Chapter 60
At this moment, someone outside suddenly asked, "Miss Jiang, are you there?"
It was Xie Chen’s voice.
Why did he come at this time, "Here!" Jiang Yun Zhu put down the cake and went to the front.
Xie Chen was still in the old blue robe. Behind him, there was a petite girl who was carefully looking around with a pair of beautiful eyes.
Jiang Yun Zhu had a guess in her mind. She inquired about Baofulou and while she was at it, she inquired about Xie Chen.
At three-year-old, his mother gave birth to a younger sister and ran away with another. The father beat and scolded the siblings. The neighbors couldn't stand it anymore. They often secretly fed them. Only then, they grew up slowly.
No wonder Xie Chen had always had a frown every day and mentally preoccupied, despite his great appearance.
She understood why Xie Chen was hesitant to want his younger sister to work in the store. He wanted her sister to leave that house, but he was afraid that she would have to work hard! After all, his plan was to bring his younger sister to the capital in April.
"Yun Xue, go and get a plate of cakes from the back." Jiang Yun Zhu instructed Jiang Yun Xue.
Jiang Yun Xue agreed and brought a plate of milk red bean cake from behind.
Jiang Yun Zhu beckoned Xie Chen to sit with the girl behind him. Then the plate of cakes was placed in front of them, "You guys came here at a good time. I just made a cake. Try it."
Xie Chen's eyes fell on the plate of cakes, which were crystal clear and milky white, exuding bursts of sweet fragrance.
He hadn't eaten in the morning. Smelling the cake, he felt even more hungry. However, he looked away and said, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
He didn't intend to eat the cake.
Jiang Yun Zhu picked up a piece of cake and handed it to Xie Lian, "Eat it. Your elder brother has helped me a lot!"
She was talking about Xie Chen helping her settle the accounts.
Xie Lian pursed her lips and looked at Xie Chen.
Xie Chen's heart felt sour. He couldn’t eat it, but his younger sister...
"Since Miss Jiang gave it to you, you can eat it." He said warmly.
Xie Lian's eyes lit up immediately. She took the cake and wanted to eat it. Suddenly she remembered something and handed it to Xie Chen.
"You eat." Xie Chen responded.
Xie Lian shook her head.
Xie Chen felt helpless.
"It's just a plate of cake." Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the plate of cake toward Xie Chen again.
Xie Chen's cheeks flushed slightly, "Thank you Miss Jiang."
"No need to be so polite."
Only then did Xie Chen take a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. It was soft and sweet with a milky aroma. He felt that he had never eaten such a delicious cake.
Seeing him eat, Xie Lian put the cake into her mouth. Immediately, her eyes curved. This cake was sweet; to the point that it seemed to sweeten people's hearts.
Jiang Yun Zhu wasn't in a hurry. She poured them two cups of hot water and let them eat cakes.
Xie Chen ate another two pieces. Even the tips of his ears turned red. So he stopped eating.
Xie Lian couldn't help but eat a few pieces before taking a sip of water and stopping.
Jiang Yun Zhu looked at Xie Chen.
"Miss Jiang, can I have a chat with you alone?" Xie Chen said.
"Okay." Jiang Yun Zhu got up.
The two went outside.
Xie Chen looked at Xie Lian in the room and said, "Miss Jiang, are you hiring a choreman? That's my younger sister. I want her to work in your store, not for money.
Her wages can be paid out of my account balance. Or, if she doesn't do well, you can tell me and I will help her. She can't speak... Don't worry, she is very sensible. "
Xie Chen spoke anxiously and quickly. He didn't want Xie Lian to come to Jiang Yun Zhu to make money. Like Jiang Yun Zhu guessed, he wanted Xie Lian to leave that house.
He went home yesterday and found that Xie Yong was scolding Xie Lian again. She was standing there tremblingly. He was very worried that she wouldn't last long enough for him to take her away.
Xie Chen's words were very sincere about hiring Xie Lian to work without pay or him helping Xie Lian? If it were a black-hearted boss, he would probably go crazy in delight.
Of course, if it was a boss with bad moral character, Xie Chen wouldn't bring Xie Lian here either. He felt that Jiang Yun Zhu was a nice person and a female. So he wanted to put Xie Lian in the store.
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, but she didn't agree or refuse, "Well, let her work with us on trial for three days and then we can talk."
"Thank you, Miss Jiang." Xie Chen gratefully replied.
The two returned to the store again. Xie Chen whispered to Xie Lian for a while. Xie Lian nodded and bent down to bow Jiang Yun Zhu. She will definitely work hard so that her elder brother can study with peace of mind.
Xie Chen also bowed to Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled.
"I'll pick you up tonight." Xie Chen told Xie Lian.
Xie Lian nodded. Only then, Xie Chen reluctantly left.
Only Xie Lian remained. Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the half plate of milk red bean cake to her. "Eat it. Only when you’re full will you have the strength to do things."
However, Xie Lian didn’t eat. She looked around, appearing to find work to do.
"Don't worry. We haven't started working yet." Jiang Yun Zhu told.
Xie Lian looked toward the kitchen. There, the pot seemed to have not been washed. She looked at Jiang Yun Zhu inquiringly.
Alright then. Jiang Yun Zhu hadn't had time to scrub it yet.
Xie Lian went to the kitchen to wash the pots and dishes. Although she was petite, she had been doing these things since she was a child. So she did them very well.
