Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 115

“Mr. Lin, please look at this young lady’s hair. It’s so beautiful, jet black and glossy.”

"Look at this figure, she's definitely fertile."

"This girl is an excellent cook!"

The presentation was noisy and bustling, but all the women introduced were young women.

Lin Dao raised an eyebrow and scratched his head, wondering what these guys thought of him.

Putting everything else aside, the two women behind him, though dressed in simple clothes, were absolutely stunning and outshone everyone else.

He has a beautiful woman by his side, yet he still recommends girls to me. He has no taste at all.

"You two."

He instructed Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan to "select people".

"They should have family members, and preferably also have a skill."

"Sew, do laundry, cook, as long as you can do chores, that's fine."

Both women showed joy on their faces.

Finally, I can go back to the days when I was served.

They've been taking care of their daily lives these past few days, and they're really exhausted.

After they left, Lin Dao stood up and said, "I need some male servants too."

"Those who have worked as waiters or clerks in shops, and who are literate and know arithmetic are preferred."

"By the way, he can't be too old, he has family, and he has connections."

With a broad smile, Renya said, "There really are people like that."

The Jiangnan region is economically developed, and even in county towns there are many shops.

According to the traditional master-apprentice relationship in China, every shop has many so-called apprentices who work for free.

When local areas suffer from disasters and people flee famine, these people are naturally inevitably affected as well.

In the end, Lin Dao selected twelve young men who had previously served as apprentices.

Although they had worked in different shops, they at least knew some characters and could do simple calculations.

Twelve people, which means twelve households.

Each family member may have parents, elder brothers and sisters-in-law, younger brothers and sisters, etc.

Prices at the brokerage shops inside the city were naturally much higher than those at the soup kitchens outside the city for displaced people.

Lin Dao paid nearly six hundred taels of silver for these twelve households.

After completing the formalities, paying the taxes, and receiving the indenture, I was granted a contract of indenture.

As soon as Lin Dao turned around, he saw Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan leading a large group of people with expressions that were either panicked or hopeful.

"Are you crazy?"

Lin Dao frowned. "With so many people, where will we all stay?"

The two women each selected ten maids, and together with their families, that made twenty households.

Although the shop was converted from an inn, it couldn't accommodate so many people.

These words immediately caused a stir among those around them.

Men, women, and children all knelt down and begged the master to buy them and give them a way to live.

Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"So be it."

Lin Dao waved his hand and began to discuss the price again.

"I've helped ease your burden, so you have to give me a discount, otherwise I won't take it."

It was obvious that the children and the elderly were being ignored.

Lin Dao's willingness to take him away certainly lightened the burden on the human teeth.

Moreover, he was considered a major customer, and after some haggling, the price was finally settled at one thousand taels.

There was no shortage of labor in Jinling City.

Especially in wealthy families, there are many servants born into the household and no shortage of male servants.

A young girl is far more valuable than a boy.

Lin Dao didn't care about spending silver; in the modern world, Industrial Cthulhu produced tens of thousands of tons of silver every year.

Even if he buys a few hundred kilograms or even a few tons, it's still insignificant.

If this amount of silver were taken to the Chongzhen era, it would be considered the wealth of a super-rich person.

Moreover, once Jinling City is captured, this human market will inevitably be swept away and eradicated.

All the money spent before can be recovered.

"I thought it would cost a lot of money."

On the way back to the shop, Lin Dao sighed with a hint of emotion, "This is still Jinling City."

"What must the refugee settlements outside the city look like?"

"Further north, what kind of hellish scenes must there be?"

The Ming Dynasty, which had been drained of its lifeblood by the imperial family, nobles, officials, and gentry, should have perished long ago!
Upon returning to the inn, they encountered the steward from Qian Qianyi's residence.

"This humble servant, Qian An, greets Master Lin."

The steward led a small, elderly man, who looked to be about fifty years old, forward. "This is my master. The manager he found is named Tian Wen."

"I started as an apprentice at Ruyi Zhai when I was young, and worked my way up to become the manager."

"He has exceptional skills in appraising rare and precious items."

"Two years ago, the owner of Ruyi Zhai got into trouble and the shop was shut down. He has been staying at home ever since."

Shops in this era are usually century-old establishments.

The staff in the store are all people trained and trained by the store itself.

Someone like Tian Wen definitely can't work as a shop assistant in another store.

But if someone wants to be a shopkeeper, how could they possibly give him the opportunity if he's already someone else's shopkeeper?

Tian Wen has been unemployed for the past two years and has been living off his savings, but his income has gradually fallen short of his means.

After all, a bushel of rice costs several taels of silver, and he urgently needs to find a new job to support his family.

Finding a shopkeeper's job these days is truly a blessing from heaven and the employer.

The old man stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am Tian Wen, and I am willing to serve my master like a dog or a horse."

"Ah."

Lin Dao nodded. "I'll have to rely on you for the business in the shop from now on."

He led Tian Wen and Steward Qian to the backyard and introduced Tian Wen to the other workers.

"Manager Qian".

