Chapter 25 Zheng Er's loyal followers enslave the youth
He watched Zhang Ting leave in astonishment, and soon felt a surge of anger at being tricked. He followed behind Zhang Ting, holding his breath, to see what trick she was up to.
Zhang Ting swept the shattered teapot to a spot, when suddenly the broom was snatched away. The person seemed rather guilty and dared not meet her gaze, saying, "Servant...servant is here."
Seeing that he was at least perceptive and had even been tricked before, Zhang Ting stopped holding his recklessness against him.
He even comforted himself, saying that he was still young and that if he did more work, he would be more competent in his work in the future.
At the end of the 11 PM, Manager Wang came to visit.
Today was the day for distributing the profits, but Zhang Ting didn't go to Keyinglou, so Manager Wang brought the money over.
The second month's account was 6,002 taels, only about 200 taels less than the previous month. Now Zhang Ting has a total of 13,500 taels in savings.
Zhang Ting reviewed the account books, found no errors, closed them, and smiled at her: "Manager Wang is reliable and dependable. With you in charge of Keyinglou, I feel completely at ease."
When Manager Wang heard Zhang Ting's approval and praise, he couldn't help but show his delight. "I must thank you for your help, sir. I was just doing my duty."
Zhang Tingcai increased her monthly salary by five taels of silver, but that didn't stop him from dangling empty promises in front of Manager Wang, hoping to make her work even harder and more willing to endure hardship.
"Ke Ying Lou still needs Manager Wang to manage it well. If the profits stabilize later, I will definitely not treat you unfairly. I will discuss with the boss to give you a raise."
It's already quite impressive that such restaurants can establish themselves and generate stable revenue in the short term. As for increasing profits, that will have to be done gradually in the future.
Manager Wang is very optimistic about the future of Keyinglou and feels that maintaining the current situation is not difficult. He repeatedly thanked Zhang Ting for her help.
Zhang Ting chatted with Manager Wang for a bit, and the two talked about her little daughter's first birthday party.
After exchanging a few words of laughter, Zhang Ting promised her, "If I am free that day, I will definitely come to your house for the banquet."
After asking Zheng Er to help see Manager Wang off, Zhang Ting waited for her to return and then instructed her: "The restaurant is short-staffed. Go to the south of the city and find Master Cui to buy two waiters. Also, you've been busy running around for me these past few days, so pick out an honest person to come back and run errands."
When Zheng Er heard that Zhang Ting wanted to buy another person, he was afraid that he would be squeezed out of his position, so he hurriedly said, "Master, is there anything I have done wrong?"
Zhang Ting understood her concerns and smiled gently, "Zheng Er, you are very shrewd in dealing with people. You have handled all the things I asked you to do very well. I have seen all of that."
"Having followed me for so long, you must have felt that you are not what you used to be. I have high hopes for you, and trivial matters are not worth your attention."
Zheng Er was thrilled to receive recognition from someone he admired for his hard work.
His eyes shone brightly, and he replied in a deep voice, "Thank you for your guidance, sir! If it weren't for your high regard, I would still be struggling to make ends meet as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), barely able to afford a cotton coat."
Zhang Ting got up and came to her, patted her shoulder, and gently comforted her: "Zheng Er, you have come this far because you are a beautiful jade covered in dust. I am just wiping the dust off your surface."
These words moved Zheng Er even more. She looked at the person in front of her, whose gaze was gentle and solemn, as if she were such an important person. As soon as she met the other person's eyes, she quickly lowered her head, her eyes stinging. She admitted that she was a little clever, but how could she be worthy of her master's high regard?
The daughter rarely sheds tears, but she couldn't help but cry, though an indescribable joy welled up inside her.
Zheng Er suddenly wiped his face, his eyes moist, and stared straight at Zhang Ting, as if he had made up his mind.
She knelt on one knee, her gaze resolute, and bowed to Zhang Ting, saying, "In this life, I vow to follow Your Majesty to the death!"
Zhang Ting quickly helped Zheng Er up, her face also deeply moved. She held Zheng Er's hands tightly, saying, "I have long regarded you as a confidante, why say such things?"