Alright then. Jiang Yun Zhu felt that she hired a good employee.
She went back to the kitchen, took the milk red bean cake, and continued to eat.
After eating, she was about to go back to the room to rest for a while when Mrs. Chen came. She was followed by a man. The man looked about in his twenties. He looked fairly upright. How his eyes were wandering a little.
Mrs. Chen's eye circles were a little red, as if she had cried.
She came in and saw Jiang Yun Zhu. She pulled her aside and said, "Yun Zhu, aren't our store hiring a server. What do you think of this guy?"
"Mother, where did you meet him?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.
"At the gate of the county city. Wang Tian's mother passed away. He has no money to bury her, so he’s selling himself to bury his mother. I heard from him that he had worked as a server before, so I brought him back to try." Mrs. Chen explained. She stayed at the house in the village last night. She came to the county city this morning and happened to pass by the city gate and encountered this.
It turned out that this young man was called Wang Tian. He was selling himself to bury his mother. This era was very particular about funeral affairs. When a loved one dies, not to mention a grand burial, one needs to get a coffin and find a piece of land for a good burial.
Of the two, the former required money. The latter was easy to handle if the family had land. If not, it will require a lot of money.
So there was such a thing as selling one's body to bury one's mother.
But in Wuling County, it seemed a little strange. Jiang Yun Zhu remembered that when Jiang Cheng went to the mine, he could get one month's wages in advance. Judging by Wang Tian's delicate skin and tender flesh, it didn't look like he was used to doing chores since young.
"I'll go talk to him." Jiang Yun Zhu said.
"En." Mrs. Chen agreed. Everything in the store was in the hands of Jiang Yun Zhu. Even if she pitied Wang Tian, she couldn't do anything. She went to the back kitchen.
When Jiang Yun Zhu came to the store, Wang Tian was standing there quietly looking at the storefront.
"Sit." Jiang Yun Zhu stated.
"Thank you." Wang Tian waited for Jiang Yun Zhu to sit down before sitting down.
"I don't know what my mother told you, but our store is recruiting servers. I heard you have previous experience?"
"I do." Wang Tian said, "I'm skilled at it."
"Where did you work?"
"Yueda Restaurant."
Oh, that restaurant had a rat head in its dishes and then closed down.
"Did you put the rat's head in that dish?" Jiang Yun Zhu casually asked.
Wang Tian's expression was extremely colorful. He quickly caught on. Standing up, he furiously uttered, "How could you accuse me? I was sick those few days and wasn't in the store at all. If you don't believe me, go ask those guys."
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled. Normally, if someone from that store was asked this question, how would he react if he was innocent?
Definitely not defending himself immediately. Instead, they would find there was something wrong with her head to suddenly ask this kind of question.
Jiang Yun Zhu took in his guilty state and said calmly, "When man does, the heaven watches. I don't know if your mother has truly passed. If she isn’t, I wonder if she would praise you for your filial piety or not when she hears that you are going to sell yourself to bury her..."
Wang Tian's real name was Song Lin. He was the eldest son of old Second Song. He was indeed the one who put the rat head in the food of Yueda Restaurant four years ago. This time, they had inquired and found out Qishanju was recruiting servers. So they wanted to repeat the same act.
Who would have thought... Song Lin's Mother was of course alive and well. Imagining his mother hearing about this matter...
Song Lin's face turned pale, both in awkwardness and embarrassment. He didn't expect Jiang Yun Zhu to see through him right away.
Two streets away, Manager Song and old Second Song were waiting.
At this time Song Lin came over. The two immediately surrounded him and asked, "How is it? Success?"
"Success my fart!" Song Lin vented all his anger on the two of them, "Are you two my eldest uncle and my father? Curse my mother to death and make me do such immoral things. Now it's great. The other party saw through me!
You two hid behind, pretended to be good people, and let me lose face. From what I see, you don’t have any good intentions.
Eldest Uncle, are you hoping for me to be put in prison? If not, why don't you let your son go? Your son isn’t young either. All day long, he idly eats at home.
Father, why do you trust him? Every time he makes us do bad things while he picks up ready-made results. In my opinion, he ain’t a good thing.
One day, he’ll send us both to prison while he’s at it. Only then, he’ll be happy to monopolize the restaurant!"
Babbling away, Song Lin actually voiced out Manager Song's expectations.
Old Second Song's face changed. Looking at Manager Song, he felt that Song Lin's words made sense.
"Eldest Brother, I didn't expect you to be so vicious." Old Second Song furiously directed at Manager Song.
"I don't have that intention." Manager Song stated at once.
"Then give me half of the restaurant." Old Second Song said.
"There's only one restaurant, how to divide it?" Manager Song angrily retorted.
"Sell it and divide the money." Old Second Song responded.
Manager Song was driven mad by him. A hen that can lay golden eggs! He wanted to sell the hen for silver? More importantly, Song Lin was helping with the judgment on the side and felt it was a good idea.
The three of them got into a mess. In the end Manager Song gave them money and they left.
Manager Song stood there with his temples throbbing. This was called unsuccessful stealing of chickens and ending up losing the rice.
Naturally, Jiang Yun Zhu didn't know what happened to them. She only knew that Baofulou had attacked Qishanju. It seemed that she had to be more cautious in the future.
Just as she was thinking, another person came in from outside.
"Excuse me, are you recruiting here?" It was a young man with an old woman on his back. Behind him was a woman.