Letting the staff talk amongst themselves, Lin Dao turned to Qian An and said, "There's something I'd like to ask you to do."

"Master Lin, please don't do this."

Qian An bowed repeatedly, saying, "You can just call me Qian An."

"Please feel free to tell me what you need."

"You see," Lin Dao gestured to the crowded courtyard, with many people even standing outside. "So many people have come here, we can't accommodate them all." "We urgently need a house to settle them in."

Qian An understood and nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Master Lin, I'll go and look for it right away. I'll have news in a month or so at most."

"More than a month? That's too long."

Lin Dao shook his head and looked around. "Let's find a big house nearby, preferably one we can move into today."

"today?"

Qian An glanced at the sky; it was almost evening. How could this be?

"I'm willing to pay more money."

Lin Dao bluntly stated, "Money is not a problem."

Qian An looked troubled.

Even if there is silver, it would take such a short time.
"I'll go and ask around for you right away."

"Thank you."

Chen Yuanyuan has already arranged for people to buy grain, firewood, and vegetables.

Dong Xiaowan then led the maids to start cooking.

Lin Dao called over several foremen and gestured to the five boxes in the room.

"It was agreed upon beforehand."

"Complete in three days, and receive an extra five thousand taels as a reward."

Looking at the gleaming silver in the box, the foremen were overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly until their heads were bleeding.

To meet the deadline, they even brought their eight- or nine-year-old children to help with the work.

I barely slept for three days and three nights.

This effort has finally paid off, and I am truly grateful. My words of congratulations flow like a never-ending river.

"Wishing Mr. Lin abundant wealth and prosperity!"

May Jubaolou's business flourish!

"May Mr. Lin have a smooth and successful journey!"

"May Jubao Tower achieve great things!"

May Master Lin enjoy lasting martial prowess!

Without a doubt, Lin Dao gave a lot.

But this feeling of being a super-rich man made him very comfortable.

It feels really good to have money.

As dusk falls, the light of day gradually dims.

When it was time to eat in the backyard, Qian An, with a happy expression, rushed back.

"Master Lin, this is wonderful news!"

Lin Dao, who was about to eat, asked with a smile, "Is there anyone selling a house around here?"

“That’s right.” Qian An said happily, “The Vice Minister Li from the next street, who stepped down as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing a few months ago, is planning to take his whole family back to his hometown in Jiangxi.”

"I found the steward of the Li family, but I never expected that Vice Minister Li would learn of the news and invite Master Lin to a banquet at his residence."

The houses of locals are basically their ancestral homes.

Aside from gamblers, almost no one sells their ancestral home.

The hometowns of these officials were not here, and they generally did not leave behind any residences after retiring from office.

According to the rules of this era.

When attending a banquet at someone else's home, it is necessary to send a visiting card in advance.

After both sides agree on a date, they will visit each other on the agreed-upon day.

Given the urgency of the invitation, it seems that Minister Li is also eager to sell his property and cash out.

"Hold on."

Lin Dao returned to the house, opened the door a moment later, and took two bottles of red wine worth nine yuan and ninety cents as gifts before getting into the carriage.

Li Shilang's residence was not far away, just across the street.

Li Shilang's given name was Li Rugeng, and he was from Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for decades, he has developed a keen eye for discernment.

Ever since he learned of the disastrous defeat of the imperial army at Songshan, he knew that the Ming Dynasty was probably doomed.

After retiring from office, he quickly sold off his property and rushed back to his hometown to settle down, so as to observe the future trend.

Lin Dao was very enthusiastic and very satisfied with the red wine he brought as a gift.

The price was agreed upon by both sides in the time it takes to eat a meal.

Li Shilang stated that the remaining people in his residence would leave the next morning.

His children and grandchildren have actually been returning to their hometowns one after another in the past few months.

Only he and a few others remained here, waiting to sell the house.

Moving out so late at night would be really going too far.

The next morning, the clerks of Yingtian Prefecture were already waiting.

After receiving Lin Dao's money, he quickly completed the property transfer procedures.

After Lin Dao paid Li Shilang for the house, this place would become his residence.

Watching the cheerful departing figures of the clerks from Yingtian Prefecture, Lin Daoshen glanced at them once and then looked away.

As I said before, once we take Jinling City, all these people will be purged.

In ancient times, even if every single local official were executed, it would be impossible to find a single one who had been wrongly accused.

The actions of these little devils sometimes caused even more harm to the common people than those of the court officials.

Most of the time, ministers still care about saving face.

But these petty officials were truly willing to sacrifice their dignity for money.

"This house."

"In the modern world, that would be worth a lot of money."

"The area is so big, it's enough to build a small housing development."

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to visit.

Today is the opening day of Jubaolou, and he has to go there to greet the guests.

"You," Lin Dao instructed Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan, "bring the person back and settle them properly."

The two women bowed happily and replied, "Yes, sir!"

That's pretty much the layout of the city.

The focus then shifted to the area outside the city.

Buy some estates, recruit refugees, and train men and horses to adapt to the equipment.

Once the troops are assembled, let's take Jinling City first!

(End of this chapter)