Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 454 Kindness
“It’s that courtyard,” Yang Hong pointed forward. “These days, Madam has been going to Ciyun Nunnery in the city. Yesterday, a small boat came to deliver the news that you will arrive in Bianjing today, so Madam stayed at home to wait for you.”

Zhou Dadao: "Is that the place where they're going to open a dyeing workshop?"

Yang Hong nodded.

Zhou Da hurriedly asked, "We haven't delayed Madam's business, have we?"

“No,” Yang Hong patted Zhou Da on the shoulder. “It’s only been a short time since we last met. Why are you being so formal? Madam is not such a demanding person. We haven’t been idle lately. We need to repair the rooms in the nunnery first so that you can start building the stove.”

Zhou Da reached out and touched his head. He hadn't thought about these things. He just felt that since they were from Madam's house, they had to do things well so as not to embarrass Madam.

Zhou Da selected three people to accompany him to see Xie Yuyan.

“These are He Zhi, Tao Yue, and Dong San,” Zhou Da pointed to them one by one, “Does Madam still remember them?”

Xie Yuyan looked at the three people.

The three of them are now leaders; back in Daming Prefecture, each of them could lead a dozen or so workers. This time, General Zhou brought them along to Bianjing for two reasons. First, he figured there must be more than one place in Bianjing that needed stoves built, and with the three of them coming, they could recruit people there and work separately. Second, he suspected the Madam might want unusual stoves, and having more people would make things easier to discuss.

Without much thought, Xie Yuyan said, "I worked with us at the coal mine outside Sanhe Village."

Upon hearing this, the three of them were immediately delighted. Among so many hired workers, the old lady was able to recognize them at a glance.

With just that one sentence, the three felt a warmth in their hearts, and their worries and unfamiliarity with Bianjing vanished instantly.

With the old lady here, what are they afraid of?
Xie Yuyan said, "You must be tired from your journey. I'll have Yang Hong arrange for you to stay overnight. Rest for a day tomorrow, and then come with me to Ciyun Nunnery the day after tomorrow."

Zhou hurriedly said, "Madam, we'll be fine after one night's rest."

The other three nodded in agreement.

Zhou Dadao: "Even if we see it tomorrow, we can't start immediately. We'll take a break while we discuss how to repair it."

He Zhi also said, "Don't worry, Madam, we're fine."

Actually, He Zhi was vomiting badly while on the boat, but now he's acting like nothing happened and can't wait to get back to work.

Xie Yuyan did not forcibly stop them: "We'll go over after breakfast tomorrow morning."

Several people happily agreed.

Xie Yuyan then inquired about the situation in Daming Prefecture, and the four of them took turns explaining their tasks clearly.

Zhou Da recalled that last winter, when the eldest daughter-in-law decided to spend money to support these hired workers, countless people secretly gossiped about her, saying that she was wasting money.

Looking back now, without those arrangements, where would we have found so many skilled craftsmen? In fact, if many porcelain kilns hadn't been converted into coal kilns, even more workers could have been spared.

However, Zhou Da was confident that he could find suitable employees soon.

Xie Yuyan looked at Zhou Da: "After you come back tomorrow, you can go to the post station and see if there are any suitable workers."

Zhou was greatly surprised: "Madam has already found people?"

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "You can choose how many people you need yourself. However, there are quite a few people in our post station looking for work there." This way, there's no need to go through the trouble of searching outside the brokerage firm.

Zhou Da couldn't help but admire her. The lady was really amazing. She had only been in Bianjing for a short time, yet she had already accomplished so much.
After talking for a while, Yang Hong led them away.

Yang Hong said in a low voice, "Go to your lodgings first, then take a bath at our perfume shop, and then use the tokens we received to eat at the restaurant."

“It’s better for us to pay for our own meals at restaurants,” Zhou Dadao said. “There are so many employees waiting… we can’t just leave them behind.” But they also couldn’t let the employer pay for all the meals.

Yang Hong smiled and said, "Of course we'll take them with us. The kitchen behind the restaurant is where we cook for our family's employees. It's not just you; the boatmen from the fleet, the shop assistants, the craftsmen, and the managers—all of our family's people will eat there. Ordinary employees and boatmen will receive a daily allowance of ten coins for food, while craftsmen and managers will receive a daily allowance of twenty coins. If you spend more than that, you'll have to pay for it yourself."

"The food at the restaurants where our craftsmen eat is cheap. It's enough for the craftsmen and managers, and at least enough for the hired workers and boatmen to eat one meal. If they're frugal, they can eat two meals, but then they can't eat meat."

“You can’t come back for meals every day. For example, when you go to Ciyun Nunnery to work, the nunnery will provide you with a vegetarian meal. When you come back, you can eat one more meal at most. If you save like this every day, it will definitely be enough.”

"However, these tokens are only for your family and not for outsiders. If anyone breaks the rules, they will not be able to receive these in the future."

"There's also the perfume shop. Our craftsmen and managers go there ten times a month, and our regular employees go five times a month, all without spending any money."

Zhou Da was stunned: "What about the wages? Will we have to pay less?"

Yang Hong shook his head: "I'll give you a lot."

Zhou Da swallowed hard as he listened. He reached out and grabbed Yang Hong, saying, "Quick, take us over there." He also needed to distribute the signs to the workers below. With these, everyone's hearts, which had been away from home, could be calmed.

……

Zhou Da and the others left.

Yu's mother led a woman into the door.

The woman was none other than Feng Erniang, whom Xie Yuyan had met before.

At Hejiazhuang, Feng Erniang was covered in wounds and on the verge of death. Later, the yamen took her away and even got a doctor for her. After treatment and rest, Feng Erniang's complexion improved and she was no longer so thin.

Feng Erniang bowed to Xie Yuyan: "Guo Chuan told me that thanks to your help, Madam, I would not have been able to escape from the He family. Qiaoniang will now kowtow to you, Madam."

Xie Yuyan looked at Madam Yu, who quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "This will make us feel too distant."

In fact, Feng Erniang was unaware of all the inside stories. The eldest daughter-in-law not only gave the Guo brothers advice, but also went to the estate. It was because the eldest daughter-in-law had the guests gamble a lot of money on Feng Erniang that Feng Erniang was not immediately beaten to death on the wrestling stage. Of course, the eldest daughter-in-law would not say any of this.

Although Feng Qiaoniang was unable to kneel down, she bowed to Xie Yuyan and straightened up after a long while.

After doing all this, her eyes were slightly red.

Xie Yuyan asked, "How is your father's case going?"

Feng Qiaoniang said, "The He family admitted that in order to seize my father's shop, they bribed the guild to falsify the accounts and frame my father for embezzlement, claiming that he stole the guild's cloth. They demanded that my father make up the shortfall, or they would send him to the authorities. My father had no choice but to commit suicide."

“They also admitted that my older brother was also harmed by them.”

With the case concluded, Feng Qiaoniang was content. After all, someone had taken responsibility, which brought solace to her loved ones in heaven. As for who was behind the He family… Feng Qiaoniang dared not think about such things, nor could she hope for those people to be brought to justice. For her, it was something unattainable.