After sorting out the food pile, there was the heap of clothes, the mountain of accessories and other trinkets, and the mound of household items left.
The household items were easy to deal with, anything that Xu Feng didn't have was kept, and certain duplicates were stored. The more expensive but useless—to Xu Feng—items were set aside in a new pile.
While Si and San moved the household items to their new homes, Xu Feng dove into the remaining clothing and accessories.
With the memory Xu Feng had inherited from the predecessor, he would be able to use the clothing material sent to make clothes for himself and the girls when he had time.
He tested this when he tried embroidering household trinkets when the courtyards were being renovated. Xu Feng was able to use the previous owner's talents freely with the inherited memory.
While he could use all the fabric, Xu Feng only kept the colors he liked, simple colors, both light and dark, but nothing too flamboyant. The "richer" looking fabrics that would be most loved were set aside in the new pile.
The same thing was done with the accessories, only simple-looking accessories were kept and everything else was moved to the new pile.
After putting away all the new food, materials, accessories, and household items in their new homes, only the new pile was left in the formal living room.
"Young mistress, what are we doing with the rest of these gifts?" San asked patiently
"Yeah, so much good stuff!" Si added, looking at the gaudy and chunky jewelry and eye poking fabrics.
"We sell them." Xu Feng added calmly.
He was currently a broke little ger with no family and only his ger dad's relics, no real currency to his name.
"What?"
Both Si and San looked absolutely confused, what was this young mistress saying now?
"We sell them in town, your young mistress needs silver."
While there was still money left over from the renovation money Lady Xuan sent over, Xu Feng wasn't allowed to use it. The remaining money was now going into the wedding preparations, and the rest would go back to the Xuan family.
Xu Feng wouldn't let that last part happen though. If there was still money left after the wedding preparations, he would ask Steward Wu to use some of the funds to purchase more household items like firewood and charcoal.
He wasn't above retaining the money till springtime to plant more trees, shrubs, and even vegetable gardens. Livestock wasn't too farfetched for him.
Lady Xuan could be cheap, so he can be resourceful.
A match made in hell.
"Does the household have a carriage?"
Xu Feng had seen a few carriages come into the estate, but none had stayed. Near the gatehouse leading out of the estate, there was a large shed where the carriage Lady Xuan used had been housed but now seemed to be empty.
Snapping back from her bewilderment, San answered with hesitation, "Carriages are expensive, only servants stayed here before the young mistress arrived."
Xu Feng nodded, which was reasonable enough, "So what did the adults in the residence use to get to the town?"
San fidgeted, not knowing how to answer the young mistress. Even Steward Wu didn't have a carriage for the young mistress to use to go to town.
"Spit it out," Xu Feng looked to Si, the girl had very little filters, and wouldn't beat around the bush like San.
"Auntie Lan in the kitchen and Auntie Lifen use the old bullock cart to go to town and act like big ladies when Steward Wu isn't around."
Si didn't realize she had just thrown the cook and the only other female servant in the estate under the bus. And she did it with such skill.
Xu Feng smiled as San's face twitched visibly.
"Has Erlang gone to Yilin town before?"
"Yes! He always drives the bullock cart for Auntie Lan and Auntie Lifen."
"Si, can you let him know I'll be heading into town first thing tomorrow morning?"
"Yes!"
Si ran out before she even finished her one word! They were going to Yilin town!
Xu Feng knew the original owner had never driven an oxcart before and didn't want to take any risks. Besides, he didn't know his way to the nearest town of Yilin, not to mention the Nanshan Village at the bottom of the mountain.
Taking the 15-year-old Erlang as a guide and a deterrent was the best option. The boy was around the same height and age as Xu Feng, but he was five short and three thick (burly). He was in charge of most of the hard labor in the estate and gave off the impression of a quiet giant.
If both Si and San came along too, it wouldn't be weird for a man and an unmarried ger to be in the bullock cart together.
"Are we really going to sell these things?" San asked after she regained her composure.
Even if the young mistress needed silver, was it okay to sell part of the bride's betrothal gifts before the actual wedding?
"Yes."
Xu Feng smiled at the smart little girl. She was much sharper than Si and wasn't sidetracked by the promise to go to Yilin the next day. Though the tapping of her right foot gave away her excitement.
"We still need a few things in our courtyard, and certain things need to be prepared before marriage," Xu Feng tried to justify his actions, "Besides, since this will be my new home, shouldn't I learn my way around Yilin?"
"Young Mistress is going to stay here? You're not going back to the capital with the young master?"
Xu Feng smiled as an answer. San could take it any way she wanted.
"Young mistress, we need to be up early tomorrow to head to town if you want to attend the morning market."
"We should sleep earlier tonight," Xu Feng smiled a bright dimpled smile at the blushing young girl, "Thank you, San."