70 Recruiting Apprentices

◎Just a woman◎

A burly man got off the carriage and turned his head to look at the environment in front of him. It was an extremely dilapidated and ordinary house with a high pile of firewood at the door. The courtyard was surrounded by a waist-high wooden fence and covered with two thatched huts.

There were only two little boys of seven or eight years old standing there, fighting with each other for the roasted sweet potatoes. The black carbon on the skin of the sweet potatoes was still stained with a little red light. The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were extremely hot. The two boys kept fighting over them and throwing them into the air like acrobats.

The man took big strides and pushed the door open, attracting the attention of the two children. The sweet potatoes in their hands fell to the ground, stirring up a circle of dust, and mud spots were dotted on the skin of the sweet potatoes like sesame seeds.

They had never seen such a man before, with brown hair and eyes a little lighter than ordinary people, a dark blue stubble that carelessly circled his lips, arms as wide as wooden stakes, and a burly figure that could kill a cow.

Out of instinctive fear, the two of them huddled together, not daring to move.

The man glanced at them and asked, "Where is Carpenter Zhang?"

When the two heard that they were looking for Craftsman Zhang, they looked at each other, shouted "Dad", and ran inside.

Not long after, Zhang the Carpenter came out carrying a straw mat. When he saw his appearance, he was stunned for a moment and took a quick look at him. He had never seen much of the world, but he knew that someone with this appearance was from a foreigner.

More importantly, the other person's attire showed that he was a wealthy man. He bowed slightly unconsciously, and asked with a flattering smile, "I wonder what brings you to my humble abode, sir?"

The man said, "I heard you wanted to sell your daughter. I just happened to be in need of a slave, so why not sell her to me?"

The craftsman's hands groped each other. He had heard that these foreigners were as violent as bulls, and they drank fur and blood. The strong men in particular loved to buy beautiful maids, killing several of them every month...

When the man saw that Carpenter Zhang didn't say anything for a long time, a look of impatience appeared on his face.

Craftsman Zhang also caught his emotional change and said without hesitation, "It's a blessing for that girl that you like her, but the price..."

He suddenly remembered that someone had wanted to buy it two days ago, and he almost sold it for ten taels of silver. Fortunately, he was smart! Now a wealthy man has come. His eyes rolled around, thinking about how much he would have to sell it for to make back his investment after raising that damn girl for all these years, providing her with food and drink.

Facing the increasingly impatient look on the other side, he immediately said, "One hundred taels." After saying that, he swallowed nervously, feeling panic in his heart. What if he said a high price and the other person turned around and left?

But the other party snorted coldly and said in a rising tone: "Okay, then one hundred taels."

When Zhang the Carpenter heard the other party's promise, he felt like a pie in the sky had fallen on his head. He was completely dizzy. One hundred taels! How much meat can I eat and how much wine can I drink?

The foreign man looked at him coldly, his ecstatic appearance, and said, "You just have to sign a contract with me. You and your family will completely sever all ties with her. From now on, you go your way, she goes her way, and we have nothing to do with each other."

How could the craftsman listen to the rest of the sentence? He was only thinking about the hundred taels! He said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, no problem, I'll sign."

Hunnamu threw the contract he had prepared in advance to Zhang the craftsman.

Zhang the Carpenter saw that the other party had already distinguished between superiors and inferiors, and for a moment he wondered if the one hundred taels was too little. The girl was not bad looking, and although she was a little skinny, she had a good body. Besides doing hard labor, she was also very good at warming the bed.

Two hundred taels wouldn't be a bad deal, but the deal was already done, and if I negotiated the price again, I'd be worried he'd change his mind. After all, my eldest son was getting married soon. The other party was pressing for a betrothal gift, and I had two younger sons, so they'd need money to marry them off.

If he had known this would happen, he would not have abandoned the two girls. He would have sent them to other families to be raised. It would be the same if he took them back. He was thinking about it over and over again, and the other party was already impatient.

He quickly went back to the house, dug out a broken pen, and wrote his name crookedly.

After the time of one stick of incense.

Carpenter Zhang's daughter was walking home with a bamboo basket full of firewood on her back. She saw a gorgeous carriage parked in front of her house from a distance and took a few more glances at it out of curiosity.

