Wanjin Lady

Chapter 360 Making trouble
The honest winery worker Xiao Zheng always kept Hongmei's instructions in mind and stood motionless under the recruitment notice.

But he is not stupid. Yesterday, the station was empty all day and no one came to ask questions. Today, he finally discovered the problem.

He clearly saw a young lady coming towards him, their eyes met and even connected with an electric current, but suddenly the young lady was dragged away by an old woman.

There are no more than three things.

It’s that old woman again!
It's like he's going against him!
When he saw the third young lady whose eyes met his was intercepted, he finally summoned the courage to call out to the girl, "Hey, young lady! My employer is hiring workers at the Red Mansion in West City, specifically female workers. The salary is one and a half taels of silver a month! I see you come from a poor family, don't you? Why would you rather move heavy objects at the docks than do light labor?"

Unexpectedly, before the old woman who was trying to get the man to come in had even opened her mouth, a vigorous and sarcastic voice came from across the street, "Oh, the Red Mansion! Who dares to go there... That place is not clean. They say you have to accompany the guests drinking! Who would go to such a filthy place as a girl?"

"You...you!" Zheng Xiaoge was tongue-tied and blushed with anger. "You're talking nonsense! Our boss runs a legitimate restaurant business, entertaining all the ladies in Bozhou City. We don't do business with men, so why do we need to accompany the wine?"

"Then let me ask you, does your restaurant sell Ruiguo syrup?"

"What, what's wrong with selling Ruiguo pulp?"

"Don't you have to serve alcohol with people who drink?"

This sentence choked Brother Zheng so much that he was speechless.

"Besides, your business with women is all a cover! There's no restaurant in Bozhou City that specializes in women! You're just trying to trick these women! How can they get out after they go in?" The man spat, crossed his arms, and had a distorted expression. "My wife said that your Red Mansion is a filthy place! See? I was sent here by my wife specifically to prevent that bitch Wen Wan from harming others!"

The man's voice was so loud that the dock was already crowded, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him, and they all looked over.

Brother Zheng was so angry that his tongue trembled. "Your wife?! What's your wife's name? Do you dare to tell me her name?"

"I'm sent by Madam Jia from the third branch of the Yuan family! Did you see that..." The man pointed at the old woman who was pulling people in the crowd, "That old woman is also Madam Jia's! Our mission is to make sure that bitch Wen Wan can't recruit anyone!"

The old woman's face changed drastically. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, she waved her hands anxiously, her voice trembling, "It's not me! No, no, no... I'm not! I'm not from the third branch of the Yuan family! Don't listen to what he says!"

Someone in the crowd recognized her, "Old lady Zhang, you're still trying to make excuses. I clearly saw you at the Yuan family's gatehouse!"

The Red House was recruiting workers and offering generous remuneration. The dock was bustling with people, and the news had spread quickly.

There have been rumors for a while now that the Red Mansion is not a decent place and is running a secret prostitution business under the name of a restaurant. This has discouraged those young ladies who were originally interested in it.

Starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a big matter!

No matter how generous the salary is in the Red Mansion, the young ladies dare not come forward!

It would have been fine if it hadn't been said, but once it was said... everyone reacted immediately.

"Hey! That's right, it was that Yuan Lao San who told me not to go to the Red Mansion to work a few days ago! Damn it, I just remembered that he is from the third branch of the Yuan family!"

The crowd was in an uproar and began to recall the source of the news.

"Yes! This old woman told me that. She said the Red Mansion specifically scams young ladies who work outside the city, especially widows. Once you enter the Red Mansion, you'll never get out! She said it with such precision!"

Seeing that her scheme had been exposed, the old woman couldn't withstand the gossip and immediately broke free from the crowd's grasp and ran outside. This only fueled the crowd's anger; they shouted, cursed, and shoved, with some even throwing vegetable leaves at the old woman.

"You bastard! You're spreading rumors! You're cutting off my source of income!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

"It's you!" Zheng Xiaoge suddenly became excited. "Mrs. Jia's son died and she went crazy and hysterical. She insisted that my shopkeeper killed her son!"

Although Brother Zheng was an honest man who wasn't good at speaking, that didn't mean he wouldn't express his true feelings. "God has mercy on me! My shopkeeper is just a weak woman, unable to carry anything. How could she have killed Yuan Qi, a seven-foot-tall man? Besides, when your fifth son died, my shopkeeper was in Lanyue Pavilion! It's such a remote matter, Lord Xiong wouldn't even take the case! And yet your Madam Jia is spreading rumors and slandering my shopkeeper!"

"Alright, alright, I haven't settled this score with you yet, and now you're here to ruin our recruitment! I'm going to fight you!"

Brother Zheng rolled up his sleeves and rushed into the crowd with his long, slender legs.

When he was in Ping County before, Brother Zheng also practiced with his brother-in-law for a period of time. His martial arts skills had not been neglected at all, and he was ready to catch the man with great momentum.

The man was confused: "No, big brother, we are in the same group! In the same group!"

Why are you still acting so arrogantly at home?
There is no such thing as getting beaten in today’s assignment!
A good man does not suffer from immediate losses!
The man yelled for mercy, turned his head and pushed through the crowd, running away recklessly!

Brother Zheng didn't catch the other person, but was surrounded by enthusiastic young ladies.

——Hey boy, you just said that the monthly wage for working in the Red Mansion is one and a half taels of silver. Is that true or false?

Is the Red Mansion really a restaurant catering only to women? How does the owner make money?

——Hey bro, I want to work in your restaurant. Where is your restaurant located?
Brother Zheng was surrounded by young ladies, but the one who was quick-witted had already called her friends to go to the west of the city to look for the Red House.

There are not many restaurants in the west of the city, and Wen Wan's restaurant is very grand. After asking along the way, the group of young ladies found the place.

Mother Chen waited for half a day and made more than a dozen cups of milk tea, according to Wen Wan's requirements, with three-point sugar, five-point sugar, and full sugar, plus a pot of steaming hot colorful taro balls. The decorators in the Red Mansion each had a cup and praised it highly.

Chen Ma was confused at the beginning when she was picking up things from the graveyard, but she became more and more proficient at it. The cooking skills are all the same. Milk tea is tea with milk and a lot of sugar. Who doesn’t like to drink sweet food?
It’s just that the older girl always says that she has to control costs. Otherwise, who wouldn’t say it tastes good after drinking a pot of sugar water?
She... Aunt Chen... is such a clever and skillful person!

From a distance, Chen Ma saw a dozen girls peeking over here. Without waiting for her to wave, some bravely rushed forward and said, "Old lady, do you need any female workers here? I'm strong, smart, hardworking, and a quick learner. I heard you only hire girls, so I'm offering myself!"

The girl was not very old. Her clothes were washed white and had patches on the cuffs. Perhaps because her family was not well-off, she spoke haltingly and her cheeks were flushed with shame, but she forced herself not to look at the shoes.

Mother Chen immediately developed a favorable impression of the girl. She shouted at Hongmei, who was busy on the second floor, "Hongmei, come down quickly! Someone is here to recruit female workers!"

Soon, the sound of strong footsteps coming down the stairs was heard, and a young lady with fair skin and a red scarf on her head hurried over.

A dozen young ladies hurriedly saluted.

The young lady leading the group exclaimed in surprise, "Shopkeeper Wen looks so young!"