Chapter Seventy: Division of Labor (Part One)

It turned out that the hometown of Changsheng, Changan, and Changkang, the Jade Spring Village, also belonged to Luo County. Now that they realized they were all from the same county, everyone felt a newfound sense of closeness, even Master Jiang, who was usually reticent, smiled and exchanged a few words with them in their dialect.

Luo County was under the jurisdiction of Wucheng, not too far yet not exactly close—about three hundred miles away. When Changsheng and the others had first been sold into the Liu household, it was through a local agent, essentially a broker specializing in the buying and selling of servants for wealthy families, who had acted as the middleman for these transactions.

After inspecting the premises and instructing Master Jiang to continue brewing the wine with care in preparation for the grand opening, the group finally made their way back in high spirits.

The entire excursion had not taken up much time. By the time they returned to Mo Xiang Courtyard, it was just past noon. Reclining on the couch and sipping some tea, Liu Qin began to recall the layout of the tavern’s building in detail. She asked casually, “Brother Ali, do you know how to draw plans?”

Jiang Li nodded. “I can manage something simple.”

“That’s wonderful!” Liu Qin exclaimed, leaping up from the couch in excitement. Her sudden movement made several people watch her with worry, fearing she might fall if she wasn’t careful.

Jiang Li, troubled by Liu Qin’s disregard for her own safety, admonished, “Be careful, little sister. Falling down is no laughing matter.”

Fang Nuo also gave her a reproachful look, and even Xiao Wu stepped closer, standing by the couch to guard against her tumbling off.

Liu Qin stuck out her tongue, smiling apologetically at everyone. Once Jiang Li had spread out the paper and prepared the brushes, Liu Qin explained in detail the changes and renovations she envisioned. That afternoon, she spoke while Jiang Li drew, and when the drawings were finished, the group gathered around to discuss them, each contributing ideas and making corrections to the details. By dinner, they finally had a completed floor plan for the tavern’s renovation. Pleased with this major achievement, Liu Qin ate half a bowl more than usual and ended up so full she was hiccuping.

That night, lying in bed, she reviewed every aspect of the tavern’s forthcoming opening in her mind, feeling everything had fallen into place. Only then did she sleep soundly.

The next day, at Liu Qin’s request, classes at the academy were suspended for another day. She summoned everyone to Mo Xiang Courtyard to hold her first board meeting, the purpose of which was to establish the tavern’s preparatory work group, delineate everyone’s responsibilities, and ensure that every task had someone assigned to it.

Once everyone had arrived—even Cuiyu came. Upon hearing that her young mistress had accomplished something so significant without a word, Cuiyu was both excited and indignant. After her excitement passed, she began to complain that the young mistress never told her about such important matters, as if she wasn’t one of their own. With no other recourse, they had to let her attend the meeting.

Seeing everyone quietly watching her, Liu Qin glanced around with a sense of ceremony, cleared her throat, picked up Jiang Li’s drawing from the table, and said, “You all saw this plan yesterday, so you should be familiar with it. Changxing, I’m putting you four in charge of this task. Remember, not only will you be responsible for finding workers to renovate the building as shown in the plan, but you’ll also be in charge of all the carpentry—tables, chairs, benches, cabinets, cupboards—and all the porcelainware like cups, plates, and bowls. You can divide the work among yourselves. My requirements are simple: save money where possible, but the workmanship must be excellent. The porcelain doesn’t have to be expensive, but it must be beautiful. Do you understand?”

Changxing nodded enthusiastically and took the drawings. The other three gathered around him, never having handled such an important assignment before. Unaware of the difficulties ahead, they only felt honored and eager to prove themselves.

Liu Qin then turned to Zheng Datong. “Datong, since you’re from North Street, you and Brother Ali will be responsible for hiring staff. I’ve thought it through: we’ll start with six waiters, two cooks, and two kitchen helpers—ten people in total. If that’s not enough, we’ll adjust later.”

“As for the standards for hiring, I have a few points in mind, but you two can add your own. First, try to give preference to the poor—there are many needy families on North Street, and if we can help, we should. Second, they must be quick-witted and adaptable, but not just smooth talkers who don’t actually work. Anyone who gossips too much is out of the question. Third, they must be diligent and willing to work. That’s all I can think of for now. Oh, and one more thing: they don’t have to be good-looking, but they must be presentable. No hiring anyone so odd-looking they’d put customers off their food.”

Everyone laughed at the mention of “odd-looking.” Changxing nudged Changsheng and joked, “She’s talking about you.”

“Come on, am I really that bad? She must mean you,” Changsheng retorted.

Their banter lightened the solemn atmosphere, and Liu Qin relaxed her serious expression, joking, “If you four worked as waiters, business would be booming.”

Datong asked in confusion, “Why is that?”

“Because the line of girls coming to see you would stretch down the street!”

“Ha ha!” Everyone laughed.

Changsheng, thinking the young mistress was praising their looks and popularity with girls, felt a bit proud—until her next words brought him crashing down. “The girls would be lining up just to say, ‘Where did these monkeys come from? How amusing!’”

Ouch. She was treating them like monkeys! Was she really planning to have them help her or just make fun of them?

The four of them looked at Liu Qin with wounded eyes. If she was like this at six, what would she be like when she grew up? Best not to imagine...

After the laughter, they returned to business. Liu Qin continued to Datong, “Be careful in your selection. The people you choose will be your helpers in the future.”

“Helpers?” Datong was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Liu Qin smiled. “Brother Ali and I have decided: once the tavern opens, you’ll be the deputy manager.”

“Deputy manager?” Datong was stunned. “Me? Am I really up to it?”

“Of course you are. You have to believe in yourself. You’re from North Street, so you’ll get along with the locals more easily. I’ll also have Uncle Cheng mentor you. He has experience as both a shop manager and an estate steward, so be sure to learn from him.”

“I… I will.” Datong was so overwhelmed by happiness that he couldn’t quite believe it was real.

Liu Qin’s decision to make Datong the deputy manager was carefully considered. For her first business, she wanted a trusted confidant in charge, and at present, her only confidants were these few people. Datong’s status as a free man from North Street was an advantage, and it meant he could leave the Liu household sooner.

From the moment she decided to go into business, Liu Qin knew she wanted her enterprises to be separate from the Liu family—not for money, but to keep her own strength hidden, to become a secret power for the family, able to make a difference in critical moments.

She understood very well that even if she disliked the scheming of officialdom, her family—from her father to her future younger brother—would spend their lives entangled in it. With so many risks and enemies, especially the Fang family as their greatest political rival, she had to plan for contingencies, for herself and for her family.

Her only concern was that Datong was too honest and straightforward. While honesty was a virtue, he lacked flexibility and cunning. She could only hope that, under Uncle Cheng’s guidance, he would mature quickly.