The Lives of the Estate Servants

Wu Zong said, "I've been practicing calligraphy since I was a child, which is how I achieved what I have today. Junior Sister is intelligent, and I imagine she'll improve after practicing for a while. I can then give you some pointers."

"Mmm, okay, okay." Zhao Ruxi nodded vigorously.

She really wanted to ask Wu Zong, whose calligraphy was also quite good, why he wasn't as famous as Xiao Ruotong. But it wasn't a good question to ask the person involved. The best thing to ask would have been the system, but since it was angry, she couldn't bring herself to ask.

I'll ask my master again later.

Wu Zong was also uneasy about letting the people in the village make the plaque. There are many styles of plaques, and artists can't stand their calligraphy being paired with an ugly, vulgar design. The people in the village can't read a single character, so what good designs could they possibly choose? In the end, they might just pick the cheapest one, or even something that's just too flashy and glittering, which is simply unacceptable.

Therefore, he handed the calligraphy to Wu An and instructed him, "Do a good job. There's no rush. If you can't pick it up immediately, it's fine to pick it up tomorrow or the day after."

Zhao Ruxi instructed Ma Sheng, "You go with Wu An." Since it's their own plaque, they should pay for it themselves; there's no reason for their senior brother to pay for it.

"Also, have someone take down the old plaque first. Once the new plaque is finished, hang it up again," she instructed Qian Duoduo.

Qian Duoduo bowed and agreed, feeling a little more at ease.

The girl gave him orders, which meant she was treating him like a farm manager. She probably wouldn't replace him.

After Wu An and Ma Sheng left, the group went out of the courtyard, walked down the slope along the lush road, and after walking a short distance, they saw the servants' house.

These houses were all made of mud walls plastered on bamboo strips, and thatched with straw. They were short and small, completely different from the rural houses Zhao Ruxi had seen on television.

There are about fifty or sixty households here, crammed together to form a village.

A road runs north-south through the middle of the village. Unlike the stone-paved road near the main house, the roads in this village are dirt roads. Even though it's not raining now, you can still see the mud that would have formed when it rained.

The farmhands had probably all gone to the fields; only children were running around in the village. The children were all thin and small, and their clothes were tattered.

Zhao Ruxi had lived in ancient times for so long and had never seen a family living like this.

Even in Little Banyan Village, where people can't afford brick houses, they still build tall and large houses with mud bricks, and the courtyards are very spacious.

Even the poorest families wore patched clothes, but they were still relatively clean and tidy. The children in the village seemed to be living much better lives than these children.

However, she had heard Xu Yongyi say that Little Banyan Village was close to the county town and had fertile land, so most of the villagers owned their own land. Those who didn't own land would do some small business or work in the county town, so their lives were quite good. If you went further into the mountains, some villages were very poor, and many people didn't have enough to eat.

She walked to the door of a house and looked inside. It was too dark inside; she could only see that there were people inside, but she couldn't tell what they were doing.

Seeing that Zhao Ruxi was about to go in, Qian Duoduo hesitated for a moment and quickly said, "Miss, it's too dirty inside. I'm afraid it will soil your clothes and shoes."

"It's alright." Zhao Ruxi waved her hand, bowed, and went inside.

The door was too low. Zhao Ruxi, who was only 1.6 meters tall, could only bend over and stoop to get in, let alone big men like Wu Zong.

There was only one small window made of wooden strips. The room was also low and dimly lit. It took Zhao Ruxi a while to adjust before she could see the people inside clearly.

This was a woman in her sixties, hunchbacked and stooped, sitting in the house, groping to weave a bamboo basket.

She seemed unable to see. Hearing the voice, she turned slightly and asked, "Who is it?"

Because the house was small, after Zhao Ruxi and Wu Zong went in, Qian Duoduo didn't dare to go in anymore, worried that she might touch Zhao Ruxi and offend the host.

He shouted loudly from outside, "Granny Li, it's the new mistress Miss Zhao, and Lord Wu from the Court of Judicial Review!"

Granny Li groped her way down the bamboo basket and prepared to stand up and bow.

"Mother-in-law, please sit down," Zhao Ruxi said hurriedly.

She looked around the house and found two low beds made by stacking planks on mud bricks and covering them with straw. Besides that, there was an earthen stove in the corner with two earthenware pots on the stove, which seemed to be the cooking utensils. She didn't see any iron pots. There were also several large, rough earthenware bowls on the stove.

Besides these, there were two low stools, and nothing else.

They were practically destitute.

The room was too dark and damp, with an indescribable smell. Zhao Ruxi also spotted a small mushroom growing from the corner between the wall and the floor.

Wu Zong seemed stunned by the situation, standing there for a long while before finally saying in a muffled voice, "Let's go, let's get out."

"Wait a minute." Zhao Ruxi looked at the bamboo basket woven by Granny Li. Although it was not exquisite, it was small and delicate.

She asked, "Grandma, what are you weaving this bamboo basket for?"

Granny Li said somewhat nervously, "This old servant... this was made for my little granddaughter to play with."

Zhao Ruxi noticed two more bamboo baskets in the corner, picked them up to examine them, and asked Granny Li, "Could you sell me these three bamboo baskets?"

"Miss, you can have it." Seeing Zhao Ruxi's amiable demeanor, Granny Li was no longer so nervous and grinned, showing off her toothless mouth. "If you like it, I'll make you another one."

Zhao Ruxi didn't say anything, but took out a silver coin from her bosom and stuffed it into Granny Li's hand before following Wu Zong out.

Qingfeng followed behind, carrying a basket.

Once outside, Zhao Ruxi took several deep breaths of fresh air before she felt a little better.

She asked Qian Duoduo, "Are all the houses the same?"

Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "They're about the same."

How many people live in Granny Li?

"Four people," Qian Duoduo said. "Her son died, leaving behind her daughter-in-law, a thirteen-year-old grandson, and a seven-year-old granddaughter. All three of them went to work in the fields."

Zhao Ruxi first instructed Qingfeng, "You don't need to follow me anymore. Go with Ma Sheng to that place and pick some flowers, trees, and wild grasses. I'll put them in the bamboo basket later."

With Wu Zong accompanying her, Qingfeng and Ma Sheng were reassured about her safety and agreed to leave.

Zhao Ruxi then looked at Qian Duoduo: "Let's go to your house and take a look."

As the head of the village, Qian Duoduo probably lived in the best place in the whole village. By comparing his family's situation with that of Granny Li, one can get a sense of the lives of the village servants.

"Yes." Qian Duoduo showed no sign of guilt and led Zhao Ruxi and Wu Zong forward.

After walking for a short while, he pointed to a house and said, "This is my home."

His house also had mud walls. When Zhao Ruxi went inside, she saw that it was about the same as Granny Li in terms of both darkness and dampness. It was just that his house was a little larger.