like the charity hall. I usually try to bring my brothers and sisters with me. My sisters said that we can't stay here forever. Before we leave, everyone must have a skill and be able to support themselves. I keep the money from the mats I made. Now I have saved nearly 200 coins. My sisters said that I made these with the children, so I can keep them myself."

Julien looked at Wushan in surprise. Someone had reported before that Wushan had left the charity with several disabled children and went to an even more dilapidated charity.

Later, it was said that Wushan had a sharp eye and was good at judging people, so the people in the charity allowed Wushan to keep the money he earned for himself, and no one forced them to work.

Julien still didn't believe it. How could a charity support a group of children for free without forcing them to work? Who had so much money to support them?

Now it seems to be true.

And they are very fortunate to live such a life in the future.

In fact, he and Wushan are both strong and able to work, but they both stay in the charity because they have younger siblings who need someone to take care of them.

Because they can barely survive by themselves, but what about housing and clothes? These are all things to consider.

But if they had a shelter from the wind and rain and warm clothes, they would not have to worry about not earning money to buy food.

"Brother Julien, you know more than me, and you will definitely live a good life in the future. Let's work together to maintain Chunyuan so that the children here can live normal lives."

Julien nodded firmly.

He has been in the charity for several years and has seen people who have to leave the charity to make a living on their own when they get older. They have no one to rely on and can only work hard.

Even so, they can only maintain their own lives. Without family care and money, no one will marry these children who leave the charity.

After going out, many people try to do odd jobs and hard labor, and are willing to do all the dirty and tiring work, but they still cannot buy an acre of land or a house.

Many people were forced to sell themselves and become servants in rich families, becoming slaves for the rest of their lives. Even their children became slaves as well, with no way out.

Some people refuse to accept their fate and are determined to make a name for themselves through their own efforts. Only a few of them may be able to build a family business, but most of them have to accept their fate and live a lonely life.

But here, they can earn money with their own hands. Before they leave here, they have a skill to survive and some money to settle down. That's all different.

They can buy some land, build two thatched houses, save money for a few years, get married and have children, and they can live like ordinary people.

"Wushan, you can really make the things and buy them yourself, and keep the money yourself, and they won't punish you?"

Wu Shan nodded heavily and took out a purse from his arms.

"I could have sold more from what I saved, but it kept raining, so I couldn't sell it. I can make mats, and you can make bamboo chairs, bamboo stools, and bamboo baskets, so you can definitely save more than I can. Let's go back and buy a few acres of land, and you and your brothers and sisters will have a family and property."

As Julien listened to Wushan's words, he couldn't help but think of the scenes he described. He thought it was really possible for him to save up enough wealth when he left and live a good life with his brothers and sisters.

"In fact, those who belong to Daniu have the best fortunes. They live with their sisters and brothers, have new names, can go to school, learn to make snacks, and work as maids."

Julien looked at the big guy in surprise. He had also seen him before. He was a friend of Wushan. Now he looked very different. He looked very energetic and calm.

Not at all as sad and tired as before.

"In fact, the sisters said that if there are any of you who are capable and want to learn a craft, they will pay the apprenticeship gift and send you to be apprentices, as long as you can endure the hardship."

Wu Shan was not surprised, he had also heard about it from his sisters, but he was a stupid person with only a lot of strength, so he didn't want to waste the gift of becoming a disciple.

"Brother Julien, I see that you have a talent for making these things used at home. Why don't you find a carpenter to be your master?"

Julien had only learned a little skill from his grandfather before, and he was not confident in himself. He was very lucky to come here with so many children, so he did not dare to expect to find a master.

In this world, if you have a skill you will never starve, and many people are vying to learn it. The gift of becoming a disciple is very heavy, and there are also gifts for the New Year holidays.

If you are accepted as an apprentice, you will not be taught anything for the first three years. You will serve the master for three years to temper your temper before he will formally teach you the craft. He is already twelve or thirteen years old, and according to the rules of the charity hall, he can't stay for long.

"Let's talk about it later."

Wu Shan could naturally guess what he was thinking, but he was just afraid of troubling his brothers and sisters and wasting money.

Besides, his younger brothers and sisters are still here, so he can't just stay in his master's house and serve him with peace of mind.

They didn't force it. After all, if it wasn't voluntary, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

The flood still came, submerging several villages. The soil on the mountain collapsed, and many houses leaning against the mountain were almost unrecognizable from their original appearance.

The dilapidated kiln not far away also collapsed.

Wushan observed the situation nearby every day and found a monk who had built a simple shed with wood in the wilderness. He came back and told Wenniang.

After discussion, Wen Niang asked Wushan to invite those monks to live here.

Julien and his children lived in the yard on the left, and the one on the right was still empty.

The monks are all ordained people, and the women pray for blessings, and no one will gossip about them living in the temple, not to mention that Wen Niang and Bi He are now dressed as women.

It was almost dark when the monks arrived at Spring Garden.

"Thank you for taking me in. Your kindness will bring you good fortune in the future."

Wen Niang simply responded with two sentences and told them to go and rest quickly.

These monks were simple and frugal and refused to accept the firewood they sent over.

"Monks do not value external enjoyment. The food donated by donors has saved our lives, so we cannot be greedy. Now that we have a shelter from the wind and rain, we cannot ask for too much. We will go to the nearby area to collect firewood tomorrow."

Wen Niang did not force it. Monks have their own rules and it is not convenient for them to interfere too much.

I’m just worried about where to find the wood that can be used as firewood now?

The disaster became more and more serious, and many people went to the shelters established by the government under the guidance of the government.

Tents and sheds made of oil paper and wood.

There were quite a lot of people crowded there.

"Anya, use this wood to boil water for everyone to drink every day."

Bihe looked at Wen Niang's worried expression and became a little nervous.

"Mrs. Wen, what's wrong?"

Wen Niang took Bihe's hand and walked into the room before speaking.

"That's the detoxifying stuff that An Yun and his team made before. It can detoxify all kinds of poisons, and mosquitoes will also avoid it. This wood has been soaked in the potion for many days, and the medicinal effect is very good. I'm worried that there will be plague after the flood."

Bihe looked unhappy. She had heard of the plague and that if one got it, they would die.

"If the plague comes, won't Yuzhou be in danger?"

Wen Niang comforted her and told her not to worry.

"There are many Yuzhou doctors in the prefecture, and Kyoto will not leave it alone. Someone will definitely develop a prescription to control the epidemic, but we must protect ourselves."

Bihe nodded. None of them had ever thought that a prescription for curing the plague in the future would be developed by "Wen Niang".