High-class maid

Chapter 226 Mother-in-law visits son-in-law

About an incense stick later, people started coming to inquire, and they were busy until dark before they finally settled on two embroiderers.

One of them was a little girl who asked her a question this afternoon. She was about ten years old. To show that she was important, she even wore a red hair tie. I wonder if she was being mistreated or if her family was really poor.

Another woman was a newlywed who had been married for three months. Although she had a sweet smile, there was a faint sorrow in her eyes, and it was unclear what troubled her.

"Meet at the shop entrance at 7 AM tomorrow. Our kitchen hasn't been repaired yet, so we won't be providing lunch for the first month. However, I will give you two extra wages," Shen Xing'er said.

The two embroiderers nodded, and the younger one, mustering her courage, asked...

"Boss, aren't we supposed to pay a deposit to take the embroidery home? Why are you embroidering in the shop again?"

After she finished speaking, she pinched the purse hidden in her sleeve. This was her mother's secret stash of money before she passed away. She had saved it for many years and was reluctant to spend it. Today, she was going to part with it with a heavy heart, but unexpectedly, she didn't need it anymore.

“Silly girl, those who are willing to pay the deposit are genuinely looking for a job. If they are not even willing to pay the deposit, how can you expect them to do a good job?” Shen Xing’er said with a smile.

This was also the method Song Wenyang taught her. It was her first time opening a shop, and she didn't know the character of the people around her. Rather than worrying about hiring some embroiderers who only knew how to loaf around, it was better to screen them from the beginning. After all, those who were willing to spend money were genuinely trying to support their families.

The little girl nodded, looking like she understood but not quite.

"Alright, you two introduce yourselves. We'll be spending a lot of time together from now on, so I hope you won't try anything funny and will just focus on doing your jobs well," Shen Xing'er said.

The bride spoke first.

“My surname is Guan. My husband’s family is from the east of the city, and my family is from Lotus Village on the outskirts of the capital. You can just call me Madam Guan.”

"My surname is Su, my name is Su Qiaoqiao, I live in the north of the city, and I am ten years old this year," the little girl said.

"Qiao Meizi, I didn't expect you to be so skilled at embroidery at such a young age. Did your mother teach you?" Guan Niangzi asked.

To everyone's surprise, Su Qiaoqiao lowered her head dejectedly, tears welling up in her eyes. Then, realizing it was inappropriate, she forced herself to raise her head and smile, saying...

"Yes, my mother was a famous embroiderer in Suzhou, and she taught me embroidery."

"Then why didn't you bring your mother too? Didn't the owner say he needed four embroiderers? We're still short two. Or is your mother working at another embroidery shop?" Madam Guan asked, puzzled.

“My mother died of illness last year,” Su Qiaoqiao said.

"I'm so sorry, Qiaoqiao, I didn't mean to ask about your sad things. I'm so sorry for my mouth." Guan Niangzi hurriedly took Su Qiaoqiao's hand and apologized.

"It's alright, ignorance is no excuse," Su Qiaoqiao said casually.

Since her mother passed away, she had witnessed the coldness of human relationships and kept the sarcasm and ridicule from her neighbors and relatives in her heart. Therefore, compared to that, Guan Niangzi's words were not hurtful.

"Alright, the money will be paid on the 15th of each month. For the first three months, it will be 800 coins. After three months, if you are still working in the shop, your salary will be increased to one tael. Whoever produces the best embroidery will receive an extra 100 coins per month, and whoever embroiders the most will receive an extra 200 coins per month. In addition, you can take two days off each month. If you take more than two days off, you will have 50 coins deducted from your salary for each day off." Shen Xing'er explained the salary and benefits.

"In addition, I will invite a master craftsman to our shop every month to teach you embroidery. If anyone learns a new embroidery technique, their monthly wage will increase by three hundred coins, but a contract must be signed," Shen Xing'er said.

Su Qiaoqiao and Guan Niangzi had no objections. The job of an embroiderer was not only clean, but also sheltered from the wind and sun. Although the wages for the first three months were not very high, the wages would be high later! Some of the older embroiderers in the city had already earned five taels a month!

Seeing that the two had no objections, Shen Xing'er was extremely satisfied. As long as the employees were less troublesome, she, as the boss, could save a lot of worry.

"Alright, I'm busy today, so I won't keep you for dinner. We can have dinner together again when we find new companions." Shen Xing'er glanced at the sky outside and dismissed them.

The two nodded in understanding. It was their first day, and they wanted to go back and share their joy with their families.

After the two left, Shen Kun and Wang Shi also returned from outside, but their expressions were somewhat unnatural.

"Father, Mother, what's wrong? Did you not agree on the money? It's okay if it's a bit expensive. Foreman Li is always experienced in decoration. We can rest assured if we pay more money."

Seeing her parents' expressions, Shen Xing'er assumed that the discussion had not been resolved, so she quickly went over to comfort and reassure them.

"No, it's settled. This foreman, Mr. Li, is very easy to talk to, and he promised to come and do the decorating tomorrow, but..." Wang hesitated for a moment, glancing at her husband's expression.

"But what's wrong?" Shen Xing'er asked, puzzled.

"Someone has already paid the wages, so we don't have to worry about anything. You just need to keep an eye on the blueprints and supervise the construction," Shen Kun said dejectedly.

Shen Xing'er didn't need to ask to know who had taken out the wages. She hadn't expected Song Wenyang to be so thoughtful. But now, her father would probably have something to say about it.

No one knows a father better than his daughter. At this moment, Shen Kun was indeed a little unhappy. How come he was useless as soon as Song Wenyang appeared? Why did he have a strange sense of defeat?

"Tomorrow night, I'm going to see that kid and give him his wages. Our family isn't at the point where we can't afford to pay our workers," Shen Kun said angrily.

"Yes, daughter understands." Shen Xing'er didn't dare to speak, only repeatedly agreeing.

Wang Shi, however, developed a different feeling towards Song Wenyang. She didn't expect this boy to be so thoughtful, knowing to make arrangements with Foreman Li first. Could this be what they call a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law and finding him more and more pleasing to the eye?

"Hmph, I will never admit it. Don't think he can change my mind just because he did a few things! I will stand with my husband!" Wang thought to herself.

"Dad, Mom, let's hurry home. I still need to work out tomorrow's patterns."

Shen Xing'er had no time to pay attention to her parents' little schemes. With the shop about to open, she needed to quickly organize the patterns, fabrics, and color schemes so that the shop wouldn't look too empty on opening day.

"Yes, yes, go home quickly. Daughter has been busy all day. Hurry up and cook dinner."

Seeing his daughter's condition, Shen Kun forgot all about finding fault and hurriedly went to drive the carriage out of concern.

The next day, some more embroiderers came to the shop to inquire about jobs. Shen Xing'er and Wang Shi were busy all morning and finally settled on two more embroiderers.

Thus, the recruitment process was finally completed.