Even if she couldn't win them over, at least she shouldn't make enemies.
She had just taken office, and many matters and complicated relationships were still being negotiated and sorted out.
There were also some unresolved problems from before that kept popping up. If she wasn't careful, she could find herself attacked from all sides.
She didn't have many trustworthy people she could rely on.
Last time, Julie left a strong impression on her when she visited Dashan Village—unexpected but pleasantly surprising.
Talented people often lived quietly in the mountains or countryside.
Although she didn't know how skilled Julie truly was, in times like these, anyone with real ability usually had some pride.
It was understandable. But Julie didn't seem like someone easy to win over.
Forget it… better finish up the current official work first.
Dong Miao, as a scholar who studied hard for many years, had some knowledge and ambition.
But after so many years, he had become somewhat lax and discouraged.
Now with a new identity, his mindset was adjusting quickly. To secure his position, he had to put in real effort.
Julie rode Little Black to Liu Ying's house.
The same craftsman who helped her build her house before.
Julie thought Liu Ying did a good job.
Fast, detailed, honest work, responsible, and affordable.
So she came again.
Knock knock.
Soon, Liu's husband came to open the door.
Seeing it was Julie, he smiled warmly: "Hello, here to see my wife? She's inside, please come in." He had seen this important employer before and hadn't forgotten.
Julie thanked him, led Little Black inside, and tied him in the backyard.
She followed Liu's husband into the main hall.
Liu Ying came out shortly after.
She was quite happy to see Julie.
After all, an employer who was straightforward, paid fairly, and didn't micromanage was rare.
Especially one who didn't nag and interfere.
That made their work smoother and more efficient.
Their job was hard and repetitive—having a picky employer watching all the time only slowed progress.
And after a while, morale and motivation dropped too.
After finishing Julie's house, Liu Ying had rested at home for a while, took on a small job, just completed it, and was now on her second day of rest.
She was a bit worried. Was there something wrong with the house?
But on the surface, she stayed cheerful and smiled: "Julie, what a surprise! Dabaobao, go make some tea. Please sit down. Is there a problem with the house?"
Another well-mannered husband brought over a freshly brewed cup of tea: "Hello, please enjoy."
Then quietly stepped out.
Julie didn't drink. She wasn't thirsty.
She got straight to the point: "No, the house is fine. I just bought a street on the west market to turn into shops. I was very satisfied with the house you built, so I wanted to ask if you'd take this job too."
Liu Ying relaxed hearing there was no issue.
Her brows furrowed slightly. Shops… honestly, she'd never built one.
But she really liked working with Julie, and right now, she had no work.
This line of work was tough and unstable.
But she loved it.
And she didn't have other skills.
She couldn't do heavy labor anymore either—she wasn't young, couldn't compete with the younger workers.
If something happened to her, how would her husbands and children survive?
So even while resting, she was secretly anxious.
After thinking it through, it didn't seem that hard.
If she could build houses, how different could a shop be?
With that thought, she felt confident.
"But to be honest, I've never built a shop. Still, I don't think it should be too difficult. I can ask some friends with experience. Will you be using my workers again or hiring your own?" She had recently taken in a few new workers and had been worrying about getting jobs for them.
Julie didn't like trouble. Liu Ying's workers had done a good job last time and worked hard. They could continue.
"Use your team. When can you start? How long will it take?"
Liu Ying did a rough estimate. Without measuring the space, she could only give a safe guess: "Julie, we haven't measured yet, but I'd say we can finish before the winter solstice. We can start the day after tomorrow at the earliest. Same pay as before, and we'll use blue bricks and flat rooftops." Shops usually had brick walls facing the street.
She glanced at Julie to gauge her reaction.
Remembering Julie rarely showed emotion, she quickly looked away.
Julie nodded.
They discussed a few details. Same as before—no meals provided, workers brought their own food.
Julie mentioned the basic shop design, left a 100-tael silver note on the table, and got up to leave.
Knowing the workers had to buy materials up front, and since she had been happy with the last project, she didn't wait for Liu Ying to ask awkwardly.