The three of them looked extremely disheveled. Their clothes were torn and their faces were green.
Still, the man's eyes were very bright, with a sense of tenacity.
"Who are you?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.
"We’re seeking refuge from Changfeng Manor. Since last year, there had only been a light snowfall in Changfeng Manor and didn't even cover the land. Seeing that spring is about to begin and there is no sign of rain at all, we couldn't hold on and escaped." The man explained.
Then he continued, "Miss, we don't need much wages. As long as we have some food and a place to live, it’s enough."
Jiang Yun Zhu checked his hands. They were definitely hands that had worked for a long time.
"I’m recruiting a server and a choreman." Jiang Yun Zhu replied.
"I haven't been a server before, but I can learn. I beg Miss to give me a chance. I can read some words." The man said with burning eyes.
This server position didn't require much technical skill.
Jiang Yun Zhu had a good impression of him, "Come in first."
Then she said to Mrs. Chen, "Mother, is there anything else to eat in the kitchen? Bring some for them."
Hearing the man say that they sought refuge from Changfeng Manor, Mrs. Chen thought of many things at once. At Jiang Yun Zhu’s words, she immediately said, "Let me cook some noodles for them!"
"No, no need." The man hurriedly responded. Then he stood at the door, looking very restrained.
He saw how spotless the store was. The three of them were like beggars. Would they dare to enter the store?
"Come in. it's okay." Jiang Yun Zhu beckoned.
Only then did the man enter the store carefully. He put the old woman on the seat beside him and refused to sit down no matter what was said.
Jiang Yun Zhu asked about the three’s situation.
The man's name was Li He. The old woman next to him was his mother. While the woman behind him was his wife, Mrs. Huang. They were originally from Lincang County, Changfeng Manor. Their family had a few mu of barren land and they made a living by farming. They weren’t rich, but could fill their stomach.
But in the past two years, Changfeng Manor had suffered severe drought. The land had been desolate. They sold everything and it was still difficult to make ends meet.
With no other choice, they could only come out to flee the famine.
The reason why Li He can read was because he learned from the fortune-teller in the village when he was idle. He learned two words a day and gradually became able to recognize a lot of characters.
"There’s another drought in Changfeng Manor this year?" Mrs. Chen came out with three bowls of noodles and was in time to hear Li He's words. She exclaimed in surprise.
Back then, they escaped from Changfeng Manor in advance because they were afraid of such a situation. Now that they heard the news, Mrs. Chen was overjoyed and had an indescribable feeling.
Li He nodded, "Should be."
Mrs. Chen stood there in a daze.
Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the three bowls of noodles to the front of Li He group, "Eat it quickly!"
Li He and the others haven't eaten anything decent for two days. Seeing the steaming hot noodles now, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva. But...
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, "Actually, our family sought refuge from the Changfeng Manor. It was last year’s matter."
"Really?" Li He couldn't believe it.
Since they sought refuge, life must be difficult. But judging by how Jiang Yun Zhu actually opened such a good restaurant in the county town, this?
"Really." Mrs. Chen replied. Back then when they came to Wuling County, they weren’t much better off than Li He group.
It was thanks to Jiang Yun Zhu.
With this extra layer of relationship, Li He’s family became less restrained and began to gobble up the noodle.
The large bowls of noodles were quickly finished. The faces of the three of them were a little rosier.
"Miss, I can learn. I can learn things quite quickly. How about you let me try for a few days. If it doesn't work, you can drive me away." Li He’s mind was still on this matter. He put down the bowl and sincerely said to Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu felt that he was good. At least he was self-motivated. For example, he can read and write. Ordinary farmers were already very tired after finishing their work every day. Who would want to learn two words from a fortune teller?.
Not only did he learn it, but also persevered.
"It's best that the server can be literate. Okay, you can stay and try for a few days. If you’re up for it, I'll keep you." Jiang Yun Zhu said.
After hearing this, Li He almost wept with joy. They had no money on them now and were close to collapsing on the street from starvation. Jiang Yun Zhu hiring him at this time was tantamount to giving him a way out.
"Thank you Miss! Thank you." Li He kept thanking her.
At this time, his wife, Mrs. Huang suddenly pulled him.
Only then did Li He remember and said to Jiang Yun Zhu, "Miss, you said that you’re recruiting choreman here. Are choreman restricted by gender?"
Usually when recruiting people, they like to recruit men. That’s why, he asked this question.
Jiang Yun Zhu already understood what he meant, "No restriction."
"Then my wife..."
"Trial period for three days. Then we can discuss whether to stay or not after three days."
"Thank you, Miss."
"Thank you, miss."
This time even old Madam Li stood up. The whole family thanked Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu waved her hand. A server, a choreman, and Xie Lian were recruited at once. It was mostly enough.
Jiang Yun Zhu went outside and tore up the recruitment notice. She decided to do this first and not recruit anyone.
Li He's words gave her a sense of crisis. Changfeng Manor will suffer a severe drought this year. Many refugees will flock to Lu Prefecture. She shouldn’t blindly expand now. What's more, it was unknown what trouble Baofulou would stir up.
Li He trio can eat in the store, but accommodation...
Actually, there was a house in the backyard of the restaurant, but Jiang Yun Zhu didn't want them to live here. She changed her mind slightly and came up with an idea. She planned to rent another house in the county town. One, to store all kinds of things for the restaurant, such as hairtail fish and octopus. Two, so that Li He's family can live there for now.
