Chapter 21 Chapter 21 “Innovation is the source of vitality. Congratulations…
"Innovation is the source of vitality. Congratulations to the host for successfully improving the celadon, increasing sales, completing the mission [Make a Fortune], and earning fifty points."
"Congratulations to the host for exporting traditional handicrafts to the Western Regions, completing the mission [Become Famous], and earning twenty points."
Jiang Wan closed his eyes, and the remaining points on the system interface changed from 92 to 162.
She opened her eyes with satisfaction. For the first time since her time traveling across time, her points exceeded 150. Once she had some free time, she could carefully consider future business directions. The only thing missing from the celadon was the most difficult part: the body. The quality of porcelain body was not only influenced by the choice of raw materials, but also by the firing method, which directly affected its hardness.
She had seen a few improved-quality products in the system mall before, but she didn't have enough points to redeem them. Now that she had so many points, she could really choose carefully.
However, Jiang Wan still had some things to do at the moment: she was at a job recruitment office in the center of the commercial street.
She had just inquired, and only shop owners who rented shops could post notices on the commercial street bulletin boards. Since she didn't have her own shop yet, she had to pay to put up a sign at a job referral shop. These shops were privately run, responsible for posting job postings and verifying whether the hires met the requirements, similar to modern employment agencies.
The lady boss of the recruitment shop had also bought Jiang Wan's porcelain before, and she was very enthusiastic when she saw her. "Miss Jiang, are you here to hire workers? Your stall is very popular now, and everyone in the city has heard of your name. It's time to hire a few more people to help you make porcelain. I saw that you received more than a hundred pre-orders this morning. The three of you, master and apprentice, are too busy to handle it."
Jiang Wan smiled naturally, "I'm a bit overwhelmed indeed. Madam, how much does it cost to hang a sign here?"
"The big brands are fifteen copper coins a day, and the small brands are ten copper coins a day." said the proprietress.
"Then I'll use a big sign and hang it for three days." Jiang Wan thought for a few seconds.
The proprietress's smile brightened upon hearing this. Shop owners who rented their shops could use the bulletin board for free, so most of the people who hired workers were street vendors with low incomes, and they hesitated for a long time before hanging up a sign for just one day. So Jiang Wan simply hung it up for three days, which also endeared the proprietress to her. "Alright! Since you're so forthright, I'll give you a discount. Only thirty-five copper coins for three days!"
"Thank you, boss lady." Jiang Wan did not refuse. He paid the money, took the black sign, and filled in the requirements and wages on it.
When the boss's wife saw the wages she wrote, she exclaimed, "Miss Jiang is so kind to her employees. She provides three meals a day and fifty copper coins a day. That's one and a half taels of silver a month, enough to feed four or five people in an ordinary family."
Jiang Wan didn't say much, but bowed to the proprietress and asked her to help him sort out the items and select a few that were more diligent. The proprietress readily agreed and attentively saw Jiang Wan off.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west. The proprietress leaned against the door frame and looked at her back, thinking that this girl would one day buy a shop on the street, and perhaps it would not be long before they would become neighbors.
On the other side, also leaning against the door and watching the sun, was Doctor Zhang from the clinic.
Ever since Jiang Wan brought the blood-soaked young man to him on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, he hadn't rested. After Jiang Wan left, he took the patient's pulse, determined the poison, and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly acupunctured the young man to protect his heart. Then, without wasting a moment, he prepared and boiled the medicine overnight, personally feeding it to the patient. The patient, unconscious, vomited blood while drinking the medicine, and even called out for his sister in a daze, terrified his old bones, fearing that he would die if he wasn't careful.
The patient was poisoned with Michelia, a famous Xiongnu poison. Those poisoned by this poison will die within a day. Before death, they will experience hallucinations, thinking of their happiest thoughts and realizing their wishes. The poisoned person often dies with a smile on their face, hence the name Michelia.
When Doctor Zhang examined the patient's pulse, the poison had already spread to his heart meridians. The patient was in a coma and hallucinating. It was impossible to save him. But for some reason, even in his happiest memories, he kept struggling against hallucinations, which gave Doctor Zhang the opportunity to treat him with acupuncture.
After a busy night, the patient finally recovered, leaving Doctor Zhang so exhausted that he slept all day and all night. Jiang Wan, the little girl, urged him to sell his armor, but he didn't dare sell it, as it looked very valuable, perhaps a family heirloom. While the patient was unconscious, Doctor Zhang changed his clothes and discovered he had no money. He felt sympathy for him, but was too embarrassed to ask for the consultation fee.
The patient didn't wake up until noon. After thanking him, he wanted to pay the consultation fee. He lied to the patient and said that the girl who sent him there had already paid.
Doctor Zhang leaned against the door frame and sighed, muttering, "What is going on?"
"What are you sighing about, Mr. Zhang?" A clear female voice suddenly came to his ears. Doctor Zhang raised his eyes and saw Jiang Wan's sweet smiling face.
Doctor Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to vent his frustrations to Jiang Wan, but worried that the high consultation fee would put pressure on the girl, so he swallowed his frustrations back, "Nothing. The patient you sent here last time is awake."
"So fast? As expected of you, sir, your medical skills are truly exceptional." Jiang Wan paused and stated his purpose. "Last time, you prescribed medicine for my mother, and she recovered incredibly quickly. She just finished taking it yesterday, and I'm here to ask you for more."
