The next day, the ten people selected by the Village Chief reported to the rented courtyard as agreed.
As soon as they arrived, Xiaoxiao called a meeting for everyone.
"We are helping out at Yuelai Restaurant, so everything here is not allowed to be disclosed. Even your own family members cannot know, can you do that?"
All replied in unison.
"Although I trust you all, without rules, there’s no square or circle, so we need to sign a contract. If someone talks, they will compensate Yuelai Restaurant with five hundred taels of silver. Of course, if you work honestly, there will be no issues."
"..." Five hundred taels, they had never seen so much money in their lives, they couldn’t afford to pay that.
"If you promise not to talk, what are you afraid of, those who want to work, come and make your mark!"
Everyone thought so too, just keep their mouths shut and work honestly. Earning silver was for real, so they all came forward to make their marks.
Seeing this, Xiaoxiao thought the Village Chief had made some good selections, and likely there wouldn’t be any issues.
Forgive her for doubting before acknowledging good faith. Without drawing up a contract to keep them in line, she couldn’t be sure the group of women wouldn’t cause trouble. As for writing five hundred taels, that was entirely to intimidate them.
Today, Xiaoxiao hadn’t planned for everyone to start working but instead took everyone’s measurements to have uniforms tailored at the cloth store; she needed the attire to be uniform.
Then, she instructed everyone to clean up at home first, take baths, keep their nails short with no black soil underneath, hair neat, and clothes clean, as cleanliness was most important when dealing with food.
Yang Ming had been by her side all the while, assisting Xiaoxiao. It was his first time seeing Xiaoxiao , capable of leading, full of confidence—hardly the image of a fifteen-year-old girl. No wonder Chu Lian always spoke of her with shining eyes.
His wife was indeed remarkable. Yang Ming felt an inexplicable sense of pride, his lips unconsciously curving upwards.
Xiaoxiao caught Yang Ming’s twitching lips by accident and thought this nominal husband was quite strange—why were his lips twitching? Surely he wasn’t sick.
Xiaoxiao arranged everything at home. The two elders had reached the age to enjoy their elder years; they didn’t need to come out and toil, so Xiaoxiao asked them to take care of the children and cook at home.
The eldest and second brothers specialized in collecting cabbages, which might run out and require trips to other villages. The fourth brother specialized in purchasing ingredients, while the eldest and second sisters-in-law mastered the core of making spicy cabbage. She herself was in charge of the accounts.
Only the nominal husband had no work to do. Yang Ming felt as if he was forgotten again, and his mood turned instantly sour.
Oops! Xiaoxiao indeed had forgotten him; she had become accustomed to a home without him.
"Why don’t you go back to the Academy? Try to become the Top Scholar when you come back."
Xiaoxiao genuinely felt that he had nothing to do here and could roll back to the Academy to continue his studies, so she casually suggested it, not realizing Yang Ming took it to heart, his wife wished for him to become the Top Scholar.
"The Academy is on break!"
A break now? Pull the other one! The heavy snows hadn’t even fallen, and New Year’s was still two months away. An Academy here couldn’t be on break so early. She didn’t believe it for a second!
But seeing the nominal husband’s face set with a determination not to rest without work, well, he could be her assistant then.
"Let’s go, you’ll accompany me to have the uniforms made."
Only then did Yang Ming’s expression improve slightly. Following her, he seemed like a Flower Guardian. Afterward, Xiaoxiao deeply regretted this decision because from then on, she had such an attendant by her side.