Chapter 146: Wang Siniang's Home

The Phoenix Mountain Estate’s main management office was a complex of buildings, resembling a small town with a single street. It was located not far from the Phoenix Mountain Estate mansion and the servants’ residential areas, making it convenient for everyone to come and go. Along both sides of the stone-paved street stood workshops, warehouses, shops, and the core of the entire estate’s operations: the main management office building.

The main management office building was a two-story brick-and-wood structure with an arcade. It stood on a high flight of steps. On either side of the main entrance was a bulletin board displaying various “notices.” However, most of the servants and workers on the estate were illiterate and usually paid them no mind as they passed by.

The Phoenix Mountain Estate was managed according to the model of a modern agricultural enterprise. Phoenix Mountain Estate was a large enterprise integrating agriculture, industry, and trade. From the very beginning, Zhao Yigong had transplanted the entire management model of the enterprises under the Agricultural Committee from Lingao. He also brought in a small number of “politically reliable” naturalized cadres to serve as the backbone of the Phoenix Mountain Estate’s main management office.

He also gradually promoted some reliable and capable individuals from among the local servants to serve as middle-level managers.

Although under the management of the Hangzhou station, the production and operation of Phoenix Mountain Estate were often directly guided by instructions from the Agricultural Committee and the light industry department. Although Zhao Yigong had the final say on specific operations, he rarely interfered directly in the production matters of Phoenix Mountain Estate—in reality, he couldn’t manage it all.

As a “forewoman,” Wang Siniang’s only concept of the main management office was coming here every day to receive work orders and turn in her work tally after work. In addition, she would come here at the end of each month to receive her monthly wages and buy daily necessities.

On the main management office street was a large shop: a three-bay, two-story building. It was similar to the comprehensive stores opened by the cooperative in Kaohsiung—in fact, it was a branch opened by the commercial department’s cooperative headquarters. It sold various daily necessities. The second floor also served as a small restaurant. The customers were, of course, all the servants of Phoenix Mountain Estate. Currently, the number of “registered” servants at Phoenix Mountain Estate, including their families, had expanded to six or seven hundred people, making it a small town in its own right.

To ensure the stability and controllability of the workforce, Zhao Yigong, apart from a few professional talents who had to be hired from outside, did not use long-term or short-term laborers within the estate. Except for a few highly specialized technical jobs, all work was done by servants who had signed “death contracts,” selected from the refugees they had taken in. As for the large amount of heavy labor and seasonal short-term work, it was undertaken by the refugees waiting for transfer at the refugee camp by the river.

Phoenix Mountain Estate was a closed economy. Everyone “registered” at Phoenix Mountain Estate, regardless of gender or age, received a monthly wage as long as they worked. However, this wage was not in silver or copper coins, but in Delong Bank’s scrip. Delong Bank also had a counter on the main management office street, responsible for distributing the monthly wages and also providing savings services. Its main job was to handle the capital allocation and turnover for the Hangzhou station, ensuring that every sum of money was under effective supervision.

At first, the servants were a little unaccustomed to receiving scrip, but seeing that the goods in the shop were abundant, of good quality, and reasonably priced, they accepted this reality. Although Phoenix Mountain was just outside the city, it was quite far from the city’s commercial district, so having such a shop was much more convenient.

The monthly wages were distributed to the servants each month, and after circulating on the main management office’s commercial street, they returned to the Hangzhou station’s account. This effectively reduced the use of silver and also indirectly increased the support for the scrip, preparing for the scrip’s entry into the Hangzhou market in the future.

Neither Zhao Yigong nor the Planning Commission were heartless capitalists. The prices of various goods on the commercial street were not set high; in fact, they were even cheaper than outside. However, because the cooperative’s local goods were sourced at wholesale prices, and many things were produced by the estate or Lingao itself and supplied at internal transfer prices, the actual profit was still quite high. People on the estate could also apply to exchange a certain amount of scrip for silver and copper coins at a certain exchange rate. This allowed them to spend money outside, but since most daily consumer goods could be bought on the estate at lower prices than outside, the motivation to exchange for silver was not strong.

