After moving, Lu Ye and Uncle Ding went to the Hundred Trades Agency again. He wanted to buy a few servants to work as artisans, specifically responsible for inspecting and maintaining the houses, walls, flower beds, and water pavilions in the residence.
In the future, if Guai Bao wanted to live in the capital, she could, and if she wanted to stay in Hongshu Slope, she could too, all according to her wishes.
Lu Ye bought a total of four people: two teenagers, a young man in his twenties, and an older artisan with considerable architectural experience in his thirties. Led by the older artisan, the other three young men could slowly learn some experience in repairing the residence.
These four people cost a total of over 50 taels of silver. After Lu Ye obtained their deeds of sale, Uncle Ding immediately submitted his resignation.
Having served for so many years, being trampled underfoot like an ant, he submitted his resignation with neither servility nor arrogance, this being the most proud moment of his life.
This surprised the shopkeeper Liu of the agency and the other agents who often bullied him. They all hated him to the point of grinding their teeth.
After bringing the four people back to the residence, Lu Ye renamed them. The two teenagers were named Lu Jin and Lu Mu, the young man was named Lu Shui, and the artisan was named Lu Tu, leaving just one person to complete the set of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Lu Ye's naming was deeply influenced by his Guai Bao. This way of naming was catchy and easy to remember.
These four people lived in the side courtyard on the east side. The oldest, Lu Tu, served as the team leader. They were responsible for inspecting, repairing, and constructing everything in the residence.
Lu Ye told them to clean their rooms first and then take a bath, emphasizing that hygiene should be maintained at home from now on.
The group nodded their heads repeatedly.
After all the personnel were arranged properly, Lu Ye took Qing Feng out to purchase all the daily necessities. With so many people, they needed to buy a lot of bedding alone.
Another busy day passed. Lu Ye, under the cover of night when no one was around, entered the granary with Hengheng and released a portion of the grain from his spatial dimension.
After Lu Ye neatly stacked them and recorded the quantities, he left the warehouse.
The fruits could not be stored too early; they could only be released on the morning before the opening and then transported to the fruit shop before daylight.
The grain shop was located on Fushou Street, and the fruit shop was on Changle Street, both not far from Yuhua Lane, making commuting convenient for the four people.
The residents of these two streets were all wealthy and noble, making them the prime locations for high-end shops. It was difficult for ordinary businessmen to establish businesses there, and only someone like Prince Yu could secure two shops at the same time.
In the morning, Lu Ye had Lu Hua and the other three people dress neatly and accompany him to the two shops to meet people and arrange the daily work schedule.
They went to the grain shop on Fushou Street first.
After the addresses of the shops in the capital were confirmed, Prince Yu's people had already expedited the notification to Bai Sheng. Lu Ye, who returned to his spatial dimension daily, naturally knew this long ago.
The five of them stood in front of the grand and luxurious "Yu Sheng Grain Shop," looking up at the four gilded characters on the plaque, and for a moment, they felt a dreamlike sensation.
In the capital, they had a place for themselves!
The shop's facade exuded an air of wealth and power. It was indeed Prince Yu's people; their style of work was very much like Prince Yu's.
"May I ask who you are looking for?" a young servant's head poked out from the main gate.
Lu Ye smiled and said, "We are the collaborators of His Highness Prince Yu. My surname is Lu."
The servant's eyes lit up, and his expression instantly became lively. "Ah, so it's young master Lu, please come in quickly! I am the shop assistant, A Chang."
Prince Yu's side had already strictly instructed that his collaborators must be treated with the utmost respect, and any impolite behavior would result in the loss of their heads.
Lu Ye and his group stepped into the shop.
"Tsk, this shop is so big and beautiful!" Ge Mei couldn't help but whisper in admiration.
Although Lu Hua was also startled by what she saw, as newcomers, they couldn't appear too unworldly, or they would be looked down upon. So, she put her index finger to her lips and gestured for Ge Mei to be quiet.
