The Lucky Heiress

The existing houses on the estate were not enough for the newly hired workers. Therefore, they first started living in temporary shacks, and later, some of them were assigned to build new houses.

At the same time, Wei Ruo’s five workshops were also constructed.

The five workshops were now completed, but due to the large numbers, the living quarters were still under construction.

Wei Ruo hoped to have everyone moved in before freezing temperatures hit.

As soon as Wei Ruo arrived, Manager Yu took her on a tour of the new buildings: “Madam, in a few days the roof beams will be in place, and by the end of this month, everything will be completed,” he said.

“Hmm, you’ve all done a great job,” Wei Ruo replied.

“It’s all thanks to your kindness, Madam. Everyone knows that you’re building these houses for them to live in, they’re deeply grateful, and they work very hard,” Manager Yu said.

With land so valuable, other landlords would certainly want to keep more farmland or build houses for themselves, but their Madam generously cleared a large area of land to build more houses to improve the living conditions for hired workers and their families.

The quarters that the original workers on the estate lived in were much smaller than this. Usually, several workers would squeeze into one room. How could they ever dream of having a small room to sleep in comfortably?

“I want them to devote themselves fully to their work on the estate, to treat the estate like home, so naturally I should provide them with a place that can shelter them from wind and rain, with food to eat, clothes to wear,” Wei Ruo said. “Otherwise, what right do I have to ask them to take good care of the estate and treat it as their own home?”

“Madam has a kind heart!” Manager Yu exclaimed, impressed.

He’d been a worker here for twenty years before serving as the manager for the last ten years, and this was the first time he’d encountered a landlady with such a mindset.

“Just do as I say, don’t worry about the high expenditure on the estate. As long as the expenses are reasonable and appropriate, and the silver is actually used where it should be, I will not be stingy. Next year, with a higher yield from the land, all this will be paid off,” Wei Ruo said.

Wei Ruo had several businesses stably making profit, so there was no problem with the expenses. After her collaboration with Zuixian Residence started, there would be additional revenue.

Moreover, Wei Ruo’s ambition was not limited to Zuixian Residence. She also planned to penetrate the market for general households, as well as the restaurants in other places. All these were included in her future plans.

“Alright, Madam, rest assured, every expense on the estate will be precisely recorded. I’ll ensure that every bit of money is spent transparently,” Manager Yu promised.

Wei Ruo nodded, agreeing that the accounts should indeed be kept clear.

Then she went to the workshop. Since it was still in its early stages, there might be minor issues. In the following days, Wei Ruo had to pay more attention and supervise the work, making corrections as problems were found.

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Time flew by and soon it was December.

A heavy snow covered the entire Taizhou prefecture.

The entire city was draped in white; thick snow lay on the roofs, on the trees, on the steps.

The freezing cold was even more severe than previous years.

These harsh conditions were particularly tough for the poverty-stricken common folks.

Some families even started selling their daughters. The better off ones sold their daughters to wealthy families to become maids. Regardless of the contracts they signed, at least they could eat to their fill. If they performed well, there was even a chance for a better future.

Those less fortunate weren’t so lucky. They were sold as concubines, bought by human traffickers to be sent northward, or they were forced into prostitution.

Although Wei Ruo hadn’t seen these things with her own eyes, she knew they were really happening.

The houses on Wei Ruo’s estate were all completed before the heavy snows, and everyone had moved in.

There was enough food on the estate too. In addition to the rice stored in the estate’s warehouse, Wei Ruo had also received several carts of sweet potatoes from Xingshan County, along with a large amount of pickled vegetables (pickled radish, salted vegetables, mustard greens, etc.) made from the copious vegetables harvested in Xingshan’s Xiaoyang Mountain after the rice was collected.

These food reserves were enough for more than two hundred people on the estate to make it through the winter.

After witnessing the plight of the poor outside in the bitter cold, many of the refugees harbored a deep sense of gratitude towards Wei Ruo.

If they hadn’t been taken in by Wei Ruo, they would have been either frozen to death or starved by now.

Even the local residents who had been hired were also very grateful, as not every employer treated their workers so well. Given the harshness of this year’s weather, their wages were not decreased. Instead, they were given additional winter clothes.

Coal for heating was distributed to every courtyard in the Military Prefecture, and smokeless coal was used. It was better than ordinary black coal and wouldn’t fill the rooms with black smoke.

Every courtyard also received two new cotton quilts for the year.

All of this was thanks to Wei Mingting’s recent promotion. Not only had he received a reward from his superior, but his salary had also increased, significantly improving life at the Military Prefecture.

Later, Mrs. Yun hired some tailors to make new clothes for the young masters and ladies called for the New Year.

We Ruo had three sets made, while the others, including the eldest son Wei Yichen, only had two sets each.

This was because Wei Ruo had fewer clothes. Now that she was in the Government City, she had to attend some events. As the eldest daughter of the prefecture, it was only natural that she shouldn’t be seen wearing the same two or three outfits all the time.

Mrs. Yun originally wanted to make an extra set for Wei Yichen. As Wei Yichen had just gone to the Anzhou Academy to study and would be meeting more people, he needed to dress more presentably.

But when the tailor took his measurements, Wei Yichen declined. He told Mrs. Yun that he was at the Anzhou Academy to study, not to compete with others. He didn’t need to care about these external things.

Wei Yichen knew that the Military Prefecture wasn’t wealthy. This year, with the food shortage and the unseasonably cold weather, there were more important things to spend money on.

He had enough clothes from previous years so he could save some this year.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingwan was saddened and upset for a while.

But her sorrow and resentment couldn’t change anything. Aside from her two loyal servants, no one in the prefecture knew about her emotions and thoughts.

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On the seventh day of December, the day before La Ba Festival, Wei Ruo and Xiumei cooked several large pots of La Ba porridge and distributed them to the people on the estate.

Though the La Ba Festival was actually the next day, since Wei Ruo had other plans for the festival day, the porridge for the people on the estate was distributed a day earlier.

The La Ba porridge that Wei Ruo and Xiumei made was full of ingredients, and the people on the estate started wolfing down the porridge as soon as they received it.

In addition to the people on the estate, Wei Ruo also packed several barrels and took them back to the city, wrapped securely in cotton cloth.

The portions for the wet nurse and Uncle Xu were a must. Also, there were the shopkeeper and shop assistants at the Four Treasure House, Chen Aqing and another young man from Xu’s braised food shop.

On the Xingshan County estate, Wei Ruo had also sent a letter a few days earlier, instructing the manager there to make and distribute La Ba porridge to everyone on the day of the La Ba Festival..