Lin Wanwan was quite amused, gently stroking the little elephant and said, "It doesn’t pull carts or plow fields, nor can it be killed for meat. Your master gave it to little Qingyu as a pet." Lin Tiezhu suddenly realized, "Oh, I get it! I heard my dad say that the wealthy folks in town love to keep pets! So this is what a pet is!" Little Qingyu had already heard the commotion and was running towards Lin Wanwan, followed by Yun Shang who was shouting for her to slow down and not to fall. "Mommy! Mommy! What’s this?" "Mommy promised a new pet for you. How is it, do you like it?" Breathlessly running over, little Qingyu walked with the little elephant for a while, constantly inspecting it, and finally rushed toward Lin Wanwan, reaching out for a hug: "Mommy, hug me!" Lin Wanwan picked her up, and the little girl eagerly asked in her ear, "Mommy, what’s its name? Why is its nose so long?" Before Lin Wanwan could answer, Lin Tiezhu, who had already gotten the answer, shouted, "Little Qingyu sister, I know! It’s called an elephant! Don’t look at it being smaller than an ox now, but Lin Teacher said it will grow as tall as a house in the future!" Little Qingyu clapped her hands repeatedly, "Wow, really? Wouldn’t I be so majestic riding on it? Mommy, can I ride it?" Lin Wanwan answered while walking, "I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to get familiar with it and then ask if it’s willing to carry you!" Little Qingyu swung her little fist, "It surely will!" Lin Tiezhu also patted his chest to chime in, "If it doesn’t obey, just use a whip! Pets need to listen to their owner! Little Qingyu sister, if you can’t handle it, let me help you! I’ll train it to be obedient." One couldn’t deny that Lin Tiezhu had perfectly inherited the fierce genes from his father Lin Mengjin. He might even exceed him in prowess—at just seven years old, he already had the tendency to use action rather than words. Listening to their childlike chatter, Lin Wanwan chuckled. The little elephant seemed to sense Lin Tiezhu’s unfriendliness and unexpectedly charged forward, using its trunk to push him off the village path, causing everyone around to burst into laughter. Lin Tiezhu jumped up to hit the little elephant but was stopped hurriedly by little Qingyu who defended it. "Brother Tiezhu, you’re not allowed to bully it! You’re the one who spoke ill of it first!" "Oh! It ambushed me! It ambushed me! This thing is too sly!" Lin Tiezhu cried out. A group of people laughed and followed Lin Wanwan toward her home. Sun Chuyao and others trailed at the back, meeting the curious gazes of the Lin Family Manor folks, nearly getting squeezed to the point of having no space to walk. The arrival of so many strangers had piqued everyone’s curiosity. Lin Mengbo, who was anchoring the boat at the dock, shouted, "Hey, stop just watching the show! Come and help carry the goods—there’s a whole boat of stuff! Get some people here!" The boatload of rosewood, cotton, and other such treasures would never be sold off by Lin Wanwan. After the New Year, she planned to make good use of them! The young and strong of Lin Family Manor put aside their own tasks to help Lin Wanwan with the haul. They filled her storage rooms to the brim, even the cellar was bursting. In the end, part of it was stored in the school warehouse. After hauling goods for half a day, everyone worked up a sweat even in the dead of winter. Hua Nong cooked a large pot of lamb noodle soup and invited everyone to eat. Though there wasn’t much lamb, there was plenty of noodles with various condiments, and everyone enjoyed the meal. In the end, the soup was finished completely, saving tonight’s dinner. Once everyone dispersed, Lin Wanwan began to settle in the new household servants. A group of little beggars from Qiong State had crossed the sea to arrive at Mao County, finding it difficult to adapt to the cold weather. Even standing in the hall with burning coals, there were still some who shivered. This group of beggars had never experienced a real winter and naturally could not imagine how cold it could get. If Qiong State’s winter was this cold, they would have frozen to death on the streets. Aside from the cold, they couldn’t understand the local dialect. Looking at the grand and luxurious house adorned with glazed tiles, they were ill at ease, curling the toes hidden within the new socks. Lin Wanwan called the servants together to get acquainted, designating Yun Shang as a first-class maid, Hua Nong as a second-class maid, Sun Chuyao as the male servant supervisor, his six-year-old daughter as a companion for little Qingyu, and his wife as a servant for cleaning the courtyard. Sun Chuyao glanced at Kun Lun, who stood like a black tower next to Lin Wanwan, hesitating, "Madam, about Kun Lun..." From observing all day, he noticed that Kun Lun was deeply trusted by Lin Wanwan—a first confidant for sure. Unexpectedly, Lin Wanwan replied calmly, "He is not a servant; he is my slave." Sun Chuyao hastily bowed, "Master, I am your slave too." Lin Wanwan lightly rebuked, "Stop trying to ingratiate yourself, stand up, don’t kneel so easily. In Great Tang, we do not have this spineless custom. As long as you keep to your duties, you’ll not be short of food and clothing. For now, the household tasks should mainly be shared among you adults. These children should go to school as companions because I do not want my people to be blind to education." Sun Chuyao quickly stood up, hunching with a grin, "Madam really has a kind heart. These little beggars are truly fortunate to serve you." Then he turned and spoke to the group of little beggars in Qiong State dialect, and upon learning they would have food, clothing, and shelter along with access to education, they were overjoyed. Being slaves or not hardly mattered to them—it’s better than being controlled by old beggars. Back in Qiong State, it wasn’t that they weren’t eager to work in rich households; the rich simply didn’t look at them. The gatekeepers of Qiong State’s wealthy estates lived better than their ’Prince’ beggars! The shrewdest among the little beggars quickly knelt before Lin Wanwan, blurting out words of gratitude that she couldn’t understand. Official source is N0veI.Fiɾe.net "Make sure to teach these kids the local dialect soon; if there’s time, teach them the official language too." Once the matters were settled and introductions finished, little Qingyu got up and scampered out to the courtyard. Her mind was already lost to the little elephant; it was the first time she had seen such an animal! Earlier when the turtle from the yard went missing, little Qingyu had been sad for quite some time. Lin Wanwan told her the turtle wanted to find its mother in the sea, soothing her with the promise of a new pet, and she barely let it go. Now, seeing the clumsy little elephant, all of little Qingyu’s unhappiness disappeared.