Third and most importantly, she wanted to buy a batch of grain for storage. With food in hand, she wouldn't panic.
Putting her words in action, Jiang Yun Zhu immediately went to the broker store and soon rented a property only one street away from Qishanju.
The yard wasn’t big. But there was actually a big cellar. Jiang Yun Zhu took a fancy to this and rented this house.
She got Jiang Cheng to put all the remaining fish at home into the cellar so that these fish can be stored for a longer period of time.
Then Jiang Yun Zhu bought three sets of clothes for the Li He trio. Li He and Mrs. Huang's couldn't come to work in the store wearing the tattered clothes they were wearing. So let's treat it as work clothes for the employees!
The three of them were overwhelmed with gratitude and said that they had met a good samaritan.
Li He and Mrs. Huang cleaned up and put on new clothes. Maybe it was people relying on clothes; horses relying on saddles or maybe they were refreshed by happy occasions. The two’s appearance immediately changed. Li He looked very energetic, while Mrs. Huang appeared neat and clean.
The two immediately went to Qishanju to work. They secretly vowed that they would work hard to repay Jiang Yun Zhu's kindness and find a good road for themselves.
As for Jiang Yun Zhu, she went to the rice and grain store. She had shopped in three rice and grain stores in a row and bought three batches of grain. One batch went to her home in Changshi Village. One batch was placed in the backyard of Qishanju. The last batch was placed in the newly rented house in the cellar.
She knew that all eggs cannot be put in one basket.
After finishing this matter, she felt a little more at ease.
Back at Qishanju. Seeing that it was lunch time, Jiang Yun Zhu called everyone in the store together and introduced them to each other.
There were three more people in the store. Xue Jing was overjoyed. This means that the restaurant will become bigger!
He felt that sooner or later, their Qishanju will surpass Baofulou and become the best restaurant in Wuling County.
No, why restrain to Wuling County? He felt that with Jiang Yun Zhu's skills, it would be no problem to go to Lu Prefecture.
Go to Lu Prefecture to open a big restaurant! This way, he can also follow her to Lu Prefecture. When his master sees him, his jaw will drop in shock!
It was unknown how far Xue Jing’s mind went, but he felt happy.
Li He and Mrs. Huang were full of joy. The people in Qishanju were very kind. They were lucky to stay here.
Xie Lian was a little nervous. She lowered her head and rubbed the corners of her clothes with her hands. She was afraid that she wouldn't do well and Jiang Yun Zhu wouldn't want her anymore.
"Okay, there are guests here. Everyone, let’s get to work!" Jiang Yun Zhu said.
Everyone dispersed. Li He went to the front. Mrs. Huang and Xie Lian went to the kitchen, Xue Jing was cooking. Everyone was very busy.
Jiang Yun Zhu made her milk red bean cake. At the same time, she made another snack, ginger milk curd. In such cold weather, wasn't it suitable to eat a bowl of this to keep out the cold?
At this time, a girl entered the store. After entering the store, she looked around and sat by the window.
Jiang Yun Zhu happened to come to the front to pick up something, saw her and smiled. Wasn't this Qin Yao?
It was indeed Qin Yao. In fact, she had wanted to come to Qishanju for a long time. But remembering the rejection from Jiang Yun Zhu last time, she resisted coming.
After so many days, she felt that Jiang Yun Zhu must have forgotten about her. So she came in to have a look.
"Miss, what do you want to eat?" Li He asked with a smile. Being a server wasn’t difficult. At least he was doing a decent job now.
Qin Yao ordered two dishes at random. Suddenly, the new dish ‘milk red bean cake’ on the wall caught her eyes. It sounded delicious. So she ordered one.
At this time, there were a few misses sitting at the table next to her. They had ordered milk red bean cake.
When the cake was served, it smelled milky, sweet but not greasy. As expected, it was delicious.
"This cake must have been made by the owner of the store. 'Rub the hands together to find the jade, and fry it in green oil to make a deep yellow'. Only a person like the owner of the store can make such a good cake. Like the ones on the street, they are all vulgar things. The things made are naturally vulgar." An oval-face miss praised.
"That's right. Look at this store and you’ll know we came to the right place today. Elder Sister Ye, thank you for bringing us to such a good place today." A round-face miss said to a miss sitting in the middle.
The girl smiled, "We usually don't have a place to eat and play. Now it’s wonderful."
"Exactly." The girls smiled and nodded.
At this time, someone spoke, "But that's it. This cake is an ordinary milk cake. I've eaten it countless times in Lu Prefecture." It was a girl in blue who spoke.
As soon as she said this, the misses stopped smiling. They knew that her family had relatives in Lu Prefecture. There was no need to talk about it every day, as if no one had ever been to Lu Prefecture.
The miss in blue wanted to say something more, but the few misses suddenly looked toward the back door of the store. She also raised her gaze up to see.
After the person left, the misses gathered together again, "Who is that gentleman now?"
The round-faced miss asked with a reddish face.
The others raised their ears. The gentleman was too handsome. Especially with his unique air. It made people dare not look at him and also couldn't help but be moved.
The miss sitting in the middle smiled, "I don't know either. I heard that it's a gentleman from the capital who is borrowing accommodation in the store."
The misses each had different thoughts. Who they saw was naturally Shen Feng Ming.
At this moment, someone outside suddenly asked, "Miss Jiang, are you there?"
