Chapter 28: Hiring Employees

Liu Hongming had been in the interrogation room for several days and was clearly in poor condition. The investigators decided to temporarily detain him and continue the interrogation three days later. That evening, someone from the prison brought food to Liu Hongming. Halfway through his meal, he suddenly started foaming at the mouth, rolling his eyes and collapsing to the ground.

By the time the investigators discovered this, it was too late—Liu Hongming was already dead. The person who had brought the food to him also died that night, found hanging in their home. With no other leads and only a surname to go on, the investigation hit a dead end. They didn’t even know the person’s full name, and there was no way to continue the search.

Liu Juan, having illegally monitored the movements of military personnel, was sentenced to ten years in prison. Zhang Xiufen, upon hearing the news, was so terrified she lost all composure, fearing the investigation might eventually turn to her.

Shen Yunhe moved out of his old residence and into a private courtyard.

……

Chuan’an County,

The recent weather had been rainy and gloomy, and the shop had few customers. Jiang Banyue called Gu Qingci to let him know that she was going to meet his mother to discuss the design of the cheongsam.

Gu Qingci drove over to the shop, and Jiang Banyue dressed the children, preparing their bottles and milk.

“We’ll first go to my mother’s place. I’ll leave the children with her, then we can head to your place afterward!”

“Alright.”

Gu Qingci quickly loaded the three children into the car, while Jiang Banyue carried a bag of things and followed behind. Once in the car, Gu Qingci drove toward Jiang’s home. The children were excited and bouncing around in the car, and Jiang Banyue held one child in each arm.

“Be good, babies, don’t cause trouble!”

Through the rearview mirror, Gu Qingci saw the woman patiently calming the children. Her gentle appearance made his heart race uncontrollably. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He secretly wished that this drive would never end.

After arriving at the Jiang family’s house, Gu Qingci carried the three children out of the car, while Jiang Banyue held an umbrella in one hand and carried a bag in the other. She positioned the umbrella over Gu Qingci’s head.

As Gu Qingci moved closer, Jiang Banyue caught the faint scent of fresh bamboo, which made her instinctively step back. Gu Qingci took a step forward and chuckled lightly.

“Come a little closer. That way neither of us will get wet.”

Jiang Banyue felt as though he was teasing her, but she had no proof.

Once inside the hallway, she folded the umbrella and followed Gu Qingci into the house.

Jiang’s mother, seeing her grandchildren, immediately embraced them warmly, cooing over them.

“Mom, I’m stepping out for a while. Please watch the kids.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Jiang Banyue followed Gu Qingci out. He opened the car door for her, holding the umbrella at an angle to shield her from the rain. The rain fell in an unbroken downpour, and Gu Qingci drove slowly. Jiang Banyue sat quietly in the car. About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a large, ancient gate.

It was a house that resembled an old mansion from the Republican era. Gu Qingci, still holding the umbrella, stepped up and pushed open the creaking door. As they entered, Jiang Banyue felt as if she had stepped back in time, as though transported to the Republican period. The ground was paved with flagstone, and a giant paulownia tree stood in the yard. The house was a two-entry traditional courtyard.

A woman in her forties walked out from the main house. She was dressed in an elegant cheongsam, her hair pinned up neatly, holding a white umbrella in one hand. She walked gracefully toward them.

“Qingci, is this the designer you found?”

“Yes, Mom, this is Jiang Banyue.”

Gu Qingci turned to introduce her. “This is my mom.”

“Hello, Auntie.”

Jiang Banyue nodded slightly and greeted the woman. Gu’s mother smiled warmly. “Hello, come in!”

Gu Qingci tilted the umbrella over Jiang Banyue, and half of his shoulder got wet.

Jiang Banyue sat down in a chair and took out several design sketches she had drawn beforehand.

“Auntie, look. Do you like any of these cheongsam designs? If not, I can draw more!”

Gu’s mother took the sketches, and with each one, her delight grew. She liked every single design. Jiang Banyue tentatively asked, “Auntie, which one do you prefer?”

Gu’s mother looked over the sketches again, unable to decide.

“What should I do? I love every one of them!”

Gu Qingci chuckled softly; his fist raised to his lips to cover his smile.

“Mom, since you like them all, how about we make one of each?”

“Great, that’s perfect!” Gu’s mother said, pulling Jiang Banyue’s hand affectionately. “Banyue, thank you so much. I really love these designs.”

“I’m glad you like them, Auntie!” Jiang Banyue said with a relieved smile.

She had spent several nights working on the sketches, so tired she almost collapsed, but when she saw the generous payment from Gu’s mother, her fatigue instantly vanished. She couldn’t help but look at her with a look of admiration.

Good people, those who give money are the best people!

Jiang Banyue was busy baking cakes, drawing design sketches, and taking care of the children, completely worn out. She decided to hire a female store clerk and posted a job listing on the door. Soon, someone came to apply.

A girl around twenty walked in and asked Jiang Banyue, “Are you hiring a clerk?”

“Yes!” Jiang Banyue smiled and answered.

The girl asked, “I want to apply for this job, but I don’t know how to make cakes.”

“That’s fine, I can teach you,” Jiang Banyue replied casually.

“Great! How much is the salary?” The girl thought to herself that she could learn how to make cakes here and earn money. It seemed like a great deal.

“Five yuan a month.”

The girl felt disappointed. Five yuan was too little. Jiang Banyue wasn’t foolish; a clerk could learn to make cakes in her shop and still earn five yuan, which was already quite good.

If this girl didn’t want to take the job, there were plenty of others who would. After a moment of hesitation, the girl sighed and said, “Well, five yuan is fine. I’ll take the job. When can I start?”

“Right now!” Jiang Banyue responded.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Xu Jingjing.”

Jiang Banyue took Xu Jingjing around the shop to familiarize her with everything. Xu Jingjing looked at the delicious cakes in the display case and swallowed, feeling hungry.

“Come here tomorrow at 7 AM, and I’ll teach you how to make cakes.”

“Okay.”

The babies were sitting on the blanket, playing with toys, when they heard the voices. They looked at the strange woman with curious eyes. Xu Jingjing exclaimed in surprise, “Wow! There are three babies, and they look the same!”

“They are my children,” Jiang Banyue smiled and looked at the babies. The second baby crawled over to her, lifted his hands to be held.

Jiang Banyue smiled as she picked up the chubby baby and gently kissed him.

“Good baby, Mommy’s busy now. I’ll hold you later, okay?”

The second baby smiled widely, drooling non-stop. The nanny quickly wiped the drool with a towel, then sat down on the blanket to play with him.

Xu Jingjing looked on with envy, impressed by how well Jiang Banyue ran her cake shop and had three such adorable children.