Chapter 75 The Decision

The traveling merchant said, "Fifteen taels of silver."

"Fifteen taels!" Li Zhengyang's mother clutched her chest and exclaimed excitedly, "How can it be so expensive for such a small gift?"

The traveling merchant said, "Where is it expensive? Go to Jizhou and ask around. Nowadays, besides me, how many people in the city dare to do this business? I can't even send a letter. If it weren't for the kindness that Centurion Xie had shown me, why would I have come here for such a small amount of money?"

"A centurion? The Xie family lad has become an official?" The village chief was the first to react. "What a fine lad, he's brought honor to the Xie family."

Zhu Mingyue and Li Zhengyang's mother had slightly different concerns: "I've done you a favor, why are you still accepting so much?"

The traveling merchant was furious: "Where is the extra? This is a fair price! Besides, I haven't even received payment for that letter from your family." No merchant is without guile, and he certainly wouldn't do a losing business. He also had a group of brothers to support; he couldn't afford to let emotions cloud his judgment.

Moreover, Xie Pei's willingness to save him back then was also for a purpose. He dared to say that if Xie Pei hadn't looked like a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), that guy wouldn't have given him a second glance.

Hearing that her son had gotten away with sending a letter without spending any money thanks to Xie Pei, Li Zhengyang's mother looked at Zhu Mingyue with guilt, walked over to him and patted his back: "Auntie can't take advantage of your family. I'll go home and get the money and send it to you."

"The market price is one and a half taels," the traveling merchant reminded her with a smile.

Zhu Mingyue was both amused and exasperated: "I already said it was just a side trip, it doesn't cost any money, so I definitely can't accept the money."

The village chief wanted to say something more, but Zhu Mingyue seized the opportunity to continue, "Now that you've got everything, let's go back first." He wanted to see what Xie Pei had written in his letter.

"Okay, then let's head back first."

After the two left, only Zhu Mingyue and the merchant group remained at the village entrance.

"Brother, would you like to come to my house for a chat and have a cup of tea?" Zhu Mingyue invited.

"No," the merchant waved his hand. "I can't stay in Ganzhou any longer. I have to hurry to the capital to sell my goods."

Zhu Mingyue nodded: "Then I won't keep you any longer. I'll come to Zhengfu Inn to find you in half a month."

The merchant nodded and readily agreed, "Since we get along quite well, come find me when the time comes, and I'll give you a friend's price."

Zhu Mingyue smiled, not expecting the "friendship price" he mentioned at all. He really needed to make money now, otherwise he would build a house but be penniless and wouldn't even have money to send letters.

The merchant led his men back the way they came, but after only a few steps, Zhu Mingyue called out to them, "Wait."

The traveling merchant turned back: "What's wrong?"

Zhu Mingyue hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is Xie Pei alright?"

The merchant exclaimed, "Very good!" A capable person can thrive anywhere.

That day, they were robbed by bandits in Jizhou. They tried to break through with their goods, but were relentlessly pursued. After a long struggle, their brothers were exhausted. The bandits outnumbered them, and just when they were about to give up, they encountered a group of about a hundred Jizhou soldiers, led by Xie Pei.

He still vividly remembered Xie Pei's appearance: dressed in black, high on his horse, his face seemingly covered with frost, making him unapproachable even at first glance. What was even more undeniable was the overwhelming stench of blood surrounding him. How intense was it? The merchant recalled that their group had traveled all over the country for many years and inevitably had lives on their hands, but no one could compare to him.

An iron dart appeared and disappeared like a ghost, its trajectory and target impossible to predict. The robbers were routed before they even had a chance to get close to it, and they tried to flee with their heads in their hands.

It was unexpected that Xie Pei would come to their rescue. He was good at judging people, but he didn't think Xie Pei was the kind of person who would help others. At first, he was terrified, afraid that Xie Pei would ask him for money. But when Xie Pei opened his mouth, he didn't want anything and just asked him if he was going to the north.

