Chapter 304 People's hearts
Jiangjunshan, the old master of Zhuangzi, was not trying to raise money to start a sea business, but was sent by the emperor to work in the Northland.
The family vaguely felt that there was no hope of returning, so they sold Zhuangzi. The servants of more than a dozen households in the village also stayed.
The original Zhuangtou is naturally there too.
Huo Xi found it difficult to deal with such a personnel structure.
Unlike the Zhuangzi in Tangquan Town, the remaining three households of the Zhuangzi are all a group of worthless labor and use, which was abandoned by the old owner.
As long as I win over people, people are my own. In the future, I will buy a few more houses to fill them in, and then send stewards there, so as not to be afraid that the old ones will be unfaithful.
But in this Zhuangzi, all the people stayed behind. More than a dozen families were twisted into a ball. It is a bit troublesome to manage such a Zhuangzi.
Ji Laozhuang seemed to know what Huo Xi was worried about, and comforted him: "The owner of the village is called Wu Dongsheng, and he is capable. His original master didn't have much property, so he lived on this Zhuangzi. There are dozens of people in the family. Marriage depends on the production of this Zhuangzi. It can be seen that Wu Dongsheng has managed the Zhuangzi well."
Huo Xi nodded while listening.
A Zhuangzi of 352 mu has to support the daily necessities of a large mansion of dozens of people, and there are more than a dozen households of farm servants. It can produce one thousand taels of silver.
Being able to support so many people shows that Zhuangtou is a conscientious, upright man, at least not greedy.
Arriving at Zhuangzi, Zhuangtou Wudong Sheng Wen Xun took a dozen household servants to greet him at the gate of the Zhuangzi.
They secretly looked at Huo Xi's family, and Huo Xi's family also looked at the dozen households of servants. From now on, these people are their servants.
Huo Erhuai and Mrs. Yang passed by Zhuangzi in Tangquan Town once, and this time they faced more than a dozen households, and dozens of Zhuang servants called them masters and wives, and they were able to calm down.
When more than a dozen households saw that the new master was not an official, nor was he a rich man, but rather ordinary, with only a family of servants behind him, no servants or maids, they suddenly had different thoughts.
There is an old saying that "the third-rank official in front of the prime minister's door". For the servants of the Zhuang servant, it is also a servant for others. The higher the status of the master, the straighter the servant's waist will be.
Who doesn't want to find a master who has backers, connections, and connections?
Huo Xi saw everyone's eyes. silent. He and Huo Erhuai raised their legs and walked towards the main courtyard.
Wu Dongsheng was a little surprised when he saw Ji Laozhuang accompanying him, so he hurried over to say hello to him. Huo Xi glanced at him, didn't care, and walked in front.
Ji Laozhuang pulled U Dongsheng to follow behind Huo Xi, facing Wu Dongsheng's question, whispered: "You new master, you are friends with my master."
Udon was stunned.
He doesn't know who the master of Ji Laozhuang is, but he only thinks that his status should be higher than that of the old master.
From the conversations with Ji Laozhuang in the past, it can also be heard that Ji Laozhuang has no awe of his master's official position, but only one thing, his master's status is higher than his old master's.
Now, Ji Laozhuang said that the new master and his master are friends?
Moreover, this Zhuangzi has been in business for more than ten years, and it is the result of his painstaking efforts to become what he is today. It is not reconciled to hand him over to others.
My family sold themselves as servants. It was because they were bullied in their hometown that they found an official to take refuge in. Is this new master a commoner?
Wu Dongsheng remained calm, and led others into the main courtyard.
A dozen households of servants, dozens of people at most, stood in the small courtyard in front of the hall.
Huo Xi took the identity deeds of all the servants and read them to Huo Erhuai and Yang Shi one by one, asking them to identify and compare them.
A group of servants looked at the new master holding their body deeds, a thick stack, and their thoughts flowed.
After Huo Xi finished reading, he said to a group of Zhuang servants with different expressions: "Your master can't take you away, so he sold you to my family together with Zhuangzi. My family is kind. , old and weak, I can't bear to sell you a second time. But if there is a better way out, and those who don't want to stay, just take money to redeem your body deeds, and my family will never stop it."
The whispering sound from below gradually increased.
Huo Xi glanced at Huo Erhuai and Yang Shi, seeing that they hesitated to speak, she shook her head at them.
Yang glanced at the servant below, and pursed her lips. Was it different to work in Zhuangzi in the past? Why didn't you want to stay when you came home? Can I still treat them harshly? The look is not worried.
"Leave the heads of each family, and let the rest go back. After going back and discussing, if you don't want to stay, just take silver to redeem the body."
The small courtyard was gone clean with a clatter. There are only a dozen or so heads of each family and Udon Sheng, the owner of the village.
Huo Xi called them all into the hall for questioning.
With the presence of Jilaozhuang, everyone dared not hide it, and reported the output of the field and Zhuangzi one by one. Huo Xi looked at Jilaozhuang from time to time, and he nodded to Huo Xi from time to time. Huo Xi knew that the data should be correct .
Although the soil quality of Zhuangzi in Jiangjunshan is not as good as that in Tangquan Town, but it is also in the south of the Yangtze River, there is no shortage of water, and the yield per mu is not far behind. Good fields can produce about four stones, and middle fields can produce three stones and five buckets.
Combined with the chickens and ducks raised by Zhuangzi, and other various outputs, Zhuangzi's annual output is quite a lot.
Zhuangzi's more than a dozen households of servants could not finish 350 mu of land, so they rented out a lot of land for villagers in nearby villages to plant.
After listening to Wu Dongsheng's report on Zhuangzi's situation, Huo Xi took a look at Huo Erhuai, and Huo Erhuai said to Wu Dongsheng: "We have a general understanding of Zhuangzi's situation, so let's go down to Wuzhuangtou first, and go back to make statistics. Those who want to stay and who want to leave should report early so that my family can arrange manpower, and the autumn harvest will be soon, so it won’t delay the work in the field.”
"Yes. The younger ones will go to statistics."
After Wu Dongsheng retired, Ji Laozhuang said: "The output of the Zhuangzi that the owner of Wudong said just now is roughly the same as our Zhuangzi. He is capable, and he has managed the Zhuangzi well these years. His original master I trust him very much, and he has a lot of prestige among the servants. I also know the dozens of servants. Most of them regard this as their home, and there is nowhere to go. The whole family has to spend their money , and it’s not easy.”
Huo Erhuai sighed: "I think there are a few that don't want to stay. Let them go. We don't treat those who want to stay, and my family doesn't force those who don't want to stay."
"That's exactly what I said. Twisted melons are not sweet." Ji Laozhuang said.
Ms. Yang kept silent, so Huo Xi asked her: "Mother, which Zhuangzi do you want to stay in? Then I will have the main courtyard repaired, and you will live in the Zhuangzi to have a baby."
Sorry, it's even later. Basho suffered from heat stroke and lay down for a whole day, sitting at the table, the world was spinning. Lying on the pillow, I want to change my posture, the world is also turning, and my hands are shaking. I want to use a leave note, but I don't know how to use it. There are only two updates in these two days~
(end of this chapter)