Chapter 100 Miss Zhou, you have to take responsibility for me!
"Du Zhusheng! If you run away again, I'm divorcing you!"
The one who called him was his spendthrift wife, Huang Yue'e.
Du Zhusheng dared not run away, and dared not move even with his ear being twisted. He begged for mercy in a very soft voice: "Wife, it hurts, it hurts... please twist it gently!"
"Twist it a little lighter? I think it's not heavy enough!"
"Then keep twisting, my wife, twist harder, and let go when you're happy."
Huang Yue'e, palm up: "I have no money, give me some."
Du Zhusheng immediately took out his money without hesitation, fearing that this spendthrift woman would cause endless trouble.
Huang Yue'e took the money and immediately let go of his hand, patted his face and said that she was going to buy the latest clothes. She also said that she wanted to eat roast chicken that night and asked him to buy two when he went back.
Du Zhusheng readily agreed and even escorted Huang Yue'e to the entrance of Jiaoyun Clothing Shop.
Today wasn't a market day, and it was already afternoon, so there weren't many people on the street, and the clothing shops were empty.
Upon seeing the couple, Sister Liu greeted them with a "Oh!" and came out to say, "Oh, it's Lord Du and Madam Du! Madam Du, please come in. Although the latest styles haven't arrived yet, it's nice to try them on first. When women go shopping, isn't it all about the experience?"
Huang Yue'e told Du Zhusheng to remember to buy roast chicken, then turned and went into the clothing store. After a while, a shop assistant peeked out and said to the inside, "Sister Huang, Lord Du has already left!"
"Don't call him Lord Du anymore, he doesn't even have any work to do now." Huang Yue'e deftly organized the clothes on the rack, her movements incredibly efficient. "Little Liu'er, thank you for taking me in!"
"Oh, you're being too polite. If it weren't for you bringing all those yamen runners' families to my shop every day back then, how could I have established myself in Peach Blossom County so quickly?" Sister Liu said, quickly calculating on her abacus. "Now, I'm repaying your kindness. What's there to thank? Our shop will need everyone's hard work in the future!"
They probably thought Du Zhusheng was really gone, so the women didn't lower their voices when they talked and laughed. Huang Yue'e's laughter was especially hearty. She didn't know that her husband hadn't actually left and had overheard their conversation.
Hearing his wife's laughter, Du Zhusheng felt a warmth in his heart. He wiped his eyes, turned and left the city, heading straight for Peach Blossom Village. As soon as he saw Zhou Mujiao, he told her everything. He concluded by saying, "Miss Zhou, don't blame me for being shameless. I really did lose my job because I came to take this side job from you. You have to take responsibility!"
Zhou Mujiao closed the ledger and put it aside. She personally poured him a cup of tea. Du Zhusheng had run all the way here and was really thirsty. He picked it up and drank it. He drank three or four cups in a row before he recovered. "Miss Zhou, I have no choice. You have to help me."
Looking at Du Zhusheng, who was covered in sweat, Zhou Mujiao thought for a moment and asked, "Lord Du has served as the registrar in our Peach Blossom County for many years. I believe you know the situation of our entire county very well. You know how many people live in each village, how many bandits live on each mountain, and so on, right?"
"I know. Besides that, I know how much meat Zhang San's family used for their wedding today, whether Li Si's hen laid an egg today, where those old beggars at the city gate bathed last night, and so on. There's nothing I don't know, only things you can't tell me. Also, I've already lost my job. If Miss Zhou doesn't mind, just call me Old Du!"
Zhou Mujiao smiled and nodded: "If Lord Chen misses out on such a talented person as Uncle Du, he will definitely regret it in the future. Don't worry, Uncle Du, I've taken this matter to heart. Three days later, you and Uncle Jiang from Xiangyang Lane will come to Haoyun Restaurant to wait for me. I will explain your job duties to you in detail then."
"Alright, then I, Du, will be waiting for good news at the Good Fortune Restaurant in three days!"
Not long after Du Zhusheng left, Manager Su arrived, bringing several samples: a box of self-heating rice and a serving of self-heating fried noodles. Zhou Mujiao tasted them and frowned.
Manager Su's heart skipped a beat: "Miss Zhou, is the food not good enough? The workers followed the steps strictly, even controlling the cooking time to the minute. Why don't you go and give them some more guidance, Miss Zhou?"
"I didn't say the food was bad, it's just that the flavor of the side dishes doesn't match the food. So, the side dishes will be prepared to your restaurant's standards, and the portions can be a bit larger."
"But this would increase costs, and I'm afraid it won't be easy to sell then."
Zhou Mujiao then asked, "How were the results of the market survey I asked you to do last time?"
Manager Su then remembered this matter and quickly pulled out two sheets of paper from his pocket: "Our people have conducted surveys in five neighboring counties over the past few days and found that, apart from Taoyuan County and our Taohua County, people in other places have shown a very high level of interest in this kind of food that can be eaten without cooking. Among them, the people from Yuzhou Prefecture are the most willing to pay..."
After reading it, Zhou Mujiao understood. She wrote down three price points on the paper and asked Manager Su to use these three prices to calculate the cost and profit respectively, and then conduct another round of investigation.
"The work isn't difficult, it's just a bit tedious and takes a lot of time. The person in charge should also have plenty of patience and mental fortitude. Manager Su, as long as we get through these initial steps, the later operations won't be so bumpy."
Manager Su listened and took notes, feeling much like he was listening to his teacher's lectures when he was a child.
By the time Zhou Mujiao finished talking with Manager Su, it was already dark. The aroma of food wafted through the house, and the laughter of children drifted in from outside. It was late autumn, and a cool evening breeze was blowing. Zhou Mujiao had been busy all day, and this was the only time it was truly over.
After dinner, I urged the children to read.
Looking at the children's earnest faces, Zhou Mujiao couldn't help but think of Zhao Yunjing, wondering what he was doing at that moment.
Zhao Yunjing was also reading a book.
The annual examinations were approaching. Zhao Yunjing and his newest batch of students were not originally required to take the exams, but Liang Shanhai and the teachers still wanted to assess his abilities, so they suggested that he participate as well. Zhao Yunjing also wanted to see how good he was, so he agreed.
Young people are fearless, and once he agreed, Hu Peiran and He Jiu, the other new students, also expressed their willingness to participate. So for the next few nights, they gathered in the small lecture hall to study late into the night.
Because of Zhao Yunjing's duel with Feng Wei on the first day of school, he had become the backbone of the new students. Some of them who were not good at the basics would habitually come to him. After two or three nights, he not only became their backbone, but also became their mentor.
Zhao Yunjing looked up at the cold moon, and Zhou Mujiao's smiling face appeared in his mind. His face inexplicably burned, and he quickly said, "Tonight, everyone should familiarize themselves with this volume. If you find that you really can't understand it or can't memorize it, then copy it down to deepen your memory."
Liang Shanhai, who had been hiding to the side feeding mosquitoes for half the night, couldn't help but show up: "Zhao is right. Everyone should copy more. While deepening their memory, they can also practice their handwriting. Handwriting is the face of an exam paper. Good handwriting can increase the examiner's positive impression of you. In this way, on some subjective questions, they will be more inclined to favor you because of your handwriting..."
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