This made Zheng Er feel comforted and warm.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhang Ting briefly outlined her career direction, urging her to give it her all and assuring her that she would not be treated unfairly and that she would even act as a matchmaker for her in the future.
Zheng Er blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this.
Before we knew it, it was already late afternoon, and right on time, someone was squatting outside the door.
Zheng Er also noticed, feeling extremely embarrassed. He blamed himself for delaying his master's good deed and hurriedly left.
Zhang Ting led the group to the hall for dinner. Du Zaolang noticed that Xiao Yi always ate with the young lady, so he thoughtfully asked about her preferences. Therefore, two more vegetarian stir-fries were placed on the dinner table today.
The man watched her emotions carefully, like a quail, afraid that she would get angry.
Zhang Ting glanced at it indifferently, not taking it seriously.
After dinner, she went to the study to read, and as usual, Xiaoyi cleared away the dishes.
But Du Zhaolang wasn't without discernment. Seeing that he could eat at the same table with the young lady, how could he dare to let him do any work?
Therefore, as long as Xiaoyi sits in the same spot for a while longer, the problem will be easily solved.
After clearing away the dishes, Du Zaolang asked him kindly, "Young master, do you have any dishes you'd like to eat tomorrow?"
Xiaoyi leaned lazily against the pillar, fiddling with her slender, delicate fingers, not even bothering to look up when she heard what was said.
Du Zaolang waited for a while before hearing him arrogantly say, "Can you make roasted lamb chops? Forget it, you're just a lowly Zaolang, how could you possibly know how to do that? We'll make something different tomorrow."
Du Zaolang felt slighted by him but dared not be angry. He was still wondering: This young man is knowledgeable and has a noble demeanor. What is his identity?
That night, Xiao Rong finally finished making the clothes and hurriedly brought them to him.
The dim candlelight enveloped him in a halo. He condescended to bend his slender waist, pinched the clothes between two fingers and shook them. His handsome brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed contempt. He sneered, "Such crude stitching, and it's possible to have it brought into the manor."
Xiao Rong blushed with embarrassment after being spoken to, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
"I...I'll redo it for you tomorrow, young master." As she spoke, she picked up the clothes and was about to leave, but was stopped by someone.
The man looked down at him and snorted coldly, his clear voice sounding as if it carried a sharp blade: "Leave the stuff here. If you present such inferior needlework again, I will not let you off easily."
"Yes," Xiao Rong stammered, putting down the clothes in shame and slinking away.
He didn't notice the person behind him letting out a sigh of relief.
After washing up, Xiaoyi snuggled into the warm, clean bedding. Having finished dealing with the day's events, he stared straight at the ceiling, his heart heavy with worry.
I wonder how my grandmother, maternal grandmother, father, and mother are doing. Is it possible to find him?
He had thought he would have trouble falling asleep like he had the day before, but he fell into a deep sleep after lying down for only a short while.
On the other side, Xige and Xiaorong squeezed into one quilt.
After hearing Xiao Rong's story, Xi Ge imagined the scene and shuddered. A moment later, she pouted and said, "His aura was truly terrifying. Even Miss never treated us like that."
Xiao Rong pulled up the blanket and chimed in, "That's right, our young lady is the most kind and generous, the best host family."
Xige grabbed his hand and asked hesitantly, "If he really is someone from Miss's room, why would Miss assign him to sweep and clean?"
Xiao Rong pondered for a while before saying, "Only Miss would dare to let him do this. Who among us would dare to trouble him? We're just doing things for Miss anyway."
Upon hearing this, Xige silently nodded, remembering that he could still enter and leave the young lady's room.
...
Zheng Er was reliable and efficient. By noon the next day, he had selected the right people and brought them back to pay their respects to Zhang Ting.
Zhang Ting established a rule that Zheng Er should hand over the two waiters to Manager Wang for training, while keeping the new recruits from the outer courtyard alone.
The woman's name was Lin Xiuzhen. She was twenty years old and quite robust. Zhang Ting asked her a few simple questions and found out her background. He then arranged for her to stay in the outer courtyard's back room and had Li Ruilian teach her.