It was Xie Chen’s voice.
Why did he come at this time, "Here!" Jiang Yun Zhu put down the cake and went to the front.
Xie Chen was still in the old blue robe. Behind him, there was a petite girl who was carefully looking around with a pair of beautiful eyes.
Jiang Yun Zhu had a guess in her mind. She inquired about Baofulou and while she was at it, she inquired about Xie Chen.
At three-year-old, his mother gave birth to a younger sister and ran away with another. The father beat and scolded the siblings. The neighbors couldn't stand it anymore. They often secretly fed them. Only then, they grew up slowly.
No wonder Xie Chen had always had a frown every day and mentally preoccupied, despite his great appearance.
She understood why Xie Chen was hesitant to want his younger sister to work in the store. He wanted her sister to leave that house, but he was afraid that she would have to work hard! After all, his plan was to bring his younger sister to the capital in April.
"Yun Xue, go and get a plate of cakes from the back." Jiang Yun Zhu instructed Jiang Yun Xue.
Jiang Yun Xue agreed and brought a plate of milk red bean cake from behind.
Jiang Yun Zhu beckoned Xie Chen to sit with the girl behind him. Then the plate of cakes was placed in front of them, "You guys came here at a good time. I just made a cake. Try it."
Xie Chen's eyes fell on the plate of cakes, which were crystal clear and milky white, exuding bursts of sweet fragrance.
He hadn't eaten in the morning. Smelling the cake, he felt even more hungry. However, he looked away and said, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
He didn't intend to eat the cake.
Jiang Yun Zhu picked up a piece of cake and handed it to Xie Lian, "Eat it. Your elder brother has helped me a lot!"
She was talking about Xie Chen helping her settle the accounts.
Xie Lian pursed her lips and looked at Xie Chen.
Xie Chen's heart felt sour. He couldn’t eat it, but his younger sister...
"Since Miss Jiang gave it to you, you can eat it." He said warmly.
Xie Lian's eyes lit up immediately. She took the cake and wanted to eat it. Suddenly she remembered something and handed it to Xie Chen.
"You eat." Xie Chen responded.
Xie Lian shook her head.
Xie Chen felt helpless.
"It's just a plate of cake." Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the plate of cake toward Xie Chen again.
Xie Chen's cheeks flushed slightly, "Thank you Miss Jiang."
"No need to be so polite."
Only then did Xie Chen take a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. It was soft and sweet with a milky aroma. He felt that he had never eaten such a delicious cake.
Seeing him eat, Xie Lian put the cake into her mouth. Immediately, her eyes curved. This cake was sweet; to the point that it seemed to sweeten people's hearts.
Jiang Yun Zhu wasn't in a hurry. She poured them two cups of hot water and let them eat cakes.
Xie Chen ate another two pieces. Even the tips of his ears turned red. So he stopped eating.
Xie Lian couldn't help but eat a few pieces before taking a sip of water and stopping.
Jiang Yun Zhu looked at Xie Chen.
"Miss Jiang, can I have a chat with you alone?" Xie Chen said.
"Okay." Jiang Yun Zhu got up.
The two went outside.
Xie Chen looked at Xie Lian in the room and said, "Miss Jiang, are you hiring a choreman? That's my younger sister. I want her to work in your store, not for money.
Her wages can be paid out of my account balance. Or, if she doesn't do well, you can tell me and I will help her. She can't speak... Don't worry, she is very sensible. "
Xie Chen spoke anxiously and quickly. He didn't want Xie Lian to come to Jiang Yun Zhu to make money. Like Jiang Yun Zhu guessed, he wanted Xie Lian to leave that house.
He went home yesterday and found that Xie Yong was scolding Xie Lian again. She was standing there tremblingly. He was very worried that she wouldn't last long enough for him to take her away.
Xie Chen's words were very sincere about hiring Xie Lian to work without pay or him helping Xie Lian? If it were a black-hearted boss, he would probably go crazy in delight.
Of course, if it was a boss with bad moral character, Xie Chen wouldn't bring Xie Lian here either. He felt that Jiang Yun Zhu was a nice person and a female. So he wanted to put Xie Lian in the store.
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, but she didn't agree or refuse, "Well, let her work with us on trial for three days and then we can talk."
"Thank you, Miss Jiang." Xie Chen gratefully replied.
The two returned to the store again. Xie Chen whispered to Xie Lian for a while. Xie Lian nodded and bent down to bow Jiang Yun Zhu. She will definitely work hard so that her elder brother can study with peace of mind.
Xie Chen also bowed to Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled.
"I'll pick you up tonight." Xie Chen told Xie Lian.
Xie Lian nodded. Only then, Xie Chen reluctantly left.
Only Xie Lian remained. Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the half plate of milk red bean cake to her. "Eat it. Only when you’re full will you have the strength to do things."
However, Xie Lian didn’t eat. She looked around, appearing to find work to do.
"Don't worry. We haven't started working yet." Jiang Yun Zhu told.
Xie Lian looked toward the kitchen. There, the pot seemed to have not been washed. She looked at Jiang Yun Zhu inquiringly.
Alright then. Jiang Yun Zhu hadn't had time to scrub it yet.
Xie Lian went to the kitchen to wash the pots and dishes. Although she was petite, she had been doing these things since she was a child. So she did them very well.
Alright then. Jiang Yun Zhu felt that she hired a good employee.
