Old Man Chen smiled. This grandson of his was a lively character, much more energetic than his older brother. But his eldest grandson was also good; he was honest and kind, and they relied on him for the work in the fields.

"Tell Grandpa, are you planning to go to the county to find work this time?" Old Man Chen asked. Chen Dahe had always looked for work in the county town before. He was quick-witted, resourceful, and good at talking, so he found work more easily than others.

In the past, Old Man Chen certainly wouldn't have stopped him, but now that his daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law both have to work, there aren't as many hands available. He still hopes his grandson can help with farming at home, as he's old and his strength isn't what it used to be. Besides, jobs in the city aren't easy to find.

Chen Dahe said, "Grandpa, it's not about going to the county town to find work, it's about going to work at Da Wa's house. Brother Qingshan arranged for me to work with him on transport, and I, your grandson, can drive an oxcart. The pay is only twenty coins a day! And we only have to work half a day."

Upon hearing that he was going to work at Da Wa's house, Old Man Chen was stunned, even stopping what he was doing. Da Wa's mother was really taking good care of their family. Out of so many families in Shili Gou, three of them were now working in someone else's workshop, earning sixty or seventy coins a day, not counting holiday bonuses. That was nearly two taels of silver a month! Who wouldn't envy them now!

"Grandpa, why are you sighing?" Seeing his grandfather sigh, Chen Changhe was puzzled and had no idea what his grandfather was thinking. Wasn't this a good thing?

"Grandson, our family is so grateful for their help. You and your wife, and your mother, are all working for Da Wa now. Be sure to stay put and don't get any wicked thoughts," Old Man Chen said earnestly. Sometimes he would think to himself, if it weren't for that accidental introduction of Madam Qin, perhaps none of this opportunity would have arisen. It seems we really should do more good deeds!

Old Man Chen decided that from then on, he would give his children and grandchildren a daily lecture. He couldn't do anything else, but he could give them a political and ideological lesson every day.

He Xing and her mother-in-law had known the news for a long time and were overjoyed. Even Wang Guixiang was a little envious, saying that it would be better for her husband to close down the blacksmith shop and come work for Da Wa's family.

Grandma He Xing scolded, "You child, aren't you talking nonsense? Your Shi Tou makes a living with his craftsmanship, which is incomparable to our Da He. Besides, the blacksmith's business is so good these days, are you willing to give it up? Even if you were willing, your Shi Tou wouldn't!"

Wang Guixiang smiled and said, "Auntie, I was just saying. Business is pretty good these days, and we're reluctant to close it down! We're just really envious of your Dahe being able to work here."

Actually, the business of their blacksmith shop was much better than they had imagined. Not to mention the farm tools they made on a regular basis, the iron pots and stoves that their eldest son's family had been making lately had earned them quite a bit of money. It was much better than delivering goods in the wind and sun every day! Besides, blacksmithing is a skill, and they certainly couldn't bear to give it up.

These past few days, Cheng Shi has been busy making an oven. The blueprints were drawn by Qin San Niang, and he had never seen anything like it before. It was said to be used for roasting food. The oven's structure wasn't complicated, but it required a lot of materials, so it took some time to make.

Nowadays, ironware is extremely expensive in Dasheng. An ordinary iron pot costs eight hundred coins, while this kind of oven costs a full five taels of silver, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary families. Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Da Wa cherished the sickle at home so much!

Qin San Niang had long wanted to customize an oven. Of course, she could also use red clay to make an earthen kiln, but it was not as convenient as this. Moreover, earthen kilns produced less output and were not suitable for baking pastries in large quantities.

She has a lot of oven recipes, and this time she specially prepared them for mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. She just wanted to make some money during the Mid-Autumn Festival!

In addition, you can try making many Western-style pastries, such as bread and cookies, which can be new products for Ruyi Pastry Shop.

Wu Chunhua is very skilled; she could bake cookies in a pan before. We'll let her take charge of the pastry business, and then find someone else to take over the jam and dried fruit business.

However, the most pressing issue now is that Ruyi Tavern is about to open, but there is still no accountant or manager, and there are no suitable candidates yet.

After much deliberation, Qin San Niang decided to reorganize the current personnel. She was a very decisive person who did things efficiently and was willing to make bold reforms once she understood the key issues.

Based on the experience and expertise of the staff, the personnel for Ruyi Tavern were quickly finalized! Mu Chun was transferred to be the manager and accountant of Ruyi Tavern, Cao Wenshan concurrently served as the manager and accountant of Ruyi Pastry Shop, and Zhenniang and Hua Zi continued to serve as head chefs at Ruyi Pastry Shop. As for the tavern's waiters, Liu Zi came to assess and train them.

As a result, Mu Chun and Cao Wenshan's wages increased accordingly. Qin Sanniang offered them a high salary of five taels of silver a month, with bonuses to be calculated separately. Everyone was satisfied with this arrangement and was eager to get started.

August brings the refreshing coolness of autumn.

Ruyi Tavern opened smoothly on a bright morning. Only when the sound of firecrackers and horns was heard did everyone realize that the shop had opened again without anyone noticing.

Regular customers all know that this shop has changed hands many times and has had a tumultuous history! It has been owned by countless taverns this year, and without exception, it has all ended in dismal failure.

However, no one knew why a tavern had to be opened in this place.

Sun Deye: Hmph, I'm going to go against that Chen family!

Every time he sold a shop, he would stipulate that it had to be used as a tavern. Of course, if the shop couldn't survive, he would buy it back and put it up for sale again until he found a suitable buyer. In the first half of this year alone, he changed hands twice, both of which closed down after less than a month.

The previous owners all sighed with regret, not because they didn't work hard, but because their own wine was not up to par, and the supply chain always had problems! On the other hand, Chen's Tavern across the street was positioned as a high-end establishment, and the quality of its wine was also good.

Most importantly, the winery outside the city exclusively supplied Chen's wine, causing other taverns to have problems with their supplies. These large taverns are different from small family workshops; if they lose their supply, they will face certain death!

Therefore, as Qin San Niang and others had seen before, there were still many small restaurants standing on this street. They were their own businesses, self-sufficient, and their labor costs were negligible. So, despite the strong pressure from Chen Ji, they were able to make a living.

For large taverns like theirs, transporting wine from afar would significantly increase all costs, making it a losing proposition!

Furthermore, the owner of Chen's is used to selling at low prices, but their wine was originally purchased at a high price. Even if they reluctantly lower the price, it cannot last long, otherwise they will lose money!