It wasn't completely dark yet after dinner. Zhao Fang held her son while eating. Although he had been under her watchful eye all day, the shop had been too busy to hold him, so she was missing him terribly.

Xiao Si can already say a few words, and he hugs Zhao Fang, calling her "Mother".

During the day, when Lu Xiaosi was asleep, Lu Yan would come to the shop to help out, taking orders and serving dishes. Although she was young, she was very good at remembering the names of the snacks. She could remember them verbally after the customers said them once, and she could also remember who ordered them. She was very helpful.

After finishing their meal, Lu Yu and Lu Yunfeng went to the shop's kitchen to knead dough. The cake bases were all freshly baked, but the dough was kneaded the night before, put into a basin, and then into a large basin filled with well water to cool it down. The next day, it would be perfect for baking cakes or making lotus flower pastries.

The second day was even busier than the first. Not only did servants from wealthy families in the county come to buy cakes, but even the young ladies kept in their boudoirs came. The female customers upstairs came in waves, but there were no empty seats. Although the cakes were limited, everything else was unlimited. A tumbler roll, two bowls of caramel pudding, and two cups of jasmine milk tea were all you needed. A couple of close girlfriends could sit there for an hour or two.

Sun Xunqiao arrived early with three other women. Upon seeing Qin Xiaozhou, she smiled happily and said, "Shopkeeper, we'd like two taro cakes, two plain cakes, four cups of jasmine milk tea, and two puddings each of caramel and milk flavors."

Qin Xiaozhou smiled and agreed, inviting them to sit upstairs. Since there were four of them, they went to a private room, which was both private and undisturbed.

They were so busy all day that their feet barely touched the ground. Fortunately, the Lu family members were used to farm work, and since they were only working in the kitchen, they were sheltered from the wind and sun. They had water and milk to drink when they were thirsty and desserts to eat when they were hungry, so they didn't feel it was hard work.

As soon as the store closed today, Qin Xiaozhou dragged Lu Yunfeng to the brokerage firm to buy people.

The two arrived at the brokerage shop with practiced ease. Qian the broker had already heard about the Lu family opening a shop in Shuxing Lane. He heard that the ladies of wealthy families in the county town liked it very much, and that the Lu family had managed to curry favor with someone like Miss Zhu in just one day. The more Qian the broker looked at the couple, the more he felt that they were destined for great things. So, he wanted to do them a favor and whispered, "I heard that someone came to the door to cause trouble when your shop opened yesterday morning?"

This wasn't a secret; anyone who followed Yifanfengshun Store had probably heard about it. So Qin Xiaozhou wasn't surprised. "When you run a store, you have to welcome and see off all sorts of people."

“Yes, yes, that makes sense.” Qian Yazi added cryptically, “The person who came looking for trouble is called Aqi on the street near the gambling den. He has connections, known as Third Brother, and is a local tyrant.”

After saying that, Qian Yazi immediately changed the subject, "If you two are going to use it in the store, it would be better to buy it from someone who is diligent and clean."

Qin Xiaozhou looked around, selected two clean-cut women, paid them money, took their indentures, and went to the yamen to complete the formalities and leave a record.

The Yifanfengshun store was well-known. Although the merchants had a low social status, they were able to get close to Miss Zhu and win the favor of the wealthy ladies and young women in the county. That showed their ability. The people in the government office were quite polite, and the process went smoothly. The couple returned to the store with two women.

The younger of the two women was nineteen years old and from Youzhou. It was said that her husband was a gambler and would beat her if she didn't do well at the gambling table. One day, he lost money at the gambling table again and sold her to a broker for five taels of silver.

Youzhou is a thousand miles away from here, so this is good, as it can save us a lot of trouble.

Qin Xiaozhou recognized the accent as belonging to Youzhou. He then asked the woman about the terrain, landforms, and customs of Youzhou, which she could readily answer. It seemed she was indeed from there. He also asked how long she had traveled and what kind of people she had encountered, discovering that the woman's upbringing and behavior were quite simple.

It was simply because she had many sisters in her family. Four years ago, her parents sold her to get food. Unfortunately, she was unlucky in love. The person who sold her was a gambler. Last winter, he used her to pay off his debts. The human trafficker took them around for two or three months until they ended up in the hands of a money trafficker. Only now has Qin Xiaozhou sold them back to her.

The older one was already twenty-five years old. After two years of severe drought and a disaster that struck her family, with two children crying for food, she sold herself to get food to feed her children.

This move truly shocked Qin Xiaozhou. "You've sold yourself, so you'll be a servant from now on."

"I know," the woman said, tears welling in her eyes. "I'd do anything for my child."

Qin Xiaozhou then truthfully told her, "You are a servant of lowly status, and your child will also be affected."

Don't let her be a clueless, foolish mother who harms her child because of her good intentions.

Tears streamed down the lady's face. "I... I know. To prevent the children from being implicated, I requested a divorce and asked my husband to divorce me. I have already received the divorce papers."

Qin Xiaozhou had so much to say but didn't know how to express it. In the end, she just gave the two new names: the older one was called Jinghe and the younger one was called Jingyue. She also told them the rules of the shop: "If anyone asks you how the food in the shop is made, just say that the owner doesn't allow you to see it and only lets you serve the dishes and wash the dishes."

They also arranged daily tasks and lodging for the two, saying, "From now on, we will be your masters, and you should consider the masters in everything you do."

To distinguish the two women's identities within the store, it is necessary to arrange for them to wear matching uniforms as soon as possible.

Qin Xiaozhou thought of going back to the village to ask the villagers to make it, but before she could find an opportunity to go back, Lu Yunxing arrived with a basket on his back the next day, around noon.

Lu Yunxing knocked on the back door based on his memory. Lu Yan was in the courtyard by the well with her fourth brother. Her fourth brother could now walk with a limp, one step at a time, and he couldn't take more than two steps at a time. The back courtyard had been planted with vegetables by their mother, and she wouldn't let her and her fourth brother go there anymore.

Hearing the knocking, Lu Yan didn't dare to open the door. Her older brother had said that customers always went to the shop through the front door, and although the old man who delivered the milk in the morning used the back door, he wouldn't come at this time.

The knocking continued, growing louder. She was nervous and wary. Her grandmother had said that people in the city would steal children, but she remembered that her older brother and the others were all there. So she carried Xiao Si into the house, ran to the backyard, and mustered her courage to ask loudly, "Who is it!"

Lu Yunxing quickly replied, then realized that he might have frightened his third sister, "Don't be afraid, it's your second brother, it's just me."

Lu Yan opened the door with relief, beaming, "Second Brother, what brings you here? Did you miss us?"

Lu Yunxing told her to close the door before placing the basket under the eaves steps. "Several pounds of loquats and apricots are ripe at home, and I've picked them all. There's also artemisia juice, freshly squeezed this morning, and mulberries too, all very fresh."

Wiping away his sweat, he heard a lively atmosphere in the shop ahead and asked with concern, "How's business at the shop?"

These past two days, Wang Lan and he have been worried about this business. They've spent over two hundred taels of silver on it, and if they lose money, they'll be worried to death!