"Hehe, that's alright. Let me show you where you're staying first."
Zhuang Rui smiled, led them to the front yard, pushed open a door, and said, "There is a private bathroom and shower room here, as well as a TV, refrigerator, and other amenities. The bedding is all new, so you don't need to bring anything from home."
When Zhang Ma and Li Sao saw the room, they realized it was nothing like a servants' room. It was a spacious three-room house with a living room, complete with a sofa and TV. It was so much better than the small single room they used to live in when they worked as nannies. They quickly nodded in agreement.
"By the way, the salary is three thousand yuan per person per month, including food and accommodation. It will increase by 500 yuan every year. If you agree, I will take you to the yard to get familiar with it."
Before they arrived, Zhuang Rui had already spoken with Gu Yun on the phone. The average price for a nanny in Beijing is between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan, while the price for a maternity nurse is a bit higher. The salary he offered was 3,000 yuan, which was not low.
"Agreed, agreed..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, both Zhang Ma and Li Sao were overjoyed. This price was indeed quite high, and it would increase every year. Such a generous family was rare.
"The middle courtyard is where guests stay. Xuanbing and I will stay in the back courtyard. Oh, and my mother will be back in a few days. She will also stay in the back courtyard then. This is the dining room in the middle courtyard, and that's the kitchen. We can cook here from now on. Let's go out to eat today..."
Zhuang Rui led the group to look around the three courtyards. When they got to the kitchen, he found that there were a lot of vegetables inside. When he opened the refrigerator, it was packed full. It must have been bought when his grandfather lived there and none of them had been taken away.
"Boss, we don't need to eat out. I'll cook dinner tonight, it'll be quick..."
Zhang Ma fell in love with the kitchen as soon as she saw it; it was clean and spacious. She also wanted to show off her skills to the host family.
Chapter 410 Hao Long
"Aunt Zhang, is it okay if we don't go out to eat today? Let's go out to eat instead..."
Zhuang Rui asked them to stay today. He didn't mean for Zhang Ma to cook right away; he just felt that the house was fully equipped and it was getting late, so there was no need to rush back.
"Boss, it's no problem. What kind of dishes do you like? It'll be quick and easy to make in a bit."
Aunt Zhang had already started washing her hands and picking vegetables, and Aunt Li, being quite diligent, stepped forward to help.
"Zhang Ma, we'll be living together from now on. Don't call me 'boss,' just call me by my name..."
Zhuang Rui found the word "boss" rather jarring. Zhang Ma wasn't much younger than his mother, and he certainly didn't deserve that title.
"Alright then, we'll call you Mr. Zhuang from now on..."
Aunt Zhang is indeed quite efficient at her work. While taking the fish and meat out of the refrigerator to thaw, she was already washing the vegetables.
"Brother, I'll stay today and try Zhang Ma's cooking. Let Zhang Ma do it..."
Gu Yun said from the side.
Seeing this, Zhuang Rui had no choice but to give up and said, "Zhang Ma, make the vegetables a little bland, and the other dishes a little spicier..."
Qin Xuanbing doesn't eat much meat; people from the South tend to have a milder palate. Zhuang Rui and Gu Yun, on the other hand, are particularly good at eating spicy food, so Zhuang Rui specifically gave them some instructions.
"Alright, Mr. Zhuang, why don't you and your companions go outside and chat for a bit? It'll be over soon..."
Seeing the two women's actions and conversation, Zhuang Rui felt relieved. In the future, his mother would be bored living alone here. This Zhang Ma and Li Sao were about the same age as her, so they could chat with each other. There was a small park not far from the courtyard, so they could go dancing together in the morning. Even without Pengcheng's old friends, his mother wouldn't be lonely.
"Brother Gu, I really have to thank you for this. If I had to look for it myself, I would have been completely clueless..."
After sitting down in the living room of the central courtyard, Zhuang Rui took out a bag of giant pandas that he had taken from Ouyang Jun and handed it to Gu Yun. This house, inside and out, was all thanks to this older brother.
"Hey. This cigarette is good stuff. Okay, Gu-ge didn't help you for nothing..."
Gu Yun didn't want to smoke it, and smiled as he put the cigarette away, saying, "Zhang Ma is an old Beijinger. Her husband died early, and she raised her son to university by working as a nanny and cook. She's been doing this for almost twenty years, and has only worked for three different families. If the family she works for now hadn't gone abroad, she wouldn't be here. She's a very easy person to get along with."
Such nannies are the hardest to find. They have simple social connections, are honest and upright, and are from Beijing. We know them well. If the owner of that housekeeping company hadn't been my childhood friend, Zhang Ma would have been hired by someone else long ago.
Li Sao is from Hebei, not far from Beijing, and she's also a widow. Her daughter is married and has no burdens, and she's very hardworking. You can trust these two women with you.”
