Song Xiaoyu nodded, put the money into the account, and wrote down the details.
For several days in a row, business at the new shop was good. Many merchants who had never eaten this kind of food before would come every few days. Even if they came once in the morning but not at noon, they would still take a portion home when they went home in the evening.
Over time, the new shop became too busy to handle everything, and Qin Xiaoniang and Tian Niangzi were already overwhelmed with work at the steamed bun shop across the street, so they wouldn't come to help here.
The best solution now is to hire a few helpers as soon as possible.
"Third Uncle, are the helpers that Mrs. Sun from next door introduced coming over at noon?" Song He'er asked while tidying up the items she had bought.
"They said they'd come after noon, when it's quieter," Song Xiaoyu replied casually, while calculating.
Are there any women?
"I haven't heard of that before. You'll find out when we meet."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Madam Tian, covered in flour, walked over from the steamed bun shop across the street. Seeing the shop packed with people, she frowned. "I didn't expect it to be this busy here too. I was just saying I'd ask Madam Zhang to come help out, but I have to go back!"
Song He'er knew that Li Qiang's wife was not a lazy person, and now that she was in such a hurry to go back, something serious must have happened.
"Has something happened at Xiaoyangzhuang? Madam Tian, don't worry, I'll go back with you. We can just close down there for now."
"No, no, no, we can't close down. Business has been good these past few days. We've just started to make some money, how can we close down? I'll just go out for a little while. I won't wash the dishes, I'll come back tonight and finish all the work."
"Madam Tian, you still haven't told me what happened."
Tian Niangzi looked anxious, and her words were incoherent. "It's Hua Jie'er. She suddenly developed a high fever. Chun Rao asked a firewood deliveryman from Xiao Yang Village to come and tell me the news. She told me to go back home immediately. Now only Rui Zhen and Chun Di are at home. I'm really afraid they can't handle it."
Song He'er breathed a sigh of relief and took off her apron. "The child's illness is a big deal. I have to go back with you. Leave the shop to Uncle San and Uncle Qiang."
Li Qiang was responsible for doing the heavy lifting at the steamed bun shop across the street, while the more delicate tasks were done by Tian Niangzi and Qin Xiaoniang. Now that one of the more meticulous people had left, the shop across the street was indeed a bit overwhelmed.
"How can you leave? This shop is much busier than ours. If you're delayed any longer, how much money will we lose in a day?"
Seeing that she was still dawdling there, Song Xiaoyu couldn't help but get anxious. "I told you that the child's matter is the most important thing. You should go back quickly and not delay the treatment. That is something that no amount of money can bring back."
Tian Niangzi hesitated at first, but she was worried about her child, so she took off her apron and returned to Xiaoyangzhuang with Song He'er.
Around noon, Song Xiaoyu met several helpers, both men and women. They looked clean, but were rather thin and probably couldn't handle the hard work. However, they were short-handed and couldn't just be dismissed so easily. Even if they worked for a month first, it would be fine.
"Are they locals?" Song Xiaoyu took the booklet and recorded their origins one by one.
The woman, who was being questioned, paused for a moment, then cautiously replied, "I came here from another place to escape famine. My family was so poor that we couldn't afford to eat, so I came out to find some work. Don't let my thin appearance fool you, I can do a lot of jobs! I can endure any hardship!"
Song Xiaoyu was unwilling to employ women, firstly because he felt they were too fussy, and secondly because their constant comings and goings and talking would inevitably lead to gossip. This was the case for scholars; they could not be careless in any way.
"I do need someone to prepare side dishes in the kitchen, but they need to be meticulous. Can you cook?"
"Yes! I have to take care of my sick mother-in-law at home, and I also have to support my sister's two children. I can do any kind of work!"
Hearing her say this, Zhang Xiu'e was somewhat surprised, "Your mother-in-law? With your appearance and figure, are you of marriageable age yet?"
The woman's eyes reddened, and she shook her head. "My daughter is only fourteen years old. Because my family was poor when I was young, I was sold to Old Man Li's family to be a child bride... Now my little husband is only ten years old."
Song Xiaoyu sighed, feeling great sympathy for the girl's plight.
"May I have your name."
“Ah Yue”.
What's your surname?
“My maternal family name is Xu, but there’s no one left in my family. I only have one older sister, who passed away last year from illness, leaving behind two children for me to take care of.”
"Okay, you can be put to use later."
Upon hearing that she would be kept on, the woman burst into tears of joy. "Thank you, shopkeeper! I will work hard and not let you down!"
"Okay, next one."
The people who came after her were all as thin as Xu Ayue, presumably also refugees fleeing famine. But now it was a year of plenty, where did these refugees come from?
Although Xizhou was not particularly wealthy, it was not so desolate as to be filled with refugees. If we were to talk about cities from the Central Plains that bordered Nanzhao, the only one was Xinzhou, which was a place where criminals were exiled from the Central Plains. No one would come from that place.
They were incredibly lucky to have met Jiang Huaifu, which allowed them to escape.
Where are you all from?
“Nanzhao,” one of them replied tremblingly.
"Nanzhao? Isn't Jiangning ahead very prosperous? How come there are still poor people there?"
“Not all of Nanzhao was prosperous. There was a place with many swamps and poisonous miasma, which killed many people. The rich people all fled, while the poor had no choice but to stay there.”
Song Xiaoyu had never heard of such a place in Nanzhao.
"Alright, you guys go to the back and listen to the rules. If you do well, you can all stay. Also, we have another shop. Once we finish the work here, if the steamed bun shop across the street needs help, you'll have to go over and help out."
The thin man nodded. "Understood."
Zhang Xiu'e was somewhat dissatisfied that Song Xiaoyu had kept the person after a few simple questions, but she didn't say anything. Right now, they needed people, so there was no need to be picky.
After finishing her work, Zhang Xiue walked to the counter and whispered to Song Xiaoyu, "How much are you planning to pay them?"
Song Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then replied calmly, "I haven't thought about it yet. Let's do it for two days first. It'll only cost thirty coins a day."
Thirty... is just the price of a bowl of soup noodles for us.
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