Crossing the famine, I am a poor fish, and my descendants have to work hard

Zhao Yuanzhen has been planning to write and paint for a long time.

I just had a rough plan in my mind, but now it is already December, and it is too cold to build a house.

But it is still possible to demolish the houses. I will recruit workers tomorrow and demolish all the houses in the area I bought. There are only ruins and basically no one can live in them.

All the wood, bricks, tiles, etc. that were removed from the demolished houses were placed aside and could be used for construction next year.

Not knowing whether the number of people to recruit was too many or too few, and fearing that he would be too busy, Zhao Yuanzhen decided to go to the provincial capital tomorrow to buy a few people.

The county town is really depressed now, the dental business is not good, there are not many people buying and selling, so I have to go to the provincial capital.

It takes almost two days to get to Yanshan Prefecture City, it’s really far away.

Zhao Yuanzhen went there on horseback because it would be faster.

After rushing all the way, they arrived at the capital of Yanshan Prefecture in the afternoon of the next day.

The last time he came to Yanshan Prefecture was when he passed by while fleeing. At that time, Zhao Yuanzhen came here with the villagers to buy things. He only knew a grain shop, a herbal medicine shop, and a grocery store, but he was not familiar with the others.

But she had a map, so she checked the locations of the dental clinics and found the largest one.

"Oh, madam, what do you need?"

Zhao Yuanzhen was wearing a black cloak. She looked healthy and energetic, like a well-maintained lady.

"Is there any boy who can read? A butler or an accountant?"

"Alas, Madam, your requirements are too high. We do have two literate servants, but we don't have a housekeeper or an accountant. Since our Yanshan Mansion has been in trouble, it is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Alas."

The dentist in the dental shop said this with a sigh.

"Then bring the servant here first."

Although I didn't hold out much hope, I was still disappointed when it didn't happen.

Look at the servants and see if they are smart.

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll bring it to you."

Not long after that person went down, he brought back a group of people. After a quick glance, there were more than 20 of them.

"Madam, the people are here. The first two can read, but the rest cannot. Please choose."

Zhao Yuanzhen looked at the people brought in. They were all quite thin and their age was not too old, around teens or twenties.

The two who can read look okay, so let’s keep them.

Another 8 were selected. These 10 will be used temporarily. There are too many of them, and Zhao Yuanzhen has no place to arrange food and accommodation.

The servants in Yanshan Prefecture are very cheap, 3 taels of silver each, and 5 taels of silver for those who can read.

10 people spent 34 taels of silver.

After paying the bill, Zhao Yuanzhen took them to the carriage dealership and bought two matching carriages.

"Does anyone of you know how to drive?"

After buying the car, Zhao Yuanzhen suddenly remembered that she didn't know whether these people could drive the car.

"My lady, I will."

A thin servant stood up and spoke in a low voice.

"Ma'am, I will too."

"Okay, then you two drive the car."

Five people in a carriage, follow me.

Seeing these people wearing thin and ragged clothes, Zhao Yuanzhen thought that she should go buy some clothes first.

Without Zhang Qingyan and other maids around, she didn't want to do the knitting and needlework, so she just bought the finished products.

Went to the clothing store.

"Stop the carriage, tie it up, and get out."

"Yes, ma'am."

The ten people were very obedient. They helped to tie the carriage and followed him into the clothing shop.

The owner of the clothing store watched Zhao Yuanzhen come in and greeted her warmly. Not long after, he saw ten boys with pale faces, thin bodies and ragged clothes come in. He was a little surprised, but did not say much. He greeted them and asked them what they needed.

"I brought them here, no need to ask them."

Zhao Yuanzhen came to the rescue at the right time.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Give them clothes. Give them a set of cotton clothes. They have to be thick, with more than 2 kilograms of cotton. Give them a pair of shoes, too. They have to be cotton shoes. Give them a set of cotton inner clothes, a set of linen outer clothes, and two pairs of socks."

"Yes, ma'am, please wait a moment, I'll get it."

The shopkeeper was extremely happy, this was a rare big deal. Business had not been good since he moved back, and he was barely breaking even.

After a while, the shopkeeper came over with a pile of things.

"Come here and get your own suitable clothes and shoes, one set for each person."

"Yes, ma'am."

All ten people were a little surprised that their lady actually bought them new clothes from a ready-made clothing shop.

This person is truly a kind-hearted person with a bodhisattva's heart, woooo.

I have had a hard life, but I never expected to meet such a good boss.

The shopkeeper matched each person with clothes, shoes and socks according to their height and weight.

After watching everyone receive their gifts, Zhao Yuanzhen settled the bill. Ten sets of clothes, shoes and socks cost a total of more than eight taels of silver.

It’s more than twice as expensive as buying the ingredients yourself.

It was getting night and they couldn't go back to the county town, so Zhao Yuanzhen took them to find an inn. They had dinner and stayed overnight first and would go back tomorrow morning.

