Su Qingluan didn't know how many unexpected chain reactions her win-win move would bring in the future. She stared at Liu Yunniang's "work results" on the first day and showed an expression similar to a toothache.
Liu Yunniang was originally slightly taller than Su Qingluan by a head, and because she was thin and quick in everything she did, she had the upright and neat energy of a sapling.
But now, the leaves of the "sapling" are showing signs of wilting, and Liu Yunniang also knows that her work is a bit crooked and not very presentable.
"How about...how about I don't want today's wages...wait until I improve my knife skills..."
"Practicing alone is useless," Su Qingluan shook her head. Seeing Liu Yunniang's expression change, she realized that her words were ambiguous and quickly explained, "Don't worry, Yunniang. This is not entirely your fault. It was my negligence."
She used the knife given to her by Mr. Xu Kekuan, and just in case, she went to the blacksmith shop to make two spare ones.
Most of the knives used by ordinary people are bronze knives, or at most cast iron knives. Few people use wrought iron kitchen knives like Su Qingluan - or, even if they want to use them, they can't afford them.
Liu Yunniang's family was extremely poor, and even the most common bronze knife was covered in rust. This kind of knife was usually sufficient to cut all the soft and tender wild vegetables, but it was not enough to cut thick and flexible offal, or even some very difficult fascia.
So even though Liu Yunniang worked very hard, the water that was "delivered" on the first day was crooked, with gaps in the teeth, and looked very...freehand.
As the saying goes, "A craftsman who wants to do his job well must first sharpen his tools." Su Qingluan gently held Liu Yunniang's hands, which were about to tear the corners of her clothes, and patted them to comfort her: "Don't worry, everyone goes through this process. It's not like you can't learn it. I won't fire you because of this little thing."
Liu Yunniang felt a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Su Qingluan's assurance, but at the same time, she felt even more guilty: "The Young Master was so generous, yet I messed up the job and wasted so much effort."
"It's not a waste," Su Qingluan smiled and shook her head, "it's just that it takes some time to divide the batches during the initial processing. It's you who's doing the work, who needs to be replaced."
Turning around and handing the waste to her parents, Su Qingluan asked them to go ahead and took Liu Yunniang to the blacksmith shop.
At first, Liu Yunniang didn't know where they were going and followed along obediently. But when Su Qingluan said they were going to the blacksmith shop, she backed away: "No way! No way! Any item in that shop costs at least ten hundred yuan. How can my family afford it?"
Seeing her trying to avoid him, Su Qingluan laughed and said, "I don't need you to spend any money, what are you afraid of?"
"That's even more unacceptable!" Liu Yunniang shook her head like a rattle. "I messed up this job, and Master, not only didn't you fine me, you even bought me something. How can that be acceptable?"
"I didn't buy it for you, I'm just borrowing it!" Su Qingluan dragged Liu Yunniang into the blacksmith shop and asked her to choose a suitable wrought iron kitchen knife. She explained, "Bronze knives aren't sharp enough. It's very difficult to cut through tough ingredients like water, and rust..."
Su Qingluan thought for a moment. She knew that Liu Yunniang would find it hard to understand the statement, "Rust is harmful, so it's best not to eat it." So she could only rephrase it: "If rust gets into the soup, it will affect the taste. If customers taste the rust in their soup, they won't buy it next time."
On the way back from the blacksmith shop, Su Qingluan patiently explained to Liu Yunniang how to chop vegetables with more force to save energy. She also briefly talked about how to maintain and sharpen wrought iron knives.
"Whenever you feel the blade is dull, if you don't have a whetstone, soak the blade in salt water and then scrape it back and forth with the bottom of a plate, like this," Su Qingluan gestured a few times. "Our plates and bowls are all made of coarse porcelain, so they can also be used as whetstones."
Liu Yunniang was like a model student. Her dark eyes kept watching Su Qingluan's movements, memorizing her words bit by bit, and then nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Young Master, I remember everything. And this knife..."
"I told you I'd lend it to you first," Su Qingluan blinked, "you have to keep it well. If you don't work for me in the future, you have to return it to me."
Of course, Su Qingluan was just saying this. She knew that if she didn't say this, Liu Yunniang, who was a very picky person, would definitely not accept this kitchen knife.
As expected, when Liu Yunniang heard that the knife was only "borrowed" from her, she was obviously relieved, and then nodded solemnly: "Young Master, don't worry, if you give me such a precious item, I will definitely use it well and take good care of it. I will never lose it, otherwise -"
"Hey, hey, stop talking nonsense!"
Su Qingluan quickly covered Liu Yunniang's mouth - since she traveled through time, although she still felt that most fortune-tellers and charlatans were bound to be swindlers, she had developed a little awe for the "will of heaven" and "fate" in the dark. What's more, many of the oaths made by ancient people were sincere - after all, they really believed in this!
This is a solemn oath taken just for a kitchen knife...isn't that a bit exaggerated?
Su Qingluan had forgotten that considering her current family background, a wrought iron kitchen knife might not be a huge sum of money to spend, but for Liu Yunniang, this knife was worth more than ten taels of silver, which was something she would have to work for who knows how long before she could afford it!
After Su Qingluan bought the right equipment for her "employee", she didn't expect that Liu Yunniang would take the kitchen knife home carefully with such fear and trepidation.
This kitchen knife nearly made the bedridden Liu Sheng "sit up in shock from his dying illness": "Girl!" The man, whose face was a little gloomy due to being bedridden all day, was frightened and his face turned three inches pale. "You, you are clearly holding a wrought iron knife?!"
Yunniang was still thinking about the methods Su Qingluan had just taught her on how to use and maintain a kitchen knife, so she nodded absentmindedly: "Yes, it's an iron knife."
Unexpectedly, her absent-minded look made her father, Liu Sheng, even more uneasy. In an instant, the expression on her face changed like a kaleidoscope.
Liu Yunniang put away the new offal and kitchen knife she had brought today and was about to start working when she realized that her father was staring at her with a strange look in his eyes.
After a moment, Liu Sheng hesitated and said, "My girl, you...did you do something as unethical as robbery?"
Liu Yunniang: ...? ?
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