They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 269 To Do or Not to Do

"To be honest, I've grown quite attached to this estate, having lived here for so many years. Besides, this is my old profession, so it would be wonderful if I could continue managing it! Sister-in-law Qin, what do you think of my chances of success?"

Granny Qin Qing understood that the Madam had deliberately sent her out to deliver Steward Mao, giving him an opportunity to inquire.

Of course, Granny Qin Qing wouldn't say how likely it was to happen, and Steward Mao knew she definitely wouldn't say either; he was just asking the question.

Granny Qin Qing smiled and said, "Steward Mao, go back and wait for the news. Madam and Second Master are serious about their work, and they will definitely discuss and consider it carefully when they get back. Madam and Second Master are the same kind of people, they can't tolerate any nonsense, and they like everything to be clear and orderly. So Steward Mao, go back and think it over carefully. If you have any conditions, bring them up when the time comes. Whether it works out or not, Madam and Second Master will definitely give Steward Mao face."

Manager Mao perked up, feeling both relieved and more nervous. "Thank you, Sister-in-law Qin. Masters like Madam and Second Master are hard to find even with a lantern. If possible, please put in a good word for me."

"Manager Mao is being modest!"

"Hahaha!"

The two exchanged farewells with laughter, and only after watching Granny Qin Qing turn and return to the manor did Steward Mao leave.

Xu Zhichun and his group soon went into the city. They first found a furniture shop and agreed that the shop would send a capable shop assistant to the village to take measurements the following afternoon.

After all that walking around, it was already past four in the afternoon, so we returned to the inn, ordered hot water for a shower, and then met up for dinner.

After dinner, everyone went to Liang Mingxuan's room to discuss whether or not to hire Manager Mao.

Liang Mingxuan prepared paper and pen, and wrote down line by line, making corrections and deletions until it was late at night. Everyone yawned and went back to their rooms to sleep.

What a fulfilling day!

The next morning, he went to the brokerage to buy a man.

Although Qingyang County is more prosperous than Qingshan County, it is still a county town, and with winter approaching, there are not many people in the brokerage firm.

Granny Qin Qing suggested, "Madam and Second Master should take their time to choose. If you buy a few now, at least the estate will be cleaned and tidied up. After winter, they'll be more familiar with the place. Then you can either ask a broker to bring some people back from the provincial capital, or go to the provincial capital yourself to choose them."

Xu Zhichun also laughed and said, "That's right. It's not necessary to fill all the positions at once right now. Fortunately, it's the off-season for farming. We can take the people back and let them get familiar with the work gradually. We can talk about other things next year. Even if we don't have enough people to tend the fields right away, it's not a problem. We can just hire people."

Having made up their minds, Xu Zhichun naturally wouldn't compromise when choosing people. After discussing it with Liang Mingxuan, they bought three households with a total of twelve people.

That should be enough for now.

They bought some daily necessities, hired two mule carts, and went to the village together.

They were settled in and assigned tasks, and the village began to take shape.

In the afternoon, someone from the furniture store came to take the measurements. Xu Zhichun and his group then returned to the city, paid half of the deposit, and signed a contract agreeing to deliver all the furniture, matching curtains, cushions, and other items before the new year.

I'll reach an agreement with Steward Mao tomorrow morning, and then I can go back.

When they met again at the manor the next day, Steward Mao's attitude was even more respectful.

His attitude was certainly earnest and sincere, and sounded genuine, but none of that mattered to Xu Zhichun. What mattered was the contract. "This is the contract we drafted after discussing it. Mao Guan, please take a look at it beforehand."

"Yes, ma'am."

Manager Mao took the thick stack of contracts and secretly praised, "What beautiful handwriting!" It was probably written by this Second Master. His handwriting reflected his character; the Second Master's calligraphy at such a young age was truly remarkable.

Upon closer inspection of the contract, Steward Mao was completely stunned.

Besides his duties of managing all affairs inside and outside the estate, the steward's power was quite limited according to the contract. The account books had to be kept in the format given by the owner, and there had to be a monthly audit. All purchases had to be signed by the merchant, the person in charge, and the steward himself. The steward was not responsible for direct procurement, which was all acceptable.

All personnel changes require the owner's approval; the steward has no right to decide. All rewards and punishments can wait for the owner's decision if possible; if not, all parties involved and the steward must sign and seal a simple statement explaining the events. This is something that Steward Mao finds somewhat frustrating.

In that case, isn't he just a gofer? What power does he have? This isn't the kind of manager he wants to be.

I originally thought the employer didn't live here and might only come once every two or three months or even longer. I figured this place was my own territory, and I felt even more comfortable than before.

Although he believed himself to be a principled person, and since he was employed by his employer, he was determined to serve his employer wholeheartedly and diligently, and would certainly not act arrogantly or abuse his power, much less harm the employer's interests.

But who wouldn't want to hold all the power and be in charge of everything?

The employer clearly doesn't trust him at all.

Looking further down, Steward Mao nearly fainted.

What...what does this mean?!
He was the manager here, and he was allowed four days off each month to go home. The rest of the time he had to stay on the estate. His family members were strictly forbidden from coming to the estate, let alone taking on any work there. If there were any business dealings with his relatives, he had to report to the owner first and obtain the owner's confirmation before he was allowed to complete any transactions with the relatives.
Each of these rules has its corresponding punishment for violation. The last few rules, in particular, have very severe penalties.

In addition to four days off per month, there are ten days off per year, and each day off must be recorded.

The contract is signed at least five years in advance.

The bottom of the document specifies the compensation: ten taels of silver per month, with additional bonuses for spring planting, autumn harvest, or other busy months. The bonuses are usually no less than five taels, with no upper limit.

Every year on the Mid-Autumn Festival and during the Lunar New Year, there are additional New Year's gifts, which must include red envelopes, 20 catties of rice, 2 catties of brown sugar, 2 bolts of fine cotton cloth, and other items.

In addition, there are two sets of clothing for each of the four seasons, both inner and outer, made of ordinary silk and fine cotton.

Manager Mao remained silent for a long time.
To be honest, the offer is incredibly attractive! But it's also really demanding.

Manager Mao remarked from the bottom of his heart: As expected of a family of child prodigies who passed the imperial examination at the age of ten, none of them are easy to deal with.

What to do? Should we do it or not?
It's so hard for him.
Doing it is really disgusting. I feel resentful, awkward, and disrespected. I feel like I have no real power. This job of being in charge is really meaningless.

But if he didn't do it, the offer was really tempting! He used to only earn five taels a month. Although he could make a little extra money from it, it wasn't much more than ten taels a month over the course of a year.

Now that the income is all out in the open, it's actually quite substantial.
He's really having a tough time.