She went back to the kitchen, took the milk red bean cake, and continued to eat.
After eating, she was about to go back to the room to rest for a while when Mrs. Chen came. She was followed by a man. The man looked about in his twenties. He looked fairly upright. How his eyes were wandering a little.
Mrs. Chen's eye circles were a little red, as if she had cried.
She came in and saw Jiang Yun Zhu. She pulled her aside and said, "Yun Zhu, aren't our store hiring a server. What do you think of this guy?"
"Mother, where did you meet him?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.
"At the gate of the county city. Wang Tian's mother passed away. He has no money to bury her, so he’s selling himself to bury his mother. I heard from him that he had worked as a server before, so I brought him back to try." Mrs. Chen explained. She stayed at the house in the village last night. She came to the county city this morning and happened to pass by the city gate and encountered this.
It turned out that this young man was called Wang Tian. He was selling himself to bury his mother. This era was very particular about funeral affairs. When a loved one dies, not to mention a grand burial, one needs to get a coffin and find a piece of land for a good burial.
Of the two, the former required money. The latter was easy to handle if the family had land. If not, it will require a lot of money.
So there was such a thing as selling one's body to bury one's mother.
But in Wuling County, it seemed a little strange. Jiang Yun Zhu remembered that when Jiang Cheng went to the mine, he could get one month's wages in advance. Judging by Wang Tian's delicate skin and tender flesh, it didn't look like he was used to doing chores since young.
"I'll go talk to him." Jiang Yun Zhu said.
"En." Mrs. Chen agreed. Everything in the store was in the hands of Jiang Yun Zhu. Even if she pitied Wang Tian, she couldn't do anything. She went to the back kitchen.
When Jiang Yun Zhu came to the store, Wang Tian was standing there quietly looking at the storefront.
"Sit." Jiang Yun Zhu stated.
"Thank you." Wang Tian waited for Jiang Yun Zhu to sit down before sitting down.
"I don't know what my mother told you, but our store is recruiting servers. I heard you have previous experience?"
"I do." Wang Tian said, "I'm skilled at it."
"Where did you work?"
"Yueda Restaurant."
Oh, that restaurant had a rat head in its dishes and then closed down.
"Did you put the rat's head in that dish?" Jiang Yun Zhu casually asked.
Wang Tian's expression was extremely colorful. He quickly caught on. Standing up, he furiously uttered, "How could you accuse me? I was sick those few days and wasn't in the store at all. If you don't believe me, go ask those guys."
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled. Normally, if someone from that store was asked this question, how would he react if he was innocent?
Definitely not defending himself immediately. Instead, they would find there was something wrong with her head to suddenly ask this kind of question.
Jiang Yun Zhu took in his guilty state and said calmly, "When man does, the heaven watches. I don't know if your mother has truly passed. If she isn’t, I wonder if she would praise you for your filial piety or not when she hears that you are going to sell yourself to bury her..."
Wang Tian's real name was Song Lin. He was the eldest son of old Second Song. He was indeed the one who put the rat head in the food of Yueda Restaurant four years ago. This time, they had inquired and found out Qishanju was recruiting servers. So they wanted to repeat the same act.
Who would have thought... Song Lin's Mother was of course alive and well. Imagining his mother hearing about this matter...
Song Lin's face turned pale, both in awkwardness and embarrassment. He didn't expect Jiang Yun Zhu to see through him right away.
Two streets away, Manager Song and old Second Song were waiting.
At this time Song Lin came over. The two immediately surrounded him and asked, "How is it? Success?"
"Success my fart!" Song Lin vented all his anger on the two of them, "Are you two my eldest uncle and my father? Curse my mother to death and make me do such immoral things. Now it's great. The other party saw through me!
You two hid behind, pretended to be good people, and let me lose face. From what I see, you don’t have any good intentions.
Eldest Uncle, are you hoping for me to be put in prison? If not, why don't you let your son go? Your son isn’t young either. All day long, he idly eats at home.
Father, why do you trust him? Every time he makes us do bad things while he picks up ready-made results. In my opinion, he ain’t a good thing.
One day, he’ll send us both to prison while he’s at it. Only then, he’ll be happy to monopolize the restaurant!"
Babbling away, Song Lin actually voiced out Manager Song's expectations.
Old Second Song's face changed. Looking at Manager Song, he felt that Song Lin's words made sense.
"Eldest Brother, I didn't expect you to be so vicious." Old Second Song furiously directed at Manager Song.
"I don't have that intention." Manager Song stated at once.
"Then give me half of the restaurant." Old Second Song said.
"There's only one restaurant, how to divide it?" Manager Song angrily retorted.
"Sell it and divide the money." Old Second Song responded.
Manager Song was driven mad by him. A hen that can lay golden eggs! He wanted to sell the hen for silver? More importantly, Song Lin was helping with the judgment on the side and felt it was a good idea.
The three of them got into a mess. In the end Manager Song gave them money and they left.
Manager Song stood there with his temples throbbing. This was called unsuccessful stealing of chickens and ending up losing the rice.
Naturally, Jiang Yun Zhu didn't know what happened to them. She only knew that Baofulou had attacked Qishanju. It seemed that she had to be more cautious in the future.
Just as she was thinking, another person came in from outside.
"Excuse me, are you recruiting here?" It was a young man with an old woman on his back. Behind him was a woman.
The three of them looked extremely disheveled. Their clothes were torn and their faces were green.
