Chapter 53: A Good Job
She was truly easily swayed by Jasmine’s diversions. Adele belatedly realized this.
After appointing Bella as the new head maid, she led Bella and the steward to the drawing-room in her suite. Jasmine, being efficient as always, had almost finished cleaning.
She seemed to be airing clothes in her room now.
Adele shifted her focus, trying not to think about Jasmine. Instead, she turned to the two people before her, “I’ll be heading to the farm soon to assess the situation. As my companions, I’ll need your help, as I’m not very familiar with Oakham Farm.”
Adele’s tone was polite, unlike their previous master, Oakham, which made the two feel a little flattered. The steward quickly replied, “You’re too kind, Miss. It’s our duty…”
“Just give us your orders, and we will do our best to assist you,” Bella said sincerely. If it weren’t for Adele, she would still be under Oakham’s tyranny.
Adele was pleased with their cooperation. She nodded and then voiced the thought she had in the bathroom, “However, I find the name ‘Oakham Farm’ truly awful. Oakham has been sentenced to death, so it’s inappropriate to continue using his name. I suggest we rename it ‘Jasmine…’”
“Please don’t do that.”
Jasmine interrupted Adele. Initially, she hadn’t planned on joining them, as she could hear their conversation clearly from her room. But then she realized that with Adele’s personality, even a passing whim could become reality if she set her mind to it.
As soon as she heard “the name is awful,” Jasmine had rushed out, arriving just in time to interrupt Adele before she finished her sentence. However, Adele was indignant. She even ignored Jasmine’s interruption and continued, “Isn’t ‘Jasmine Farm’ a lovely name? Much better than ‘Oakham Farm’!”
It might be a lovely name, but it was too embarrassing. Hearing it made Jasmine want to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
The problem was, with her cheat abilities, she could probably dig a hole big enough to be a basement. Her toes were that powerful.
Their exchange made Bella and the steward realize that the Blake young lady’s maid was named Jasmine. They also understood how important and favored Jasmine was in Adele’s heart. Why else would she want to name the farm after her?
Seeing Adele’s righteous indignation, Jasmine calmed down. She remembered Adele’s personality. She was a tsundere, a stubborn one at that. If Jasmine outright refused and went against her, Adele might get even more determined to name it “Jasmine Farm.”
With a tsundere young lady like this, one had to go with the flow, not against it.
Jasmine thought for a moment before speaking, “But Miss, we won’t be staying here forever, and this won’t be the last farm you manage. If we name it ‘Jasmine Farm,’ what will we name the other farms in the future? Besides, naming it after me and then leaving it in such a remote area… Miss, do you hate me?”
Jasmine, who always had a poker face, now showed a hint of sadness and grievance. To Bella and the steward, it seemed a bit exaggerated, too superficial. But it was very effective against Adele. She exclaimed, “Ah!” and quickly explained, “I don’t hate you! I just thought naming the farm ‘Jasmine’ would be nice.”
“But you’re right. Then, if we encounter other farms later, we’ll call them ‘Jasmine Farm No. 2,’ ‘Jasmine Farm No. 3,’ and so on.”
—Please spare me. Don’t do that.
Considering the Blake family’s assets, Adele would probably inherit hundreds of farms in the future. If there were places with strange names like “Jasmine Farm No. 108,” Jasmine would really abandon her identity out of shame.
She sighed, “Miss, in that case, why don’t you let me choose the name?”
Adele pouted. She still wanted to name it “Jasmine Farm,” but seeing how unhappy Jasmine was just now, would she be upset again if she insisted? She could only suppress her desire and decided to wait until they encountered a nice farm in the future to name it “Jasmine Farm.”
“Then tell me what you have in mind.” Although she had decided to give in to Jasmine, as a tsundere, Adele still spoke haughtily, as if she would reject Jasmine’s suggestion if she wasn’t satisfied.
Many names flashed through Jasmine’s mind. Finally, she said, “Let’s call it ‘Spark Farm.’”
“Is there any special meaning behind it?”
Of course, there was. A single spark can start a prairie fire.
But it was better not to tell Adele such a revolutionary meaning. So, Jasmine just shook her head and said softly, “No, not really.”
Adele made a noncommittal sound. She didn’t seem particularly satisfied but still agreed to Jasmine’s suggestion, “Alright, since you like this name, let’s call it that.” It was just a farm name. In the future, she would have Jasmine Farm No. 1, Jasmine Farm No. 2, Jasmine Farm No. 3…
But in her heart, this farm would always be “Jasmine Farm No. 1.”
