Linxia

Chapter 95, Progress

Here, in Xiaohe Village, the people from the Fang family who were going to visit the provincial capital, the people from the Song and Bai families who were collecting corpses, and the people from the Chen family who were representing the extinct families, set out to follow a caravan to the provincial capital.

On the other hand, in the capital city, Mr. Dong's manure business was expanding steadily, his family was peaceful and quiet, and his neighbors were living in harmony. It was as if after a series of events, the waves had finally calmed down and everything was peaceful.

This day, Xuan Mo Zhai.

Chai Yiwei was on vacation and came back early the next morning, bringing two people with him, a woman in her forties or fifties and a young man in his twenties.

"Boss, this is my...mother Chai He, and my brother Chai Hongyi." Chai Yiwei said with his head down, as if he had done something wrong.

Fang Lin spent a long time with him and got to know him better. He felt that Chai Yiwei seemed a little reluctant to bring the two of them here.

"Is this Yiwei's stepmother, and his brother?" He thought of the last time Chai Yiwei got drunk and said, "I give half of my monthly salary to my family. My father said he would save it for building a house and marrying me off. But later, my stepmother kept saying that I should give it to my brother first." He couldn't help but look at the two of them.

Chai Yiwei's stepmother, Chai He, had a square face, a wide mouth and thin lips, giving people the impression of a harsh appearance.

Chai Hongyi has a square face with sharp eyebrows, eyes and nose, which makes people feel good at first sight.

Huang Di did not go to Kemanlou that time, and now he still doesn't know Chai Yiwei's family background, but from the pause when he mentioned "mother" just now, and the fact that Chai Heshi and Chai Hongyi look alike, but Chai Yiwei does not look like them, he guessed something and suddenly understood some things in the past.

"Relatives are here? Come in and sit down. This young man has a good name. A scholar must be broad-minded and resolute. What a good name!" Shopkeeper Liu praised them, invited them into the store and poured them tea.

From the perspective of Chai Yiwei's mother, he and the Chai family are indeed distant relatives, but after Chai Yiwei's mother passed away, they had basically no contact. He had some guesses about the other party's purpose of coming this time, but to be honest, he was not very welcome.

"Is that right? I asked an old man to pick my son's name, and everyone said it was good." Chai He said with great joy, and said a few more polite words, and finally said her intention: "I heard that Manager Liu's store is still short of someone, so I brought Hongyi over to have a look. My son has been diligent and hardworking since he was young. You can keep him and use him. If he doesn't do well, feel free to beat and scold him..."

"No, in my shop..." Shopkeeper Liu glanced at Chai Hongyi, then at Chai Heshi, hesitated, and was reluctant to agree.

But who would have thought that Chai He would kneel down with a plop and kowtow: "If you don't consider Yiwei's face, please consider Yiwei's mother's face and give my son a job!"

"You are not worthy of this! How can this be used? You are embarrassing me!"

Manager Liu quickly reached out his hand and helped Chai He up. He actually didn't like forcing people like this, but after thinking about it and sighing, he finally said, "Forget it, let him stay and give it a try. He will take half of the salary first, one tael and five cents of silver per month. Can he stay and work for a while and then see... What do you think?"

When he heard the other party mention Chai Yiwei's biological mother, he finally softened his heart. Of course, Chai Hongyi looked like an honest man, which also added some insignificant points to his impression.

"Why don't you thank Manager Liu? Hongyi, you must work hard here in the future!" Chai He was very happy. Even if it was just a trial period now, half of the salary was one tael and five cents of silver, which was quite high!
——You know, working as a porter at the dock, without food and lodging provided, is exhausting and only pays one tael and eight cents of silver a month!

After the matter was settled, Manager Liu led them to the backyard to pack up their bedding and put away their belongings.

Chai Yiwei lagged behind and quietly apologized to Fang Lin and Huang Di: "Brother Fang, Brother Huang, I'm sorry. Last time when I paid half of the wages to my family, because of the amount, my stepmother asked why it was too much. Knowing that the store was short of someone, she kept wanting my brother to come, and I kept putting it off, but this time I can't..."

The reason for his apology was that after Cheng Shiliang left, Xuan Mo Zhai was currently short of one person. Three people were doing the work of four people. It was tiring, but the pay was good. If one more person was added, the wages would probably have to be reduced.

Fang Lin noticed that the way Chai Yiwei addressed him changed from mother to stepmother, but he didn't think much of it. He was not like a person of that era who would still be filial to his stepmother even if she was not kind.

He smiled and consoled her: "It's okay, having more people just makes things easier, so it doesn't matter if the money is less!"

After he had the manure business, he no longer had to rush to copy books, so he didn't mind having more free time and earning one or two taels of silver less every month.

"She is indeed a stepmother."

Huang Di had been thinking about Chai Yiwei. After Fang Lin's words reminded him, he thought of the possibility of reducing his wages. He showed a forced smile on his face, but also comforted: "Yes, it's better to relax. No, Linzi, Yiwei, why do you have such expressions? Well, I am usually a bit stingy, but that is my family... Anyway, Yiwei, this is not your fault, and it is not your fault."

