Chapter 2: 2 Taking in Servants

Many things seem difficult, but in reality, it is just a matter of perspective. Once he shifted his mindset, Liu Baiyu discovered that conducting spacetime trade was not difficult at all. The vases and copper censers of this era could all be counted as antiques, exchangeable for tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan. Through the unique trading system of a plane merchant, he could instantly exchange them for tens of thousands of catties of rice, white sugar, salt, and all sorts of wonderful things that Zhang Tianhong could not even imagine.

"I'm rich, I'm rich! I didn't expect the things here at Big Brother's place to look unremarkable yet all count as antiques [Nonsense, aren't they all from the Ming Dynasty? It would be strange if they weren't antiques in modern times]. Especially these useless pieces of 'Great Ming Treasure Notes' that the kind-hearted Zhang Tianhong collected as debt. Although their value in the Ming Dynasty is basically only slightly higher than the paper itself, in modern times, they are true antiques. A stack of these notes can sell for nearly a million; it truly is a business of immense profit. Liu Baiyu didn't believe that anyone would try to snatch these things that no one in the Ming Dynasty wanted from him."

"My dear brother is truly an immortal reincarnated. An immortal's methods are truly..." Zhang Tianhong was also completely shaken. If he had been half-doubting the claim that Liu Baiyu was an immortal's reincarnation just a moment ago, he now had no doubts whatsoever. With a wave of his sworn brother's hand, thousands of catties of high-quality rice appeared—not to mention the white flour.

Take the salt in his own hands, for example: not a hint of bitterness, not a speck of impurity, white as snow—this must be the grade of tribute used in the Imperial Palace! His own family was considered wealthy in the county, yet they had never used such good things, and yet this dear brother produced hundreds of catties in one go, even claiming he had as much as one could want. If this wasn't the method of a deity, what was? This wasn't something one could achieve through mere trickery!

"What is this, dear brother? It looks like fruit or something, packed in glass bottles?" Zhang Tianhong's guess was correct; inside were things like apples and peaches, which he recognized. However, there were some he simply didn't know, or had never even heard of. He was a person of standing in this county and had done business in Jiangnan for several years, considering himself a man of great experience. Having sworn brotherhood with Liu Baiyu, he felt embarrassed to admit he didn't understand and didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his sworn brother.

Fortunately, Liu Baiyu was someone who enjoyed showing off, so he explained everything to Zhang Tianhong until the latter half-understood. However, when Liu Baiyu told him to drink the milk powder to nourish his body, Zhang Tianhong became suspicious. Milk was something the Northern Tartars drank; Zhang Tianhong considered it a barbarian thing, smelling gamey and foul, and had no desire to taste it. He only relented because his sworn brother personally helped him prepare a bowl. He could only take a small sip, but to his surprise, this milk powder was indeed a product of the immortal realm; it was incomparable to the gamey filth of the barbarians. It was merely sweet and fragrant—where was the foul smell?

Zhang Tianhong felt that being able to know this reincarnated immortal was a massive blessing. He called his wife in, explained Liu Baiyu's background, and had his personal servants move the thousands of catties of high-quality rice and white flour provided by his sworn brother into the warehouse. The two of them chatted intimately all night...

Early the next morning, Zhang Tianhong had the servants from the inner quarters come to pay respects to Liu Baiyu as the "Second Master." This display completely stunned the modern-day Liu Baiyu. It was only then that Liu Baiyu realized how much historical dramas lied. It wasn't just servants bowing to their masters; they were supposed to kneel and kowtow! Seeing young men and women around his own age kneeling on the ground, foreheads pressed tightly against the floor, calling him "Second Master" and refusing to rise until he nodded, Liu Baiyu didn't know what to feel.

The servants naturally didn't know what Liu Baiyu was feeling, but they were in quite a good mood themselves. They had heard this Second Master was an immortal reincarnated who had cured the Master's illness. Whether he was an immortal or not, the servants didn't know, but they knew the Second Master was very generous—he had given two wen to every head!

