Yun Chu carefully examined each of the plots of land that Uncle Chen had selected. Just looking at the drawings, she couldn’t see much difference.

The next morning, she took a carriage to the outskirts of the capital and went to look at each plot of land. These were all barren, inferior-quality lands with very cheap prices. Such a large piece of land cost at most one thousand taels of silver.

She chose a sloping plot with an open view. The place was large, with mountains and water, and the scenery was especially beautiful. A rough outline had already formed in her mind.

“Uncle Chen, handle the land deed as quickly as possible.” Yun Chu said with great satisfaction. “Within ten days at most, I’ll have someone send over the drawings.”

Chen Defu nodded. “Yes, Madam.”

“Duoxi,” Yun Chu called out.

Duoxi bent his waist and trotted forward. “Madam, this humble one is here.”

“Uncle Chen, Duoxi is a clever child. If you need manpower, you can put him to work.” Yun Chu said with a smile. “I’m spreading myself so thin with all these matters at once—I’m troubling Uncle Chen. I’ll try to find a few more people to be Uncle Chen’s right and left hands.”

First there was the ice shop, then the hot spring manor opened for business, followed by having Uncle Chen make connections to build ships, and now building a refuge—Uncle Chen was truly too busy.

“Madam’s words are too kind to this old servant.” Chen Defu said with his head lowered. “For the hot spring manor, there are Tingshuang and Jiu’er. This old servant can’t help much. Shipbuilding has also been put on the agenda—we just need to wait for the ships to be built. Right now, I only have the refuge matter on hand. With Duoxi helping in the future, how could this old servant be working hard?”

Yun Chu kept Chen Defu’s dedication in her heart.

No matter what she gave, Chen Defu wouldn’t accept it. She would repay him through Chen Defu’s children and grandchildren.

On the way back, Yun Chu deliberately lifted the carriage curtain to look at the situation on the streets. Even on the capital’s most bustling streets, she could see quite a few children begging.

The weather was getting colder and colder. If there was no shelter, these children probably wouldn’t survive this winter.

She needed to quickly draw up the design plans, spend a large sum to hire more people to build the houses, and some details could be determined while building…

“Go to the employment agency.”

Yun Chu was really short on people.

The people she currently used were all part of the dowry brought from the Yun family. She also needed to cultivate a few loyal servants of her own.

The carriage arrived at the employment agency. She got out and walked in. Seeing her bearing, the people at the agency knew she was a real customer and brought out the newest batch of people.

Over ten children stood before Yun Chu. The oldest was no more than twenty, the youngest only three or four years old.

Yun Chu had the most maidservants around her, suitable for handling affairs in the inner courtyard. For servant boys who could run errands in the outer courtyard, she only had Duoxi. So she bought eight boys, spending a total of thirty taels of silver, and gained eight more indenture contracts.

“Qiutong, take these seven to the courtyard over there and settle them in first.” She looked at the last, slightly older child. “You come with me to a place.”

She would have someone train those seven first, then send them to assist Uncle Chen.

As for this one…

Earlier at the employment agency, she had noticed that this child was more clever than the others and knew how to present himself well.

She needed smart people to handle affairs.

The carriage arrived at that alley in the west of the city. Yun Chu brought the child and knocked on the door of Xie Shiwei’s residence.

Seeing Yun Chu arrive, Xie Shiwei was very happy and called out loudly, “Mother!”

“Brother Wei, this is a servant boy I bought for you. From now on, he’ll attend to you.” Yun Chu had the person behind her step forward. “You give him a name.”

The boy immediately came forward. “This humble one greets the young master and requests the young master to bestow a name!”

Xie Shiwei was stunned.

Ever since he made a mistake and was sent away by his father, he no longer had anyone attending to him.

Now he lived alone in this courtyard, lighting fires, chopping wood, cooking—which of these didn’t he do himself? He never imagined that Mother would arrange someone for him again.