……

Chai Heshi helped Chai Hongyi settle down, and said to Fang Lin and Huang Di, "Let's get along well and please take care of us." She didn't stay long and left.

After all, she knew that it was not very nice for her to kneel down and talk about Chai Yiwei's mother, so she decided not to bother with it any more.

"Fang Lin, Huang Di, you two take care of Chai Hongyi." said Manager Liu.

"Okay, shopkeeper."

Fang Lin checked with Chai Hongyi and knew that he could not count or read, so he said, "Collecting debts requires numerology and literacy. It's not something that can be done in a short time. I will teach you how to put the books back in place. Just be patient and meticulous. It's quite simple..." While teaching Chai Hongyi, he noticed that there were not many calluses on the other's palms. He immediately realized that what Chai Heshi said about 'being diligent, hardworking and capable since childhood' was probably exaggerated.

"Linzi, thank you. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't understand it." Chai Hongyi thanked him and said nice words.

"It's okay. It's my duty. Let Ogi teach you how to guide the guests. He is an expert in this area."

"Linzi, you are being modest, aren't you? In this respect, you are no worse than me." Huang Di waved his hand with a smile on his face.

He liked this about Fang Lin: he was a genuine person and spoke in a nice way.

After Huang Di taught him twice, Chai Hongyi thanked him again: "Brother Huang, thank you so much, thank you so much."

Fang Lin raised his eyes when he heard this. Logically speaking, Chai Hongyi was older than both him and Huang Di, but one was called 'Linzi' and the other was called 'Huang Ge'.

He felt that Chai Hongyi seemed to be more enthusiastic towards Huang Di than towards himself. He was a little puzzled, but did not take it seriously.

Come to think of it, Chai Hongyi is quite smart. After being taught two or three times, he was able to do it slowly. Although he is less efficient than veterans like them, he can still help share a lot of the work for the three of them.

There was a moment in the morning when there were no customers in the store. Fang Lin put down his pen and rubbed his wrist, which was feeling a little sore.

"Linzi, come here, make a pot of tea." Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand and greeted with a smile.

"coming."

Fang Lin knew that Manager Liu's know-it-all nature had broken out. He wanted to chat with him about random things, and also wanted him to have a cup of tea and take a break.

He was just about to go over there.

"Boss, let me do it!" Chai Hongyi took the lead and went to pour tea: "I made tea for my parents at home, and they both said it was good. Boss, how about you try it?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Fang Lin. He learned from Chai Yiwei that Fang Lin was the last one to arrive, and he was able to get in because of his thick skin and flattery. He was very much liked by Manager Liu, who was determined to replace him and become the next Fang Lin.

——The so-called flattery and thick-skinnedness were not said by Chai Yiwei, but were summarized by Chai Hongyi himself after listening to Fang Lin’s story.

Fang Lin didn't say anything about this, because he knew that Chai Hongyi was too eager to make progress and couldn't wait to get a regular job. He also knew that when he was penniless, his situation wasn't much better either, so he completely understood.

"But I didn't just rely on flattery in the beginning!" he thought to himself.

It was also crucial that Fang Lin came to Xuan Mo Zhai and rescued Manager Liu from the mad dog. However, Fang Lin did not take the initiative to talk about this matter. Manager Liu would not hide it, but he did not mention it deliberately. Therefore, Chai Yiwei and Huang Di still don't know about it.

He knew very well that one should not have a psychological advantage just because he had done favors for others, and should not keep talking about the favors or try to control the other party, as this would easily turn favor into enmity.

They give enough respect to both Shopkeeper Liu and Scholar Dong, which is why they feel very comfortable getting along with Fang Lin.

"Boss, the tea is too hot. Can I change the pot for you?" Chai Hongyi said hurriedly when he saw Boss Liu frowning.

"Yes, but... it's okay, go and get busy!" Shopkeeper Liu is an experienced man, how could he not know what this kid is thinking? He feels that the other party doesn't seem to be suitable for his store.

Moreover, after being interrupted like this, the interest in conversation that had just arisen was gone. He couldn't help but feel a little bored and waved his hand.

"Hey!" Chai Hongyi left and secretly remembered to make tea at a slightly lower temperature next time.

The morning passed quickly, during which Fang Lin discovered something interesting. Normally, Chai Hongyi could do three things, except cashiering, moving books and cleaning, putting books back in their places, and guiding customers. However, he only did the latter two and never helped Chai Yiwei move books and clean.

Is it because he is used to being ignored by his family? Or is it because he just wants to do easy work and doesn't want to put in any effort? It is unknown.

There were no stupid people in the store, and everyone noticed it one after another. Huang Di became a little polite and distant towards Chai Hongyi.

As for Manager Liu? He saw it, but didn't say anything. He just frowned again, and his attitude towards Chai Hongyi was still neither close nor distant.

……

(End of this chapter)