Wanjin Lady

Chapter 358 Recruitment
"Father is still as sharp as ever! He sees through the whole situation with just one glance!" Wen Wan calmly offered a wave of flattery. Although her cheap father knew Wen Wan was trying to coax him, he was still hooked. "But don't worry too much about the decorations. I've already thought about it. Tomorrow I'll go to the antique market and buy some second-hand calligraphy and paintings. Quality is more important than quantity..."

Wen Weiming shook his head. "This restaurant is like a puppet without soul. It won't last long."

Wen Wan rolled her eyes and said, "Just say it has no soul!"
Liu Yiyi retorted, "Three souls and six spirits cost a fortune! We have a lot of expenses at home right now, so we should save money where we can! Didn't the eldest girl say that spending less means getting more done? Even if we don't spend any money, we can still get things done! It's best to spend other people's money and do your own things!"

Father Wen blew his beard and glared, "Nonsense! Anyway, we've already saved the money on the restaurant's rental, and the Lei family has also sent us eight hundred taels of silver notes. We're well-off now, so if we're going to do it, we'll naturally do it to the best of our ability. Doing this half-heartedly... do you think those ladies can't see that?"

I don’t know why, but ever since my stepfather retired and stayed at home all day enjoying his grandchildren, it seems that Liu Yiyi’s love brain has been cured.

Now, the two of them would quarrel after just a few words, but they were all about trivial matters. The husband claimed that he was right, and the wife claimed that she was right, and they even had to drag Wen Wan, an impartial passerby, to judge the matter.

Wen Wan said: It’s because I have too much free time!

Liu Yiyi likes the old man Wen who is decisive and brave on the battlefield, not the old man who does nothing at home every day.

Anyway, as long as they don’t break up, Wen Wan will just treat them as a show of affection!

Wen Jing was short, holding onto the edge of the table with her hands. She then tugged at Wen Wan's belt and asked, "Sister, why aren't there any people selling candied haws?"

Wen Wan was stunned, "Madam, you don't like to eat this!"

Wen Jing pursed her lips, "But the ladies will bring their own daughters! The ladies will have food and drinks and can listen to music, so what are we going to do?"

Wen Wan's heart was filled with happiness, and she smiled and said, "That's right! We need to find a place to keep the kids!"

"We also need a sofa, a small wooden horse, a swing, a slide, and so on." Wen Wan compared the design drawings of a shopping mall from later times and felt her ideas becoming clearer and more inspirations coming to her mind. "Auntie Chen, you will be in charge of developing desserts these days. See if you can make some ice cream, milk tea, sugar water, etc. Hongmei, tell wet nurse Jiang if she has any other young ladies who know martial arts and are willing to work as security guards!"

"Sure, no problem!" Chen's mother patted her chest to assure him. When Wen Wan left with the design drawings, Chen's mother suddenly realized, "Hey, wait, what's milk tea? What's ice cream?"

The only answer she got was the arguing between Liu Yiyi and Wen Weiming.

As soon as the design drawings of the restaurant were released, Wen Wan began to order people to renovate it.

Since it is a gathering place for powerful ladies, it is inevitable that they would find some elegant ceramics and jades, ancient calligraphy and paintings, and rare treasures. However, these are all things that burn money. Although Wen Wan has money, she is not willing to spend it on these things.

She figured that as long as the artistic conception was right and she could find her own unique style, it would be enough to make people's eyes light up.

But how do you find the artistic conception?
Wen Wan could only go to Yao Shizhen's house to look for it. When Mrs. Yao heard that she was there to borrow something, she smiled and pulled her into the house, then opened the warehouse for her to choose.

Madam Yao didn't hide her abilities, but when her godfather saw her grab the jade ruyi with her bare hands, his eyes widened and he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Thus, Wenwan discovered the pattern.

Only pick the ones that make my adoptive father grit his teeth.

Wen Wan selected some calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, exquisite lamps, tea sets and porcelain, rattan chairs, etc., in order to replicate the wabi-sabi style that originated from the Three Marks of Existence in Theravada Buddhism: impermanence of all things, non-self of all things, and the tranquility of Nirvana.

Yao Shizhen knew that Wen Wan was a careless girl and felt sorry for his precious child. However, he was afraid that his wife would laugh at him for being stingy, so he didn't dare to say it out loud. Wen Wan picked out a carriage and smiled at Yao Shizhen before leaving, saying, "Foster father, don't feel sorry. Consider it your daughter's rental. I won't let you get hurt."

She added another subtle flattery, "I've searched far and wide, and only my adoptive father's aesthetic level transcends the mundane. It possesses the qualities of both elegance and vulgarity, elegance within vulgarity, elegance within vulgarity, and appeals to both the elite and the masses. Regardless of gender, even an uneducated and illiterate person can appreciate its beauty."

"I'm in need of your little melons and dates?" Yao Shizhen was flattered by her flattery. "Actually, I have some calligraphy and paintings hidden at home, but they're all in Ping County. I came here in a hurry last time, so I only brought a few to Bozhou. If you really need decorations..."

Yao Shizhen gave her another suggestion. He nodded in the direction of the government office in the back hall, "To be honest, Wei Jinyu has the largest collection! He's been arresting people all over the city these days, making the wealthy people in the city panic. Gifts are pouring into his house. Why don't you go and borrow from him—"

When Wen Wan thought of Queen Wei's methods and the young lady who drowned, she shook her head and wished she would never have anything to do with figurines in her life. "Foster father, the Marquis is very busy. Don't bother him with such trivial matters."

Yao Shizhen saw that the things she selected were all messy and even took away some calligraphy works from her study. He was confused for a moment and asked, "What kind of appearance do you want your restaurant to have? Do you want your stepmother to help check it?"

Wen Wan smiled and said, "My adoptive father and mother are both knowledgeable and open-minded. It would be even better if I could get help from my adoptive mother."

Old Madam Yao naturally agreed without hesitation. She smiled and said, "I have nothing to do anyway, so why don't you hire me as your accountant?"

Wen Wan knew she was joking. Old Madam Yao was still a noblewoman, and if she did business, it would be embarrassing. "Mom, please be my behind-the-scenes military advisor!"

Wen Wan took a carriage and took all the rare and precious things that she had shamelessly borrowed from her adoptive father to the Red Mansion. West City was already remote, and it was afternoon, with the arrival of the autumn heat. The door of the Red Mansion was open, and only the craftsmen were coming in and out.

There was a table and chairs at the door, and Aunt Chen was fanning herself, but there was no one else around.

Wen Wan ordered the things to be moved in. Then she glanced at the large job posting on the door, then at the deserted main street. She frowned and asked, "Still no one's applying today?"

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Aunt Chen handed the palm-leaf fan to Wen Wan. "Don't mention it, it's really weird. A few young ladies came to ask about it a few days ago, but there hasn't been a single one of you in the past two days! Our wages are quite high, and the work isn't tiring. Besides, all the workers in this Red Mansion are women. Logically, there should be quite a few people applying for the job, but not a single one has come!"

Wen Wan was also puzzled, "Not even one?"

"That's right!" Aunt Chen grabbed another fan and fanned herself. "It's harder to find than a skilled wet nurse!"