These aristocratic families accumulate wealth over generations. As beneficiaries of the system, their fortunes are naturally astonishing.
However, their family trees are enormous, with many individuals marrying multiple wives and concubines, producing over ten children each.
With more offspring, they need to buy more servants, and every family member spends lavishly. With so many mouths to feed, their expenses are also incredibly high.
If they don't manage well, relying solely on the output of their family farmlands might still leave them struggling financially.
For instance, the Xue family Marquis's residence, also an aristocratic family for centuries, has no less property than the Ye family.
However, the Xue family's population is several times larger than the Ye family's. When the family assets are divided and re-divided, not much ends up in each household's hands.
Someone like Marquis Xue, who inherited the majority of the Xue family's assets, still has seven or eight paternal half-brothers. These brothers are considered collateral branches of the Xue family and are unwilling to separate, still relying on the Xue family Marquis's residence for their food, clothing, and daily expenses.
Every year, the majority of the Xue residence's income must be used to support these collateral branches, leaving much less for the main household.
And a portion of that money must also be given to Xue Fenglin, The Shizi.
Xue Fenglin has so much dowry from the Ye family that he doesn't need to contribute any to the public funds. Yet, the monthly allowance he receives from the public funds is more than his younger brother, Xue Fengli.
Precisely because of this, Lady Bai has always been envious and resentful of Xue Fenglin, still coveting Lady Ye's dowry, wishing she could seize those properties from Xue Fenglin!
It was also fortunate that Great Jin had a law stating that a woman's dowry could only be inherited by her own biological children. And the Ye family also kept a close watch, not giving Lady Bai any opportunity to act, which helped Xue Fenglin retain these properties.
If Xue Fenglin had died in Yunshui Village last time, Lady Ye's dowry would, by law, have belonged to the Xue family, and Lady Bai could have openly transferred those properties to her son's name.
Jin Shiyue kept badgering Shen Xuan to attend the Prince Jinning's manor's Spring Welcoming Banquet after the New Year. Shen Xuan, unable to resist his persistence, had no choice but to agree.
After treating Jin Shiyue to a meal, he saw him off. Watching the prince's carriage depart, Shen Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.
Although Xianzhu Jinning's character was naive, his heart wasn't bad. And Princess Consort Jinning was very courteous to him. Hearing that Shen Xuan had kept Jin Shiyue for a meal, she sent many gifts.
Among them was an imperial goose-down quilt, very light and warm, not something that could be bought just anywhere.
These were favors from Prince Jinning's manor. Shen Xuan had accepted their kindness and naturally couldn't not reciprocate. Furthermore, the Xue residence and the Ye family also needed to maintain proper public relations.
Thus, even though Shen Xuan was alone in the capital, he still needed to prepare return gifts for after the New Year.
Shen Xuan wasn't ignorant of these exchanges between prominent families in the capital. He just found them bothersome and hadn't bothered with them before. However, now that he had decided to stay by Xue Fenglin's side, he had to do what was necessary.
So, Shen Xuan called Suyue and instructed him on several items to procure for the festive gifts.
Suyue was very surprised that Shen Xuan, a ger from the countryside, was so proficient in these social affairs.
Ever since he returned from the Ye family banquet last time and saw how well The Shizi treated Shen Xuan, he had formed a different opinion and became even more respectful towards Shen Xuan.
Now that Shen Xuan asked him to procure festive gifts, Suyue naturally followed Shen Xuan's requests.
He had previously served Ye Mi, and because he was literate, he had some experience with these gift exchanges. So he shared some of the Ye family's past gift-giving experiences with Shen Xuan.
After listening to Suyue, Shen Xuan pondered for a moment before looking at him and saying, "You've done well, and you're very useful to me. I will certainly consider your suggestions."
He then adjusted a few of the prepared festive gifts and took out a two-taels silver, handing it to Suyue in front of Suyan, saying, "This is your reward for doing your work well."
Suyue joyfully accepted the silver taels, thanking Shen Xuan.
When he returned to his room, he heard Suyan say somewhat sourly, "Now that you've been with Shen Ger for a few months, you're more loyal to him than to the Ye family."
Suyue looked at Suyan, put away the silver, and then said, "I just offered some useful advice. How does that make me disloyal to the Ye family? Besides, the Ye family doesn't have any gers who need our service right now, which is why they sent us to Shen Ger. Shen Ger is generous and gives good rewards, so we naturally have to listen to him."
"If Shen Ger marries The Shizi in the future, our deeds will probably be directly transferred to The Shizi's hands."
"Do you really think The Shizi will marry Shen Ger?" Suyan asked upon hearing this.
Suyue then said, "How would I know? But there's a marriage engagement, and Shen Ger likes The Shizi, and I also see that The Shizi treats Shen Ger very well."
After hearing Suyue's words, Suyan looked thoughtful. He hadn't gone to the Double Ninth Festival banquet and hadn't personally witnessed everything that happened at the Ye family banquet.
But ever since Suyue returned from going there, his whole attitude had changed.
Suyan wasn't a fool. Although Suyue didn't say it, he naturally knew that this matter must be related to The Shizi's attitude.
Combining this with Suyue's current obedient demeanor towards Shen Xuan, Suyan secretly made a decision from that day forward, and his attitude towards Shen Xuan also changed even further.
***
Time flew by, and in a few days, the New Year arrived.
The New Year is a major event. This was Shen Xuan's first New Year since transmigrating to Great Jin, and even if his household was quiet, he had to celebrate it properly.
Suyan had already prepared the New Year's goods and food, totaling over one hundred taels.
This year, due to severe disaster in the northwest, various prices were much higher than in previous years, and Xiyuan Xianwei's costs had increased significantly.