Gu Yun gave Zhuang Rui a general overview of Zhang Ma and Li Sao's situation, then took out two contracts from her bag and handed them to Zhuang Rui, saying, "According to the housekeeping company's requirements, you need to pay this money to the housekeeping company and also buy family insurance. However, I got the details of their relationship from the housekeeping company, so you can just pay them wages directly. Here are photocopies of their ID cards and their guarantors in Beijing, so there's no need to worry about anything going wrong."
"Brother Gu, thank you so much."
Hiring a nanny is actually a very troublesome thing. Some nannies are lazy and unwilling to work, while others are dishonest. If you are not careful, it can cause losses to your family. This is why Zhuang Rui has not hired a nanny since he finished renovating his house. Seeing how thoughtful Gu Yun was, Zhuang Rui was really grateful.
"It's alright. Whenever you get married to your sister-in-law and have your wedding banquet, just remember to call out to Brother Gu."
Gu Yun chuckled and patted Zhuang Rui on the shoulder. Upon seeing Qin Xuanbing, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how lucky the young man was with such a beautiful woman. What was most remarkable was that she was also quite reserved, following behind Zhuang Rui and giving him a lot of face. Compared to some of those old Beijing women who would love to have their husbands as their entire household, she was far superior.
"That's for sure, Brother Gu. Excuse me, I need to take this call."
Just then, Zhuang Rui's phone rang in his pocket. He quickly apologized to Gu Yun, picked up the phone, and went outside to answer it.
"Xiao Rui, I heard from my aunt that you're at the courtyard house? I'll come over right away, let's go out for dinner together tonight."
Ouyang Lei's voice came through the phone.
"Is this Brother Lei? No need to go out for dinner, come over here. We just hired a housekeeper today, she's cooking now. By the way, is your wife coming too?"
When Zhuang Rui heard that Ouyang Lei was coming, he thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce him to Gu Yun. After all, Ouyang Lei had helped him so much, so it was only right to introduce him to his family.
"Your sister-in-law didn't come, so I brought someone with me. We'll talk when we meet."
Ouyang Lei seemed to be in the car, and hung up the phone without saying much.
Zhuang Rui hurriedly ran to the kitchen and asked Zhang Ma to cook more rice, since soldiers are all big eaters.
"Mr. Zhuang, Ms. Qin, come and eat."
More than half an hour later, Aunt Li came out of the kitchen and invited Zhuang Rui and the others to eat. The long dining table in the dining room was already full of dishes. Zhuang Rui took a look and thought, "Wow, in such a short time, Aunt Zhang has prepared more than ten dishes, including chicken, duck, fish and meat, and a fragrant aroma wafts over."
"Let's wait a little longer, my cousin will be here soon. Oh, Xuanbing, wake up Nannan and let's eat together."
Just as Zhuang Rui finished speaking, the doorbell rang. He knew it must be Ouyang Lei, so he asked Gu Yun to sit down first while he went to open the door.
"I came to see my sister-in-law today. Xiaojun said she's incredibly beautiful."
As soon as he entered the gate, Ouyang Lei started shouting, carrying two bottles of Moutai liquor in his hand. Behind him was a young man in military uniform, but without a rank insignia.
This man was about the same age as Zhuang Rui, but slightly shorter. He looked very capable, and despite the September weather, he was only wearing a summer uniform. He stood behind Ouyang Lei without saying a word, his back ramrod straight.
"By the way, let me introduce you. This is Hao Long, he used to be one of my soldiers. He'll be working for you from now on, so you can't mistreat him."
Ouyang Lei handed the wine to Zhuang Rui. Then he turned around and introduced the person behind him to Zhuang Rui.
"Greetings, Commander!"
Hao Long snapped to attention and gave Zhuang Rui a standard military salute, startling the unprepared Zhuang Rui. Zhuang Rui instinctively reached for his wine bottle to return the salute, which made Ouyang Lei burst into laughter.
Ouyang Lei shook his head, gesturing for Hao Long to put his hand down, and said, "Alright, Hao, you're no longer a soldier. From now on, follow Zhuang Rui closely, and you can make a name for yourself. Remember, none of the soldiers from our special forces division are cowards!"
"Yes, Commander, I will definitely not disgrace the Special Forces Division."
Hao Long's voice was somewhat low as he spoke. Ouyang Lei's words made him feel a little sad. He had joined the army at the age of seventeen and had been in the army for eleven years. Now that he was about to take off his uniform, he felt extremely reluctant.
"Alright, Brother Lei, don't put on airs when you get home. The food is all ready, just waiting for your drinks."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Zhuang Rui quickly raised the wine bottle to change the subject.
"No rush, Xiao Hao. Come to the gatehouse and see if you know how to use these machines, right?"
Ouyang Lei waved his hand. He didn't know that Zhuang Rui had other guests. He just wanted Hao Long to get familiar with the environment. As he spoke, he pushed open the door to the gatehouse.
"Where...where did these things come from?"