He was supposed to go directly to the capital, but upon hearing that he was going to send a letter to his hometown of Ganzhou, he impulsively agreed. For these brothers, staying in Ganzhou for even one more day would be quite expensive, so fifteen taels of silver really wasn't expensive. He even felt wronged when his aunt, who was unaware of the situation, said that.

After watching the caravan leave at the village entrance, Zhu Mingyue hurried home.

Er Ya curiously fluttered over and nimbly poked her head into the package to peck at the envelope, but he gently tapped her head with his knuckles, "Go away, go away, you can't eat this."

Er Ya immediately lost interest and flew back to the covered walkway to eat meat.

Zhu Mingyue put the package aside and slowly opened the envelope with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

The letter was written on a thin sheet of paper with little ink, which suited Xie Pei's taciturn nature.

After unfolding the paper, Zhu Mingyue widened her eyes slightly and excitedly scanned it for a few seconds, but the light that had just appeared in her eyes instantly died down, and she was completely dumbfounded.

In his excitement, he forgot something very important: he was illiterate and couldn't read!

He regretted it, he truly regretted it. He realized how little he knew when he needed it most; he'd only learned the basics from Brother Cui, and afterwards, all he cared about was making money, neglecting his studies. Now, the letter Xie Pei had painstakingly sent from afar was completely incomprehensible to him, like reading gibberish.

Zhu Mingyue frantically grabbed her hair, turning it into a mess in her anger.

"Mingyue, are you home?" A faint knocking sound came from outside the front door.

Zhu Mingyue put the letter in the drawer and ran out to open the door.

The door opened to reveal the slightly embarrassed faces of Li Zhengyang's parents. They exchanged a glance, and finally, it was the aunt who spoke first: "Mingyue, can you read? I'm really getting senile. I was so happy that I forgot that neither his father nor I can read a single word. We can't understand this letter either."

Zhu Mingyue, who was called senile: ...There's no need to belittle yourself like that.

He spoke with difficulty: "Auntie, Uncle, I can't read either."

The atmosphere was unusually quiet.

“Ah,” Li Zhengyang’s mother said somewhat awkwardly, “Haha, it’s normal not to be able to read.”

Indeed, no one in the village could read. Anyone with even a little bit of education had gone to the town or county to make a living. She just thought that someone like Zhu Mingyue, who was so refined and fair-skinned and good at business, must be literate.

You really can't judge a book by its cover!

What else could they do? After discussing it, the three of them decided to wait for Li Zhengming to return from his two-day break. Li Zhengming knew quite a few characters, so it would be perfect for him to read his brother's letter.

Zhu Mingyue doesn't need to wait that long; he just needs to have He Annian listen to it for him first thing tomorrow morning.

It's heartbreaking to think about, because He An and Xiao Cui can both read, but Zhu Mingyue, the shopkeeper, can't.

After seeing Li Zhengyang's parents off, Zhu Mingyue quickly realized that no one would be coming to the door, so she simply locked the door and went back inside.

The package Xie Pei sent wasn't heavy. When he opened it, he found a piece of clothing inside, a light red one, which reminded him of the red dress he had kept at the bottom of his trunk, though it wasn't as brightly colored.

But it's red after all, and he probably wouldn't wear it out normally. I don't know what Xie Pei was thinking, sending him this out of the blue.

It was beautiful, with large, lifelike peach blossoms embroidered on the cuffs. The embroidery was exquisite and unique. Zhu Mingyue felt that it looked familiar, and after thinking for a long time, she remembered that she should have seen it on Aunt Huayi's clothes.

Aunt Huayi is from Ningjiang. Could it be that this dress and its embroidery are special products from the south?

If it's a local specialty, then that makes sense. If he's traveling, he'll definitely think about sending some local specialties to his family and friends.

Besides that, there was another jade pendant. Zhu Mingyue suspected that Xie Pei was using the gift of the jade pendant to satisfy his carving itch. This jade pendant was not as large as the previous one, but the carving was clearly more refined.