It was now around five-thirty in the afternoon. Many people had come to the street, some to shop, some preparing for the night shift. The street was actually a bit bustling. Along the road were “streetlights”—actually iron braziers already filled with firewood, which would be lit as soon as it got dark.

Wang Siniang came to the “Work Tally Room” under the eaves of the main management office. The door was wide open. Inside, seven or eight “clerks” were clattering away on their abacuses. The “foremen” from various places who had finished their work were lining up with their work record books to record their work. The daily work orders were compiled to form the basis for distributing the monthly wages at the end of the month. She handed in today’s tea-picking tally. The clerk in the work tally room had already received the warehouse entry form from the tea factory. After comparing the two and finding no discrepancies, he stamped the work order receipt with a “Verified” seal and handed it out. This receipt was kept by the “foreman” and served as proof in case of any disputes during the wage distribution.

Wang Siniang was a charming and clever woman, and she was very popular. She could strike up a conversation with anyone wherever she went. When she arrived at the work tally room, someone immediately greeted her, and her work order was quickly taken in. A few leering clerks took the opportunity to make some flirtatious remarks to tease her. One even tried to pinch her arm while handing back the receipt.

“You’re asking for it! I’m a married woman,” Wang Siniang said with a grin, slapping away the offending hand. “You offer no benefits, yet you want to take advantage of me?”

A burst of laughter erupted inside. A clerk said, “There are benefits, Fourth Auntie! The master just sent someone with a message. He said you don’t have to work tonight. After dinner, go to the inner residence to see him. He has something to command.”

Wang Siniang was stunned. Why would he summon her at night for no reason? Before she could come to her senses, a torrent of teasing remarks was already directed at her.

“Fourth Auntie, with your beautiful face, I’m afraid the master is about to show you his favor.”

“Exactly, Fourth Auntie, you are a fresh flower…”

“Your mother is the one with the beautiful face,” Wang Siniang cursed a few times and carefully tucked the receipt handed out from the counter into a “protective book” she carried with her.

Since she didn’t have to work tonight, she quickly went outside to find another woman from her group and gave her a few instructions. Then she hurried home.

Her whole family belonged to the “outer court,” meaning they were servants engaged in production and business activities who were not allowed to enter the inner residence. Therefore, they did not enjoy the benefit of free meals from the communal kitchen like the inner residence servants and had to cook for themselves.

The outer court servants were provided with one or two meals by the estate depending on their working hours. If their work extended past two in the afternoon, they were usually given a “snack” to prevent them from getting too hungry and affecting their work efficiency.

When not on duty, they were responsible for their own meals. Due to the long working hours, the servants of the estate often bought ready-made food directly from the commercial street of the main management office. In addition to the slightly more upscale cooperative’s small tavern, there was also a food stall on the commercial street—not a restaurant, with no seating, only offering ready-made meals—similar to a bento shop.

Walking into the shop, the floor and walls were all tiled. Under the newly lit gas lamps, they shone brightly. On rows of counters with glass covers were large red-lacquered plates filled with various ready-made dishes. Most were vegetable dishes and “light meat” dishes with a little fish or meat, such as minced meat with vermicelli casserole, or steamed fish. They were also served with soup, rice, multigrain porridge, noodles, steamed buns, and other staples, as well as various pickles.

It was very convenient to buy them and take them home to eat, either reheated or directly. The food was also clean and well-prepared, so it was very popular and the business was booming. Wang Siniang’s family was large, and both she and her husband had to work. It was impossible for her to go home and cook, so she bought ready-made food here every day for the whole family.

Regular customers could use the tin lunch boxes for free—tin was easy to process, easy to clean, and a cheap metal, often used for tableware in ancient society, from the imperial palace to small taverns.

