Chapter 220 – Can Men Give Birth?
Jiang Pengji had no time for useless individuals; she lacked that kind of compassion.
Her subordinates needed to ensure they could create value; otherwise, what was the point of keeping them around?
Therefore, even if she planned to bring these few people back, she needed them to demonstrate their worth and contribute some labor.
Xu Ke calculated in his heart and said, “Everything goes according to the Young Master’s wishes.”
“Are the food and silver insufficient?” Jiang Pengji asked.
She didn’t want to rely too much on Liu Residence; apart from the initial start-up funds, the subsequent expenses were things Jiang Pengji had to figure out herself.
For instance… the money she won from the Fulai Gambling House.
She set aside some for Nong Qin and handed the rest over to Xu Ke for maintaining the troops.
If he told her they were short on funds, she’d probably have to make another trip to the gambling house.
Xu Ke shook his head, “There’s still plenty, but the Young Master’s ambitions aren’t limited to this; it’s only wise to prepare well, lest we find ourselves in a tight spot later.”
How many people were in the troops now?
Even with the untrained bandits included, the number barely exceeded a hundred. The expenses were minimal, and the silver Jiang Pengji provided was more than sufficient. Not to mention the spoils from tonight’s raid, which could easily sustain this hundred-man troop for several years.
However, the Young Master’s ambitions were not confined to that; a mere hundred soldiers wouldn’t suffice, which was quite a headache.
As the treasurer, Xu Ke certainly had to make comprehensive arrangements, trying to stretch every coin.
Jiang Pengji crossed her arms and gave Xu Ke an up-and-down look, saying, “Not bad; you’re starting to look like a treasurer.”
Xu Ke was left speechless, “Young Master, please don’t tease me anymore.”
To be honest, he used to think being a treasurer was an easy job until he met his Young Master.
Whether the job was easy or not completely depended on how tumultuous the superior was.
This time, the raid on the bandit stronghold was quite rewarding. Jiang Pengji left some people to guard the bandits and took them away in batches. As for the cleaned-up finances, they were all sent back. Taking advantage of the cover of darkness, they left early to avoid alerting other bandit groups.
There were simply too many bandits near Hejian County. If their plans were exposed, next time would be much harder.
“Xiaoyu, check on who got injured when we get back. We need to give more compensation to prevent discontent,” Jiang Pengji suddenly said on the way back. “Rewards and punishments must be clear; this way, we won’t stir unrest, and we can nip hidden dangers in the bud.”
Xu Ke nodded, “Don’t worry, Young Master; I will handle it properly.”
After a busy night, the members of the troops took turns to rest.
Another group remained to guard the still-bound bandits to prevent chaos.
The farm was spacious, and there were plenty of empty rooms.
Xu Ke had people prepare two large rooms, turning them into big sleeping quarters, so every captured bandit received a quilt.
To prevent them from causing trouble, they were carefully scattered and placed among the older troops, reassigning teams.
As the number of people increased, daily expenses rose as well. Xu Ke still had a lot of trivial matters to attend to. It wasn’t until noon that he finally wrapped things up.
Having seen the accounting records from Liu Residence, Xu Ke thought it was very clear and straightforward, so he decided to replicate that for his troops.
The accounts were clear and simple, the finances transparent, and very useful.
He calculated the rewards to be distributed and was just silently pondering how many pigs to buy when he heard his aunt’s voice outside.
“Auntie, what brings you here?”
Xu Ke put down his work and got up to open the door.
“Didn’t the Young Master reward some bolts of cloth? I think it’s great, and I want to measure it to make you two spring shirts.”
Xu Ke’s aunt was a very gentle woman but had spent years laboring for others. Her hands were covered in frostbite, and her eyesight had worsened due to hard work. Although sewing was a bit challenging for her, Xu Ke didn’t stop her.
After all, it was an old lady’s good intention; how could the younger generation turn her down?
Furthermore, the farm was rather idle. If she didn’t keep herself busy, she’d get quite bored.
Xu Ke welcomed her in, “Why only make shirts for me? Auntie should take care of herself too.”
“Come on, how old is Auntie? Why bother dressing so well? You’re working for the Young Master, you should look decent,” she disapproved, “You keep wearing the same few outfits; it makes it look like the Young Master treats you poorly…”
Xu Ke awkwardly coughed a couple of times and said, “Auntie, I brought you here to take care of you. Don’t worry about doing hard labor anymore; just make the new clothes that need making, and wear what you should wear. There’s no need to be frugal. Now that the Young Master values me, life will only get better.”
Auntie shot him a sidelong glance, “Who lives like you…”
“No need to worry for me, Auntie. In the future, I’ll buy a few maidservants to assist you; I’ll treat you like an elder.”
“Oh, here you go again with your nonsense! Don’t talk about buying maidservants for Auntie. You, with your current situation, can’t even bring home a maid to continue the family line. Auntie should pray to the ancestors.” She clasped her hands together, leaving Xu Ke both crying and laughing.
“This matter isn’t urgent; when I find someone suitable, I’ll definitely let you know to find a matchmaker.”
Xu Ke’s aunt was an open-minded and optimistic woman. Upon hearing him, she didn’t press him further.
However… some words still needed to be said.
“In our kind of family, we shouldn’t be too picky over girls. If someone suitable comes along, who is kind and caring towards you, then just marry her.”
Xu Ke merely smiled and didn’t give a definite answer.
His mind wasn’t focused there. He needed to finish what he had on hand first so he could stand on solid ground.
Furthermore, with his mother’s mourning period not yet over, it was still too early to discuss marriage.
【System: Host Jiang Pengji’s semi-interactive livestream of the mountains and bandit suppression (1) concludes perfectly. Dear audience, are you satisfied?】
【A. Satisfied; B. Average; C. Unsatisfied】
It was time for summary voting again, and this time the satisfaction rate was only 85.32%.
The result was as expected; after all, not every livestream viewer could accept her slaughtering ways, and she didn’t want to change her plans based on audience preferences. She thought a passing satisfaction rate would be good enough, but unexpectedly, she also received a silver treasure chest.
Hearing the system’s notification message, she directly clicked to draw.
Another card appeared.
She pinched the card between her fingers and flipped it over. On it was a curled-up, chubby baby. When she saw the small print at the bottom, her expression nearly cracked —
【Pregnancy Pill — With the phoenix’s first voice, auspicious signs abound. Once chosen to be by the king’s side, three thousand favors will be showered. Yet flowers without time will wither, bemoaning the passage of beauty, as a fickle heart often changes. If a麟儿 is nearby, you can surely stand atop the harem, watching all flowers compete for beauty.】
【Usage: Consume before intimacy.】
Jiang Pengji snorted, “System, can you be any more useless?”
The system was on the verge of exploding.
“Jiang Pengji! Enough already! I’m a palace struggle system; what do you expect me to give?!”
Jiang Pengji clicked her tongue, accepting the card, “Do you have anything that lets men give birth?”
System: “…”
“As a palace struggle system, you don’t even have the functionality for childbirth; how can you not call yourself useless?!”
System: “…”
Wah! It cried out loud.
