Chapter 2795

Chapter 2795: Everyone’s Duties

While guarding, a man in the center knelt down and said, "Young Master, could you please buy my parents too? They came here because of me."

Yun Xi glanced at the man, then looked at the human trafficker. "Do these five still have family members here?"

"Xu Li has parents, Zhang Yang has a seven-year-old younger brother. The others have none," the trafficker replied.

"Bring Xu Li’s parents and Zhang Yang’s brother over," Yun Xi ordered.

The trafficker agreed and went to call them. Except for Xu Li, Zhang Yang’s eyes were full of surprise. He wasn’t good with words and didn’t know how to ask, so he was surprised Yun Xi spoke first.

Yun Xi added, "Besides that, bring up some capable older women. I want to see them."

"Okay." The trafficker immediately went to call some older women.

Seven older women were brought up. Yun Xi dismissed those with shifty eyes and bad character, leaving three. She asked them, "Tell me, what are you good at?"

The first woman said, "I am good at kitchen work. My previous master’s household had me in charge of the small kitchen, so I am skilled at making medicinal meals."

The second woman said, "I used to do heavy labor. I can do anything requiring strength. My late husband liked martial arts, so I know a little. I am quite strong."

The third woman said, "I am good at needlework and also know some etiquette."

Each of the three women had different skills. Yun Xi thought for a moment, then told the trafficker, "Keep these three."

"Okay, okay." The trafficker didn’t expect Yun Xi to buy so many people.

Soon, Xu Li’s parents and Zhang Yang’s brother were called over.

After questioning them briefly, Yun Xi said, "Buy Xu Li’s parents and Zhang Yang’s brother too."

Originally, she only planned to buy seven people, but now she had bought eleven. It exceeded her original plan, but Yun Xi felt they were all worth buying.

As soon as they arrived home, she assigned their work. "Zhang Yang and Zhang Gu will follow my younger brother, Guang Ge. Zhang Gu is about the same age as Guang Ge, so having a peer is good. Zhang Yang has good martial arts skills and can protect Guang Ge daily. So, Zhang Gu will be Guang Ge’s servant, and Zhang Yang will be her guard. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Young Master. We understand." Zhang Yang and Zhang Gu immediately stood behind Yun Xu.

"Uncle Xu was a steward for a wealthy family before. Although our family is small now, we still need a steward. Uncle Xu, you will be the steward. Aunt Xu and Granny Zhang will handle the kitchen. Aunt Xu will be responsible for everyone’s meals, and Granny Zhang will specifically care for my mother’s and my two sisters’ health."

"Yes." Uncle Xu, Aunt Xu, and Granny Zhang all agreed and stood aside.

"Xu Li will follow my father. Wherever he goes, you go. You will be my father’s guard," Yun Xi continued.

"Yes, Young Master." Xu Li stood behind Yun Jian.

"Granny Ma is strong. From now on, you will handle the cleaning and sweeping. The house is not very big, and we can’t add more people, so you will have to work hard," Yun Xi said to Granny Ma.

"Rest assured, Young Master. I am strong. I can handle the cleaning without any problem." Granny Ma patted her chest eagerly.

"Granny Chen will assist my mother in caring for my two sisters. Also, when you have free time, teach my mother and my sisters etiquette. That is your job."

"I obey. Please rest assured, Young Master." Granny Chen bowed and stood behind Mrs. Yu.

"As for Guo Re, Yang Xue’en, and Chen Tong, Guo Re and Chen Tong will be responsible for guarding the house. If someone goes out, you watch over them. The safety of the home is in your hands. Yang Xue’en will follow me. I am about to leave for travel and need a bodyguard. Among the five of you, your martial arts skills are the best, so you will follow me."

Yun Xi then said, "The five of you will form a guard team. Choose a leader among yourselves. He will be in charge of the five of you. Similarly, Granny Zhang, Granny Chen, Granny Ma, and Xu Shen, you also choose a leader."

"We will have Brother Yang in charge. We have been getting along with him for a while. His martial arts are high, and he is educated. He is better than us, and we admire him," Chen Tong said as a representative. The other three nodded in agreement.

Yun Xi nodded slightly. "Good. From now on, the five of you will be under Brother Yang’s command."

Yun Xi turned her gaze to Granny Zhang and the others. After discussing, Granny Zhang said, "We four will let Sister Chen be in charge. She was a nanny from a prince’s mansion. She is detailed in all aspects, so she can be in charge."

"Good. Then Granny Zhang, Granny Ma, and Aunt Xu, you will listen to Granny Chen from now on. Granny Chen, you will be in charge of the inner quarters. Mother, I leave them to you," Yun Xi said.