She didn't like forcing people into uncomfortable situations.
Liu Ying personally saw Julie off.
Only when Julie rode away and disappeared from sight did she close the door.
She felt grateful—Julie might seem cold on the outside, but she was a kind person.
If Julie hadn't offered the money up front, she would've had to ask eventually. A big project needed investment, and her savings weren't enough.
Luckily, shops didn't need too many blue bricks, but it depended on the size.
Tomorrow, she'd ask some experienced workers for advice, then buy materials and be ready to start work the next morning.
She and Julie had already agreed on the time. The day after tomorrow, around 9 a.m., she'd take the crew to the street.
Julie would also come by, just to check in and address any issues early on.
Julie really was her lucky star.
Julie was riding her horse and stopped by the meat stall. She bought three jin of pork belly, two jin of fatty meat, two pork ribs, three jin of marrow bones, and three jin of lamb ribs. Since she bought a lot, the butcher gave her a pig's tail for free.
It cost 125 wen. Julie paid and thanked the seller before leaving.
She passed the fish market and saw some dace fish, so she bought two jin of those too.
They cost 40 wen.
Julie paid and, thinking there were still plenty of vegetables at home, didn't plan to wander anymore. She rode Little Black and headed home.
By the time Julie returned to the village, it was already close to youshi.
Haven was waiting at the gate for Julie, his eyes glancing around now and then, his eyebrows showing some worry.
When Julie was nearly at the door, she saw Haven looking around anxiously.
Was he waiting for her?
Hearing the sound of hoofbeats getting closer, Haven finally felt relieved.
As soon as Julie got off the horse, he walked up with a perfectly timed smile. "Wife, you're back. You must be tired. Let me take Little Black in for you," he said while reaching for the reins in Julie's hand.
Julie didn't refuse.
Little Black was quite friendly with the men at home—well-behaved and cooperative.
As Haven took the reins, his hand brushed against Julie's. A ripple stirred in his heart.
He quietly thought… her hands were really pretty—fair, slender, and soft.
Julie didn't notice the small moment and went straight inside.
Lorrie had gone to the backyard to play with the rabbits.
Lately, aside from picking eggs from the chicken coop early in the morning, he hadn't bothered much with the chickens.
He'd shifted his focus to the rabbits instead.
He especially liked feeding them vegetable leaves and alfalfa.
That would be fine—rabbits usually eat those things.
But even rabbits get full sometimes.
The way Lorrie fed them, they might burst.
Later, the rabbits would run in all directions when they saw him coming. They didn't dare get close, afraid he'd make them eat again.
The rabbits: "…" For the first time, eating grass felt like a punishment.
The chickens: "…" Finally, he's distracted.
Mr. Leng was cleaning the chicken coop and tidying up the stable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young man "playing" with the rabbits and quickly lowered his head to focus on his work.
He didn't want to get targeted again.
Once, after cleaning the yard, the young man had walked over with a horn comb and said he was bored, asking Mr. Leng to play with him.
Mr. Leng froze—but he had no right to refuse.
He ended up "playing" along.
The result… a handful of hair fell out.
He thought the young man would be good at combing hair.
Turns out… he was only good at styling his own. When it came to other people's hair, it was a disaster—too painful to remember.
Ever since then, whenever Mr. Leng saw the young man, he kept his head down and focused on his work. Even if he finished, he'd find something else to do.
He really didn't want his hair tormented again. It was already thin—after that, it got even thinner.
Bailee was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
He wanted to make more tasty dishes tonight so Julie could eat well.
He figured that with so many people around at lunch, Julie probably didn't eat enough.
So she should have a good meal tonight.
Even though cooking could be dull, just thinking about how Julie liked his food and always ate with satisfaction made it feel worthwhile.
Before, for him, two meals a day just meant not being hungry.
Now, whenever he had time, he loved experimenting with new dishes, hoping Julie would enjoy his cooking and get used to his flavors.
Though… he knew the thought was a little selfish.
Still, he wasn't greedy—he never wanted to monopolize Julie.
He just hoped she would grow used to and love the taste of his cooking, and never get tired of it.