Chapter 149 Signing a New Employer

Not long after the sound, several burly men carried Yue Wu, who was beaten and unable to fight back, out of the courtyard and threw him onto the street, leaving him to roll around in the snow.

One of them shouted, "The steward is kind-hearted. He's letting you off today because you've worked at the winery for years. But if you dare to come here and cause trouble again, he won't let you off so easily next time. Get out of here!"

"Hmph! Just a lowly brat, dead is dead, but he dared to disturb our master steward, he really had a death wish."

The group grumbled and cursed as they went back inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

Yue Wu lay in the snow for a long time before enduring the pain to get up.

He wandered aimlessly through the streets, not knowing where to go.

Not far away, two people were huddled together, heads down, talking. At first, he couldn't hear them at all, but soon one of their voices reached his ears.

"Have you heard? The Ningyuan General's Mansion is building a winery, but they lack good brewers. They're asking around everywhere, and anyone with real skills who's willing to go will get paid once they sign a contract. I heard that the best brewers can get up to ten taels of silver."

Another person: "Really? We can get money just by signing the contract?"

"That's right! Ten taels! I've inquired carefully, it's absolutely true."

"Could it be a death contract? Once you sign it, you'll be someone's slave for life. I need to think about it carefully."

"No, you can sign a flexible contract, at least ten years. A brewer I know has already signed one, but his skills are so-so, he only got five taels of silver. Hehe, I plan to try my luck this afternoon. If they take a liking to me, I'll quit my job here when I get back."

You've heard of General Ningyuan, haven't you? He's the general who died on the battlefield with his son a year ago. He was known for his love for the people and his excellent reputation. I imagine his family must have been kind and compassionate as well.

However, I heard that the Ningyuan General's Mansion is now only supported by the elderly, women, and children, which is quite difficult. Since they are determined to build a winery, anyone with a brain would know that recruiting a group of highly skilled brewers is the most important thing, which is why they are willing to pay a high price.

"Hearing you say that, I'm tempted. Why don't we go in a bit? What if we're too late and they've already hired enough people? Wouldn't we have gotten our hopes up for nothing?"

"Okay, let's go now."

Yue Wu watched the two figures disappear and gradually came to his senses.

A winemaker? Paying him silver?

He seemed to forget the pain in his body and quickened his pace to catch up. At this moment, he only thought about money.

The group walked one after the other to the front of a shop on Yandian Street. The space where the signboard used to hang on the shop door was empty, and the marks on it suggested that it had just been taken down recently.

This is the shop that Yu Qingci plans to use to open a winery.

Yue Wu stood at the door for a while, then gritted his teeth and went inside.

He didn't come out until quite a while later.

He carefully touched the ten taels of silver he was carrying in his pocket, feeling as if everything that had just happened was a dream.

He went in to inquire, thinking he had nothing to lose, and it turned out to be a shop belonging to General Ningyuan's mansion, and they were hiring brewing masters.

What's even more amazing is that as soon as he mentioned his name and former employer, the shopkeeper immediately said he had heard of him.

Without much difficulty, the two parties quickly signed a ten-year contract after reaching an agreement. The other party really gave him ten taels of silver, and Yue Wu was so excited that he burst into tears on the spot.

Having worked for Qiao Family Winery for so many years, his monthly wages were not enough to support his family. In addition, the manager had a bad temper and treated all of them, whether they were masters or errand boys, the same, either beating or scolding them. He had long considered changing jobs.

But it's not easy to find a job these days. He doesn't know anything except brewing wine. Where can he go if he leaves Qiao Family Winery?

Besides, even if you change jobs, it's the same no matter where you work if you can't find a good employer.

But now, holding the silver in his hand, he looked at it in disbelief again and again before cautiously discussing with the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, to be honest, my son is very ill. If you trust me, I will definitely come back to work as soon as I cure my son."

After a moment's thought, the shopkeeper agreed: "No problem, we can absolutely trust Master Yue's reputation. As you can see, our distillery is currently under renovation and will not be open until after the New Year. Moreover, the brewing location is not here, but on a farm in the suburbs."

Today is the fifth day of the lunar month. Come back after the tenth day, and someone will take you there then.

Yue Wu was overjoyed.

The shopkeeper kindly added, "The child's illness is the most important thing. If you don't have enough money, you can come and let us know. Our boss is kind-hearted and might be willing to give you your wages in advance."

Yue Wu was immediately moved to tears and knelt down to kowtow to the shopkeeper.

After Yue Wu left, the shopkeeper immediately delivered the message to the general's mansion.

Yu Qingci was naturally delighted to receive the news. By recruiting Yue Wu, his tragedy from his previous life could be avoided, and the Qiao family could forget about any good fortune arising from misfortune. In this life, she would not allow those who had hurt her to have such good luck.

Qiao had been in a bad mood lately, and in the end, she asked someone to buy Xia Guang Jin from another shop.

Fortunately, because this kind of material is becoming more available on the market, the price has dropped to more than two hundred taels. However, it is a bit tight to buy it now, so the embroiderers have to work by lamplight to hurry up and finish making the new clothes.

There's nothing we can do. This year, everyone is proud to wear brocade, and the New Year is the time when people visit each other the most. If your family doesn't have the fine things that everyone else is wearing, it's not only a loss of face, but if people spread rumors that the Earl's Mansion has fallen on hard times and can't afford the best brocade for new clothes, that would be the worst thing.

Of course, this situation would never occur in the Nanping Earl's Mansion, which was enjoying the Emperor's favor. From the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, the mansion's gate was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and guests came and went without interruption.

Yu Jingsheng and Madam Qiao were busy for many days, and it wasn't until the sixth day of the new year that they were able to take their children back to the Qiao family mansion to pay New Year's respects.

Although both lived in the capital, the residences of Vice Minister Qiao and the Earl of Nanping were not far apart in terms of location, one to the east and the other to the west. However, they were separated by a huge imperial palace, and each time they went there, they had to take a long detour, which made the journey take a long time.

The family set off once they were all together. Yu Jingsheng, who never liked riding in a carriage, still chose to ride a horse. He also had his eldest son, Yu Qingyun, ride with him. Meanwhile, Madam Qiao and her two daughters rode in the Earl's carriage.

As for the two illegitimate daughters in the mansion, Madam Qiao almost never took them out, let alone today when they were returning to their maternal home.

The eldest son of the Bo family, Yu Qingyun, and Yu Qingyan are twins. They will be seventeen years old after the New Year. They are usually mild-mannered and lazy. They had originally planned to go by carriage with their mother, but now they have no choice but to ride horses under the pressure of their father.