As soon as Qiao Mingjin finished speaking, the middle-aged man gave her a casual salute and said: "I am Xie Zhong, the second housekeeper of the Xie Mansion. I have been ordered by our old master to come here to see Madam Qiao.
"
Qiao Mingjin was stunned.
Mr. Xie Mansion?
It was when she was selling abacus that she got an order of 1,200 taels from the old man of Xie Mansion, which was also the largest sum of money she got from selling abacus. At that time, she refused to admit defeat and competed with the young accountant of Xie Mansion.
I won a fortune of one hundred taels from Mr. Xie.
There was no further contact after that.
Even when I went to deliver the abacus to my house later, I didn't see the old lady Xie. She never said that she lived in Xiahe Village in Songshanji. How did she find her here?
"How did you know I lived here?"
Then Xie Zhong said with some pride: "It's not easy for my old man to find someone."
Qiao Mingjin frowned after hearing this.
"What do you want to see me for?"
"Ms. Qiao, do we have to talk at this gate?"
Qiao Mingjin glanced at him and had no choice but to open the door and invite the three of them in.
She was a woman at home and couldn't invite people into the main room, so she simply opened the door and invited people to sit in the courtyard.
There are no decent chairs, not even a few low stools. Mingheng, Mingqi, and Waner usually sit on wooden pillars to eat.
After entering the courtyard, she chose a wooden pillar and sat down first.
The three people looked at each other and curled their lips at each other. How do they treat guests?
I don’t want to sit down, but I can’t always stand. This is not the Xie Mansion, nor is it in front of the ladies and gentlemen of the Xie Mansion. I am just a country woman, so why don’t I sit?
They each chose a wooden pillar to sit on.
Ming Qi didn't know who they were, so he brought Wan'er and filled three bowls of warm water for each of them in large coarse porcelain bowls.
The three of them glanced into the bowl, and the corners of their mouths twitched together.
Even if those two boys are just coachmen and errands in the house, there is always some crude tea. This, what does this mean?
How can anyone entertain guests with boiled water in a coarse porcelain bowl like this?
If not, some sugar water would be good.
The second housekeeper, Xie Zhong, even in the mansion. Several young masters in the mansion also gave him a certain amount of respect. Outside, even if he wasn't a man of influence, no one would give him such treatment!
It is indeed an uncivilized place in the countryside.
If Qiao Mingjin knew what he was thinking, she would really cry out that he was wronged.
She has always believed that warm water is the most thirst-quenching and healthiest. She drinks seven or eight bowls a day. Her children are also used to drinking it. They all drink boiled water, which is lukewarm or lukewarm.
of boiling water.
When going up the mountain to chop firewood, you always bring warm water or rice soup when cooking. These are both thirst-quenching and healthy drinks.
It's just that this is a guest after all, so it's not easy to serve them with the rice soup used for cooking at home.
It was also her negligence. She no longer counted the coins in her hand, but she still forgot to buy a few teacups.
The people who came to her home were all close friends, and there were no taboos or particularities. She never thought that any wealthy family would come looking for her, so she was not prepared.
There was no tea, and no sugar for water.
Qiao Mingjin watched the butler named Xie Zhong take a sip and then put the porcelain bowl on the ground. Then he watched the other two boys drink more than half of the bowl.
Qiao Mingjin glanced at Butler Xie's face and saw the disdain on his lips. Then she realized that her hospitality was a bit too simple. After all, she came from a big mansion in the city.
However, Mr. Liu didn't say anything when he came out that day. He just drank it happily.
She had no choice but to say to Butler Xie: "Butler Xie is ridiculous. My family is just an ordinary farmer's family in the countryside. We don't have the fine tea leaves at home, not even a tea cup. But it makes Butler Xie and the two brothers feel wronged.
Already."
The two boys said a few words of humility, but thanked the housekeeper without saying anything. They seemed to realize that it was rude for her to treat guests like this.
Butler Xie then looked around the courtyard again with a little disdain. Even the courtyard where the servants lived in his house was much better than this house.
But remembering his old lady's instructions, he said to Qiao Mingjin: "Ms. Qiao, I'm here today on the order of my old lady. My old lady has always liked people who can settle accounts well. Over the years, I have also come here in the house and in various shops.
I have hired a lot of accounting clerks who are good at accounting. My old man hired them from all over the world at a high price. The wages paid are not low."
"You must also know that my grandfather worked as an accountant for others before he became rich, so he especially likes people who are good at setting abacus beads. As long as he is willing to come to my house to work as an accountant, my grandfather will not treat him badly.
.My grandpa thinks Madam Qiao has good calculations and good handwriting, so he cherishes your talents and wants to invite you to be a counting lady in the inner courtyard of my house."
"The house has been arranged for you, and I am willing to give you a monthly salary of twelve taels, which is equivalent to the value of the second accountant in the outer courtyard. We also have several accountants in the inner courtyard of the house, but there is no one.
You get such a high salary. Mrs. Qiao, please clean up and then come with us."