Still, the man's eyes were very bright, with a sense of tenacity.
"Who are you?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.
"We’re seeking refuge from Changfeng Manor. Since last year, there had only been a light snowfall in Changfeng Manor and didn't even cover the land. Seeing that spring is about to begin and there is no sign of rain at all, we couldn't hold on and escaped." The man explained.
Then he continued, "Miss, we don't need much wages. As long as we have some food and a place to live, it’s enough."
Jiang Yun Zhu checked his hands. They were definitely hands that had worked for a long time.
"I’m recruiting a server and a choreman." Jiang Yun Zhu replied.
"I haven't been a server before, but I can learn. I beg Miss to give me a chance. I can read some words." The man said with burning eyes.
This server position didn't require much technical skill.
Jiang Yun Zhu had a good impression of him, "Come in first."
Then she said to Mrs. Chen, "Mother, is there anything else to eat in the kitchen? Bring some for them."
Hearing the man say that they sought refuge from Changfeng Manor, Mrs. Chen thought of many things at once. At Jiang Yun Zhu’s words, she immediately said, "Let me cook some noodles for them!"
"No, no need." The man hurriedly responded. Then he stood at the door, looking very restrained.
He saw how spotless the store was. The three of them were like beggars. Would they dare to enter the store?
"Come in. it's okay." Jiang Yun Zhu beckoned.
Only then did the man enter the store carefully. He put the old woman on the seat beside him and refused to sit down no matter what was said.
Jiang Yun Zhu asked about the three’s situation.
The man's name was Li He. The old woman next to him was his mother. While the woman behind him was his wife, Mrs. Huang. They were originally from Lincang County, Changfeng Manor. Their family had a few mu of barren land and they made a living by farming. They weren’t rich, but could fill their stomach.
But in the past two years, Changfeng Manor had suffered severe drought. The land had been desolate. They sold everything and it was still difficult to make ends meet.
With no other choice, they could only come out to flee the famine.
The reason why Li He can read was because he learned from the fortune-teller in the village when he was idle. He learned two words a day and gradually became able to recognize a lot of characters.
"There’s another drought in Changfeng Manor this year?" Mrs. Chen came out with three bowls of noodles and was in time to hear Li He's words. She exclaimed in surprise.
Back then, they escaped from Changfeng Manor in advance because they were afraid of such a situation. Now that they heard the news, Mrs. Chen was overjoyed and had an indescribable feeling.
Li He nodded, "Should be."
Mrs. Chen stood there in a daze.
Jiang Yun Zhu pushed the three bowls of noodles to the front of Li He group, "Eat it quickly!"
Li He and the others haven't eaten anything decent for two days. Seeing the steaming hot noodles now, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva. But...
Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, "Actually, our family sought refuge from the Changfeng Manor. It was last year’s matter."
"Really?" Li He couldn't believe it.
Since they sought refuge, life must be difficult. But judging by how Jiang Yun Zhu actually opened such a good restaurant in the county town, this?
"Really." Mrs. Chen replied. Back then when they came to Wuling County, they weren’t much better off than Li He group.
It was thanks to Jiang Yun Zhu.
With this extra layer of relationship, Li He’s family became less restrained and began to gobble up the noodle.
The large bowls of noodles were quickly finished. The faces of the three of them were a little rosier.
"Miss, I can learn. I can learn things quite quickly. How about you let me try for a few days. If it doesn't work, you can drive me away." Li He’s mind was still on this matter. He put down the bowl and sincerely said to Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu felt that he was good. At least he was self-motivated. For example, he can read and write. Ordinary farmers were already very tired after finishing their work every day. Who would want to learn two words from a fortune teller?.
Not only did he learn it, but also persevered.
"It's best that the server can be literate. Okay, you can stay and try for a few days. If you’re up for it, I'll keep you." Jiang Yun Zhu said.
After hearing this, Li He almost wept with joy. They had no money on them now and were close to collapsing on the street from starvation. Jiang Yun Zhu hiring him at this time was tantamount to giving him a way out.
"Thank you Miss! Thank you." Li He kept thanking her.
At this time, his wife, Mrs. Huang suddenly pulled him.
Only then did Li He remember and said to Jiang Yun Zhu, "Miss, you said that you’re recruiting choreman here. Are choreman restricted by gender?"
Usually when recruiting people, they like to recruit men. That’s why, he asked this question.
Jiang Yun Zhu already understood what he meant, "No restriction."
"Then my wife..."
"Trial period for three days. Then we can discuss whether to stay or not after three days."
"Thank you, Miss."
"Thank you, miss."
This time even old Madam Li stood up. The whole family thanked Jiang Yun Zhu.
Jiang Yun Zhu waved her hand. A server, a choreman, and Xie Lian were recruited at once. It was mostly enough.
Jiang Yun Zhu went outside and tore up the recruitment notice. She decided to do this first and not recruit anyone.
Li He's words gave her a sense of crisis. Changfeng Manor will suffer a severe drought this year. Many refugees will flock to Lu Prefecture. She shouldn’t blindly expand now. What's more, it was unknown what trouble Baofulou would stir up.
Li He trio can eat in the store, but accommodation...
Actually, there was a house in the backyard of the restaurant, but Jiang Yun Zhu didn't want them to live here. She changed her mind slightly and came up with an idea. She planned to rent another house in the county town. One, to store all kinds of things for the restaurant, such as hairtail fish and octopus. Two, so that Li He's family can live there for now.