Such a fine carriage must not be from the village. Perhaps it was passing by. When she approached, a voice came from the carriage, "You don't have to go home. Your father has sold you to me for one hundred taels. From now on, you have nothing to do with this place."

The girl was stunned for a moment, holding the straps tightly with both hands, and without thinking, she blurted out: "Impossible." She thought of something, which shook her determination.

She shook her head and said it was impossible, then ran home in a panic.

After a moment, Zhang the Carpenter's daughter was seen walking towards the carriage with red eyes. Her eyes were blank, like a puppet without a soul, but tears were unconsciously welling up in her eye sockets.

She got into the carriage with tearful eyes, not even able to see who was sitting inside. She said in despair, "I'm going to go far away with you guys, and never come back."

She had just returned home, perhaps confused, perhaps angry. It was the first time she mustered up the courage to ask Craftsman Zhang why he sold her to a stranger.

Zhang the Carpenter said without hiding anything: "You silly girl, I've raised you for so many years without spending any money, and now someone is willing to sell you for money, it's your blessing, don't be ungrateful!"

The two boys who were fighting over the chicken legs also diverted their attention and incited, "Hehe, I sold you to a bearded foreigner as a concubine."

The family only eats meat during festivals and holidays, and she never gets a share. It’s not hard to guess where the money comes from for eating meat today, even though it’s not a festival.

She stood there silently, staring at her father, waiting for him to say something, and saw him wave his hand impatiently, telling him to leave as soon as possible.

She felt sad as she looked around this place. She used to call this place home, but now she realized that girls were born without a home.

The moment she stepped out of the house, she thought it didn't matter. It didn't matter who she was sold to, because no one cared about her anyway.

The carriage moved slowly, and I wonder where it would take her?

Xie Wuyang handed her a handkerchief and said calmly, "Cry if you want to."

She took the handkerchief and wiped her tears before she saw the man in front of her. He asked uncertainly, "Did you buy me?"

Xie Wuyang said without any emotion: "No, you will meet your 'buyer' later."

When Xie Wuyang brought the girl back to the store, the girl looked at the unfamiliar environment timidly like a timid rabbit. She looked carefully and found that this place was not too unfamiliar. She had been to this place before when she delivered food to her father.

Two people walked out from behind the door curtain. She remembered that the one walking in front was the owner of the store. They were beautiful and their smiles were confident and beautiful. She felt out of place here and very uncomfortable.

The gentle-looking woman walked up to her, took her hand, and introduced her as Xu Ruolan. She then said, "Don't be afraid. You will stay here from now on. This is your home."

It turned out that she was hired to do the work. The heavy stone in her heart suddenly fell to the ground, and she felt relieved. She nodded slowly.

After hesitating for a moment, she said, "But I don't know how to do anything. Look at my hands, they're so short and thick. I'm stupid and dumb, how can I help you?"

Xu Ruolan said softly, "What are you talking about, silly child? In my opinion, your hands are a pair of hardworking hands. You are just a gentle person and an honest and decent person. What's wrong with you?

If there is anything you don't know, I will teach you. As long as you are willing to learn, you don't have to worry about not being able to learn."

Song Jinyi listened from the side and understood what Xu Ruolan meant. She brought over a cup of tea at the right time and nodded to the girl, saying, "Why don't you serve the tea quickly as a token of your respect to your teacher?"

Although the girl wasn't very smart, she knew how to act according to the situation. She turned around, took the teacup, knelt on the ground, lowered her head, and said word by word, "I, Zhang Erya, would like to take Madam Xu as my master. I hope Madam Xu will not despise my stupidity and accept me as her disciple."

Xu Ruolan smiled with relief, took the tea, took a sip, set it aside, and helped her up. "From now on, you are my apprentice. The first thing I want to do is change your name to Zhang Jinfei."

Today is different from the past.

Zhang Erya had never been taken seriously at home before, and even her name was given casually. Now that she has a master, he has given her a new name - Jinfei Jinfei.

Things are different now. She likes it. She likes this name.

Looking at the woman in front of him, her eyes were full of love, and her attitude towards him was calm and tolerant. She said that she would be his master in the future and this would be his home.

Her eyes were slightly moist.

Xu Ruolan scolded, "You're fine, why are you crying again?" She pulled Zhang Jinfei's hand and went to the backyard, "Go get some hot water first and wash up. I'll find you two sets of clean clothes, and then..."

