Chapter 48 [V] Let's pass the imperial examination to become a scholar first...

Brokerage firms specialize in this business, acting as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, and taking a commission for each successful transaction.

When ordinary people in the city are looking for work and have no other options, they will sometimes spend some money to "grease the wheels." This is considered the rule of this trade.

Otherwise, why would they give you such a good job instead of recommending it to someone else?

Although the broker accepted ten coins from Ye Wangxiang, he felt a little sorry for her. Otherwise, let alone ten coins, even twenty coins... he might not have given her that chance.

Ye Wangxiang often looked for work, so she knew this rule about the brokerage business.

When she saw that the broker was going to return the money to her, she thought the matter was over and immediately knelt down crying.

"Please, Goddess, have pity on me. I have two children to raise, the older one is three years old and the younger one is not even one year old. I am not afraid of hardship, I can do any dirty or tiring work. Just let me stay and give me a job, I will pay any amount of money. Please, Goddess, please, Goddess."

The commotion at the Xue family's place inevitably attracted the attention of many neighbors.

Looking at her thin body lying on the ground, trembling, Li Yan felt a pang of sympathy.

"Get up." With that, Li Yan knelt down and reached out to help him up. "Get up and let's talk."

Ye Wangxiang refused to get up and continued to plead while crying. Li Yan then said, "I didn't say I wouldn't keep you. Get up first and we'll talk later."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wangxiang finally looked up at Li Yan.

Li Yan was very close to her at that moment, which allowed her to examine her face up close.

She has a pretty face with delicate features, but due to malnutrition, she is too thin and looks somewhat emaciated.

Perhaps out of sympathy, or perhaps because Li Yan felt that she shouldn't discriminate against female workers, she readily agreed: "I'll use you."

"Really?" Ye Wangxiang was overjoyed, and a smile instantly bloomed on her face, which was still wet with tears.

Then, he hurriedly expressed his gratitude again: "Thank you, Lady Bodhisattva, thank you, Lady Bodhisattva."

"Alright, alright, stop kneeling," Li Yan joked. "We're about the same age. If you keep kneeling before me, I'm afraid it'll shorten my lifespan."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wangxiang immediately stood up. She only wanted to thank her, not shorten her lifespan.

The broker breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the deal was done. He was also happy for Lady Ye.

He had dealt with Madam Li quite a bit; he was the one who helped find this house. Madam Li was an extremely kind person, and now that her business had grown, she had plenty of money. If Madam Ye could find work from her, she wouldn't have to worry about making ends meet in the future.

Regardless of the amount of money, at least the job is stable and you won't have to endure too much hardship.

Most importantly, once the deal is agreed upon and the contract is signed, he can earn a commission from it.

Clearing his throat, the matchmaker spoke up at the opportune moment: "Ladies, about this contract..."

Although Li Yan wanted to help, she wasn't a saint. She hired someone to do the work. She didn't want to spend money only to have someone demanding and demanding, leaving her to do all the chores herself.

Although she didn't think this Lady Ye was that kind of person, it was always better to be cautious.

“There’s no rush with the contract,” Li Yan said. “Madam Ye, you shouldn’t be in such a hurry either. You can try it out for a couple of days. If it’s suitable, we can keep you on the job, and then we can sign a contract.”

Ya Lang raised his hand to touch his chin, his mind working quickly. He smiled and said, "You two ladies wouldn't have secretly made a deal to skip out on my bill, would you?"

Li Yan was fairly familiar with him, and was also his client, so she didn't speak very politely or cautiously.

"Do I look like someone who would skip out on a bill?" Li Yan retorted with a laugh, then her gaze fell on the ten coins he was holding in his hand. "Hurry up and return this money to the person."

Ye Wangxiang quickly shook his head and said no, but Li Yan said, "Since you are in trouble, then take it."

The matchmaker also said, "I originally didn't want to accept it, but I was afraid you would overthink it if I didn't, so I accepted it first. Besides, the job here at Lady Li's is a good one, and others have asked me to help them find partners. If I didn't sympathize with your situation, why would I bring you here to try, even though I know they don't want women? Now the opportunity is yours, so seize it yourself."

Ye Wangxiang reached for the ten coins with trembling hands, large tears rolling down her cheeks. She murmured softly, "Thank you, you are all good people."

When Ya Lang left, some people gathered in front of the courtyard gate recognized him and asked him what had happened.

Ya Lang then gave a brief explanation of the situation.

After hearing what the matchmaker Cheng had to say, the neighbors all said that Lady Ye was truly pitiful. They also angrily cursed her drunken husband, saying that he was not a man at all, let alone a human being. This perfectly good woman had traveled a long way to marry him, and instead of thinking about earning money to support his family, he abused this woman from out of town like that.