Zhuang Rui discovered that there were four monitors in his gatehouse, displaying images of his four high walls. Zhuang Rui was a little confused, as he didn't think his yard had any such equipment installed.
"The old man lives here. The security bureau installed it. When they left, the old man didn't want it removed, so you got off easy, kid. Xiao Hao, this is an infrared alarm light. If someone climbs over the wall, this light will flash and trigger an alarm."
Ouyang Lei smiled and explained it to Zhuang Rui, then proceeded to introduce it to Hao Long.
Zhuang Rui really benefited a lot this time. These security devices are extremely advanced. As long as he stays in the room at the entrance, he can monitor the situation around the entire courtyard. Originally, these devices were supposed to be recycled, but the old man said that Zhuang Rui would get them.
"Brother Lei, I still have guests today, let's not keep them waiting, let's go eat first."
Zhuang Rui thought the instruments looked quite complicated and worried that Hao Long might not understand them for a while. Gu Yun was still waiting, and it wouldn't be good to neglect him.
"Oh? Then let's go eat first. Anyway, Xiao Hao, you've had some training in this area, so you can figure it out on your own later."
Upon hearing that there were guests, Ouyang Lei stopped talking.
When Hao Long was Ouyang Lei's bodyguard, he had never eaten with his superiors before, so he was a little nervous and quickly said, "Commander, Boss Zhuang, I won't go. I'll just go and grab a bite with the driver."
"No need, Xiao Wang has already driven off to eat. He'll pick me up later. How dare you go to the border... but you don't even want to have a meal with me?"
Ouyang Lei glanced at Zhuang Rui halfway through his sentence, then stopped talking, punched Hao Long in the chest, and led the way toward the Intermediate Court.
Seeing that Hao Long was a little reserved, Zhuang Rui said, "Brother Hao, come on in, don't be shy, feel at home here."
"Mr. Zhuang, this..."
"Don't call me boss, just call me by my name..."
Zhuang Rui pulled Hao Long along, letting him walk ahead of him.
When Qin Xuanbing and the others who were waiting in the restaurant saw a general enter, they all stood up. After Zhuang Rui introduced them, they took their seats.
However, Zhang Ma and Li Sao refused to eat at the same table as the host family, which made Hao Long stand up and say that he wanted to eat in the kitchen.
Chapter 411 A Family
"Aunt Zhang, Sister Li, and Brother Hao. Please listen to me for a few minutes before you make a decision, okay?"
Seeing this, Zhuang Rui stood up, stopped the group, and said, "Although we have an employer-employee relationship, we are all the same. Zhang Ma is not much older than my mother, so she is an elder and deserves our respect. Similarly, I hope that Li Sao and Hao Ge can work here for a long time, and that we can all get along like family. So, from now on, we will all eat together. Zhang Ma, please sit down..."
Zhuang Rui himself came from humble beginnings, and his current achievements were entirely due to the supernatural abilities he possessed. He didn't have the typical family hierarchy of master and servant. Even if he had paid people to come, Zhuang Rui didn't want to see Zhang Ma and the others hiding in the kitchen to eat; it would make him uneasy.
"Grandma Zhang, sit down and eat, Nannan is hungry..."
After Qin Xuanbing brought the little one over, she called her "Grandma" affectionately. Her childish words were like a warm current, making Zhang Ma and Li Sao feel warm. They knew that they had found a good family, and their previously uneasy hearts were completely put at ease.
"Xiao Hao, sit down and eat!"
Ouyang Lei was even more decisive, uttering just three words that made Hao Long sit down obediently.
"Come on, let's try Zhang Ma and Li Sao's cooking. Brother Gu, let's not be shy. This is a special supply of Moutai that Brother Lei brought. Drink more today..."
After seeing that Zhang Ma and Li Sao had sat down, Zhuang Rui picked up his chopsticks first and invited everyone to start eating.
I must say, Zhang Ma's cooking skills are really good. The dishes she made in less than an hour were delicious, with excellent color, aroma, and taste. Especially the spicy chicken, even Qin Xuanbing, who doesn't eat spicy food much, ate it with great relish. Little Nannan kept saying it was spicy while eating and kept asking Zhuang Rui to put food on her plate.
Zhang Ma and Li Sao ate quickly. After finishing, they went to tidy up their rooms and Hao Long's room for the night. Hao Long, who doesn't drink alcohol, ate two bowls of rice and then went back to the gatehouse to tinker with the security alarm equipment. Zhuang Rui and the other two were left drinking and chatting. A little girl kept causing trouble, which Qin Xuanbing couldn't stand, so she took Nannan to the backyard to watch cartoons.
Gu Yun was originally a university teacher, but now he was also involved in the business world. He could speak in both elegant and vulgar ways, and he got along quite well with Ouyang Lei. Before long, a bottle of Moutai was empty.
"Xiao Rui, Hao Long is quite skilled; he once received a second-class merit award. He's also served on missions at the border. Don't mistreat him..."