He took out two more packets of dried fruit that Zhu Mingyue had never seen before, and the package was empty. Zhu Mingyue felt a pang of heartache; fifteen taels of silver!

Before Xie Pei left, he secretly put more than ten taels into his bag.

Xie Pei is really something, he doesn't leave himself a penny, he spends it all, and it's all spent on sending things to him.

The next morning, Zhu Mingyue went to town with the letter in her arms. He An was wiping the table when Zhu Mingyue beckoned to him: "He An, come here and watch something for me."

He An wiped the water off his hands: "What are you looking at?"

Zhu Mingyue: "Your brother Xie sent a letter home, but I can't read all the characters. Can you help me take a look?"

He An was overjoyed: "We've got news from Brother Xie! What about Brother Li? Has Brother Li written home yet?"

"I replied," Zhu Mingyue said with a smile.

He An took the letter and cleared his throat:

Mingyue Ruwu

In Jizhou in March, the chill has faded and spring colors are gradually deepening.

Although we have been dealing with the southern barbarians frequently recently, everything is still fine and there is no need to worry.

………

Peach blossoms are in full bloom along the banks of the Jizhou River, their fragrance spreading for miles. Once the war here is quelled, I will surely return home by river and tell you all about it.

Respectfully written by Xie Pei.

Zhu Mingyue was engrossed in listening when He An's voice abruptly stopped, and she snapped back to reality: "That's it?"

"That's all." He An handed the letter back to him. "Brother Xie is letting you know he's safe! But he's still as quiet as ever."

Zhu Mingyue was used to his quiet nature, and she was already very satisfied that he could send her a letter. Especially when she heard Xie Pei say in the letter that he was unharmed, she finally felt a little relieved.

Heaven knows that he has been absent-minded for the past few months. Whenever he dreams of Xie Pei fighting a bloody battle in Jizhou, he feels a tightness in his chest and is extremely worried.

"I wonder how Brother Li is doing lately." He An scratched his head. He had spent so much time with Li Zhengyang that they had a strong working relationship.

Zhu Mingyue: "I'll ask around for you in a few days." Li Zhengyang and Xie Pei must be together; the fact that he still has the energy to send letters home suggests he's not in a bad situation.

Zhu Mingyue's shop changed its menu and signboard that very day.

Looking at the extensive menu on the sign, He An felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

He An held his hand and said excitedly, "Shopkeeper, I told you before that it would be a real pity if you didn't use your skills to make money."

Zhu Mingyue withdrew his hand expressionlessly: "It won't happen again." He really needed to make money this time; if he didn't find a way to earn more, he wouldn't even be able to afford to send a letter to Xie Pei.

"Please write another notice for me and post it at the door. I need to hire two apprentices. They must be at least fifteen years old and of good character."

He An asked in surprise, "Shopkeeper, you're recruiting apprentices?"

Zhu Mingyue: "Well, I can't stay in the kitchen cooking all the time. I'll teach two apprentices so that the shop can continue to operate even when I'm not around."

"Moreover, looking at the long term, it will not only help reduce my workload on weekdays, but once I've mastered the skills, the efficiency of the kitchen will greatly improve. We won't be afraid of not being able to serve enough customers when there are many, and we'll earn more money."

He An's slightly furrowed expression, which had been filled with doubt and confusion, gradually relaxed. "What the shopkeeper said makes sense."

Zhu Mingyue smiled faintly, concealing his accomplishment. He had discovered that as long as things were framed as making money, He An would absolutely agree; this guy must have been obsessed with money in his past life.

The strange thing is that while others love money and earn it themselves, He An loves money and tries his best to persuade him to earn it every day. Fortunately, Zhu Mingyue is currently short of money, so their goals are temporarily aligned.

Their shop was quite well-known in town. Zhu Mingyue was so busy in the kitchen at noon that she was dizzy and disoriented. As soon as the shop closed, a dozen or so people came to ask to become her apprentices.

He An was quite good at judging people, so Zhu Mingyue entrusted him with the entire task of selecting apprentices.

