Evil dragon has a warm heart

Chapter 76 - 76 76 Dim Sum

?Chapter 76: Chapter 76 Dim Sum Chapter 76: Chapter 76 Dim Sum The merchant caravan arrived at Wuyao Snake Manor earlier than expected, on the second day following the manor meeting.

It happened that yesterday’s manor meeting concluded with the decision to expand the marketplace slightly, which enabled the merchant caravan to smoothly settle into the marketplace.

Clothing, farm tools, circus performances, sugar figurines, poultry and eggs, kittens and puppies, medicinal plasters, ring toss, and riddles… the caravan offered a dazzling array of goods. Of course, the merchants dealing in valuable merchandise didn’t show up; it was the small traders and peddlers who came.

“Master, would you like to take a stroll through the marketplace?” Butler Morris asked as he approached the living room.

Russell had just finished his knightly morning practice, sweating profusely, and was now resting in a chair while casually looking at some new books.

These new books had been “borrowed” from the library of Fluorescent Castle—borrowed in quotes because he had no intention of returning them. After all, neither Mr. Luo Man nor his elder brother, Roland, took any interest in reading; leaving the books at Fluorescent Castle would’ve been a waste.

It would be better to leave them for Russell, someone who cherished reading.

“I’ll pass,” Russell said nonchalantly. “Butler Morris, give the servants a day off, let them enjoy the marketplace’s festivities.”

“Your kindness is boundless, Master. I’ll go and share the good news with the servants right away.”

Soon, Russell, sitting in the living room, heard cheers from the servants, male and female alike, coming from the direction of the Courtyard Garden.

After all, happiness is such a simple thing—sometimes all it takes is a brief holiday.

Butler Morris returned.

Russell said, “You should take a break as well, go and visit the marketplace.”

“I’d rather not, Master. If all the male and female servants are out at the marketplace, there should be someone to attend to you,” Butler Morris replied.

“There’s really no need for attendance, I only plan to read at home today.”

In Russell’s eyes, his life was quite monotonous and didn’t necessitate servants waiting on him constantly.

Moreover, the manor’s secondary residence was just a small villa; there was hardly so much work to manage.

In Russell’s opinion, many tasks seemed a mere waste of labor. For example, the extensive cleaning done every morning—regardless of whether there was dust on the tables or windows, the maids were expected to wipe everything from top to bottom, day in and day out.

According to Russell’s judgement, cleaning once a week would be sufficient.

For Butler Morris, however, everything had to be impeccable, and he personally inspected every nook and cranny daily.

To ensure there were no lapses in cleanliness.

If any area fell short of standards, not wiped thoroughly enough, he would consider it a slight to the Master’s dignity and reprimand the servants accordingly.

In short.

In matters of stewardship, Morris was utterly diligent and responsible.

The small secondary residence of the manor was in his care, impeccably orderly—the upstairs and downstairs, the Courtyard Garden, the lawn in front of the house, the kennels and stables—every corner was kept clean and tidy. This was in stark contrast to the dirt and disorder of the coal slag paths and the marketplace.

“Master, if you have some free time, I would like to discuss with you the selection of an elderly couple,” Butler Morris said.

“Oh, go ahead,” Russell responded.

“Mr. and Mrs. Brown’s work in the manor is somewhat… out of place. Mrs. Brown helps in the kitchen, but she is not a kitchen maid, and Mr. Brown is even more awkward, his age being far too advanced compared to the male servants.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brown were the former caretakers of the manor’s secondary residence, responsible for looking after this country villa for Baron Roman.

However, like the plight that Hans faced, after Wuyao Snake Manor had been granted to Russell, the Baron did not call back these servants.

Then, once Russell arrived with his own retinue, the Browns were left in an awkward position, ultimately staying on with an ambiguous status. This was uncomfortable not just for Mr. and Mrs. Brown themselves but it also made Butler Morris quite uneasy.

“Indeed, it seems rather unfair to have Mr. and Mrs. Brown doing odd jobs at the manor’s annex,” Russell said. “Since you’ve brought them up, there must be some new arrangement?”

