Time Travel: A Fisherwoman Goes to the Sea to Raise a Baby

Chapter 294 The Pawnbrokers Select People

"Oh! Mr. Xu must be a very busy man! What brings you here today?"

When the broker saw that it was Xu Yiyi, he smiled and teased her.

Everyone in Ping'an Town knows that Wufu Restaurant is extremely popular, so it's quite rare to see Xu Yiyi at this time.

The broker's servant ushered her inside.

"Oh! Mr. Xu is here?"

Manager Lin said with some surprise.

"Will I ever have the chance to do business with Mr. Xu again?"

The pharmacy was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of sweat, mildew, and cheap incense. Xu Yiyi wrinkled her nose instinctively as she entered.

"I want to buy a cook."

Xu Yiyi's words were concise and to the point.

Manager Lin immediately understood what was going on.

"It's good that Mr. Xu does things personally, but he still needs to take care of his health. Hiring a cook would be good, and it would also help him relax."

The forest ranger nodded.

Xu Yiyi stood inside and looked around. "You'd better be fair to me on the price!"

"Don't worry, our brokerage has been open for over ten years, and we've always been honest and fair to everyone, young and old!"

As he spoke, Steward Lin gave a few instructions to the servant.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Yiyi followed Steward Lin through the front hall and into the courtyard.

People were standing in twos and threes in the hall, most of them with their heads down, looking malnourished and thin.

Xu Yiyi suspected that when a typhoon hits, it could blow people away.

Moreover, a very small number of them are slovenly.

She glanced at them and realized that at least half of the people standing in front of her were not very hygienic.

Manager Li spoke first.

More than twenty people instantly lined up in three rows.

"Raise your heads, everyone."

At Manager Lin's command, these people straightened up tremblingly, but still dared not look Xu Yiyi in the eye.

"These people survived the Jinzhou earthquake a while ago and were subsequently resettled in our Ping'an Town."

Manager Lin explained.

Xu Yiyi was somewhat surprised because their village had also helped with the post-disaster resettlement work.

"From Guling Village?"

"More than half of them are from the mountains in the south, some were sold by their former masters, and some sold themselves because they couldn't afford to eat..."

Xu Yiyi walked slowly to the front of the line, carefully observing each person.

The refugees from the south were probably not used to the lifestyle here. People from places without water would inevitably feel fear and trepidation coming to the sea, not to mention having to go out to sea every day to catch seafood. They probably sold themselves out of desperation.

In the front row was a burly woman, around forty years old, with very rough hands and dirt still stuck under her fingernails.

It doesn't look very sophisticated.

"This old woman was originally a cook in the countryside, and she could cook authentic farm dishes."

The forest ranger provided an introduction at the opportune moment.

"He's strong, can carry half a pig, and the price is cheap, only ten taels of silver..."

Xu Yiyi watched calmly, then shifted her gaze to the next person.

"This little girl is called Xiao Tao. She used to work as a cook in the Zhang family's house in town. She can make a few kinds of snacks. If you buy her, you'll probably have to train her a bit..."

Steward Lin put it very tactfully: this little peach heart is too ambitious, she's restless as a servant, and she's always thinking about climbing into the master's bed.

He was then kicked out by the mistress of the house.

Xu Yiyi turned her gaze away before he could finish speaking.

Too young; once you buy it, it won't be able to keep those aunties in the kitchen in check.

Moreover, ever since she came in, this person's eyes have been wandering, and he looks restless.

As I looked around, I came across a woman in her early thirties standing at the very edge of the third row. She looked very tired, but she was very clean.

His hands were folded in front of him, his knuckles were thick, and there were several burn scars.

He remained calm even when he noticed Xu Yiyi's gaze, his back ramrod straight, his eyes calm and serene beneath his lowered eyelashes.

"This one was also sold by the owner..."

Manager Lin offered an explanation.

"This woman, surnamed Zhao, used to be a cook in a merchant caravan. She traveled with the caravan at sea year-round. Last year, the caravan was hit by a typhoon and suffered an accident, with only a few people surviving. The caravan owner was short of money, so he sold her and several other servants..."

Those who come here to buy servants all look down on her when they hear that she was sold in for this reason.

Manager Lin suddenly lowered his voice as he spoke.

"There were seven people who were sold in with him. It is estimated that in about half a month, everyone except her was sold out, leaving her alone."

At this point, Manager Lin couldn't help but sigh.

"Many people had their eyes on them, but when they heard that they were survivors of a shipwreck, they all stopped wanting them."

After looking at it from all angles, it ended up staying at the brokerage.

Bringing her out today is just a routine attempt to try our luck.

The cook, Zhao, stood there motionless, her gaze lowered, as if the person Manager Lin was referring to wasn't her.