She placed the money for the medicine on the table. Doctor Zhang, hearing her praise, felt much better. He figured that even if the consultation fee wasn't paid, it wasn't. Treating such a difficult case was a chance to hone his medical skills. So he relaxed his frown and went to the pharmacy to get the medicine.
Jiang Wan stepped into the clinic, intending to wait, but upon entering, he spotted a young man sitting on a chair, reading a book. He had shed his armor and donned a loose-fitting robe. Even as he sat casually, his back remained straight. His profile was fair and clean, with sharp features. His eyes were slightly downcast, clear and cold, as if the hustle and bustle of the street were completely detached from the world.
He sat there in silence, and even the sunlight grew quieter. Jiang Wan was clearly very close to him, yet he felt a thousand miles away.
With such a face and such a figure, even though he was wearing ordinary cloth, he looked like an immortal who had fallen into the wild and white jade covered with dust.
He really doesn't look like a beggar even though he's dressed in rags. Jiang Wan complained inwardly, walked quickly to his side, picked up his armor and left.
Her arm was suddenly grabbed. The grip wasn't strong enough to hurt, but she couldn't break free. The warmth she felt through the fabric was strangely itchy.
Jiang Wan lowered her head, and the young man who was reading also looked up at her. His eyes were distinctly black and white, as cold and clear as the water of Peach Blossom Pond, without ripples or waves, and it was impossible to discern any emotion.
Jiang Wan waited for a moment, but when he didn't say anything, she urged him, "Why are you holding me? You haven't paid for your medical treatment yet. I can tell you don't have any money. I want to use your armor to exchange for money for the master."
The boy pursed his lips, a question mark in his eyes.
"Mr. Zhang told you I'd already paid for the consultation, didn't he?" Jiang Wan said angrily. "The way you looked the other day, the consultation fee must have been at least fifty taels of silver, and I don't have the money to pay. You saw the tattoo on my forehead. I've just been freed and I'm busy saving money to redeem my family. When I sent you here, I told Mr. Zhang I could sell your armor to pay for the consultation. Mr. Zhang is kind-hearted. He probably saw that you had no money and was embarrassed to sell your things, so he lied and said I'd paid."
She lowered her head and saw a famous quote in the other person's book: "Isn't it a pleasure to learn and practice it from time to time?" ...
"The Analects?" Jiang Wan asked, "You're quite studious. As a scholar, you can't refuse to pay for your consultation, right?"
...The boy's expression froze for a moment, then he let go of her hand.
Jiang Wan turned around, satisfied, and was about to leave when an idea suddenly struck him. This young man looked like the son of a wealthy family. He had been hunted down, and his injuries hadn't healed yet. He certainly wouldn't dare to return rashly and would have to stay in Xiaofangpan City for a while.
She happened to be short of a few employees, so why not hire him? Although he wasn't a craftsman, with his incredibly handsome face, if he were to deliver goods to customers' homes, they would definitely be satisfied.
Thinking of this, Jiang Wan stopped and put on a warm smile. "By the way, handsome guy, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Jiang Wan. I was exiled from the capital in December. Now I'm free from slavery and I set up a stall selling celadon. I earn one or two taels of silver a day."
"You're broke, so why don't you take a temporary job with me? I know you come from a wealthy family, so I promise I won't let you do any dirty or backbreaking work, and the wages will definitely be higher than the market price. How about it?"
The young man wasn't surprised by her sudden recruitment, and continued to observe her calmly. Just when Jiang Wan thought he was going to refuse, he suddenly asked, "Whose maid?"
It was the young man's unique clear voice, like the collision of jade, but with a low magnetism. Jiang Wan's heart trembled after hearing these four short words.
Come to think of it, the only noble family exiled from the capital in December was the He family. It wasn't surprising that the young man could guess, so he nodded and said, "My young lady is the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion."
"Unjustly exiled," the boy said, "you still have the mood to make porcelain."
His tone was flat, and it was hard to tell whether it was praise or sarcasm. Jiang Wan had been in the business world for years, but this was the first time he couldn't figure out what the other person was thinking. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "Are you coming or not?"
"Come on." The boy said casually.
"Okay, my day's wages are fifty copper coins. You'll be responsible for delivering the goods to your door. Is that okay?"
The boy nodded, his eyes fixed on the Analects, not looking at her.
Jiang Wan asked again: "What's your name?"
The other person was still flipping through the Analects, his voice as light as mist: "My name is Ziyan."
After getting the answer, Jiang Wan went out to sell the armor. The clinic became quiet for a while, with only the occasional sound of turning pages.
When Doctor Zhang emerged from the pharmacy, Jiang Wan had just returned to the clinic. She went to take the medicine package and slipped the seventy taels of silver she had earned from selling the armor into his pocket, explaining, "This is a gift from a patient, thanking you for your care. He was too embarrassed to speak to you, so I gave it to him."
Just as Doctor Zhang was about to decline, he suddenly noticed that the armor on Zi Yan's chair was gone, and he was stunned.
Doctor Zhang: ...Why are you so concerned about the armor?
Jiang Wan took advantage of Doctor Zhang's moment of distraction and quietly left the clinic. When he came to his senses, the empty room was empty, with only a patient leisurely reading a book.
Doctor Zhang rubbed his head and shouted toward the long street, "Two doses a day! You won't need to take any more medicine after you finish this!"
"Got it!" Jiang Wan's voice floated in from afar.
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