The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with regular features, of medium height, and neither fat nor thin. He wore a fine, dark blue robe and looked neat and tidy.
"Are you here to apply for the position of shopkeeper?" Jiang Shuyue asked, looking directly into the man's eyes.
The man withdrew his hand, stood up straight, and introduced himself with a smile: "My name is Hu Qing. I have experience as a shopkeeper. If you trust me, I can start as a waiter."
The man was shrewd and capable, with deep, dark eyes that revealed calmness and decisiveness between his brows. A faint smile played on his lips, making him appear quite approachable.
Having seen countless people, Nangong Zeyue asked, "Brother Hu, which restaurant did you work for before?"
Hu Qing kept Xiang Yang's instructions in mind. He came to the restaurant to recommend himself, wanting to let the girl see his good qualities without letting her see through his disguise.
He bowed to Nangong Zeyue and said calmly, "Young master, you are too kind. I used to work at Penglai Pavilion, but later the owner transferred Penglai Pavilion to another place. I have elderly parents and young children to take care of, so I did not go with my former owner."
Penglai Pavilion's reputation is second only to Juxian Pavilion. Jiang Shuyue had heard of it before. She had heard a little about it from the slave trader. The owner of Penglai Pavilion was the former master of the Jiang family.
"Why didn't your new employer keep you?" Nangong Zeyue pressed on.
It wasn't that he wanted to take on the responsibility, but he had to help Jiang Shuyue make a good choice. If the person who came was someone who had been fired by his former employer, then there would be a big problem.
It is not uncommon for shopkeepers to be dismissed and sent to the authorities for embezzling their employers' money, no matter where they are.
Jiang Shuyue offered him shares, but he had no intention of accepting them at all.
Hu Qing naturally understood Nangong Zeyue's meaning. He smiled slightly and said, "The new employer has capable people, but I am unwilling to sign a life-or-death contract with the new employer, for fear that it would affect my child's future career in government."
Hu Qing was right. Sons of merchants in Wanling Kingdom were not allowed to enter officialdom, even if they sold themselves into servitude as managers for others.
Nangong Zeyue looked at Jiang Shuyue and said, "Yue Niang, you see, I'm managing the restaurant in front and the inn in the back all by myself. It would be best if someone could share the burden."
Jiang Shuyue looked at Hu Qing and thought that he could be kept on for a trial period.
She thought that the manager of the grain shop was already managing things very well, and Nangong Zeyue was overwhelmed with the task of managing such a large restaurant.
Jiang Shuyue nodded after thinking for a moment, "Alright, there are craftsmen repairing various parts of the restaurant now, and we do need a capable person. I'll give you three months. After three months, if the cooperation goes well, we'll make a decision. I wonder if Manager Hu has any requirements regarding salary?"
"Salary!" Hu Qing was taken aback, but secretly overjoyed without showing it.
Jiang Shuyue immediately realized what was going on. She coughed lightly and said, "Salary is the Yannan dialect, which means monthly allowance. I wonder if Manager Hu has any requirements for the monthly allowance? If so, please feel free to mention them."
Nangong Zeyue: "..." How come I didn't know that there was such a saying in Yannan dialect?
Nangong Zeyue was puzzled, but she didn't say it to outsiders.
A look of surprise flashed across Hu Qing's eyes as he glanced at Jiang Shuyue.
He didn't care about the three-month probation period. His master had spoken, and he would belong to Miss Jiang whether he lived or died. As long as Miss Jiang agreed to keep him, he was confident that he could satisfy her.
He bowed to Jiang Shuyue again and said, "Thank you for your trust, mistress. I have no demands for monthly allowances. I am already extremely grateful that you are willing to keep me and not require me to sign a contract of servitude."
"However, I brought the Yellow Register with me, and I can leave it with the master here as collateral."
As Hu Qing spoke, he took out the Yellow Book from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Shuyue with both hands.
Nangong Zeyue took the yellow book and glanced at it, saying, "Your home is not far from the Jiang residence."
"Are you referring to the Jiang family residence on Guixiang Street, sir? I live in Nongqin Lane behind it," Hu Qing asked knowingly.
Seeing Jiang Shuyue nod, Hu Qing smiled and tried to get closer to her: "My home is less than a mile from your residence, Miss. What a coincidence!"
Jiang Shuyue took the yellow book from Nangong Zeyue, looked at it, and then handed it back to Hu Qing.
"Keep the yellow book safe. After the trial period, I will draft an employment contract. There is no need to register it with the government, and it will not affect your child's examination. The monthly allowance is tentatively set at twelve taels per month. If you do well, you will also receive a bonus at the end of the year."
"Thank you for your trust, sir. I will do my best to make the restaurant a great success." Hu Qing put away the yellow book, cupped his hands and bowed deeply again.
Jiang Shuyue introduced Nangong Zeyue, saying, "This is Nangong Zeyue. He will be in charge of the inn in the back, and you will be in charge of the restaurant in the front and the kitchen."
Hu Qing smiled broadly and bowed to Nangong Zeyue, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Nangong. I look forward to your guidance in the future."
Nangong Zeyue quickly returned the greeting, "Brother Hu, you're too kind. You're more knowledgeable and experienced than I am. I hope you can give me some pointers."
Watching the two bow and scrape, Jiang Shuyue secretly thought to herself, "People in ancient times bow so often, aren't they afraid of getting a herniated disc?"
"That's settled then. You'll officially start working at the restaurant tomorrow."
Jiang Shuyue explained some things to Hu Qing and gave him a list of the restaurant's kitchen staff and waiters.
After hearing this, Hu Qing did not leave immediately, but went to the kitchen to familiarize himself with the people and environment.
After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Shuyue and Nangong Zeyue headed straight for the cloth shop.
"Shuyue, the couple's bed you had the craftsman make might be hard to find sheets for."
With no outsiders around, Nangong Zeyue no longer called Jiang Shuyue "Moon Lady".
"That's easy. I've already drawn up the blueprints. I'll just give them to the fabric shop so the embroiderers can cut them to size," Jiang Shuyue said confidently.
Nangong Zeyue was puzzled but didn't know how to bring it up.
Jiang Shuyue said she wanted to create several romantic guest rooms for couples. The bed was big enough, semi-circular, and without a side rail. If he were to sleep on that kind of bed, he was worried that he would roll off.
Upon arriving at the cloth shop, Jiang Shuyue asked Cang Yun to wait outside while she went inside with Nangong Zeyue.
Seeing that the two were dressed in fine clothes and had an extraordinary air about them, the shopkeeper hurriedly came to greet them.
"What would you two esteemed guests like? We have top-quality brocade garments available for custom-made."
Jiang Shuyue glanced into the shop. It was very spacious, about the size of three storefronts. The counter against the wall was filled with fabrics of various colors.
Jiang Shuyue walked to the counter selling bed sheets and fabrics and asked, "Can you customize bed sheets and duvet covers here?"
The shopkeeper glanced at Nangong Zeyue and Jiang Shuyue and thought to himself: What a beautiful couple.
He then smiled warmly and said, "Yes, of course you can. Whether you want a dragon and phoenix or a magpie on a branch, it's fine. But if you want a face embroidered with a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons, you'll have to wait half a year."
A hint of unease flashed across Nangong Zeyue's face.
Just as he was about to explain the misunderstanding, Jiang Shuyue pointed to a piece of crimson brocade in front of her, "Give me ten sets each of 'Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water' and 'Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness' made of this fabric."
"Ten sets!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened, his voice almost cracking.
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