Chapter 39: Breaking Ground and Starting Work, Strange Occurrences (5)

  "Ah... the two women are indeed powerful, but I'm having some difficulty in my heart, I don't know..." Lin Chun slowly calmed down her emotions, her face returning to its usual calm state, with a look of concern.

  "Miss, please speak your mind. Is there anything that I and Zhao's wife can do to help? We will definitely try our best to take care of it for you." An's wife saw Lin Chun's worried face and quickly walked up to her to express her decision.

  "Actually, after hearing the two ladies' self-recommendations, I also think that both of you are rare talents. However, my family is not a wealthy or aristocratic household, and even if we have some wealth, it's just a small amount, not worth mentioning. Today, seeing how enthusiastic both of you are about going to my house as servants, I'm very happy and grateful for your kind intentions. Since Mrs. Rong asked me to speak frankly, I'll say it straight out: both of you have extraordinary abilities and are diligent and hardworking, always thinking of my family's well-being. But because my family is poor, and seeing that both of you boast about your exceptional abilities, I plan to choose one of you to take care of my household. What do you think?"

  "Miss, are you going to choose only one person between me and Zhao's wife?" An asked eagerly.

  "Yes, I'm afraid that if we hire too many people at home, it will be difficult to support and pay wages. We should act within our means and take responsibility for everyone!" Lin Chun's face was full of mischief, but his eyes had a hint of watching a good show. An He and the others on the side also understood the reason why Lin Chun had been dealing with these two short-sighted and selfish women all along, and it turned out that this was the underlying intention.

  Rong Pozi and Zhao Pozi exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads, thinking that if they were chosen, they would be able to dominate the Lin family and not have to share with each other. Both of them thought alike and made up their minds. "Miss, whatever Rong Pozi can do, I can also do, and no worse than her. Miss is kind and responsible for us, so it's even more important to choose a capable person to help you with your worries at home. How about me, Zhao Pozi?"

  "Miss, this Zhao woman used to love stealing food from the master's table and sleeping on the job when she was in another courtyard. She also likes to use flowery language to flatter the master and get money out of him. Miss, you mustn't be deceived by her, it's better to choose me, Cui."

  "Miss, don't listen to her nonsense! She was kicked out of the other courtyard for being lazy and idle, and now she dares to belittle me in front of you? Don't believe her lies!"

  "You're still the same, Zhao's wife, stealing jewelry from other households and getting kicked out by the housekeeper. Now you dare to mention me? If I didn't say anything about you, how would you have said anything about me?"

  "Hum, you're really vicious, aren't you? You know Miss only wants to choose one of us two, so you speak ill of me to show off your own nobility. Well, in that case, don't think you'll get any benefits either..."

  "You're just like Zhao's wife..."

  "Alright, alright! You two old women stop arguing, I don't know what you're saying is true or false, but I'm going to go ask Uncle Qian about it. If what you're saying is true, then he must have had ulterior motives for bringing you two here to be servants in my household. I'll go ask him right now and get to the bottom of this... also so that everyone doesn't think they can bully me just because I'm young!" Lin Chun saw that his small test had caused Zhao Pozi and Rong Pozi to turn against each other, and he felt even more disgusted in his heart. He quickly used Uncle Qian as an excuse, wanting to get rid of the two old women as soon as possible so that he could take An and the others back home early. Moreover, Da Shan Bo Bo was still waiting at the front shop, and Lin Chun didn't know if he was getting anxious or not.

  Lin Chun didn't wait for Zhao and Rong to react, he had already pushed the door open and walked out of the yard towards Qianfuyuan front store. By this time, it was almost late afternoon, around three o'clock, and most customers in Qianfuyuan store had left. Lin Chun arrived at the store and saw Uncle Qian settling accounts with the last two customers, so he didn't disturb them. He greeted Da Shan Bo Bo who was sitting in the customer rest area and began to wander around the store on his own. He remembered that last time he wanted to buy silver bangles for Da Tou and Er Ya, but they both gave up because neither of them would buy it. Lin Chun had been keeping this in mind, and a few days ago, he heard from Uncle Qian that several pieces of high-quality white jade pendants had arrived at the store. Lin Chun wanted to choose two pieces to give to Da Tou and Er Ya as gifts, especially since Er Ya's birthday was coming up soon. In this month's jewelry design paper, Lin Chun specifically drew a necklace with a heart-shaped jade pendant, simple and elegant, warm and gentle, which he also intended to give to Er Ya as a birthday gift. He had specially instructed Uncle Qian that when the Qianfuyuan craftsmen finished making it, they should set aside one piece for him.

  Lin Chun walked to the counter where jade pendants were displayed, and at a glance, she saw several transparent white jade pendants in the center of the counter. The box containing the jade pendant on the right had already been covered up, probably because it had been bought by a customer. Lin Chun looked for a while, and saw that Xiao Xiao wrapped up the covered box and handed it to the lady who was settling the bill with Uncle Qian when she first entered the store, before returning to her side.

  "Big sister, do you want to buy a jade pendant?" Qian Xiaoxiao had been helping out in the store for several days and had just seen Lin Chun enter the store. She was busy leading a customer to pay and hadn't had time to greet her properly, thinking that she would go see Lin Chun in the backyard later when she wasn't busy. Unexpectedly, Lin Chun had come into the store herself. Father had said that Big Sister was coming to choose a nurse and a servant today, and Qian Xiaoxiao only hoped that she wouldn't choose those two lazy and selfish bad servants, Zhao and Rong. However, Big Sister was clever and would surely be able to see through their flaws.

  "Yes, last time I didn't manage to buy a bangle for Da Tou and Er Ya. A few days ago, I heard Uncle say that Qian Fuyuan has new white jade pendants, so I thought I'd take a look." Lin Chun and Qian Xiaoxiao were already quite familiar with each other, knowing that Qian Xiaoxiao was also very understanding of her own family and had a kind heart. Therefore, being together with her was also very relaxing, plus they were close in age, so there was no need for too much courtesy.

  "Alright, I'll introduce them to Big Sister Yu this time! This time, our store has six white jade pendants, said to be cut from a single piece of mother jade and carved with intricate designs. They're all top-notch products. Like the one that lady bought for her son earlier, it has fewer patterns and is simple yet elegant, making it suitable for wearing with school uniforms. Look at this one, it's engraved with a auspicious cloud pattern, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. And these four over here are basically the same style, all featuring the Four Gentlemen - plum blossoms, bamboo leaves, orchids, and chrysanthemums. The plum blossom represents nobility and elegance, the bamboo represents humility and integrity, the orchid represents refinement and elegance, and the chrysanthemum represents purity and innocence, all with rich meanings." Qian Xiaoxiao introduced one by one.

  Lin Chuan really liked these four gentleman jade pendants. Plum, cutting snow and carving ice, a proud bone, is his own expectation for himself, to break through everything in this ancient era, to strive for strength, to live the life he likes, without being bound; Bamboo, sifting wind and moon, carefree all one's life, is his hope for Da Tou; Orchid, empty valley fragrance, self-confidence and virtue, is his promise to Er Ya; Chrysanthemum, walking alone in the frost, not following the trend, is also his encouragement to Xiao Shan.

  Lin Chun nodded thoughtfully and bought the four jade pendants, which just happened to be enough for his siblings and Xiaoshan to each have one. Qianxiao was overjoyed, thinking that her business had gone well today and she would surely receive praise from her father. Lin Chun then went to bid farewell to Uncle Qian, asking him to deduct the cost of the four pendants when he next gave him money. Uncle Qian knew that Lin Chun didn't like taking things for free, so he happily nodded in agreement.