Life is hard, and it is not easy for women.

Especially after the typhoon, only a few people survived in the caravan.

As a woman, Chef Zhao was the first to be disliked.

"It's already bad luck for a woman to board a ship, let alone for her to bring about the deaths of everyone on board..."

Xu Yiyi first looked at the old woman and muttered under her breath, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.

The way he looked at Chef Zhao when he turned his head was as if she carried a plague.

"Isn't that right? People with this kind of fate are destined to bring bad luck to their owners. I think whoever buys from them will be unlucky..."

There were quite a few people gossiping in the crowd.

But Chef Zhao remained calm and showed no sign of panic.

What kinds of dishes can you cook?

Xu Yiyi suddenly asked a question.

“My original master was from the North, and he was most skilled in the five northern dishes.”

Xu Yiyi already had a plan in mind. After wandering around for a while, she returned to the front.

Many of the twenty-odd people looked at her with hopeful eyes.

That old woman was even more extreme, staring at her with a beaming smile.

Before Xu Yiyi came in, the servant had already told her her identity.

If the owner of a very successful restaurant in town were to be bought, he would never have to worry about not having enough to eat.

Since business is good, the restaurant must have plenty of ingredients on hand.

Once she's inside and has a firm foothold, we'll sneak out some ingredients without anyone noticing.

The family's food supply is secured again.

Thinking of this, Granny Niu smiled even more brightly.

Is this an attempt to manipulate me?

Xu Yiyi suddenly felt a chill, nothing more.

The old woman's laughter was terrifying.

The girl named Xiaotao looked completely disdainful.

I reckon even if Xu Yiyi took a liking to her, she wouldn't be willing to go.

"What are the prices for Chef Zhao?"

Manager Lin smiled and said, "She's not expensive either, only fifteen taels of silver, which is ten taels less than the original price."

Because Zhao's cooks couldn't sell their food for a long time, he was willing to lower the price.

Manager Lin spoke sincerely, and Xu Yi glanced at Cook Zhao, pondered for a moment, and then made a decision.

Steward Lin had his servant bring out Cook Zhao, and the three of them went to the government office together.

After completing the formalities, Xu Yiyi immediately led her people to the clothing store.

"Ah Xiu, my lady!"

As Xu Yiyi walked in, Ah Xiu came forward with a smile.

"Mr. Xu, aren't you going out to sea at this hour?"

The clothing shops had just opened early in the morning, and it was a quiet time with no business.

Ah Xiu was just about to do some cleaning, waiting for breakfast to be delivered from home.

"The sea has been rather turbulent these past few days."

Xu Yi only mentioned it once, but Ah Xiu understood.

Who is this?

Ah Xiu smiled and shifted her gaze to Chef Zhao behind Xu Yiyi.

"I just bought a new cook; I'm here to buy some clothes from you."

Judging from the fact that the clothes took a long time to prepare, and that the cook Zhao was dressed in tattered clothes, she came out of the brokerage without any luggage.

I can only buy ready-made clothes for now.

"My wife doesn't need many clothes. Just buy two pieces first, and then buy a piece of coarse cloth to take back. I can make them."

Cook Zhao reminded them that ready-made clothes are expensive, and it's not cost-effective to buy too many.

Xu Yiyi complied and left the clothing shop.

I went to the general store and bought some odds and ends.

Cook Zhao followed silently behind her, carrying the things.

If she hadn't occasionally looked back, she would have thought the person was lost.

He's such a quiet person.

……

"Sister Yi, you're back?"

As Xu Anyang spoke, he lifted Wu Yuan off his head and looked curiously at the woman who walked in behind him.

"The newly hired cook's surname is Zhao..."

Xu Yi paused for a moment, unable to recall what Zhao the cook's name was.

I was just about to reach out and flip through the contract.

The cook, Zhao, began to speak: "My former master named me Yunniang. You may call me Yunniang, my lady."

Yunniang kept calling everyone "servant," which took everyone a while to get used to.

"After you arrive here, please stop referring to yourselves as servants. We don't like it when we hear it."

Xu Yiyi touched her arm.

Am I some kind of tycoon now? No! I'm not some evil capitalist.

Xu Yiyi muttered something to herself.

"This is Xu Anyang, the head manager of our restaurant! Old Lu is a handyman, he watches over the restaurant at night. And..."

Xu Yiyi introduced the four aunties preparing ingredients under the osmanthus tree.

"Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Li, and Aunt Rong are in charge of scheduling, controlling the heat, and handling ingredients and seasonings."

She paused for a moment after speaking, "And..."

"And me? I'm in charge of the accounts."

Sihai raised his chubby little hand and gave a serious introduction.

