The long-missed rain seemed like Heaven’s compensation to the mortal world, drenching the earth with several heavy downpours. The cracked farmlands of Wozi Village were soaked, followed by the uplifting news that the imperial court had sent an imperial envoy to provide drought relief.
Even though Wozi Village and its surroundings were affected by the drought, the situation was not extremely severe. The farmers whose crops had died could go to the Government Office to collect new seeds. This significantly relieved many of them, and they rushed to get the seeds for planting without waiting for an auspicious date. After all, planting earlier would mean not missing the harvest.
Wufu made a special trip to the town to get the latest news and went to Hundred Treasures Silver Building to confirm the various reports with Shopkeeper Lin.
Shopkeeper Lin, heeding Wen Congrui’s words, was very keen to entice Wufu and therefore did not hold back any information he knew.
Wufu was mildly relieved upon learning that many of the refugees were gradually returning home.
In recent days, although no major incidents had occurred in Wozi Village, theft and burglary were not uncommon. Her family, too, had been visited by petty thieves, but they were all driven away by Wufu. Still, these incidents had frightened Madam Zhou and the others considerably—they were, after all, women and children without a man to protect them.
Now, hearing that the authorities had stepped in to suppress the bandits among the refugees, their days filled with anxiety and burden were, after all, considerably better.
"Oh, this is the Thank-you Gold from Merchant Liu," Shopkeeper Lin handed a purse to Wufu. "I heard that the official greatly admired the seal and praised it enthusiastically."
Wufu accepted the purse without embarrassment, opened it to look inside—there were Silver Fragments, but she did not examine them closely. She took out two or three Silver Shells and handed them to Shopkeeper Lin, "Thank you for making the trip."
Shopkeeper Lin was taken aback.
Before he could react, Wufu tossed another one to Jin Xi, "Jin Xi, you’ve provided me with quite a bit of mung bean soup these days, this is for you."
Jin Xi caught it instinctively, his face beaming with joy, "Thank you, Miss Wufu." He hadn’t expected Miss Wufu to be so generous.
Neither had Shopkeeper Lin, considering Wufu wasn’t from a prestigious family. But with her giving away, one Silver Shell was worth a tael—a sum not easily earned by an average family in a month.
Even among their employees, like Jin Xi, the monthly salary was only Eight Hundred Qian.
"You girl, you didn’t have to reward me," Shopkeeper Lin said, amused and bewildered.
Wufu laughed, "Anyway, this is the extra Reward from Merchant Liu. Let’s all get rich together."
That statement was indeed down-to-earth.
Shopkeeper Lin glanced at Jin Xi’s exuberant expression, looking almost ready to call Wufu ’auntie,’ and thought to himself that she was good at winning people’s hearts.
"Then thank you very much," Shopkeeper Lin pocketed the silver, asking, "Miss Wufu, what are your plans now?"
Wufu looked at him sideways.
"I know you have ambitions and do not wish to work as a craftsman in our store, but with your skills, even our young master admires them greatly. It would be a pity if you refuse to work," Shopkeeper Lin said with a smile. "So, we’ve got some fine jade that we’d like you to carve."
"Shopkeeper Lin, I’m somewhat lazy by nature. Even if I’m willing to do it, I’ll work according to my mood. Can you wait?" Wufu asked with a raised eyebrow and a light laugh.
"Good craftsmen are hard to find, and precious Jade Carvings are even rarer. If it’s good quality, what can’t we wait for?" Shopkeeper Lin replied. "If you’re willing, even if it’s just a few small Jade Ornaments to start with, that would be worthwhile."
"About the price..." Wufu hesitated slightly as she lightly tapped on the table.
"As long as you’re willing to craft, the price is negotiable. I believe the Jade Carvings produced from your hands won’t let down their value," Shopkeeper Lin said, stroking his beard.
It was then that Wufu smiled.