Aunt Hua cursed the most fiercely, and finally couldn't hold back and started crying.

Her daughter married and moved to another county, and she only saw her once or twice a year.

She was also afraid that her daughter would suffer in her husband's family.

Ye Wangxiang was immediately kept by Li Yan, who then told her what she should do each day.

.

After leaving Li Yan's house, Cheng Yalang went to keep an appointment.

Cheng Yalang and Xu Qingshu studied together in a private school. Although Cheng Yalang later stopped studying because he was not good at it, the two remained good friends.

Cheng Yalang is very eloquent and has a good personality, so his job at the brokerage firm has allowed him to earn some money.

He thought that in another year or two, he would use the resources he had accumulated to open his own dental clinic.

This time, it was Cheng Yalang who invited Xu Qingshu, knowing that Xu had quit his job in Qingshan Town and returned to the city for good. He wanted to invite him to a meal and have a chat.

Cheng Yalang arranged to meet at Sifang Restaurant. Since it was still cold recently, he ordered a hot pot, which was currently very popular.

He assumed Xu Qingshu hadn't tried it yet, and kept introducing it to him.

After the introduction, he asked, "Brother Xu, do you know who owns this pot restaurant?"

Xu Qingshu glanced at him briefly, then lowered her head again and slowly added vegetables to the pot, asking in a low voice, "Who is it?"

“Li Niangzi!” Cheng Yalang slapped his thigh.

Suddenly he remembered that perhaps he didn't even remember who Madam Li was, so he said, "Speaking of Madam Li, she and Brother Xu are old acquaintances."

Xu Qingshu simply smiled slightly and remained silent.

Cheng Yalang assumed he knew nothing, so he continued, "She's from Qingshan Town. When she first came to Huating County, it was you, Brother Xu, who asked her to find me. Brother Xu, think back, do you remember her?"

The mutton slices only need to be dipped in the hot pot seven or eight times before they're ready to eat. Xu Qingshu scooped out a slice and put it in his bowl.

“I know,” he said.

Hearing that he knew, Cheng Yalang continued, "She's quite something now. She collaborates with Yuanbaolou and also runs her own little stall selling drinks. Her drinks are different from others; I've tried them, and they're truly delicious. Besides, there's this restaurant." As he spoke, Cheng Yalang pointed to the pot in front of him, "The broth in this pot was developed by that Lady Li. Before, the hot pot we ate was basically just clear broth, or at most, a rich broth made from mutton."

"But this one is made with a lot of spices. The flavor is truly unique."

"She's quite wealthy now," Cheng Yalang said confidently, secretly admiring the woman. "And... when I first met her, she wasn't particularly attractive, but now she's become more and more beautiful. If I weren't already married with a harmonious marriage, I would have tried to win her over. What if I had the chance? Then my brokerage business could have opened much earlier."

“Second Brother Xu! I can’t do it, but you can.” Soon, Cheng Yalang turned the conversation to Xu Qingshu. “My second sister-in-law has been gone for three years. I know you are very sad, but you are still young and have a long life ahead of you. You can find someone you like and have someone who cares for you. Mao’er will also have a mother to take care of him. Your lives will be better.”

How come the conversation ended up focusing on him and that Lady Li?

If he hadn't known Brother Cheng's temperament and that he couldn't keep secrets, he would have thought that his brother and sister-in-law had sent him as a mediator.

After a slight pause, he continued picking up food, and just smiled: "That Lady Li is so good, now she's beautiful and rich, how could she possibly look at a poor, penniless scholar like me?"

Cheng Yalang disagreed with his self-deprecation and immediately retorted, "Brother Xu, how could you be a poor scholar? You are a scholar, a student of the preliminary examination. There's only one step between a student of the preliminary examination and a scholar of the county level. Once you pass the county level examination, you can directly participate in this year's autumn examination. If you're lucky and pass it in one go, then you'll be a scholar of the provincial level. Next year, you can go to the capital to take the examination and pass the imperial examination, then you can become an official."

Xu Qingshu shook his head and said helplessly, "You make it sound so easy. Do you think it's that easy to pass the exam?"

"Then you should be able to pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, right?"

In Cheng Yalang's mind, the second brother Xu in front of him was very capable. He had been good at studying since he was a child, so he was sure that he would achieve something.

"Let's see how this year's college entrance exam goes." Xu Qingshu's heart was not without wavering. He admired and approved of Li Yan. That's why he didn't explicitly refuse when his brother, sister-in-law, and the Cheng brothers all tried to match them up.

But matters of the heart can't be rushed. If you're meant to be, you'll naturally come together; if not, no amount of matchmaking from outsiders will help.