“Your Lordship, didn’t you mention building a black pig farm?” Butler Morris said. “I’ve talked with Mr. Brown, and he is very willing to take care of the black pigs, to become a swineherd. Maybe we could arrange for him to work at the black pig farm?”

“If the black pig farm is really built, it will definitely not stay near the manor’s annex but be located in some village. Is Mr. Brown willing to work in the village?”

“He is very willing; I can assure you of that, Your Lordship.”

“In that case, let Mr. Brown give it a try. But I have high hopes for the black pigs, and his work as a swineherd is very important. If he doesn’t perform well, I will replace him immediately,” Russell said seriously.

The black pigs were capable of refining a hint of primordial force within their bodies, an excellent breeding gene for Primordial Beasts, likely to develop new breeds of Primordial Beasts in the future.

Their value was immeasurable.

Russell naturally wanted to invest significant effort into breeding black pigs, even applying knowledge of breeding from Earth to continuously optimize the genes of the black pigs.

Therefore, it was essential to have a swineherd at the black pig farm who could perfectly execute Russell’s ideas.

Russell then asked, “What about Mrs. Brown? Will she also work at the black pig farm? I recall they have a son working as a clerk in a shop in town, right?”

“Yes,” Morris answered. “But Mr. Brown doesn’t wish for Mrs. Brown to join him in pig farming; for women, this work is indeed somewhat hard. It seems Mrs. Brown prefers to stay at the manor’s annex.”

“If she stays at the manor’s annex, how will she be accommodated?”

“I’ve noticed that Mrs. Brown seems to have a good deal of experience with pastries, Your Lordship. Would you be willing to assign Mrs. Moore an assistant and let Mrs. Brown be a pastry chef, specifically to cook various types of bread and cakes for you?”

“A pastry chef?” Russell suddenly thought of something.

Instead of immediately deciding on Mrs. Brown’s job as a pastry chef, he said, “Where is Mrs. Brown now? Has she gone to the market?”

“No, she’s in the kitchen, watching over the stove.”

“Call her over. I have some ideas I need to ask her about.”

“Understood.”

A minute later, Mrs. Brown stood in front of Russell. Unlike Mrs. Moore, who had been so nervous that she shook when she first met Russell, Mrs. Brown was much calmer.

“Your Lordship, Butler Morris said you wanted to see me?” Mrs. Brown spoke, gentle in her words, probably in her forties or fifties.

“I heard from Butler Morris that you are very skilled at cooking pastries. So, what kinds of pastries can you make? Were the pastries at dinner, along with the desserts served after, all made by you?” Russell asked, closing the book in his hand.

“At first, it was all Mrs. Moore’s doing. Only a few times, when there were banquets and Mrs. Moore couldn’t manage, she asked me to make the pastries. I can cook most types of bread, thin biscuits, egg tarts, puff pastry, choux pastries…” Mrs. Brown listed quite a few common pastries.

“To be able to make so many pastries, have you worked in the kitchens of Fluorescent Castle before?” Russell asked curiously.

Mrs. Brown replied with a smile, “Yes, I spent some time working as a kitchen maid in Fluorescent Castle; Mrs. Gramer taught me a lot about pastries.”

Mrs. Gramer was the head cook of Fluorescent Castle, who had worked her way up from kitchen maid to her position and had spent her life working in the kitchens of Fluorescent Castle. The food Russell had eaten from childhood to adulthood was mostly prepared by Mrs. Gramer’s hands.

“No wonder.”

Russell acknowledged Mrs. Brown’s skills; in this era, expertise was as valuable as knowledge, hard to acquire for the average person.

“Butler Morris recommended you as a pastry chef, but I have a new idea. Mrs. Brown, I, too, have studied fine foods, so I want you to collaborate with me to invent some new types of pastries,” Russell shared his thoughts.

For no other reason,
he wanted to eat steamed buns, dumplings, fried dough sticks, and big white buns!