Chapter 140 – Seeing Bai Mingyue Again
Yan Shuyun casually asked, “Xiaosi, are we going to Xu Family Fur Store to buy scraps of fur? The lady boss of Xu Family Fur Store already knows that we use fur scraps to make hairpins. I’m not sure if she would sell the fur scraps to us again.”
Yan Xiaosi shook his head, “Third sister, didn’t I just say that we won’t sell fur pom pom hairpins anymore?”
“Then why are we going to Xu Family Fur Store?”
Thinking that her mom, big sister, second sister, and younger sister were still living in the cave on Big Sister Peak, Yan Shuyun hadn’t considered going to Xu Family Fur Store to become an apprentice.
Yan Xiaosi said seriously, “Third sister, you should have heard what the lady boss of Xu Family Fur Store just said to you.”
Her dream is to become an embroiderer. There’s no way she didn’t hear what Liu Ke just said.
“I heard it. The boss lady of Xu Family Fur Store said that my craftsmanship is very good and asked me to visit Xu Family Fur Store when I have time.”
“Third sister, since you heard it, such a good opportunity should not be missed. Let’s go to Xu Family Fur Store now.”
As Yan Xiaosi had Tian Dazhuang speed up the cart, Yan Shuyun frowned and grabbed Yan Xiaosi’s arm, “Xiaosi, I don’t want to go.”
Yan Xiaosi understood what Yan Shuyun was thinking.
“Third sister, are you worried about me, mom, and big sister, second sister?”
Yan Shuyun nodded her head.
“I would feel uncomfortable if I go to Xu Family Fur Store to apprentice while you are living in the cave. I can’t leave you behind.”
“Yun’er, listen to your fourth brother, let’s go to Xu Family Fur Store to have a look.”
Ms. Zhong suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
“We won’t live in the cave forever, you don’t have to worry about us.”
“That’s right, third sister.”
“Third sister, opportunities are rare. If you miss such a good one, it will be difficult to encounter it again in the future. Big sister thinks that the boss lady of Xu Family Fur Store is a decent person. If you go to Xu Family Fur Store to apprentice, you might have a bright future.”
Yan Shuqin and Yan Shuxue both tried to persuade her. Yan Shuyun finally nodded quietly.
Tian Dazhuang drove the ox cart to Xu Family Fur Store.
The weather was getting colder, and the business at Xu Family Fur Store was getting better.
When Yan Xiaosi and the others got off the cart and entered, Xu Family Fur Store happened to have customers.
“Young Master Bai, this white mink cloak matches your temperament very well.”
Yan Xiaosi looked carefully and found that the customer at Xu Family Fur Store was none other than Bai Mingyue, the chief physician of Jiren Hall.
Bai Mingyue sensed someone was looking at him, turned his face, and saw Yan Xiaosi.
Their gazes met in mid-air. Yan Xiaosi waved and smiled, “Doctor Bai, we meet again.”
Bai Mingyue slightly nodded his head.
Yan Xiaosi found that Doctor Bai’s attitude towards him was noticeably better than the last time they met.
The reason was that in the past few days, Bai Mingyue had experienced the wonders of medicinal meals. As Yan Xiaosi had said, not only did they taste good, but they could also cure diseases. So, when he saw Yan Xiaosi today, his gaze held a bit more friendliness.
“Unexpectedly, we meet here, Brother Yan. Are you also here to buy furs?”
Yan Xiaosi shrugged and smiled, saying, “Does Doctor Bai think we can afford the furs here?”
Bai Mingyue touched his nose, his expression somewhat awkward. He had forgotten that even a random fur cloak in Xu Family Fur Store was expensive, something that ordinary households could not afford.
“So, Brother Yan, why are you here?”
Yan Xiaosi jokingly replied, “Anyway, it’s not to sell medicinal herbs and recipes. If I want to sell those, I will definitely go to Jiren Hall and look for you, Doctor Bai.”
Bai Mingyue smiled, his voice warm. “Then I will wait for Brother Yan at Jiren Hall.”
He enjoyed interacting with smart people like Yan Xiaosi.
“I’ll take this mink fur cloak, wrap it up for me.”
After exchanging a few words with Yan Xiaosi, Bai Mingyue instructed the people in Xu Family Fur Store to wrap up the white mink fur cloak. The one attending to Bai Mingyue was a handsome young man around eighteen years old.
The handsome youth wrapped the white mink fur cloak in a piece of brocade and politely handed it to Bai Mingyue, “Master Bai, this mink fur cloak is fifty taels of silver.”
Bai Mingyue took out a note for fifty taels of silver from his sleeve and handed it to the handsome youth without even furrowing his brows.
The handsome youth took the money and escorted him out of Xu Family Fur Store.
Seeing the price of a mink fur cloak, Yan Xiaosi was even more determined to let Yan Shuyun apprentice at Xu Family Fur Store.
If a mink fur cloak could sell for a price of fifty taels, once Yan Shuyun learned the skill, her future livelihood would not be a problem. Moreover, she could marry into a better family.
After the handsome youth escorted Bai Mingyue away and came back, he saw that Yan Xiaosi and his group were still there, and asked politely, “Young master, are you here to find work?”
Because Yan Xiaosi had told Bai Mingyue that they couldn’t afford the furs here, he guessed that Yan Xiaosi and his group were here to find work.
Yan Xiaosi nodded, “Indeed, it was the boss lady of Xu Family Fur Store who invited us. Young master, is she here?”
“My elder sister and brother-in-law have gone out to stock up.”
“So, you are the younger brother of the lady owner of Xu Family Fur Store. May I ask, young master, when will your sister return?”
“My name is Liu Xu, so you can call me by my name. Before my sister left, she said that if anyone came to find work, they should embroider a peony flower as a test.”
Originally, they thought they had to wait here for Liu Ke to return. Since Liu Ke had left a message before leaving, they wouldn’t have to go through such trouble.
Yan Xiaosi’s face brightened, and she pulled Yan Shuyun over to Liu Xu.
“Young Master Liu, this is my third sister, Yan Shuyun. It was her skills that your sister admired, and she invited my third sister to come here.”
Yan Shuyun bowed to Liu Xu.
“Greetings to Young Master Liu.”
A girl of fifteen or sixteen, even if not acting coquettishly, has a sweet voice. It sounded pleasant, making Liu Xu unable to help but turn his gaze to her.
Closely observing the girl in front of him, Liu Xu’s heartbeat sped up a bit.
The girl was dressed simply, with double-looped buns and two strands of glossy black hair hanging down her chest. Her large, shiny black eyes seemed to speak.
“Please wait a moment, Miss Yan. I will get the embroidery tools right away.”
Liu Xu quickly got the embroidery tools and handed them to Yan Shuyun.
“My sister said that as long as you can embroider a peony in the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, you can stay at Xu Family Fur Store as an apprentice, with a monthly wage of two taels of silver.”
A helper in a tavern only earns one tael of silver a month, yet Xu Family Fur Store offers two taels of silver. It was tempting for Yan Shuyun to stay. If she could stay as an apprentice, she would earn two taels of silver a month in the future, and her mother, elder sister, second sister, and younger sister wouldn’t have to live such hard lives.