He An immediately waved his hand and eliminated two people who looked dirty and slovenly. Since they were working in the kitchen, cleanliness and tidiness were extremely important.

Two more seemingly shrewd people were eliminated. It's not that He An dislikes shrewd people; he and Xiao Cui are both shrewd. However, their shrewdness was tinged with a strong sense of slickness. When they came to the shop, their eyes didn't stay where they should; instead, they darted around, their gazes shifting and uncertain, as if they were secretly plotting something. Keeping such people around would make one wary and unable to feel at ease.

The remaining seven were all seventeen or older, with two of the older ones specifically mentioning their apprenticeship experience. Their tone was full of superiority.

He An was somewhat tempted. Wouldn't it be much easier to have someone with experience? They could start working as soon as they were hired.

He gave Zhu Mingyue a questioning look, only to see her shake her head slightly.

He An was puzzled as to why this was, but the decision was in the hands of the shopkeeper, so he solemnly eliminated the two men.

The two left with their faces flushed with embarrassment. They thought it was a sure thing, but they were eliminated before others. They grumbled and expressed their dissatisfaction, but He Anquan pretended not to hear them.

Looking at the remaining five, none of them seemed to be a problem. He An pondered how to pick out two good ones. He turned his gaze to the kitchen and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Go to the kitchen and each of you make a stir-fried vegetable dish. Whoever makes the best one can stay."

The reason it has to be stir-fried vegetables is because ordinary families rarely have the opportunity to eat meat. If you ask them to cook meat dishes, they definitely won't know how the first time.

The last five plates of vegetables were presented to Zhu Mingyue in disbelief. Zhu Mingyue twitched his lips and tasted them one by one, his face turning green as he finally chose two of them.

Although the three had been there for nothing, they each gave him five coins as a reward and left happily after thanking him.

The two apprentices looked honest and hardworking, and seemed to be in the same category as Sun Wenzhu, Zhu Mingyue's current kitchen helper—the kind of people who work quietly and diligently.

One was nineteen and the other twenty-one. They were both quite talented. Even with just a plate of green vegetables, they specially cut them into fancy shapes, stir-fried them to a vibrant green color, and added the seasonings just right.

This is what Zhu Mingyue truly wants, not those two with apprentice experience from before.

When he recruits apprentices, he naturally wants them to inherit his skills faithfully. The two who were apprentices before had already learned other people's skills and had even developed a sense of superiority, becoming restless and arrogant.

Zhu Mingyue was certain that even if she taught them everything she knew, she would not be able to abandon her original skills and would want to learn his skills as well. If she tried to learn too many different skills, she would often end up not mastering any of them.

Zhu Mingyue was immediately busy. After the shop closed at noon, he still had to teach the two how to cook. It wasn't until late afternoon when he dragged his tired body home that the day's work was finally over and he could completely relax.

But the hard work paid off, and the results were quite remarkable.

The two learned well, and after more than ten days, they could basically cook one or two of their own signature dishes, and their other dishes were also at a level of six-tenths that of Zhu Mingyue.

Both are diligent and eager to learn, and with continuous practice, they have great potential for advancement.

Although they are not yet able to work independently in the kitchen, the two of them can work together to keep the shop running even if Zhu Mingyue is not there one day.

As for whether the two would develop ulterior motives after completing their studies, Zhu Mingyue wasn't worried at all. He An and Xiao Cui were not to be trifled with; it would be even more difficult for them to cause trouble under their noses than under her, the shopkeeper.

Before they knew it, the time had arrived at the meeting they had agreed upon with the merchant.

Zhu Mingyue had prepared some things here and there during this time. Before going to Zhengfu Inn to find the merchant, he went to the village chief's house.

The village chief's booming voice came from inside the house, resounding: "You can't go! That's too risky for you."

Li Zhengyang's mother also tried to persuade him: "Yes, it's so chaotic outside right now. The people of Jizhou are trying every possible way to escape but they don't even have a chance. And you, you still want to rush in at this time. What will you do if you encounter danger?"