She then stepped into the shop, fumbled with the boxes containing books, and pulled out the key to unlock one. Xu San followed her in and saw her carefully pull a scroll from the box full of books, then unfold it under the eaves in the light. He joined in to watch the excitement. He studied it for a long time but couldn't make out anything. He didn't recognize most of the characters on the scroll, but a few simple characters looked familiar, so he guessed it was a calendar.
"Ninth month, at the hour of Chen, metal, wood, and water are favorable, very auspicious..." Xu Jiang's eyes curved, he closed the scroll, and said, "This is the day. The date is near, the hour is good, very auspicious."
Carpenter Cao, who was busy working, agreed. "The Double Ninth Festival is a good day. People go up high and miss their families. The court is closed for the day and there are market fairs in various districts. It's a good day. It's the perfect day to open the shop."
Xu San was confused and scratched his head. "Since the boss and Uncle Cao both agree, then it's fine. But the schedule is so tight. Can the boss handle it? Do we need to hire a helper?"
Xu Jiang waved his hand and said, "Not yet. You've already done all the work that needed to be done for me. I have to personally handle the remaining trivial matters of organizing the books and sorting them. Hiring someone else would only lead to mistakes. Wait a little longer. Once business picks up, it won't be too late to hire someone else."
"That's right." Xu San scratched his head. "These books of yours are all precious. If you just pick up a rough one and damage or mix them up, it will cause trouble."
Xu Jiang was afraid he might be suspicious, so after a moment's thought, she said, "There's no rush to hire someone, but I'd like to ask Third Brother Xu to keep an eye out for me. It would be best if someone could be literate and not too old, but patient. If there's a suitable candidate, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring them over and train them. It's just that such people are hard to find, so I'll have to trouble Third Brother Xu to take care of it."
Xu San was a kind-hearted man who liked to take on big responsibilities. He agreed immediately and happily went up to the roof to help pick up tiles.
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