Chapter 385 - Chapter 385: Chapter 377 Yan Family Crisis_1 (2/2)

In times of danger, they would often be the ones to shield their masters with their own bodies.

In terms of feelings, masters easily develop deep affection for their maidservants and treat them like half relatives.

However, it is difficult for maids to receive too much care from their masters.

As long as they lose their value, maids could be sold again or driven out of the household.

Moreover, maids are servants who have lost most of their personal freedom and are also known as lowly registered.

Their sell-yourself contracts or indenture documents are held by their masters.

Therefore, they have no way to leave their masters.

Many maidservants have their freedom and could leave whenever they want to. However, they are very loyal to their masters and generally wouldn’t easily betray them.

Even when the masters go bankrupt and their family fortune declines, they still remain loyal and do not abandon them.

Some excellent maidservants may even try to earn money for their masters and help them make a comeback.

As for the maids, since they were bought, whether they are loyal depends entirely on their conscience.

Because they serve their masters daily and do house chores, it is inevitable that they make mistakes, which can easily lead to scolding and punishment. This can make them harbor resentment, but they dare not rebel and can only silently endure.

Over time, this resentment could accumulate and deepen.

When the master encounters misfortune, they are likely to clap their hands in glee, perhaps even wishing for the master’s death.

In this regard, most masters always guard against maids.

Discovering any disloyal behavior, they often impose extremely harsh punishments to serve as a warning to others.

Even if some masters are gentle in nature and lenient and kind, never berating their maids, it is impossible for their family members to be as gentle as them. This invariably means that maids find it difficult to be truly loyal to a master’s house.

What they want, presumably, is to save enough money so that when they get old, they can find a place to retire.

“Young Master Yan, how has the old Master Yan’s health been lately?”

Qin Niu thought to himself, could it be that Yan Ruohai’s health has encountered problems?

After all, no one can avoid aging, sickness, and death with advancing years.

“Thanks to your blessings, my father is healthy.”

Young Master Yan picked up the teacup, used the lid to push aside the leaves, smelled it, then took a light sip.

Young masters and misses of these large families have all learned the rules of etiquette.

They have particular standards for their clothing, food, and living expenses.

“We’ve come to seek Master Qin this time because we have a favor to ask.”

Steward Yan Qi saw that Young Master Yan had a thin face and couldn’t speak up, so he had to speak out on his behalf.

“The Yan Family and I have always had good relations. If there is a difficulty you’re facing that I can help with, I will definitely do my utmost. May I know what the matter is?”

Qin Niu asked.

“Our Yan Family’s Mulberry Garden has suffered a pest disaster, causing most of the silkworms we were raising to starve to death. As a result, we cannot deliver the silk on time to our buyers. After an initial estimate, we will need to pay at least Four Thousand Silver Money in damages and deposits.

If it had been in previous years, our Yan Family could have purchased silk elsewhere to fill this deficit when faced with such an eventuality.

This year, however, pests and floods have plagued everywhere, persisting for several months, and everyone is facing the same dilemma. Only a few powerful families have managed to protect their Mulberry Gardens and can deliver on time.

The silk on the market has long been bought up by some prescient textile magnates.

With the Black Tiger Gang engaged in war with two sects and the borders being locked down, our Yan Family can’t find a source of goods from outside.

My Yan Family has enormous expenses and currently, we are a bit strapped for cash.

I don’t know if Master Qin’s financial situation is more flexible? My Yan Family is willing to put up fertile lands as collateral and borrow some Silver Money from you at a 50% annual interest rate to tide us over.”

Young Master Yan finally clarified the purpose of their visit.

The larger the household, the more likely it is to be caught short when trouble arises.

This year has been fraught with numerous problems, a series of natural and man-made disasters, and the Yan Family, unprepared, has faced a major financial crisis.