Qiao Mingjin looked at him and babbled a lot, as if he was waiting for her to pack her things and follow him immediately.
Wu Zi laughed.
The smile made Butler Xie Zhong a little confused.
Qiao Mingjin raised her lips and asked, "Oh? You helped me arrange the house? Will you pay me ten taels of silver a month?"
Then Butler Xie said with some pride: "Exactly. This is what our old man said himself. Otherwise, which accounting lady in charge of the inner courtyard's accounts would get ten taels of silver a month? They are all slaves in the mansion.
, there is no separate courtyard yet. We all live in Datongbu. Being able to arrange a separate room for you, Mrs. Qiao, is a sign of our great respect for talents."
Qiao Mingjin listened with a smile and asked again: "That's right. But what should I do with my daughter and sister?"
After hearing this, Butler Xie took a closer look at Ming Qi and Xiao Wan'er.
The look scared Wan'er into Qiao Mingjin's arms. Mingqi also hid behind Qiao Mingjin and stared at him fiercely.
Then Butler Xie said: "You're a pretty girl. Let's start as a third-class girl. You can earn two hundred coins a month. Your daughter is too young, so just keep her at home."
If you go, you have to take care of her. There is no idle person in the house."
"Sister, I don't want to be a girl for others!"
"I don't want to separate from my mother!"
When Xiao Wan'er heard him say that he wanted her mother to separate from her, she pursed her lips and was about to cry.
Qiao Mingjin hugged her in his arms, caressed her back, and comforted her: "Who said Mommy is going to separate from you? Mommy isn't going anywhere. She's just with us Wan'er and my aunt."
"Ms. Qiao, this is not possible. Your daughter is too young and can't do anything. The house does not support idle people! You only have ten taels of silver a month, so just leave her at home and let your family take care of her.
I'm afraid ten taels of silver is enough for you to last more than a year. It's quite a lot."
Qiao Mingjin saw that he was a little anxious and said with a smile: "Who told you that I would comply with your words and join your house as an accountant?"
Butler Xie felt a little uncomfortable and stared at Qiao Mingjin and said, "Ms. Qiao, you are too young? You must know that the big account in the outer courtyard of our house only costs more than ten taels of silver a month. Sometimes the people below make mistakes, and he also
There are also fines, and a lot of money will be deducted every month. Sometimes it’s not even ten taels.”
Qiao Mingjin smiled and said, "It doesn't matter how much others take. Did I say that I would agree to work as an accountant in your house?"
Then the housekeeper was stunned.
He suddenly remembered something and said: "Oh, look at my brain, I forgot to tell Madam Qiao. Our great-grandfather said that if Madam Qiao doesn't want to sign the life contract, she must first sign the five-year living contract. In these five years, Madam Qiao will
If you are not happy, you can leave at any time."
Qiao Mingjin smiled.
Said: "You don't understand. I think my life is very good now. I have food and drink. I don't need to go to the city to work for others. I have my own things to do. And what kind of general accounting room do you have?"
It’s not that I look down on him, the fifteen taels of silver he gets a month may be a lot, but my worth is much more than that, so you can’t compare me with him.”
Then thank the housekeeper for frowning.
Said: "Ms. Qiao, how dare you, a woman from this world, to compete with the big accountant who has been working in our house all your life? You are too ambitious, aren't you? And are you a little greedy? Where can you find these ten taels of silver?
?That is to say, our great-grandfather is eclectic and is willing to hire a female worker with a living contract. Which mansion wants to hire a female accountant? And pay ten taels of silver? What's more, our great-grandfather also ordered a room to be tidied up for you. "
Qiao Mingjin smiled and shook his head and said: "You didn't understand what I said. I will not go into the city to sign a life or death contract with others and enter other people's houses to work for others. I told you that I have food and drink at the moment.
, there is no need to go to the city to earn that money."
Butler Xie stared at Qiao Mingjin like he was looking at a monster.
How could someone not be moved by ten taels of silver and a living contract? Moreover, the old man was kind enough to arrange a room for her to live in.
Even the first-class maids in the mansion are given a room with two persons. Even some of the maids who serve the gentlemen have not yet been assigned an independent room.
Really ignorant.
"Ms. Qiao, if you miss this opportunity, it will be gone. How many people are trying to get in but they don't have this opportunity. This month is ten taels of silver! How much money can you make by selling firewood every day for a month? You don't want it.
You have failed our old lady’s good intentions! Our old lady only came up with this intention because of his true love. If you knew that Mrs. Qiao, you don’t know the heart of a good person..."
Qiao Mingjin didn't expect these people to know her affairs so clearly, even knowing about her firewood sales.
Then he said: "Thank you for me. I accept his kindness. But I don't want to leave this village at the moment. My daughter is still young and there are many things at home. I have no choice but to live up to your kindness."
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
ps: Dear friends, I'm just a nerd. I came back so late last night and worked hard to write a free chapter. Not counting my task yesterday, in addition to the normal update today, I have to add another chapter.
Only then can I be counted as not absent from work. I was so sad. So I escaped early today and came back to code. There will be another chapter later.