Ge Mei stuck out her tongue secretly and immediately stopped speaking casually.
"Uncle Wu! A Duan! Our partners are here!" A Chang shouted loudly towards the inner room. This grain shop had been renovated ten days ago, and they were just waiting for the grains to be stocked. Since the opening was the day after tomorrow, and there wasn't a single grain in the shop for so many days, they were anxious.
A moment later, an old and a young man walked out from the inner room. The older one had a round face, kind eyes, and wore a black semi-circular cap, likely Uncle Wu; the younger one was about seventeen or eighteen years old, of medium build, and looked quite spirited, likely A Duan.
A Chang and A Duan's naming style was highly consistent with A Qiu and A Bian. Indeed, they were Prince Yu's people.
Lu Ye produced the waist token given by Prince Yu, and Uncle Wu confirmed their identities were correct.
After mutual introductions, Uncle Wu looked up at Lu Ye and, after hesitating, couldn't help but ask, "Forgive my presumptuousness, but may I ask why young master Lu is wearing a mask?" What if a villain also wore a mask to deceive them?
Lu Ye answered without blushing, "Because I am so handsome that ordinary women, upon seeing my face, tend to fall for me. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I wear a mask."
Upon hearing this, the entire place fell silent for a moment.
A Chang chuckled, while Uncle Wu and A Duan exchanged glances and nodded while stifling their laughter, "Young Master Lu is, uh... very... very... confident."
However, the four people on Lu Hua's side felt that Lu Ye's statement was not an exaggeration at all. Their eldest brother (junior brother, employer) was indeed too captivating; wearing a mask truly saved a lot of trouble.
They remembered that on the way to the capital, Lu Ye sat in the front driving the carriage, and many women they passed were so infatuated with him that they fell into the ditches by the roadside while walking.
There were also several luxurious carriages from brothels that directly called out to Lu Ye, "Pretty boy, stop being a carriage driver, come with your sister, and sister will support you!"
Despite their laughter, Uncle Wu and the other two did not show any disrespect in their demeanor, as Prince Yu had repeatedly instructed them. The shop still relied on them for grains. Regardless of how confident the person appeared on the surface... as long as the necessary tasks were handled well, they had no objections.
After the parties reached an agreement, they could pick up the grains from the residence in Yuhua Lane the next morning. The grain shop should be fully stocked by tomorrow.
Uncle Wu was quite surprised to hear that Lu Ye had bought the grand mansion in Yuhua Lane. He had heard it was a haunted house.
However, since he had already bought it, it was not his place to comment. Moreover, this young master Lu, despite wearing an ugly mask, carried himself with great bearing in his words and actions, so he likely wouldn't believe such superstitious rumors.
The grain shop matters would be handled by Wang Dafa, Lu Hua, along with A Chang and A Duan, and Uncle Wu.
Uncle Wu would be the head shopkeeper, Wang Dafa the second shopkeeper, and Lu Hua would work and manage the accounts.
In front of the grain shop was the storefront, behind it was the warehouse, and behind the warehouse was a large courtyard used for drying grains. There were many rooms in the courtyard where A Chang and A Duan lived and looked after the shop.
With the matters of the grain shop settled, Lu Ye led the others to the fruit shop.
The fruit shop was located on Changle Street and was named "Sweet Orchard." The shop was not as large as the grain shop, but for a fruit shop, it was quite substantial. The interior was decorated with bright cloth and paper, giving it a fresh atmosphere.
The fruit shop was still staffed by three people: the shopkeeper Uncle Cao, and the assistants A Da and A Xiao. However, A Da was very small in stature, and A Xiao was very large, making them unforgettable figures at first glance.
Fruits, unlike grains, required preservation. Therefore, both parties agreed that they would pick up the goods from Yuhua Lane before dawn on the opening day.
The fruit shop would be managed by Qing Feng and Ge Mei, along with Cao, Da, and Xiao.