They found a relatively large inn and parked the carriage and Xiao Hei in the backyard. They asked for three guest rooms, two of which were large kangs for five people and one was a single room for Zhao Yuanzhen.

Zhao Yuanzhen asked them to put all their clothes and belongings in the room and then come out to eat.

I ordered 6 dishes, a big bowl of buns, and a bowl of soup for them.

Let them have a good meal.

Looking at their pale and thin faces, you can tell that they must have been hungry for a long time and have not had enough food.

The 10 servants came out and saw the big table of food prepared by the lady. They couldn't help but burst into tears. In this year, they were sold several times and only got a little food at the pawnshop. They were never full.

I am so hungry every day that I almost forget what it feels like to be full.

"Please sit down and eat. I want a lot of food, so you can eat enough. After eating, go back to wash up and go to bed. Tomorrow, put on your new cotton clothes, because we have to set off early in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am."

Choking with sobs, he answered.

Everyone started eating the buns.

Meat buns, hmm. I haven't eaten meat in a long time, and I haven't smelled meat in a long time.

Zhao Yuanzhen didn't look at them again and went to stroll on the street.

Wandering around and getting familiar with Yanshan Prefecture. I'll probably come here to do business more often in the future.

I looked at several main streets and found out what was available on each street, what shops there were, and where to go to buy what.

Zhao Yuanzhen wrote it all down.

We wandered around until it was getting dark, then returned to the inn.

I bought a medium-sized iron pot and a few water hyacinths from the space, took a few quilts and sleeping bags, and prepared 80 blocks of instant noodles based on the number of meals for one person, and took them out as well.

After handing all the things to the servant, he went upstairs to his room to rest.

I got up early because I had to take a carriage back to the city, so I had to leave early or I would not be able to get home until late.

Zhao Yuanzhen got up, washed up and went downstairs. The servants had all gotten up early.

Seeing her coming, everyone came over to say hello.

"Good morning, madam."

"Well, call everyone over, we're going to have breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am."

After a while, everyone packed up and gathered in the lobby.

Zhao Yuanzhen took them out for breakfast and found a stall selling mutton offal soup. The food looked good, so they sat down.

"Everyone please find a seat and sit down."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ten people sat neatly at two tables.

Zhao Yuanzhen ordered 65 steamed buns, 11 bowls of mutton soup, and 2 servings of pickles for each table.

"Okay, let's eat."

Zhao Yuanzhen sat at a table by herself and started eating the buns and mutton soup.

The servants were all very well behaved. They didn't talk while eating. They ate in silence and sat quietly after finishing their meal.

Zhao Yuanzhen ate three buns herself and shared the rest with the servants.

About 6 pieces per person, plus a bowl of mutton offal soup, should be enough to fill everyone up.

After everyone had finished eating, Zhao Yuanzhen settled the bill and took everyone back to the inn. He settled the room payment and asked the servant to fetch some water to fill the large water gourd.

Hitch the carriage and set off.

Zhao Yuanzhen was riding a horse. She was wearing thick clothes and wrapped herself up completely, so she didn't feel that cold.

The servants were very obedient. Today they all wore the cotton clothes they bought yesterday. They no longer shivered from the cold like little chickens.

"Those who don't know how to drive a carriage, please line up and come out to learn. By the time we get to Xiaoshan County, I hope you all can drive a carriage."

"Yes, ma'am."

Several people responded, and then lined up. Two horse-drawn carriages came out, and people sat on the shafts, learning how to drive seriously.

Learn for a while, and when you feel you have mastered it, you can take it for a test drive.

It’s a two-day journey from Yanshan Prefecture to Xiaoshan County, and everyone has learned how to drive.

When we arrived in Xiaoshan County, it was already a little late.

Zhao Yuanzhen found an inn and asked the owner.

"Boss, how much is the monthly package for two 5-person dormitories, long-term accommodation, plus three meals for 10 men?"

"As for food, if you want three meals of quality and just to fill your stomach, that's 7500 wen. If you want three meals of treatment, one meat and two vegetables, that's 9000 wen. As for accommodation, a monthly package of two large bunk beds is 480 wen."

It's OK, not particularly expensive.

"Then choose three quality meals, plus two large bunk beds. It's included for two months first."

"Okay, ma'am, I'll do it for you right away and I'll definitely choose the best room for you."

The shopkeeper couldn't stop smiling, this was a big business. Xiaoshan County was very depressed and sparsely populated nowadays, and having such a long-term tenant was a guarantee for him. Even if no customers came for a month, he would not have to starve.

Zhao Yuanzhen paid one month's rent and the money for three meals a day.

"You all should go to your rooms. You will live here for the next two months. I have also ordered meals. The shopkeeper will prepare meals for you every day. You all should come to eat on time."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, go clean up, and come down to eat after you're done."

"Yes, ma'am."

The servants quickly brought their belongings into the room and sorted them out.