They Feared Force, Not Virtue

Before long, the people from the slave market delivered the servants Lin Fei had purchased.

The housekeeper was only thirty-five, but her clothes and manner already leaned toward the dignified, sedate style of an elderly woman.

In Nanli City, ordinary people had short life spans. Few lived to the age of seventy.

Anyone in their fifties was considered elderly.

So once someone passed thirty, they were considered middle-aged.

The housekeeper had once worked as a maid in a wealthy household and served as a personal attendant. Later, she had become a housekeeper. She had long since earned enough money to buy her freedom.

She had done her job well, but because she was getting old and had made a small mistake, her master had dismissed her.

The two personal attendants were both lovely and exceptionally beautiful.

Their skin was fair and smooth, and they were a few years older than Peach Blossom. Their every movement was graceful and proper, and they had both worked in wealthy households.

Personal attendants sold off by wealthy families had usually committed serious offenses.

Other personal attendants were trained by the slave market itself. They had never actually worked in a wealthy household, but they could still fetch a good price and cost more than ordinary maids.

The other two serving maids were fairly pretty as well.

If you were spending money, you naturally picked the pretty ones.

Peach Blossom felt a little uncomfortable when she saw that several women had suddenly joined the household.

The two personal attendants especially were prettier than she was, making her feel ashamed of her own appearance.

She secretly felt miserable, thinking that she might never again have the chance to serve Lin Fei.

But as someone born and raised in Nanli City, Peach Blossom knew very well that it was normal for wealthy families to have three wives and four concubines.

So even though she felt a little jealous and resentful, she thought it was only to be expected.

Besides, she had been a poor girl who sold herself to bury her father. Now she had moved into such a fine residence and was living in silks and fine foods. She ought to be content and should not complain about her husband.

Lin Fei took Peach Blossom by the hand and addressed the servants solemnly. "She is the mistress of this residence. From now on, you will all obey her and serve her faithfully. Understood?"

All the servants immediately bowed their heads and bent at the waist, not daring to be careless.

"Understood. Greetings, Madam!"

Peach Blossom was a little overwhelmed and flustered, unsure how to respond.

"Husband... I don't need anyone to serve me..."

Lin Fei understood how Peach Blossom felt. Even he would need time to adjust to this life as a master and get used to being waited on.

"Peach Blossom, they'll take care of all the hard and tiring chores around the house from now on."

"If you feel bored or cooped up, you can go out shopping. Or you can read, write, or embroider. In short, you have to learn how to occupy yourself."

"If you go out shopping, take the guards and servants with you. East City has good law and order, but it isn't completely safe. I'll only feel at ease if someone protects you."

He had once been beaten by three low-level thugs from the Blood Wolf Gang while selling cold drinks at a stall.

Lin Fei had never forgotten the incident. Although Nanli City had laws and regulations, they only restrained ordinary people.

The law could hardly restrain a force like the Blood Wolf Gang.

Over the next two or three days, all five hundred servants Lin Fei needed were delivered to the haunted residence in South City.

Most of the five hundred servants were men. There were fewer than a hundred women.

The women were mainly responsible for cooking, tidying the rooms, and washing the men's clothes.

Aside from cleaning the grounds, the men's main job was to clear land and farm in the hills behind the residence.

To make them easier to manage, Lin Fei divided them into groups of fifty, each with a leader called a steward. He did this in addition to hiring a male housekeeper.

If anything went wrong in a group, Lin Fei would question its steward.

Managing a team of five hundred people all at once would be an enormous challenge.

Although the housekeeper Lin Fei had hired was an experienced old hand, Lin Fei wasn't entirely confident in his abilities.

A male housekeeper and a female housekeeper both had the authority and skills to manage a household, but the male housekeeper held a more important position.

A capable housekeeper had a high standing in a wealthy family. He could even be considered an important member of the Lineage, the master's most trusted subordinate.

That was why housekeepers were rarely dismissed.

Besides, great families all trained their own housekeepers rather than buying them from outside.

The housekeeper Lin Fei had hired was already in his forties. His name was Bai Yansong.

According to Bai Yansong, he had once been the housekeeper of a wealthy merchant and had traveled far and wide with him.

Later, the merchant's business violated the laws of the Dragon Abyss Dynasty, and his assets were confiscated. The servants who had signed lifetime contracts were treated as private property and sold off as well.

Before Lin Fei bought him, Bai Yansong had worked as an accountant at the slave market and had also helped train the servants.

"Old Bai, I'm entrusting you with the management of such a large residence. You can handle it, right?"

Bai Yansong hunched his back and lowered his head, looking very respectful.

"Master, I wouldn't dare boast that I can certainly manage it well, but I will do my utmost and won't let you down."

"I have a few suggestions. I hope you'll consider them."

Lin Fei glanced at Bai Yansong. It was clear he was a shrewd man.

As he professed his loyalty, he hadn't forgotten to demonstrate his abilities.

"Let's hear them."

"Yes, Master."

Bai Yansong remained bent over with his head lowered, not daring to meet Lin Fei's eyes.

"Although most of these servants have signed lifetime contracts and their loyalty goes without saying, they're still human. They're bound to make mistakes."

"When they make mistakes, they must be punished. So we need rules. Without rules, it'll be very difficult to manage them."

"Also, you can't give them too much idle time. Once people have nothing to do, they start entertaining all sorts of thoughts, or even causing trouble."

"Servants are servants—they're lower than other people, and not even as good as livestock. Only when they obey the rules and keep busy can they be good servants."

Lin Fei felt somewhat repelled by Bai Yansong's words.

He couldn't help it. He had grown up learning that everyone was equal, and that people deserved democracy and freedom.

He couldn't help resisting the idea of adapting to Nanli City's belief that "human life is as cheap as grass."

Still, Lin Fei understood that Bai Yansong was right.

These people had little education, knew nothing of etiquette, and had a weak sense of right and wrong. Without strict rules to keep them in check, trouble was bound to arise.

"Fine. Write down all the rules, then explain them to the servants."

Bai Yansong continued, "I also suggest that you buy more guards. Even if I establish rules, I can't enforce them alone. Without anyone to enforce them, I won't be able to command respect."

"These lowly people fear force, not virtue. A beating will make them remember far better than words. We'll also need people to handle errands and purchases, so it's best not to let the servants wander outside and bring trouble back to you."

Only then did Lin Fei realize that he had been thinking too simply.

He had thought of the servants as ordinary workers, when in fact they were much harder to manage than workers.

Kindness wasn't suited to this place.

If not for the advice of an experienced housekeeper like Bai Yansong, Lin Fei wouldn't have thought of these things.

"Fine. I'll make arrangements for the guards."