This Second Master looked refined with a face like jade, and he didn't even have his own personal household staff. If one went to serve him, one would essentially be a half-manager, and since he was generous, he instantly became a favorite master in the hearts of the lower-class servants in Zhang Tianhong's manor. Those who thought they were eloquent tried to show off their wit; those who thought they were fit showed off their muscles; and those who thought they were somewhat attractive and could become a high-ranking concubine-maid even cast secret glances and posed coquettishly. This forced Madam Gao, Zhang Tianhong's wife, to constantly cough to remind them, preventing any incidents of throwing themselves at Liu Baiyu and disgracing the family reputation.

Liu Baiyu, however, kept his eyes straight ahead like Liu Xiaohui. It wasn't that Liu Baiyu was a paragon of virtue; as a twenty-four-year-old virgin, his libido was exceptionally strong. Unfortunately, the aesthetic standards of the Ming Dynasty were too far removed from his own—one could guess the true face of a beauty in this era just from the description of Xue Baochai in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, whose face was described as being "like a silver basin"!

As Liu Baiyu looked at the "beauties" who were all quite self-satisfied, his brow furrowed even deeper. He suddenly thought that even the prestigious ladies of this era, like the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, had bound feet, and he suddenly felt immense pressure, nearly on the verge of tears.

Fortunately, after a while, the prominent servants of the inner quarters had all finished their visits, and those dreaming of becoming concubine-maids had mostly dispersed. At this time, a servant in charge of guarding the residence came to see him: a middle-aged couple leading a pair of teenage youths, all coming to kowtow and offer greetings.

"Dear brother, this household of servants, though not born into the estate, are people I rescued from the brink of death while doing business in Jiangnan many years ago. They are all loyal and reliable. They don't have great skills, but they possess loyalty. You might as well take them in to serve as coarse laborers."

Hearing their master speak such words, the family kowtowed repeatedly. Seeing that this family were honest people, Liu Baiyu nodded, which caused the self-satisfied servants to cast looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred toward them, sighing that the foolish truly have foolish luck!

"Rise, rise," Zhang Tianhong instructed. "This sworn brother of mine is like my own biological brother. From now on, he is your master. You must serve him with all your heart. If you are not wholehearted, although my sworn brother is kind-hearted, it is only natural that you be sent back to me. If that happens, you will be destined to be coarse laborers for the rest of your lives, with no hope of rising."

Zhang Tianhong warned them, fearing that his kind second brother and savior might be deceived by the servants below and suffer a loss.

"Yes, we understand! Thank you, Master, and thank you for your grace, Second Master!" These words came from the bottom of their hearts. This family was honest, but they weren't stupid; they naturally knew that Liu Baiyu, as the Second Master, was generous and didn't bring his own staff. To be called "coarse laborers" actually meant being half-managers. They hadn't expected such a coveted position, which even many born-in-the-house servants couldn't secure, to fall to them. They were both shocked and overjoyed. As they spoke, the whole family came forward to kowtow to Liu Baiyu. "We, the lowly ones, greet the Master. We are willing to serve the Master with all our heart and soul."

"This... this..." Liu Baiyu was startled and sat up. Being a modern person, having a whole family suddenly kneel on the ground and respectfully kowtow to recognize him as their master was something anyone would find difficult to adjust to.

"These are their indentures." Zhang Tianhong took several papers from his sleeve. "They are sold absolutely. You may command them as you wish without any worries."

"This is the deed to a residence." Zhang Tianhong then produced another document. "It is just that you have not yet been registered in the local rolls, so it is temporarily inconvenient. If you do not find this humble residence unsuitable, please reside here for the time being."

"This..." Liu Baiyu couldn't help but be stunned. This Big Brother was incredibly generous! His intention to win him over with houses and servants was extremely obvious; such magnanimity showed great sincerity.

However, Liu Baiyu did not think from Zhang Tianhong's perspective. In Zhang Tianhong's view, the goods Liu Baiyu sent were the truly precious items; many things even the current Emperor might not possess. His own return gifts were likely a bit too light. The male servant looked quite aged; Liu Baiyu looked at his graying hair, loose teeth, and grayish skin, estimating him to be at least fifty years old.

Seeing him come forward to stand by and serve, hands hanging down, standing still with a face full of utmost respect, Liu Baiyu felt that this was the first step in whether he could be a qualified leader. He couldn't help but feel nervous, so he forced himself to calm down, took a sip of tea, and after a long silence, finally began to ask questions.