When Shen Qinghe returned from the Hanlin Academy, he noticed something amiss as soon as he stepped into his house. One of the carriages at the gate was missing, and the pigeon coops that were usually placed in the corner were also gone. He frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy. He quickly walked into the house and overheard Meng Zhao and Madam Gu talking.
"Zhao Zhao, why don't you move the rest of your things over there first? It's so much better if you stay at home and keep your godmother company." She was now really regretting that if she had bought a bigger yard, Meng Zhao wouldn't be living in such a cramped place and would have to find another place to live.
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao smiled and reassured her, "No need, godmother. You've been to my place before, it's not far from here. If you miss me, you can just walk over after dinner. Besides, where we live won't stop us from talking, so don't worry."
Madam Gu sighed. Although she knew Meng Zhao was right, she was still somewhat reluctant. After all, going from one door to two doors felt like it would reduce their intimacy. Just then, she looked up and saw Shen Qinghe walk in. She quickly said, "Qinghe, you're back! Zhao Zhao is moving out today. Please help me persuade her. It's not like there's no room left in the house. Why does she have to move out?"
Shen Qinghe wanted to say something, but when he looked up and saw Meng Zhao's expression, he swallowed back the words he was about to say. He paused for a moment and then said, "Sister is going to open a shop in the future, so she will probably be very busy. It's good that we live separately. I'm back now. Is there anything else that needs to be moved? I'll help you."
Hearing this, Afu, who had just been outside tying up the carriage, hurriedly came in and said, "No need for you to do it, sir. I can handle it. If there's anything else you need help with, Madam Meng, just let me know."
Shen Qinghe turned his head and glared at him. Afu scratched his head, wondering what he had said wrong. He was always very diligent.
Seeing that Shen Qinghe's words were satisfactory, Meng Zhao smiled and shook her head, "No need to trouble you. Everything over there has been cleaned up. I can just move in. Even if anything is forgotten, I can come back to get it anytime. It's very convenient."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Meng Zhao, Madam Gu had no choice but to glare at Shen Qinghe reproachfully, inwardly cursing her son for being so useless and tongue-tied, unable to even utter a word of persuasion.
Meng Zhao selected two quick and efficient maids from those who had been temporarily hired to tidy up the courtyard and kept them in the side room, where they were responsible for daily meals and cleaning.
She then began looking for a suitable shop. The shops that the broker had shown her last time were either in remote locations with inconvenient transportation, or the buildings were old and would require a lot of time and money to renovate, and some had unclear property rights. Meng Zhao really didn't dare to make a move rashly, so she decided to look for a few more.
However, the villa in the suburbs of Beijing had already been purchased and construction could begin at any time. Meng Zhao first wrote to her parents, asking them to prepare the things and people she needed and to come to the capital before winter.
Then he wrote another letter, tucked it into the pigeon's leg, fed the pigeon until it was full, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, the pigeon took flight, circled a few times in the air, and flew towards Quyang.
Quyang is not far from the capital. The pigeons that Meng Zhao released in the morning arrived in Wei Jinglan's hands before dark. Wei Jinglan took out the letter, translated its contents using the codebook, and then rang the bell in the academy to gather all the students together and announce the contents of the letter.
"Master Meng, who used to teach you arithmetic, is now preparing to open a shop in the capital and needs manpower. So he asked me to recruit people in the academy. He needs five carpenters, and the requirements are solid basic skills and skillful carving."
Three female chefs are needed. The main purpose of this recruitment is to make drinks and pastries, so those who have scored high in the pastry class will be given priority.
Three accountants are needed, one female and the other two male or female. The requirement is that they must have ranked in the top three at least twice in the arithmetic assessments held in the academy.
Meanwhile, all recruited personnel are required to have no disciplinary record within the academy. Those who wish to go to the capital can register with Master Qin within three days. After the registration deadline, the academy's teachers will select suitable candidates, and arrangements will be made for their journey to the capital seven days later.
As soon as Wei Jinglan finished speaking, the academy erupted in excitement. The students had heard when they enrolled that the academy would assign them jobs after graduation, and now the opportunity had finally arrived, and it was even in the capital! So, everyone started asking questions.
"Master Wei, may I ask how much the wages are?" a student asked somewhat embarrassedly.
Wei Jinglan replied with a smile, "The wages are different for different positions, but Master Meng said that all the workers recruited this time will earn no less than three taels of silver per month."
After she finished speaking, someone else asked from below, "If we go to the capital, will we be able to come back?"
"Of course you can. In addition to the fixed ten-day holidays every month, we will also arrange a seven-day holiday every six months. If you want to go home then, you can do so."
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Was it really that good? They had thought that once they went to the capital, they wouldn't be able to go home for a long time. If they could go home twice a year, that would be wonderful!
And three taels of silver! This was an astronomical figure for them, who had just finished their apprenticeships. If they could really get such a high wage, wouldn't they be able to earn back the tuition fees they paid in less than a year? What's more, they could go to the capital! So, everyone rushed to sign up.
“Me, me, me, Master Wei, Master Qin, I am the girl with the best arithmetic skills in the academy. When Master Meng came to teach at the academy, he praised me for my intelligence. You all know that. I want to go to the capital to work as an accountant.”
“I have been learning carving for a year, and my master said I have learned it very well. I want to sign up for the class too.”
But many people hesitated, saying, "The capital is very far away. With our current skills, we can find good jobs in Quyang."
"Tch, can the wages in Quyang compare to those in the capital? Didn't you hear Master Wei say that the minimum is three taels of silver? If you're not going, then get out of the way. Master Qin, Master Qin, please write down my name. My carving skills are excellent," another student said eagerly.
"Does Master Meng need stonemasons? I also want to go to the capital!" someone else shouted.
"Oh, why did I choose to study textiles and embroidery? I should have studied cooking! Look, there are only three women studying cooking in the academy, so I could have chosen all of them!" One of the women was almost in tears with regret.
Another man squeezed in front of Wei Jinglan and asked eagerly, "Master Wei, can I go to the capital? When Master Meng taught us about spices, he praised me several times, saying that I had a talent and a keen sense of taste. Why are you only hiring female chefs this time?"
Wei Jinglan quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, we're only hiring female chefs this time because the shop needs them. We'll definitely hire male chefs when the opportunity arises in the future."
There was much discussion in the academy. Some people were hesitant about going to such a far place, some were annoyed that they had chosen the wrong major, and some were overjoyed that they could finally graduate and start earning money to repay their parents. After all, the tuition at the academy was not cheap, and many families had to tighten their belts to support their children in learning a trade.
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