A Good Job

Adele realized she was easily sidetracked by Molly. After appointing Bella as the head maid, Adele led Bella and the butler to the sitting room in her quarters. Molly had nearly finished tidying up and was now likely airing out the laundry in her room.

Shaking off thoughts of Molly, Adele turned to Bella and the butler. "Soon, I'll visit the farm to assess the situation. I'll need your assistance since I'm not too familiar with Oakham Farm."

Adele's polite manner was a stark contrast to Oakham's, which left Bella and the butler pleasantly surprised. The butler quickly responded, "You're too kind. It's our duty to assist you..."

"We're here to help in any way we can," Bella added sincerely, grateful to Adele for liberating her from Oakham's tyranny.

Their cooperative attitude pleased Adele. She nodded and then shared an idea she had been mulling over. "However, I think the name 'Oakham Farm' sounds terrible. Since Oakham has been judged and executed, it feels inappropriate to keep using his name. I suggest we rename it... to 'Molly Farm'..."

"Please don't do that," Molly interjected. Initially, she hadn't intended to join the conversation, as she could hear everything from her room. However, knowing Adele's stubbornness, she realized that even an offhand comment could become reality if not addressed immediately. So, when she heard Adele mention the name being too unpleasant, she hurried over and spoke up just in time.

Adele, feeling slightly indignant, ignored Molly's protest and continued, "But 'Molly Farm' has such a nice ring to it! It sounds much better than Oakham Farm!"

Sure, it might sound nice, but it was far too embarrassing. Just hearing the name made Molly want to dig a hole in the ground to hide.

Molly realized that she needed to approach this situation carefully. Adele was not just stubborn; she was also very proud. If Molly pushed back too hard, Adele might dig in her heels and insist on naming it "Molly Farm" out of sheer defiance.

With that in mind, Molly tried a different tactic. "But Miss, we won't be staying here forever, and this won't be the last farm you manage. If you name this farm after me, what will you name the others? And to name a farm after me only to leave it in such a remote place... Miss, do you dislike me?"

For someone like Adele, who took pride in her attachments, this line of reasoning worked perfectly. Adele's earlier indignation quickly turned into concern. "No, I don't dislike you! I just thought 'Molly Farm' was a good name."

"But you're right. If we encounter another farm, we can name it 'Molly Farm Number Two,'" Adele suggested with a pout.

—Please spare me from that, Molly thought. If Adele ended up managing dozens of farms, each named "Molly Farm" with a different number, Molly would have to abandon her "Molly" identity out of sheer embarrassment.

Molly sighed. "Miss, if that's the case, why don't I come up with a name?"

Adele, still reluctant to let go of her idea, allowed Molly a chance. "Alright, but it better be a good name."

After a moment of contemplation, Molly said, "Let's call it 'Spark Farm.'"

"Does it have any special meaning?"

Of course it does—'a single spark can start a prairie fire.' But Molly kept that thought to herself, simply shaking her head. "Not really," she replied softly.

Adele wasn't entirely satisfied, but she accepted the name. "Fine. If you like it so much, we'll go with it." Though in her mind, this farm would always be "Molly Farm Number One."

With the naming issue resolved, Molly and the butler discussed the farm's current status. Spark Farm, being in a remote location, had a relatively small population. "There are 123 people on the farm—75 men and 48 women. The farm also engages in agriculture and livestock breeding, with five oxen, ten pigs, thirty sheep, and several chickens and ducks."

The butler provided Adele with these figures, which she diligently recorded, despite her excellent memory. Afterward, Adele inquired about the working hours and conditions on the farm.

The school had taught that humans could only produce high-quality blood if they were healthy. However, the butler's report contradicted Oakham's earlier claim of consistently providing high-quality blood.

The butler revealed that the farm's workers toiled for sixteen hours a day, excluding meal breaks. Their diet was sparse, consisting mostly of vegetables with little to no meat.

Adele frowned. "This isn't right. There's no way they can produce high-quality blood under these conditions. Was Oakham lying?"

The butler hesitated, but Bella spoke up, "There was some high-quality blood, but it wasn't from humans. The livestock received better care and produced better blood."

Adele couldn't help but remark, "What a mess."

Molly silently agreed. However, from a vampire's perspective, it didn't seem to matter much. To them, humans and livestock were essentially the same—both were merely food. Humans were just slightly more useful because they could manage the livestock.

After learning about the farm's operations, Adele instructed the butler to prepare a carriage so she could visit the farm. The butler left to make the arrangements, while Adele began drafting her plans for managing the farm.

Although the school provided a basic framework, it was inadequate for dealing with the current situation. Adele's task was particularly challenging—taking over a farm that appeared successful on the surface but was rotten underneath. And unlike most vampires, Adele wasn't interested in efficiency at the expense of human suffering.

Molly watched as Adele filled her notebook with notes and revisions, formulating her management strategy. Some of the content seemed oddly familiar to Molly: an eight-hour workday, a five-day workweek with weekends off, and provisions for sick leave and paid vacations.

It suddenly dawned on Molly where these ideas came from. When Adele was ten years old, she had asked Molly what she thought made a good job. Molly hadn't hesitated to answer, sharing the work conditions from her past life. "First, the workday shouldn't exceed eight hours. Adequate rest is crucial for maintaining a good mental state. And there should be two days off every week. However, since the castle needs staff around the clock, a rotating shift schedule is ideal."

Molly had also rambled on about various benefits, like insurance and retirement plans—things that were utterly irrelevant in this world. Here, a 996 work schedule would have been considered a blessing, but the reality was more like 007—non-stop work until death, with blood drawn even post-mortem. There was no concept of resigning from such a job.

Molly never expected Adele to take her words seriously. Yet here Adele was, earnestly trying to implement those very ideas. Molly stood in silence for a moment before Adele looked up at her, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Molly, what do you think makes a good job for humans?"

Molly hesitated, seeing Adele's innocent, earnest expression. Adele seemed so different from other vampires, genuinely concerned about the well-being of the humans on the farm. For once, Molly couldn't bring herself to dismiss Adele's question with a joke.

After a moment of reflection, she gave an honest answer. "If they had a choice, they'd want to work under the sun. They'd want to see the sunrise and sunset, to work during the day and rest at night."

Adele: It's called "Spark Farm," but it's still "Molly Farm Number One" in my heart.

Molly: Please, let's not do this!