After everyone left, Zhang Ting returned to her bedroom, where another little tail sneaked in, clutching a damp piece of cloth that was dripping water onto the floor.
Zhang Ting's headache flared up again. He rubbed his temples wearily and told him to wring out the cloth first before wiping the furniture and windows.
The other party was obedient and sensible, and did as instructed.
Fearing that he would just rub things haphazardly and make the room even dirtier, Zhang Ting took advantage of his temporary free time to personally instruct him on how to tidy up the house.
"The cloth is dirty, so we need to change the water, wash it again, and then wipe it clean."
The other person nodded, ran to the well to draw water, and laboriously carried back a clean bucket.
"For places that are hard to reach, you can use a feather duster to wipe away the dust."
He had just finished wiping the tables and door frames when he heard Zhang Ting's instruction to run to get the feather duster.
When he returned, he was panting heavily, so tired he could barely stand up straight, and his beautiful eyes stared at her with a hint of resentment.
Feeling guilty under his gaze, Zhang Ting touched her nose, turned her back to him, and hurriedly left.
She suddenly remembered that there were some miscellaneous things to take care of in the study.
Li Ruilian brought back a letter and a package to Zhang Ting, both sent by Zou Yueru.
The text above says that they have received her gift, and that the books were very helpful to them. They thanked Zhang Ting for her kindness and said they would definitely throw a big banquet to welcome her back to her hometown.
Then they told Zhang Ting that a new trading company called Mi's Trading Company had opened in Lvtian County, specializing in buying Western gadgets, which were extremely novel. They saw an item that they thought was wonderful and specially sent it to her.
Zhang Ting found it strange, so she opened the package. Inside was a glass mirror about a foot wide, smooth and flat, reflecting people's images clearly. Every movement was clearly visible in it.
The imported goods were expensive, and their value far exceeded that of the books sent back. The Zou and Li sisters took great care of her.
Friendships deepen through back-and-forth exchanges. Zhang Ting replied to them, thanking them and mentioning that she had made a new friend in Kyoto, a person with amazing talent and unparalleled genius. She said she would introduce him to them when she had the chance, so that they could study together.
This time, I'll just send a message back.
Since it was still early, Zhang Ting decided to go out and discuss things with Luo Zijun some more.
Before leaving, Zhang Ting glanced at the main room, where the young man was diligently wiping the floor with his sleeves rolled up.
She happily turned her gaze away, placing high hopes on this person.
I hope that one day I can earn back the thousand taels for her.
The carriage swayed and wobbled as it headed south of the city. Along the way, an enticing aroma of meat wafted through the air. Lifting the curtain, one could see it was Xu's braised meat.
Zhang Ting told the driver to stop so she could buy some meat as a gift for Luo Zijun. Then, seeing that a bag of braised food was too meager, she bought two baskets of apples and pears.
When they arrived at Luo Zijun's house, they found that the situation was indeed bad. Not only was it remote and overgrown with weeds, but there were no neighbors. A dead tree stood in front of the door, and the house was dilapidated with few tiles and bricks. It was even worse than her old house in Lvtian County.
Afraid of knocking the door apart, Zhang Ting only gently tapped the doorknob twice.
The courtyard was small, and even the slightest noise could be heard. After a short while, someone opened the door.
Luo Zijun coughed a few times, looking haggard, her eyes devoid of light. She asked blankly, "Why is my sister here?"
"Zijun hasn't visited for a long time, so I thought I'd come and give her a visit."
Luo Zijun stepped aside and led Zhang Ting into the house, saying, "My humble abode is dilapidated. Please come in and have a seat, sister."
Zhang Ting placed the water cup on the table. "What's on your mind, little sister?"
Luo Zijun lowered her head, coughed a few more times, and looked dazed, completely absorbed in her own thoughts, unaware of Zhang Ting's actions.
Zhang Ting asked again before she seemed to be startled awake and realized what was happening.
She slowly raised her head, her expression somber, her eyes filled with indescribable sorrow, and choked out, "Sister, Chang Geng Bookstore... is gone."
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