Chapter 12: Servants (Part Two)

With the inventory complete, they returned to the main hall. Gao Qing presented the ledger of household furniture, which Xiao Zishan accepted with a nod and set aside. The three of them gathered around the table and began sketching a floor plan. Wang Luobin had studied drafting in his previous life, and though he had only a notebook and ballpoint pen at his disposal, producing a rough layout was second nature.

"Zishan, you're being awfully stingy," Wang Luobin remarked as he sketched. "You're really going to haggle over salted meat and rice? The man has a whole family to feed. Just give them everything—it might earn us some loyalty."

Xiao Zishan smiled. "Engineer Wang, this gift list shows forty shi of rice alone. At late-Tianqi prices, that comes to about forty taels."

"So what? Are you planning to sell the rice for silver?"

"Forty taels equals four years' wages for Gao Qing and his wife combined. If we hand them that much right from the start, what kind of reward could possibly motivate them later?"

"Give too much now and their expectations go up—is that what you mean?" Wen Desi asked.

"Exactly, Director Wen." Xiao Zishan nodded. "The Gao family is struggling, but they're getting by. Besides, we don't yet know the man's true character—there's no need to rush into buying loyalty." He lowered his voice. "And I'm certain Master Gao has instructed him to watch our movements."

"Agreed. That seems very likely."

"Which means winning him over right now would be difficult anyway. He doesn't know us, and he's probably suspicious that we have ulterior motives. This is our first meeting—he's done nothing to deserve merit or sympathy. If we suddenly shower him with gifts, what will he think? He'll report straight to Master Gao, and in the end, we'll have given things away for nothing."

"True enough. Still, it would be best if we could draw him to our side eventually."

"We do need to show kindness—but only in small ways, letting him feel our goodness gradually. Over time, his heart will naturally incline toward us. And since he's not Master Gao's confidant, he should be easier to win over."

"Not a confidant? This house is Master Gao's emergency refuge. How could the caretaker not be trusted?"

"Didn't you hear? He was only transferred here less than half a month ago. A true confidant, Master Gao would never hand over to us."

"Perhaps he said that deliberately. Perhaps everything was fabricated?"

"That's possible." Xiao Zishan glanced toward the doorway. "But I observed him carefully, and I don't think so. Gao Qing looks perpetually worried. His expression is dull, his gaze unfocused—he's not the shrewd, capable type. Besides, whatever Master Gao's intentions toward us, they boil down to guarding against us and exploiting us. Mostly exploitation. So he's unlikely to invest too much in surveillance."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"We offer small kindnesses. Let me explain what I have in mind..."

Just then, Mrs. Gao appeared to ask about dinner. Xiao Zishan checked his watch—already four o'clock.

"No need for dinner. Have your whole family come over instead."

"Actually, I'd love to taste what Ming-dynasty cooking is like," Wang Luobin said wistfully.

"I hear it's heavy on spices..."

The whole family arrived shortly. Mrs. Gao had regular features but was dark and thin; she kept her head down and said nothing—clearly not a talker. The boy's appearance was unremarkable, though his eyes still held a lively spark. He tried to maintain a serious expression but kept stealing glances at them. The girl, however, was quite different—her skin much fairer, her eyes large, her nose small and well-shaped. She was also taller than the boy. Xiao Zishan estimated at least 1.6 meters. Puzzled, he asked:

"What's your name?"

The girl hadn't expected to be addressed first. She looked at Xiao Zishan in surprise, stammering and unable to reply.

"The master is asking you!" Gao Qing scolded. Then, bowing apologetically, he explained: "The girl has never seen the world—she has no proper name..."

"Let her speak for herself. You're her father. You can cover for her now, but not forever."

"This servant... um... is called Gao Dajie..."

Xiao Zishan nearly spat out his tea. Engineer Wang and Director Wen looked equally close to losing their composure. Gao Dajie—"Big Sister Gao." What a majestic name. Looking more closely, he had to admit the girl did have a bit of Michelle Yeoh's slender, long-legged look about her.