For a moment, he was filled with mixed emotions.

“What are you standing there in a daze for?” Yun Chu smiled. “Can’t think of a name? Then shall I do it?”

Xie Shiwei immediately nodded. “Then I’ll trouble Mother.”

Yun Chu looked at the uneasy child. “The employment agent said you previously lived hard days that couldn’t see the light. You won’t suffer like that anymore. Let’s call you Ganlai—how about that?”

Ganlai immediately knelt on the ground. “Ganlai thanks Madam for bestowing a name. From now on, I will definitely be loyal to Madam and loyal to Young Master. If I ever betray my master, may heaven strike me with lightning…”

Yun Chu pulled him up. “Go inside and pack up. We’re preparing to leave.”

Xie Shiwei lowered his head. “Am I really going back?”

Yun Chu smiled and had him get in the carriage. The carriage slowly headed toward the Xie residence.

Soon they arrived. Xie Shiwei got down from the carriage and looked at the Xie family’s main gate, feeling very surreal.

Qiutong walked up the steps, opened the main gate, and walked in. Seeing such desolation, Xie Shiwei’s heart suddenly felt bleak. So the Xie family had truly fallen.

“First go see your grandmother.”

Yun Chu brought Xie Shiwei to Yuan Shi’s courtyard.

Yuan Shi was feeding rice paste to Xie Shikang. Xie Shikang struggled even to drink milk, let alone eat rice paste. He cried loudly without swallowing a single bite.

Just as Yuan Shi was getting anxious, she looked up and saw a familiar figure walk in.

It wasn’t that she didn’t recognize her own grandson, but rather that Xie Shiwei’s change was really too great. He was so thin his face had changed shape, his cheekbones protruding as if he had become a different person.

“Grandmother!”

Only when Xie Shiwei spoke did Yuan Shi know she hadn’t recognized the wrong person.

“Brother Wei?” She quickly handed Brother Kang to the old woman beside her and staggered over. “Is it really Brother Wei?”

“From now on, Brother Wei will be called Xie Wei. He’s a child from the Xie family’s clan branch at the old estate in Jizhou.” Yun Chu said. “Tell everyone in the household about this matter to avoid any leaks, or Brother Wei will be arrested by the authorities.”

Last time when the old madam passed away, some busybody reported it to the authorities. The officials filed a case, so Xie Shiwei was officially a fugitive suspect.

Yuan Shi understood the seriousness of this and immediately had the old woman call all the Xie family members over.

When Xie Shi’an arrived, there was no surprise on his face because he had known yesterday that Mother would bring Xie Shiwei back sooner or later.

But he still showed just the right amount of joy. “Shiwei, I thought you… It’s really wonderful that you can come back, wonderful!”

Xie Shiwei looked at his blood brother. He was truly jealous of this older brother and also hated this brother for making him a cripple… But now, they brothers only had each other. No matter how much hatred he had in his heart, he could only suppress it and not dwell on it.

He said, “Yes, I’ve come back. Big Brother and I, together we’ll support our Xie family.”

“Good, truly wonderful!” Yuan Shi wept tears of joy. After all the things that happened to the Xie family, there was finally some happy news. She looked at the two concubines. “From now on, Brother Wei is a child from a collateral branch of the Xie clan. Guard your mouths well. Brother Yun and Sister Xian, remind them more often too. Right now, the Xie family needs everyone to work together with one heart to get out of this predicament. Do you all remember?”

Concubine Jiang immediately nodded.

Tingyu actually minded a bit. Life was already stretched thin, and raising one more person would make it even harder to make ends meet.

But she also knew that Xie Shiwei’s return could help Xie Shi’an to some extent. Paying off the court debt sooner was the right principle.

For the greater good, her Brother Yun would just have to suffer some grievances.

While they were talking, Tingyu noticed a stranger following behind Xie Shiwei and asked suspiciously, “Who is this?”