"Good." Mrs. Yu naturally had no objections. Her son was arranging everything to ensure everyone was at ease before she left.

"From now on, Uncle Xu will be responsible for the front courtyard and outer affairs, including teaching Zhang Gu. I will trouble you with that," Yun Xi said gently.

"Please rest assured, Young Master. I am honored by your trust. I will do my best as steward," Uncle Xu said hurriedly.

"Very well. Now everyone’s duties are clear. The guard team has five members, with Yang Xue’en as the leader. He will also follow me to ensure my safety. Xu Li will follow my father to ensure his safety. Zhang Yang will follow my younger brother, Yun Xu, to ensure his safety. Guo Re and Chen Tong will be the household guards, responsible for the home’s safety. Uncle Xu will handle all outer courtyard affairs, including Zhang Gu’s education. The inner quarters will be managed by Granny Chen, assisted by Granny Zhang, Granny Ma, and Aunt Xu. Does anyone have any objections?"

Yun Xi reviewed everything again to ensure everyone understood their roles.

"We (servants) have no objections. We understand," everyone said.

"Good. Understanding is what matters," Yun Xi said calmly. "Our family is simple, with no dirty politics. Here, you will have food and shelter. However, I tolerate no betrayal. You have likely heard rumors about me in Mengyang County. I am on the path of the imperial examinations. Even if I go elsewhere in the future, I will take you with me. I only hope you remain loyal to the Yun family. Otherwise, since I can buy you, I can also dismiss you tomorrow."

"We will listen to Young Master," everyone said.

Yun Jian coughed lightly. "From now on, call me Master. Call my sons First Young Master and Second Young Master. Call my daughters Eldest Miss and Second Miss. Our Yun family’s third branch has divided, so the title 'Young Master' is no longer used."

"Yes. We (servants) greet Master, Mistress, First Young Master, Second Young Master, Eldest Miss, and Second Miss." Everyone bowed together again.

Because Yun Xi had bought servants, she felt more at ease about the household.

Yun Jian and the others saw that Yun Xi chose Yang Xue’en as her guard for traveling, so they had even fewer objections. Yang Xue’en’s martial arts were reportedly the best, so Yun Jian felt reassured.

Especially since Yun Xi herself was already a person with blue scholarly aura, Yun Jian was even less worried.

Seeing that the household arrangements were nearly complete, Yun Xi planned to go to the county school to bid farewell to the fathers and sons there.

Arriving at the county school, she saw it was particularly busy and was slightly surprised.

"Yun Xi, you’re here," Master Shao greeted her.

Yun Xi greeted her back. "Hello, Master Shao." Then she asked, "It seems there are many more students in the county school. Did you recruit many this year?"

"Some were recruited, and some came temporarily through connections," Master Shao smiled. "Isn’t it because you six became successful? Now our Mengyang County School is famous."

She then asked, "Did you come to the county school because you are planning to travel?"

"Yes," Yun Xi nodded. "Some knowledge is only in books. I feel some things need to be explored personally, so I plan to go out and walk around."

"How long do you plan to go?" Master Shao asked.

Yun Xi said, "Currently, I plan to go for one to two years. I will return in the last year to review my lessons and prepare for the provincial examination in three years."

Master Shao nodded slightly, then asked, "Do you have a destination?"

"I plan to look around nearby first. I want to visit Yunyang and Shanyang counties, especially Shanyang County. I heard it was very poor before, but now the magistrate has helped them escape poverty. I want to see how they did it," Yun Xi said seriously. "Unfortunately, there isn’t enough time. In the future, I hope to visit Haizhou. I heard there is a sea there, and I haven’t seen it yet."

Master Shao looked at Yun Xi’s radiant expression and nodded slightly. "It’s good to go out and walk around. Since you are going to Shanyang County, why not deliver a letter for me? I have a friend who is a teacher in the scholar class at the Shanyang County School. Please deliver a letter to him."

"Okay." Yun Xi naturally had no objections. It was just delivering a letter.

Master Shao handed the letter to Yun Xi. She stored it safely and then went to see her other classmates.

Basically, after passing the examination to become a scholar, most people would not return to the county school. They would either travel on their own or go to the prefecture school to study. However, those who went to the prefecture school were mostly scholars, while Confucian disciples usually chose to travel. This was mainly due to self-protection issues when traveling. Those with stronger self-protection abilities could naturally go further.

After bidding farewell to everyone at the county school, Yun Xi returned home to prepare her luggage.

"First Young Master, a man named Li Gang is requesting an audience," Uncle Xu said, having Zhang Gu come to inform her.

"Li Gang?" Yun Xi nodded slightly. "I will go out now."