The Gao family stared blankly, utterly baffled by what the masters found so amusing.

Gao Qing smiled apologetically. "Please forgive us, masters... A country girl, never properly named..."

"It's nothing." Xiao Zishan waved it off, still chuckling. "Since she has no name, we'll give her one." His mischievous streak emerged: "Let's call her Gao Lujie."

Wen Desi raised an eyebrow. "Our goal?"

Wang Luobin grinned. "No cavities!"

All three burst into laughter, heedless of decorum.

The Gao family watched these masters—laughing uncontrollably ever since learning their daughter's name—and began to feel genuinely frightened. They could only smile nervously in response.

Wen Desi studied the girl more carefully. By modern standards, she had the makings of a beauty, though Ming-era people probably didn't favor her type. A pity her frame was still thin—limited raw material to work with. Whether proper nourishment could improve things remained to be seen.

"How old is this girl?"

"Re—reporting to the master," Gao Qing could barely get the words out. He'd noticed Master Wen's gaze lingering on his daughter and felt his stomach drop. This is bad. "Four—fourteen."

Fourteen? A proper little loli. Unfortunately, there was too much real work demanding attention right now for loli cultivation to be on anyone's agenda.

Xiao Zishan had practiced calligraphy briefly as a child and hadn't forgotten his traditional characters. He found a sheet of rough paper and wrote in bold strokes: "Gao Lujie"—thus bestowing the name.

"We thank the master for the name." Gao Qing led his daughter in kowtowing their gratitude.

"Up, up. Now that we are master and servant, we're one family. No need for such ceremony." Xiao Zishan gestured for them to rise. "Your wages, husband and wife, will remain as before."

"Thank you, master." Gao Qing felt a wave of relief; he had worried the new masters might cut their pay.

"Your family has heavy burdens—life isn't easy. We'll add half a shi of rice per month. That should save you the cost of grain."

"Master is benevolent!" Gao Qing was moved nearly to tears. Half a shi was enough to feed the whole family for a month. With a single sentence, this master had effectively raised his pay by five qian.

"Here is twenty taels." Xiao Zishan produced the silver. "We come and go on the waves, and travel is difficult. Consider this a year's wages paid in advance. The remainder is for daily maintenance. You may draw your monthly rice allowance yourself." He paused. "Can you read?"

Gao Qing smiled awkwardly. But his son spoke up: "I can read."

"Oh?" Xiao Zishan had not expected this.

"He never had regular duties, so he used to hang around the outer accounts office," Gao Qing hurried to explain. "Picked up a few characters." He shot his son a glare. "What are you showing off for!"

The boy knew few characters—by modern standards, barely literate—but having learned from an accountant, he could also do basic bookkeeping and work an abacus. In ancient times, that was rare indeed.

His name was Gao Di. Xiao Zishan thought to himself that the working people of old certainly favored simple names.

"Since you can read and keep accounts, you'll be in charge of recording expenses here. Keep everything clear, line by line. Understand? You'll also receive one qian per month as wages."

"This servant understands." Gao Qing was overjoyed and led his son in kowtowing their thanks.

Assigning the boy to keep books had little to do with money—it was a reminder that everything here belonged to them, lest over time the family develop thoughts of cuckoo-in-the-nest. Once such thoughts arose, anything could happen. Ordinary people might seem honest, but Xiao Zishan had seen too many who changed the moment their interests were at stake.

After surveying the layout, the transmigrators designated the study in the first courtyard as their crossing point. They instructed Gao Qing that the first courtyard need only be cleaned every three days; otherwise, no one was to enter.

Gao Qing didn't understand why, but he knew better than to ask about his masters' affairs. The only thing he found strange was that Master Wen had specified the exact starting date for the cleaning schedule.

After nightfall, the transmigrators opened the wormhole at the new location. Fortunately, the destination had not shifted. The hydraulic truck was pulled through, and the tall stacks of goods were transported one by one.

The next morning, when Gao Qing rose, the first courtyard was already empty. He hesitated for a moment, then left and walked toward the rear gate of the Gao residence.

(End of Chapter)