Chapter 53 – Choosing House Servants (1)
The Old Steward felt a sense of relief wash over him, his wrinkled face finally relaxing as some tension eased.
He had been worried about the Second Young Master, who always kept to himself at home, handling matters for the first time without any prior knowledge, potentially giving chaotic commands.
Messing things up was one thing, but the real fear was provoking the master’s disfavor.
After all, he had watched the boy grow up, and the Old Steward hoped that the bond between Liu Zhi and the “father-son” duo could grow a little closer.
Before heading out, he changed into a more subdued outfit. Meanwhile, Jiang Pengji sat in the carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to sneak a peek outside.
Activating her live-streaming mode, she casually glanced at the screen and saw three thousand viewers idly waiting for today’s stream.
Unfortunately, as a level-one streamer, Jiang Pengji’s livestream could only accommodate up to three thousand viewers. To increase this limit, she had to level up, which required an overwhelming amount of popularity points—something she was saving for later and couldn’t spend now.
Playing with her sandalwood fan, she sat upright in the carriage, and when she looked up, several comments flashed across the live-stream screen.
【Empress of the Mountain Spirit】: I was scared to death; I thought the host would suddenly cut the stream! But here I am, just in time for the show.
【Farmer Spring Water】: Why is the screen here shaking?
【Night of the Hundred Ghosts】: Tsk, obviously the streamer is in a carriage; how can the screen not shake?
【One Meter of Sunshine】: Not everyone gets to sit in an ancient carriage. Ordinary merchants would never have such privilege. The host’s status is not low! If this carriage existed in our time, it’d hardly be less than a few million Maseratis, right?
Although it was a carriage, the interior was quite luxurious, not just equipped with a table but also a dark box containing writing tools and snacks to pass the time. If she got tired of sitting upright, she could lean back and relax, and if she felt sleepy, she could doze off.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point. The highlight was the advanced shock-absorption system inside this carriage.
Before she boarded, she had noticed that this carriage was built differently from those she had seen before; the shock-absorbing system was much more refined.
Then she remembered the butterfly hairpin she’d seen in her stepmother’s room—also equipped with a spring—which suggested that Liu mother must have been involved in creating such things. So, it didn’t seem far-fetched that they’d applied springs in the carriage for a better ride, right?
【I’m Just Comparing】: Wow, the host has reached an entirely new level of chic today! (/ω╲)
On screen, Jiang Pengji wore a light jade green long robe, with intricate cloud patterns embroidered around the collar and cuffs, a piece of sheep fat jade dangling at her waist. The sandalwood fan she held lazily opened and shut, occasionally tapping against her palm.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: Host, are you going to the clan school to study?
【Host V】: Nope, after dealing with a bunch of troublemakers, I’m going to the Tooth Shop to buy some house servants to guard the place.
Buying house servants? Isn’t that basically buying and selling people?
Even if logic told them that this kind of transaction was normal in ancient times, and reading it in novels made it seem acceptable, many viewers felt a strange awkwardness during the livestream. Yet, they couldn’t pinpoint anything inappropriate about Jiang Pengji’s actions.
Liu Lanting’s body really wasn’t cooperative; even though she was in a carriage, maintaining a kneeling position for a long time made her lower back sore. Leaning on the carriage’s framework, she silently thought about the summary she would write for Liu Zhi after selecting the servants.
After a while, the Old Steward’s voice, lowered purposefully, was heard from outside, “Second Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
There were numerous Tooth Shops officially approved by Hejian County, but this one was the closest to Liu Residence and had a good commercial reputation.
Jiang Pengji put away her sandalwood fan and glanced at the plaque hanging above, “Just looking at the façade, you wouldn’t guess this is a Tooth Shop.”
However, once she entered, she found an even more interesting sight; the decorations were more akin to a regular merchant’s home.
She quietly shared with the Old Steward, “It’s not what I expected—I thought it would be messier.”
The Old Steward stood straight with hands at his sides and seriously replied, “Tooth Shops come in different classes. The type you’re referring to is likely among the lowest—specializing in scams, coercive deals, and dealing with unknown origins. The Liu family definitely wouldn’t hire servants from such places.”
More importantly, the Old Steward didn’t dare take Jiang Pengji to such a place.
If they encountered someone with poor judgment who saw them in plain clothing, they might just get taken advantage of.
“True, there’s a clear distinction between licensed and unlicensed businesses, and the levels of quality are always different,” Jiang Pengji agreed with a smile.
Normally, when wealthy families bought servants, they would send a steward to the Tooth Shop to notify them, but for Jiang Pengji to come personally, while it wasn’t unheard of, it mostly happened with families that had fallen on hard times. The Tooth Matron might have thought her ears were playing tricks.
Of course, once she spotted the Old Steward of the Liu family, all those thoughts vanished, and she eagerly approached.
“What brings you here today?”
This Tooth Matron was robust, with a face full of flesh, a bright red flower pinned in her hair, and a piece of shiny jewelry gleaming in the sunlight, exuding an overwhelming aura of wealth.
The Old Steward was tall but had grown thin with age, making him look like a bamboo stick beside the Tooth Matron.
Dismissing the Tooth Matron’s eagerness, he raised an eyebrow, “We’re here on official business, so be careful not to slight our noble guest.”
Being the head steward of the household, he recognized everyone with ties to Liu Residence, including this Tooth Matron.
The smile on the Tooth Matron’s face froze momentarily, only to be replaced by an even brighter one, her gaze subtly shifting toward Jiang Pengji.
Across all of Hejian County, though the place was small and wealthy families were many, the Liu Clan’s second branch wasn’t considered top-tier. Yet everyone knew that the second branch was notably wealthy, owning a famous bamboo paper workshop and several prosperous bookstores, along with other taverns and eateries.
The host’s visit meant this deal would be significant.
Having navigated through the business world for many years, the Tooth Matron had seen all sorts of people.
To have a business reach this level indicated both capability and cunning—her mind quickly devised a plan.
Without delay, she ushered Jiang Pengji and her steward to the guest seat, lowering her posture to kneel respectfully before them, looking both flattering and reverent.
Jiang Pengji flicked open her sandalwood fan and asked the Tooth Matron, “How many boys aged ten and above but under thirty do you have? They all need to be physically healthy, with clean hands and feet, and have a reputable background—no criminal records… because I’m here to buy guarding house servants. If they have good skills, the price can be negotiable.”
Ideally, for guarding the house, grown men would be best, just needing a little training in martial arts.
But if she were to create her own private troop, picking older ones would leave little room for training and molding.