After settling the name, Jasmine asked the steward about Spark Farm’s situation. As a remote farm, it didn’t have a large population. “There are a total of 123 people on the farm, including 75 men and 48 women. The farm engages in both agriculture and livestock farming. Currently, there are five oxen, ten pigs, thirty sheep, and a number of chickens and ducks.”
The steward reported the figures to Adele, who jotted them down on a piece of paper. Although vampires had excellent memories, Adele still felt that writing it down would be clearer. Based on the farm’s situation, Adele asked a few more questions, such as working hours and treatment.
The school had taught them that humans could only provide high-quality blood when they were healthy. But the information the steward reported made Oakham’s previous claim of “always providing high-quality blood” seem dubious.
The steward told Adele that the humans on the farm worked an average of sixteen hours a day, excluding meal times. He also informed her of the farm workers’ food rations, which consisted mainly of vegetables and almost no meat.
Adele frowned, “This won’t do. They can’t possibly provide high-quality blood under these conditions. Was Oakham lying?”
The steward remained silent, but Bella spoke up, “There is indeed high-quality blood, but it’s not from humans. While the farm workers are subjected to intense labor, the livestock are well-cared for. Their blood quality is indeed much better.”
Adele couldn’t help but comment, “This is absurd.”
Jasmine agreed. But from a vampire’s perspective, it didn’t seem to matter. After all, in their eyes, was there any difference between humans and livestock? They were all just lambs waiting to be slaughtered. At most, humans were slightly more useful, as their blood was palatable, and they could help manage the other livestock.
After understanding Spark Farm’s current management practices, Adele asked the steward to prepare the carriage. She wanted to visit the farm. The steward left to make arrangements, and Adele began studying how to manage the farm, pen and paper in hand.
What they had learned at school was all theoretical and not applicable to the current situation. Adele was facing a nightmare scenario. She had to take over a farm that seemed to be doing well on paper but was actually a mess. And unlike other vampires, she wasn’t the type to prioritize efficiency at the expense of mistreating humans.
Jasmine stood behind Adele, watching her write down and revise numerous things in her notebook. The things Adele wrote seemed surreal to Jasmine, such as: eight-hour workdays, five-day workweeks, and two days off each week. There were also provisions for sick leave, paid leave, and other benefits.
It all seemed so familiar. A memory surfaced in Jasmine’s mind.
Adele had once asked her what she considered a good job. They were both only ten years old then. Without hesitation, Jasmine had described her previous life’s work culture: “First, working hours. The daily working hours must not exceed eight hours. Only with enough rest can I have the energy to face work. Also, there must be weekly breaks, at least two days off. But since the castle needs people every day, a rotating shift system is the best solution.”
Jasmine had also talked about social security, housing funds, and other benefits, but those were things she would never have in this world. In this world, forget about 9-to-5 jobs with weekends off. Even 996 work schedules* were considered a blessing. Here, it was 007* all the way. Not only 007, but even after death, their blood would be extracted. And resignation wasn’t even an option.
But Jasmine hadn’t expected that Adele would take her casual words to heart and, given the opportunity, seriously consider implementing them. Jasmine was stunned for a moment, then she heard Adele ask her, “Jasmine, what kind of job do you think is a good job for humans?”
Jasmine remained silent for a while. Adele looked up at her. From her perspective, Adele looked like an ordinary girl, full of innocence and kindness. Her brow was slightly furrowed as she asked, genuinely wanting to improve the lives of the farm workers.
Jasmine had to admit that Adele was different from other vampires, but she hadn’t expected her to empathize with humans to this extent. Jasmine opened her mouth, then closed it again. Facing Adele’s sincere and earnest gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to spout nonsense like she had when they were younger, treating Adele like a naive child.
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke her true feelings.
“If I had to say, it would be a job where they can work under the sun. To see the sun, to work during the day and rest at night.” She stopped trying to deceive Adele and told her what humans in this world desired the most.
***
T/N:
996 work schedules: The 996 working hour system is a work schedule practiced illegally by many companies in China. It derives its name from its requirement that employees work from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days per week; 72 hours per week, 12 hours per day.
007 : Work from 0am to 0pm 7 days per week, in other words, 24 hours a day.
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