Fortunately, Shen Xuan had stockpiled many spices before, so now only the ingredient costs had risen, and there was still profit. If ingredient prices rose again after the New Year, he would have to reluctantly increase prices for Xiyuan Xianwei.
Many outsiders in the capital had already returned home, and even bustling places like Zhijin Street had become much quieter.
By the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the butcher shops had already closed and would not reopen until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Shen Xuan took advantage of the cold weather to prepare two days' worth of ingredients in advance, storing them in the courtyard.
However, by the twenty-seventh day, all the stocked ingredients were sold out. He then officially gave holidays to both Xiyuan Xianwei and Xuanzi Fang, allowing his employees, who had been busy for over two months, to rest for a few days.
Most shops in the capital had already closed, with only a few individual shops, opera houses, and pleasure houses remaining open.
On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shen Xuan gathered the servants from both sides at the back courtyard of Xuanzi Fang to have a New Year's meal together, giving them an early celebration.
The New Year's meal was set for noon. Shen Xuan asked those who could cook among his staff to each prepare two dishes.
Fried chicken and red oil skewers were naturally indispensable. In addition, Qingkang and Qingping made Mapo Tofu and stir-fried meat with green vegetables. The four Wen employees all knew how to cook, and each made a home-cooked dish they were good at.
Shen Xuan also personally showed off his skills, making steamed pork ribs with glutinous rice flour and a lamb soup for them to eat.
Pork ribs and lamb were expensive dishes, and these employees would never have bought them to eat themselves on ordinary days.
Now for the New Year, Shen Xuan was generous, allowing them to truly feast.
His cooking tasted excellent, making everyone eagerly compete for food, their mouths glistening with oil.
After the New Year's meal, Jinzhi and Jin Gui brought out a steaming basin of dumplings. Wenzhu's favorite food was dumplings, and he quickly scooped a few into his bowl.
He took a bite and yelped, spitting out something flat from his mouth.
Upon closer inspection, he found it was a piece of silver.
"Oh? There's silver in the dumpling!" Wenzhu immediately said, delighted.
Hearing him, everyone rushed to eat dumplings. Soon enough, several more people found pieces of broken silver in their dumplings.
'Being a servant where the master personally cooks for you, provides food and drink, and even gives you money for the New Year? Where else could you find such good fortune?'
Those who found the silver pieces jumped three feet high with joy, repeatedly thanking Shen Xuan.
The New Year's meal was lively and bustling, with everyone's faces flushed.
Shen Xuan then waved his hand again, having Jinzhi and Jin Gui bring out some New Year goods. He then told them, "Both shops will be closed until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. During this holiday period, I won't be coming over, and you'll be responsible for your own food, clothing, and expenses."
"Before, everyone was busy working and didn't have time to go out and buy New Year goods, so it's definitely too late to buy anything now. But you don't need to worry. I've already prepared the New Year goods for you."
After saying that, he had Jinzhi and Jingui distribute food, fabric, soap, and other daily necessities. Each person received a large bag, enough not just for the fifteen-plus days of New Year, but even for a month.
In addition to these, Shen Xuan also prepared a red envelope for each of them. This was the promised reward money. Lately, because he was busy every day, Shen Xuan hadn't distributed it, instead keeping a record to give it all out together during the New Year.
Upon receiving their red envelopes, they opened them to find a small five taels silver note inside.
They worked at the shop, with food and lodging provided. Their monthly wages were also one hundred wen, which was already on par with servants in wealthy households.
They never expected to receive such a large reward at the end of the year!
"This is the first time I've received a five taels silver reward!" Shengfu said, greatly excited.
He used to serve a rich young master closely, and the most he ever received was one or two hundred wen as a reward. He never dreamed he would have a day where he received five taels of silver.
One should know that while shop assistants in the capital could earn one or two taels of silver a month, they were different from those born as commoners. They were servants whose deeds had been bought out.
Moreover, those shop assistants didn't live in the shop, and their food and living expenses were their own responsibility. Compared to them, Shen Xuan's employees actually received much more.
"Me too..." Shencai actually cried, wiping his tears before saying, "I don't know where my parents and younger siblings were sold to, or if they'll meet as good a master as Shen Ger."
e
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room suddenly fell silent.
Several of these servants had been sold, and their parents and families were not with them. As the New Year approached, they naturally missed their loved ones very much.
Although Shen Xuan had bought out their deeds to protect his secret recipes, he had, after all, lived in the modern world. Compared to being treated like slaves, he actually regarded them more as ordinary employees.
Precisely because of this, Shen Xuan treated them well on a daily basis, and during holidays, he gave them New Year goods and rewards, allowing them to have a good break and rest for a few days.
Fortunately, the servants he chose were all grateful. They knew Shen Xuan treated them well and worked extra hard.
Seeing them all a bit melancholic, a trace of homesickness stirred in Shen Xuan's heart too.
He had transmigrated to the modern world and lived there for over twenty years. His parents and elder brothers had treated him extremely well. Now that he had transmigrated back, he still couldn't forget them.
He took Jinzhi and Jingui home, and the carriage ride was silent.
Upon arriving at the Shen residence, he called Suyue, Suyan, the cook, the coachman, and the other servants to him and said, "You are all born into the Ye family and the Xue residence. Now that the New Year is here, I'm sure you miss your families very much. I will make the decision to give you all a holiday. You can return to the Shen residence after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."
All the servants hadn't been home for several months and were naturally very happy upon hearing this, thanking Shen Xuan one by one.
Shen Xuan had Jinzhi and Jingui give each of them a red envelope, which also contained a five taels silver note.
After everyone had taken their red envelopes and left, looking at the empty courtyard, Shen Xuan suddenly felt that the Shen residence, with its mere three courtyards, was exceptionally desolate.
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