Wang Siniang bought some vegetables and also some soy-braised snails—this was the cheapest of the light meat dishes. On the plate next to it were piles of scallion-roasted crucian carp, each the size of a palm, fragrant and tempting. Wang Siniang hesitated for a moment and bought three. Her family had many mouths to feed, and just filling their stomachs cost a large part of their monthly income. She had to be frugal. Fortunately, as long as there were children under sixteen in the family, they could get a 20% discount on meat dishes.

The master was very considerate of the “little ones.” Families with children could receive four catties of rice for free for each child every month. When they went to school, the charity school also provided a free meal, with unlimited rice and both meat and vegetable dishes.

As the saying goes, “a growing boy can eat his father out of house and home…” Although Wang Siniang’s family only had girls, they were all at an age where they could eat a lot. With these policies, the family’s finances were not so tight.

Hangzhou was a land of fish and rice, so aquatic products like fish, shrimp, and snails were relatively cheap, but meat was expensive. Therefore, light meat dishes with meat were not cheap. As for heavy meat dishes, very few people bought them.

She hurriedly bought the food and took it home. Her three daughters had already returned from school and were gathered around the square table doing their homework. Although Wang Siniang was illiterate, she had seen clerks and teachers use brushes to write, holding them vertically. Her three daughters, however, used charcoal pencils with wooden shafts, writing at an angle. She didn’t understand what it was all about, but the fact that her daughters could now read and write was enough to make her happy. How many daughters of landlords were illiterate?

Her eldest daughter was already fifteen, and she had grown much taller. Her rapid growth made Wang Siniang quite unhappy. The young lady was already as tall as her. If this continued, she wouldn’t be able to wear her old clothes and would have to make new ones.

Although the older sister’s hand-me-downs could be passed on to the younger sisters, the two younger ones were growing just as fast as their sister.

“They’re all growing as if they’ve eaten leavening powder,” Wang Siniang often muttered recently. She didn’t know that because they had consumed far more animal protein in the past two years than before, their development was much better than that of ordinary people.

A fifteen-year-old girl, in the past, would have to be prepared for marriage. Marrying her off would also lighten the family’s burden. Now that they were no longer free, their children’s marriages also had to be approved by the master. She had tentatively asked Steward Cai about it last time, but Steward Cai told her not to think about it.

“The master doesn’t like the girls in the family to marry early. You should put this matter on hold for now.”

Why didn’t he like the girls to marry early? Fifteen wasn’t early. Wang Siniang thought for a moment, perhaps the master wanted to choose a few maids to serve him? So she tentatively asked if the inner residence needed to select maids for service. But she still got no answer. Steward Cai said that there were no female relatives in the inner residence now, and the master didn’t need many maids to serve him, so the girls should just stay in the charity school and continue their studies.

Wang Siniang didn’t give up. She tried several times and even hinted that if he could get her eldest daughter into the inner residence, she would definitely reward him. Unexpectedly, after becoming a steward, Cai Shi was incorruptible and didn’t reveal any useful information. He only said, “Let the child study hard.”

After further inquiries, Cai Shi only added one more sentence: “Those who study well will definitely have benefits in the future.”

What benefits a girl could get from studying well, Wang Siniang didn’t understand at all. But seeing her eldest daughter growing up day by day, she couldn’t help but worry—she herself had become Shen’s bride at fifteen. How could they delay like this?

Although she thought this way, she kept these words to herself.

“Eldest, clear the table, we’ll eat soon. Second, come and help me with the fire. Third, go and play on the side. Don’t get in the way!”

Wang Siniang spoke to her daughters while putting the food on the stove to reheat. The stove burned firewood trimmed from the mountains, which was distributed to each household by the main management office every month based on the number of people. While she was lighting the fire, her husband Shen Da also returned.

He had been busy in the mulberry groves on the mountain all day, his feet covered in yellow mud. He first scooped a few ladles of water from the water vat at the door to wash his feet clean, then changed into his cloth shoes before entering the house.