.

Ye Wangxiang was very hardworking. After Li Yan let her try it out for two days, she planned to sign a long-term labor contract with her.

In reality, she was hired to do odd jobs and chores at home, similar to an assistant in later times. Li Yan paid her one tael and two qian a month, and included lunch.

For Ye Wangxiang, who had worked as a porter at the docks, this job was undoubtedly very easy.

You have to be obedient, sensible, and observant.

One tael and two mace a month, plus a meal included... She'd truly found a living saint. Otherwise, where could she find such a good job?

Having made the decision, Li Yan took Ye Wangxiang to the brokerage firm that afternoon.

Cheng Yalang happened to be there, and when he saw the two ladies arrive, he immediately greeted them with a smile.

"You two have arrived! If you hadn't come, I would have had to come looking for you." He then invited them to sit down, saying, "Let's talk over here."

Li Yan got straight to the point, stating her requirements and the benefits she would provide to the farmhands.

Cheng Yalang was the scribe, writing down what Li Yan said.

Upon seeing the benefits offered by Lady Li, Cheng Yalang's eyes widened twice as much as usual.

"This...this...Madam Li, is this true? A monthly salary of one tael and two mace, with four days of paid leave. If I don't rest during those four days, you'll pay me an extra fifty coins per day? Besides, I don't have to be on call for twelve hours a day. I only have to do the daytime work, and I can go home as soon as I finish?"

"Is there a problem?" Li Yan asked calmly.

Cheng Yalang laughed: "It's not that there's a problem, it's just that... this treatment is too good." If the treatment is really this good, he would even want to go to her house to work.

There shouldn't be any scam, right?

Definitely not!

With so many businesses in Huating County, why would Madam Li do such things behind the scenes to ruin her reputation?

Besides, one or two taels of silver a month is nothing to her.

It's so nice to be rich!

Ye Wangxiang is literate, and she is very excited about such good conditions, but she is also a little uneasy.

Having suffered for so long, she found it hard to believe that such a good thing would happen to her.

Therefore, she read the contract over and over again, afraid that she might miss or misread something, which would ultimately plunge her into an even deeper abyss.

Fortunately, everything was normal, and there was nothing strange about it.

"One year term. If there are no objections, let's both parties sign and seal the document."

The contract was made in triplicate, with one copy for Li Yan, one for Ye Wangxiang, and one for the brokerage firm.

The contract was successfully signed, and both parties paid Cheng Yalang a commission of fifty coins each. Cheng Yalang, beaming with a bright smile, escorted the two to the door after receiving the money.

Since he had nothing else to do, Cheng Yalang took the one qian of silver he had just received, went to a pastry shop, bought a pastry, and then took it to Xu Qingshu.

Cheng Yalang first went to greet Xu Jiayan's family next door, left some snacks there, and then went to Xu Qingshu's house.

Now that the year is over and there are no relatives to visit or deal with, Xu Qingshu has focused on studying for the exam.

Before Cheng Yalang even arrived, his voice reached Xu Qingshu's ears.

"Brother Xu, open the door quickly!" he shouted from the doorway.

Upon hearing his voice, Xu Qingshu immediately put down his book and got up to open the door.

"I have something to tell you." As soon as the door opened, before the other person could even invite him in, he rushed straight in.

Behind him, Xu Qingshu closed the door and asked, "What is it?"

Cheng Yalang looked around, then pulled Xu Qingshu towards the main room: "Come on, let's talk inside." After sitting down, he told him about Li Yan signing a contract with that Lady Ye that day, "That Lady Li is really something, she pays one tael and two mace of silver a month, and provides lunch every day. Plus, she gives you four days off, four days... and if you want to continue working, you'll get extra pay for those four days."

"Speaking of which, she's really kind-hearted. I remember when she first came, she bargained with me for ten or twenty coins, but now she gives me one or two taels of silver without hesitation. Thinking about her, and then thinking about myself, I feel so miserable." He also wished he could be that wealthy; he dreamed of being rich.

Xu Qingshu listened attentively, a smile in her eyes, feeling that this was something she would do.

"Don't underestimate him. He's educated and knowledgeable. He's also smart and has a long-term vision than you or me."

After going around in circles, Cheng Yalang returned to the point, laughing, "See, Second Brother, you still admire her. Such a good girl, knowledgeable, reasonable, and rich. Second Brother, you must seize the opportunity." He then quietly leaned closer, "I've inquired for you. Nowadays, quite a few people are interested in her. Don't hesitate any longer, or by the time you've made up your mind, she'll be gone."

Knowing that the kid had come with ill intentions, Xu Qingshu gave him a cold glance but said nothing.