Third and most importantly, she wanted to buy a batch of grain for storage. With food in hand, she wouldn't panic.
Putting her words in action, Jiang Yun Zhu immediately went to the broker store and soon rented a property only one street away from Qishanju.
The yard wasn’t big. But there was actually a big cellar. Jiang Yun Zhu took a fancy to this and rented this house.
She got Jiang Cheng to put all the remaining fish at home into the cellar so that these fish can be stored for a longer period of time.
Then Jiang Yun Zhu bought three sets of clothes for the Li He trio. Li He and Mrs. Huang's couldn't come to work in the store wearing the tattered clothes they were wearing. So let's treat it as work clothes for the employees!
The three of them were overwhelmed with gratitude and said that they had met a good samaritan.
Li He and Mrs. Huang cleaned up and put on new clothes. Maybe it was people relying on clothes; horses relying on saddles or maybe they were refreshed by happy occasions. The two’s appearance immediately changed. Li He looked very energetic, while Mrs. Huang appeared neat and clean.
The two immediately went to Qishanju to work. They secretly vowed that they would work hard to repay Jiang Yun Zhu's kindness and find a good road for themselves.
As for Jiang Yun Zhu, she went to the rice and grain store. She had shopped in three rice and grain stores in a row and bought three batches of grain. One batch went to her home in Changshi Village. One batch was placed in the backyard of Qishanju. The last batch was placed in the newly rented house in the cellar.
She knew that all eggs cannot be put in one basket.
After finishing this matter, she felt a little more at ease.
Back at Qishanju. Seeing that it was lunch time, Jiang Yun Zhu called everyone in the store together and introduced them to each other.
There were three more people in the store. Xue Jing was overjoyed. This means that the restaurant will become bigger!
He felt that sooner or later, their Qishanju will surpass Baofulou and become the best restaurant in Wuling County.
No, why restrain to Wuling County? He felt that with Jiang Yun Zhu's skills, it would be no problem to go to Lu Prefecture.
Go to Lu Prefecture to open a big restaurant! This way, he can also follow her to Lu Prefecture. When his master sees him, his jaw will drop in shock!
It was unknown how far Xue Jing’s mind went, but he felt happy.
Li He and Mrs. Huang were full of joy. The people in Qishanju were very kind. They were lucky to stay here.
Xie Lian was a little nervous. She lowered her head and rubbed the corners of her clothes with her hands. She was afraid that she wouldn't do well and Jiang Yun Zhu wouldn't want her anymore.
"Okay, there are guests here. Everyone, let’s get to work!" Jiang Yun Zhu said.
Everyone dispersed. Li He went to the front. Mrs. Huang and Xie Lian went to the kitchen, Xue Jing was cooking. Everyone was very busy.
Jiang Yun Zhu made her milk red bean cake. At the same time, she made another snack, ginger milk curd. In such cold weather, wasn't it suitable to eat a bowl of this to keep out the cold?
At this time, a girl entered the store. After entering the store, she looked around and sat by the window.
Jiang Yun Zhu happened to come to the front to pick up something, saw her and smiled. Wasn't this Qin Yao?
It was indeed Qin Yao. In fact, she had wanted to come to Qishanju for a long time. But remembering the rejection from Jiang Yun Zhu last time, she resisted coming.
After so many days, she felt that Jiang Yun Zhu must have forgotten about her. So she came in to have a look.
"Miss, what do you want to eat?" Li He asked with a smile. Being a server wasn’t difficult. At least he was doing a decent job now.
Qin Yao ordered two dishes at random. Suddenly, the new dish ‘milk red bean cake’ on the wall caught her eyes. It sounded delicious. So she ordered one.
At this time, there were a few misses sitting at the table next to her. They had ordered milk red bean cake.
When the cake was served, it smelled milky, sweet but not greasy. As expected, it was delicious.
"This cake must have been made by the owner of the store. 'Rub the hands together to find the jade, and fry it in green oil to make a deep yellow'. Only a person like the owner of the store can make such a good cake. Like the ones on the street, they are all vulgar things. The things made are naturally vulgar." An oval-face miss praised.
"That's right. Look at this store and you’ll know we came to the right place today. Elder Sister Ye, thank you for bringing us to such a good place today." A round-face miss said to a miss sitting in the middle.
The girl smiled, "We usually don't have a place to eat and play. Now it’s wonderful."
"Exactly." The girls smiled and nodded.
At this time, someone spoke, "But that's it. This cake is an ordinary milk cake. I've eaten it countless times in Lu Prefecture." It was a girl in blue who spoke.
As soon as she said this, the misses stopped smiling. They knew that her family had relatives in Lu Prefecture. There was no need to talk about it every day, as if no one had ever been to Lu Prefecture.
The miss in blue wanted to say something more, but the few misses suddenly looked toward the back door of the store. She also raised her gaze up to see.
After the person left, the misses gathered together again, "Who is that gentleman now?"
The round-faced miss asked with a reddish face.
The others raised their ears. The gentleman was too handsome. Especially with his unique air. It made people dare not look at him and also couldn't help but be moved.
The miss sitting in the middle smiled, "I don't know either. I heard that it's a gentleman from the capital who is borrowing accommodation in the store."
The misses each had different thoughts. Who they saw was naturally Shen Feng Ming.
You can feast with your eyes but don't you dare to covet.
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