*****

In the blink of an eye, it is the Lantern Festival. Various lanterns are hung on the branches and under the eaves. Soft light shines through the petals, like sparks, illuminating the quiet corners of the night and making the whole city covered with colorful neon clothes.

In the streets, there are many children running and laughing, holding small lanterns. The lanterns are small and exquisite, mostly in the shape of rabbits or carp. In the swaying shadows of the lanterns, the children sing aloud, "The moon reflects the fragrance of tea, and the wind carries the love of milk tea.

Beside the ancient road and next to the small bridge, the aroma of milk tea wafts in the air.

Picked from Yunshang Tea House, the red leaves and golden buds grow in the sun.

Spring rain is moist, summer is sunny, autumn breeze is caressing, and winter snow is hidden.

The fragrance is as mellow as silk, sliding across the lips and teeth.

Sweet but not greasy, bitter followed by sweetness.

A pot of good tea can steal half a day of leisure from the busy life."

A large man was striding through the crowd, his eyes glancing at the crowds on both sides from time to time. Every now and then, one could see someone carrying a bamboo tube.

There are also children singing in the ears.

He paused when he heard the voice, frowned deeply, snorted coldly, and continued walking forward, all the way to the door of Zui Liuxia.

Someone was waiting for him at the door early in the morning. Seeing him coming, they hurried forward and greeted him, "Manager Zhou is here. Please come in. Manager Wu and the others have been waiting inside for a long time."

He followed the waiter upstairs and turned into a more secluded wing. When he pushed the door open, he saw Manager Wu from Zui Liuxia and a male manager discussing something. From their unhappy expressions, it was obvious that what they were talking about was not a pleasant one.

Shopkeeper Zhou was only concerned with his own affairs and naturally didn't pay attention to the atmosphere inside. As soon as he entered the door, he started muttering, "Oh no, something terrible has happened."

Manager Wu glanced at him and waved his hand, telling him not to worry. "Manager Wu is here. Now that you're here, sit down and have some tea and talk slowly."

Shopkeeper Zhou belatedly realized that something was amiss. He glanced at the two men and spoke in a slightly slower tone, "Have you heard about it? It's about Song Jinyi. She thought she had nowhere else to go after her tea supply was cut off.

God knows where she got the tea leaves to make a new type of milk tea, and even hired someone to sing. Listen, in Yunzhou City, everyone is talking about her milk tea these days.

I even got a handbag. Whenever I see a green bamboo bag on the street, I get a headache. They even cleverly wrote the store name on it, as if they were afraid others wouldn’t know it…”

Shopkeeper Zhou seemed to have a ball of anger in his stomach, and he kept complaining.

In contrast, Manager Wu took a sip of tea and said calmly, "I know everything you said. We didn't expect him to be so capable of establishing a relationship with Yunshang Tea House..."

Before she could finish her words, Shopkeeper Zhou interrupted her in surprise, "What?! She got her tea from Yunshang Tea House. How is that possible?"

Under the other party's displeased gaze, he remained silent.

He lowered his head, thinking silently in his heart, Yunshang Tea House, she was actually able to get the supply of Yunshang Tea House, you know, Zui Liuxia didn't have this ability.

Although Yunshang Tea House was also a merchant, it sold goods to the royal family, relatives of the king and nobles. How could it be compared with Zui Liuxia? Now that she and Yunshang were on the same boat, it was natural that her wealth would rise with her.

After this...

There were fireworks outside, clusters of them looking like blooming fireworks, but he clearly felt that Song Jinyi's Chayuan would be the most brilliant flower in Yunzhou City, and he was doomed to fail.

At that moment, his heart was like the fireworks outside the window, with a new thought every moment.

The light of the fireworks hit her face, a dazzling display of colors. He suddenly felt like quitting. He was now nearly fifty years old. At first, he just couldn't stand the fact that a little girl like him had such abilities.

Now he had no choice but to submit, thinking in his heart that it would be fine if he could just go home and retire.

He was thinking to himself, while over there he heard Zui Liuxia say, "No matter how powerful she is, she's just a woman. There are ways she can't handle."

Shopkeeper Zhou was stunned for a moment and blurted out, "Could it be that Manager Wu has a solution?"