Yunniang greeted them one by one.

"You'll be living in this room from now on."

Xu Yiyi led the people to a small room that had been partitioned off from the original woodshed. After the renovation, the room was now empty.

That's perfect for arranging accommodations for people.

"There's hot water in the kitchen, go wash up first, then you can rest today..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yunniang spoke up.

“No need to rest, no need to rest. You bought me...you bought me back, how can I rest as soon as I enter the door? I can work.”

When Yunniang was speaking, she noticed the displeasure in the mistress's eyes, so she immediately changed her words.

"Alright, then you can go wash up first."

Xu Yiyi didn't insist and asked Aunt Zhao to fetch hot water for her to take a bath.

I wonder if Yunniang has eaten enough at the brokerage; she looks quite thin.

My arms aren't as thick as my four aunts', so I guess I need to eat more.

Yunniang sat in the house, dressed in coarse cloth on a newly laid reed mat. Her fingertips repeatedly stroked the neatly folded new clothes beside her pillow, while the copper bells under the eaves tinkled in the wind.

She hurriedly wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve.

After that typhoon, everyone looked at her as if she were a plague.

The scolding from her master and the disdain from the other servants in the brokerage firm had long since made her accustomed to seeing herself as a shadow in the corner.

Suddenly, a lump rose in her throat, and she buried her face in the sun-drenched quilt as if possessed.

Warm tears seeped into the soft cotton, and in a daze, I felt that this small room was more peaceful than any place I had ever stayed during my wanderings.

Yunniang unconsciously tugged at the corner of the blanket with her fingertips.

Only when he heard light footsteps coming from the corridor did he regain his composure.

"Yunniang, come out here. Your elder sister has cooked noodles for you."

Sihai is still young, and his voice is still a bit slurred when he speaks.

They still treated her, an outsider, with the utmost kindness.

After Yunniang finished washing up and had breakfast, Ayue returned with the letter.

"Wow! You're pretty quick on your feet. You were just saying yesterday that you wanted to buy a cook, and you've already found one today."

A-Yue casually remarked something and walked to the stone table to sit down.

"A letter has arrived?"

Xu Yiyi walked over, and A Yue handed over the letter.

"Qingshan's boat has just docked. He should be coming here to eat later."

A-Yue poured herself a glass of water and drank it. Xu Yiyi flicked her finger, and the sealing wax cracked.

On the paper as thin as a cicada's wing, Lin Ke's handwriting was so strong it seemed to penetrate the paper.

A few simple words.

"What did you write?"

A-Yue put down her teacup and asked curiously.

Xu Yiyi handed the letter over.

"An informant reported that someone in Red Shark was monitoring Five Fortune Restaurant?"

As A-Yue spoke, her brows furrowed immediately.

"You've offended Red Shark's people?"

Xu Yi shook her head, "I've always been honest and conscientious in my work."

"So, who is this Xie Yushu that he suspects in his letter?"

Xu Anyang suddenly spoke up, "I know, I know! This Xie Yushu is just a weak scholar who ran off with Yijie and the others' mother."

"Why are you suddenly bringing him up?"

……

Xu Yiyi turned her head: "There's nothing to do with the children. Hurry up and prepare the ingredients."

Xu Anyang pursed his lips.

They even called me a child, but they're just like me, only a few months older.

He thought defiantly as he squatted down on a small stool to kill the fish.

Yunniang squatted down, at a loss for what to do.

"Grand Steward, what do you think I should do?"

[Grand Steward!?]

Xu Anyang screamed with excitement inside, never imagining that he would one day be called the Grand Steward.

"Um... why don't you go wash the vegetables first?"

Xu Anyang cleared his throat and looked around.

Considering that Yunniang was not from this area, they were worried that she would not handle the fish properly.

We could only ask her to wash some vegetables first.

"So your mother eloped with him, and this man is your mother's lover?"

A-Yue lowered her voice.

Xu Yiyi rolled her eyes, but she wasn't wrong.

"It's probably him. After I injured his face, the old man was out of a career, and I never expected that he would end up becoming a pirate."

Life is unpredictable, and Xu Yiyi never expected this.

"I just didn't expect him to go to Red Shark."

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Just a few days ago, Lord Lin knew nothing about the Red Shark, but today he's already got the information. He's quite quick."

After all, Lin Ke was still recovering from his illness, and the medicine Er'er prescribed made him feel drowsy and he slept for most of the time.

It's not easy to figure out your opponent's strengths and weaknesses in such a limited time.

"The current Zhechong Prefecture doesn't have such a capable person. I guess this must have been investigated by the secret guards that the lord secretly kept."

As she spoke, A-Yue burned the letter with a tinderbox.