Shen Da was not at all surprised to see his wife back from work early; he had already heard about it at the work tally room.

Shen Da’s face was grim. Wang Siniang and the children didn’t dare to provoke him. The family silently ate their meal around the table. While the daughters were clearing the dishes, Shen Da finally spoke. He said that the master had just visited the mulberry groves today and said he wanted to double the size of the groves.

He lit the water pipe that the master had given him last time and took a few gurgling puffs. “…It’s not just about expanding the area. I heard he’s also going to hire someone to teach us how to plant mulberry trees. Intensive mulberry planting—my family has been planting mulberry and picking leaves since my grandfather’s generation, and now they need someone to teach us? Really!”

“He’s probably from Guangdong again,” Wang Siniang, who was well-versed in worldly affairs and much shrewder than her husband, said as she brewed a cup of powdered tea for the head of the household. This was the tea powder swept up from the warehouse when they cleaned out the tea stockpiles at the beginning of spring, sold cheaply to the servants of the estate as a kind of benefit. Although it didn’t look good, it contained a lot of high-quality tea leaves.

“Probably. The new mulberry trees planted this time are the same as last year’s, saplings unloaded from the ships. I don’t see anything special about them. No matter how good the mulberry trees from Guangdong are, they can’t be better than the local Husang. I don’t know why the master likes them so much.”

“It’s probably about connections with his fellow countrymen,” Wang Siniang said, her understanding of human relationships much deeper than her husband’s. “Look at this estate. Besides Steward Cai, which one of the master’s trusted subordinates isn’t from Guangdong?”

“That’s true,” Shen Da said, blowing out a smoke ring. “Seeing wave after wave of people from Guangdong coming to the estate by ship, it’s really strange—it seems the master doesn’t trust our local craftsmen. For any major task, he has to bring in people from Guangdong.”

Another ship had docked at the pier at the foot of the mountain yesterday. The person who was coming to teach them how to plant mulberry trees must have arrived. Wang Siniang suddenly thought that her summons to the inner residence tonight might be related to this matter. But she didn’t know how to plant mulberry trees, only how to raise silkworms. Could it be that they were really going to raise silkworms this year?

While she was guessing, Shen Da hesitated, took a few more puffs from his water pipe, and then said, “I heard that the master is summoning you for questioning tonight?”

His expression was not good. Wang Siniang understood perfectly. To be suddenly summoned to the inner residence, and at night, for no apparent reason… she was a reasonably attractive woman, any man would have his thoughts.

She immediately said, “Yes, he is summoning me.” She quickly explained, “I think the master is going to raise silkworms this year, and he probably wants to ask about the details. When we first came to serve, he asked a lot about raising silkworms and reeling silk.”

“How is that possible? There are a few scattered mulberry trees on the mountain, but the main groves were just planted last year. They can’t be harvested for leaves this year. How can you raise silkworms without mulberry leaves?” Shen Da looked skeptical.

Without their own mulberry groves, they would have to rely on buying mulberry leaves to raise silkworms. This was a very risky business for sericulturists. Especially after the third instar of the silkworms, they consumed a large amount of mulberry leaves every day. The mulberry leaves on the market were not only expensive but also in short supply. If they couldn’t get enough leaves, they would have to discard the silkworms, meaning all their hard work would be for nothing. That’s why sericulturists more or less had their own mulberry groves as a base, and would supplement by buying a little from the market as needed.

For an estate like Phoenix Mountain, relying on the scattered wild mulberry trees on the mountain was not enough for large-scale sericulture. It was no wonder her husband didn’t believe her explanation for the sudden summons to the inner residence.

“It’s hard to say. I think our master is capable of doing things that ordinary people can’t,” Wang Siniang said. “You’ll see, we will definitely raise silkworms this year.”

Seeing that her husband was not at all relieved, she quickly added, “Our family has been serving in the mansion for almost two years. We’ve all seen what kind of person the master is. Even if something happens, I can handle it! You can rest assured.”