Of course he was dissatisfied, so he took the matter to the shopkeeper.

To everyone's surprise, the shopkeeper said that he was new and only received basic wages for the first month, with no commission. Therefore, he would not receive a single copper coin from the sixty servants he sold.

Bai Xiaobao immediately became anxious.

His father had finished his medicine.

I was originally planning to add a ginseng slice to his father's medicine after I received my commission.

Now... let alone ginseng slices, whether we can even afford to continue taking medicine is another matter entirely.

But the result of his trouble was that he got beaten up and kicked out.

This is a complete disaster. I won't get that penny, and I've been fired.

The injury was more serious than the last one.

Bai Xiaobao didn't dare go home that night, so he asked one of his close friends to go home and tell them for him.

He lied to his mother, saying he had gone to a neighboring county on business with the manager of the brokerage firm.

He stayed at his friend's house last night.

I was thinking about finding work to do first thing this morning.

Even carrying sacks of grain is acceptable.

But seeing his injured face, no one wanted to take him.

I think he likes to cause trouble, otherwise why would he have been beaten up like this?

No matter how Bai Xiaobao explains it.

They wouldn't listen.

After hearing these words, Jin Yu felt even more sympathy for him.

Ultimately, it was his fault too. If he hadn't stood Bai Xiaobao up that day, he wouldn't have been fired from the brokerage firm, nor would he have been beaten.

I remembered Yan Xia's words.

I suddenly had an idea.

Xia Jie was short-staffed and he was too busy, so Bai Xiaobao was a very reliable person.

Why not recruit him as your subordinate?

That is, the assistant that Sister Xia mentioned.

He is Xia Jie's assistant.

Xiao Bao is his assistant.

While Jin Yu was deep in thought, Bai Xiaobao noticed that he wasn't speaking and thought he had said something wrong, so he greeted him and prepared to leave.

I haven't even moved my feet yet.

He was pulled back by Jin Yu.

"Are you willing to do things for me? We won't sign a slave contract, but we'll have to sign a written contract. The work you'll need to do might be quite varied, but I'll pay you three taels of silver a month. You must be available whenever I call. Are you willing? Of course, if you do a good job, your pay might increase in the future."

Xia Jie told him to recruit more people and gave him several hundred taels of silver.

So paying three taels of silver for wages is not a problem.

In particular, Qian Yi brought back some news yesterday, saying that two more people wanted to join the franchise, and neither of them were opening branches in Jiangnan County.

So Xia Xia plans to go to Jiangnan County to meet them on the 21st.

If he goes, he'll have to accompany him, so naturally he won't be able to focus on recruiting.

Moreover, according to Xia Jie's idea, the branch will not only be opened in Jiangnan County in the future.

Yan's Pastry Shop may be located in various counties and even the capital!

The few stoves in the backyard of the main store are simply not enough to supply the needs.

Xia Jie plans to build a factory outside the city next month, but at first he didn't even know what a factory was.

Let Xia Xia explain.

He finally understood.

The factory was where all the pastries from the shops were made, and then various horse-drawn carriages were gathered to deliver them.

Delivery is only made to cities that are nearby.

It takes a horse-drawn carriage a day to get there.

We'll open another factory.

Then look for franchisees around that factory.

Since I'm helping Sister Xia with her business, it's impossible for me to handle everything perfectly, big or small.

He doesn't have three heads and six arms.

It's only a matter of time before I have to find a subordinate.

Moreover, according to his understanding, Bai Xiaobao was literate and could read.

Scholars are the most aloof, and families who can afford to send their children to school would not be willing to do such trivial matters.

Therefore, Bai Xiaobao is the person with the best qualities and character among all the people he can find.

"Really, Young Master Jinyu?"

Bai Xiaobao rubbed his ears, thinking that there was something wrong with his hearing.

I asked again in disbelief.

"Really, if you're willing, we can sign the contract right now. It'll start with a year, and depending on your performance, if I'm satisfied, we can set it for five years. But let me make this clear beforehand: this money isn't easy to earn. Your real master isn't me, it's Manager Yan. From now on, don't call me Young Master Jinyu anymore, just call me Brother Jin. We're all working for Manager Yan. Manager Yan has grand ambitions, and we not only can't hold her back, we also have to help her with all the tedious tasks. Are you willing?"

Jin Yu's gaze turned serious.

I thought Bai Xiaobao would need to think about it for a while.

To everyone's surprise, he immediately agreed after hearing it.

"I'm willing, I'll definitely work hard, I'll do whatever you ask me to do, as long as... as long as you don't hit me. Actually, you can hit me, just don't hit my face, don't tear my clothes, my mother will worry..."

Bai Xiaobao touched the back of his head.

They have an adorable, simple appearance.

"Why would I hit you? Manager Yan would never hit you either. She has the best heart. You'll see in the future. As long as you work diligently, are quick-witted and efficient, and don't betray your master, no one will hit or scold you."

“Alright! I’m willing! Brother Jin, we can sign the contract right now.”

Bai Xiaobao was getting anxious.

He was afraid of going back on his word.

"Okay, then come with me."

Jin Yu didn't pay any attention and took him back to the house.

A written contract was signed.

I'll officially start work tomorrow.

Bai Xiaobao's clothes were tattered and ragged, which was really embarrassing. He was helping Sister Xia with her business, but he dressed like a refugee. What kind of behavior was that?

So Jin Yu allocated a few taels from public funds to buy him two sets of clothes to change into.

Even the shoes were changed.

You can't dress smartly but wear patched cloth shoes.

It was already past 9 AM when I finished.

On the other side, Yan Xia had just arrived at Baihua Village. As soon as she entered the village, all the villagers she encountered greeted her whenever they saw the carriage.

Yan Xia responded with a smile to each of them.

Prestige projects still need to be done.

She parked the carriage in front of her house and took out her key to open the gate.

"Dad, park the carriage in the backyard. Just choose an empty room to stay in. The bedding is in the storage room; it's all clean. If you think it smells musty, take it out and hang it in the yard to air it out. The sun is nice today. I'll be back at noon. If you're not busy, cook something. The seasonings and grains are in the kitchen. Sister Zhao planted some vegetables in the backyard; you can go pick them. There should be some cured meat hanging in the kitchen, but I can't remember exactly. Go take a look. Just make a couple of dishes; if you don't want to cook, you can wait for me to come back."

He called out "Dad" so naturally.

Yan Hecheng laughed so hard his face was full of wrinkles.

"Yes, yes, Dad heard you. Don't worry about your business. Dad will cook. Go on, Dad's cooking is delicious. You loved Dad's cooking when you were little..."

Leaving her front door, Yan Xia headed straight for the village head's house.

"Knock knock knock—"

Although the courtyard gate was open.

Yan Xia still politely knocked on the door three times before going in.

As we walked into the courtyard, Bai Li was just sitting in a reclining chair, which was placed outside the main room and blocked by the wall, so it didn't get any sun.

It seems that every time he comes to the village head's house, he lies on the armchair.

Yan Xia thought Bai Lizheng was really good at enjoying himself; he hadn't even eaten breakfast this morning and was already taking a nap?

I wonder if the village head will still be able to remain so calm and relaxed when he hears what she's about to say.