Chapter 169: Chapter 169: New Plans
Qu Fulan leveraged her past connections at the Pei Mansion and quickly hired two honest maids and a housekeeper.
This housekeeper used to work at the Pei Mansion and was known as Nanny Zhang. Later, she fell ill and naturally couldn’t serve the masters anymore, so she returned home to recuperate. Once she recovered, her position was taken by someone else, leaving her status in the mansion somewhat irrelevant and awkward.
Later, Qu Fulan introduced her to a job, which, although not as favorable as the one at Pei Mansion, at least did not involve being ostracized, so she took it. Now, when asked to manage the household, she agreed without hesitation.
In this manner, it took less than five days from finding a house to moving in and settling down, along with arranging the maids and housekeepers.
This is definitely something not easily achieved without some connections.
Once everything was settled, Qu Fulan started contemplating the plot of land in the backyard, planning to plant some vegetables suitable for the autumn and winter seasons.
Originally, Qu Fulan also wanted to buy two piglets and some chickens and ducks to raise, as this had always been a part of her ideal pastoral life.
Going out to make money and returning home to a warm little family is just perfect.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t her territory, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to raise chickens, ducks, and pigs on someone else’s property. Otherwise, if the landlord found the odors unpleasant, it would be problematic.
So just planting vegetables would suffice.
Qu Fulan tilled the land herself.
After working alone for a while, the occasional relaxation of gardening and clearing her mind was quite a comfortable thing.
The two young maids had their own tasks to do. Although Sister-in-law Chen was responsible for cleaning the residence, she couldn’t handle every aspect alone, especially inside the house where the windows were rarely opened. Now, the two young maids opened the windows for ventilation, cleaning up the house in the process, then organizing clothes, sunning them, and the like.
Mrs. Chen accompanied Qu Fulan in tilling the land, as her family originally did farming, so she worked very swiftly.
"If you start planting now, they will be ready to eat in about a month. Let me know what vegetables you want, and I’ll buy the seeds."
"Just plant some cabbage, radish, celery, scallion, and garlic, those kinds of things."
Just enough for personal consumption, not for sale.
After a bit of activity, she felt a bit fatigued.
Ultimately, this body was too weak, not regularly exercised, combined with overworking her brain, causing some wear and tear, and she should exercise more since this courtyard is large enough for her to jog.
"When Mrs. Chen goes out to buy groceries, buy two fish to make fish head soup."
Fish head soup is good for the brain.
At this time, the land was already tilled, and Mrs. Chen, agreeing with a nod, washed her hands and went out shopping.
This was the duty of a housekeeper; basically, they handle all household matters, which are numerous and complicated.
Of course, Qu Fulan’s salary was high; Mrs. Chen received two taels per month, while a first-class maid at the Pei Mansion only received one tael. However, since Mrs. Chen was a manager, she was given an extra tael, which was entirely reasonable.
That evening, cooking commenced in the new home, as both Sister-in-law Chen and Mrs. Chen were skilled in culinary arts, so they took on the cooking, while the two young maids assisted.
Qu Fulan did not participate; if there was a need to try out new recipes or if she was in a good mood, she might cook, but that was entirely up to her personal inclination.
Currently, there was no need for that, as everyone was responsible for their duties. It was unreasonable for her to cook for her employees.
Human nature cannot withstand testing; otherwise, if people are spoiled without rules, it becomes troublesome.
In modern times, Qu Fulan had seen such examples where wealthy families hired maids to help with house-sitting and treated them like family.
They would eat the same food together, and if they bought clothes, they would also buy a piece for the maid.
Initially, the maid might modestly refuse, but over time, she became bolder. When the employer once forgot to buy something for her, the maid had a long face for a day.
Later, she even wore the employer’s expensive clothes, showed off in front of her friends, wore the employer’s jewelry, and even brought her boyfriend to live at the employer’s house, flexing on social media.
When the employer saw this, she naturally got angry and fired the maid, but the maid even called her stingy.
That employer was a female client whom Qu Fulan often interacted with, the chatty type, and when she complained about this incident, she looked quite aggrieved.
She was lamenting how her good intentions led to such an outcome, and the like.
Through this incident, Qu Fulan saw through human nature.
From then on, she would not let such things happen to her; it was important for everyone to recognize their identity and position, and to adhere to rules, as it was the best way to get along.
During meals, Qu Fulan did not celebrate the move or the reunion by having some lord-and-servant-equal shared meal.
Her meals were brought to her room by the two maids, and she dined alone while everyone else ate separately.
Although Heir Pei had previously eaten with her without distinguishing between master and servant, he was at a different level, and who would dare step out of line?
Now, Qu Fulan adhered to the principle of "I pay, you work," and as for affection, there was no need for deep connections; maintaining appropriate boundaries would suffice.
After dinner, Qu Fulan began drafting a new plan.
Now that she had regained her independence, she needed to start planning her business empire.
After comparing various strategies, she realized the distinction between running a business for herself and doing so for Heir Pei.
When running her own business, lacking sufficient capital, she couldn’t invest everything without worrying about running short; she had to consider cash flow issues.
For example, opening a coffee shop required a certain level of investment; everything from renovations to promotions cost money, and currently, she didn’t have enough funds.
As for the previous plan to cooperate with Heir Pei, this large project like opening a coffee shop definitely required collaboration.
However, collaboration was also a matter of investing shares; she would also need to contribute capital, or else she’d be accused of wanting something for nothing.
The coffee shop would have to wait a few months until she had some profitable small business ventures to amass capital for investing bigger.
As for which business could help her start accumulating wealth first?
After thinking it over, Qu Fulan had a plan in mind.
After dealing with Prince Xiao tomorrow, she would start her venture the day after.
Qu Fulan reviewed everything thoroughly in her mind, confirmed everything was in order, and went to sleep.
She was unaware that the dwelling she occupied was guarded on all four sides.
These were none other than the four great guards.
Each found a hidden spot among the trees to lie down.
This life seemed to be regressing.
Previously, they could still reside in the Lixiang Courtyard, but now they had to dine on the wind and sleep outdoors.
Yet no one complained; after all, they were originally Hidden Guards, meant to remain in the shadows, and they only became Bright Guards for Miss Qu’s protection. Now they simply reverted to their former state.
A peaceful night’s rest followed.
The next day, Qu Fulan rose early.
After washing up and having breakfast, she read for a while, then left with the two maids around the end of the Hour of Si, heading towards Hongfu Building.
Qu Fulan believed that Xiao Shiqing would arrive at the agreed destination on time, so she was in no rush when leaving.
What she didn’t know was that Xiao Shiqing was waiting at Hongfu Building early in the morning.
Not only that, but his mother had also discreetly followed him with others.
After all, he came from her womb, and when her son’s demeanor differed from usual the previous day, she immediately sensed something was amiss and paid closer attention. As expected, she discovered his early morning departure.