Ye Xu had no objection to Zhenzhen becoming an apprentice; it mainly depended on whether Zhenzhen wanted to learn. The problem was that they couldn't stay in the current plane for long. If she wanted to become an apprentice, she would either have to study for a few months or Ji Ling would have to go with them.
“I don’t mean to coerce you into leaving with us, but I need to explain things in advance.” Ye Xu’s tone was sincere. “If you really want to take on a disciple, you’d better be prepared. I’ll take Zhenzhen away from here in about ten months. If you want to continue teaching for a long time, you’ll have to come with us.”
Ye Xu disdained using his daughter to control her, so he made things clear. Otherwise, he could have agreed first, waited for the master and apprentice to develop a relationship, and then brought up the matter of hiring her as a full-time employee, which would have had a very high success rate.
"I already know what you want to say," Ji Ling said calmly.
Ye Xu asked in surprise, "You mean?"
"A few months ago, while I was meditating, I happened to make contact with a spiritual being and we reached an agreement on hiring them."
After Ji Ling's explanation, Ye Xu understood. The UR-level candidate shop assistants were all interviewed by the system, but the system could not guarantee that they would definitely be hired, nor could it guarantee when they would be hired.
In short, it offers an opportunity to see if you're lucky enough to encounter the shopkeeper in your lifetime, or if the shopkeeper will draw you directly from the card pool. The system actually has hundreds of active shopkeepers, but they are all freelancers and most don't need to hire staff. Therefore, the only boss these cards can wait for in the short term is Ye Xu.
Ye Xu hadn't expected himself to be so important. Did that mean that after he found someone using the Encounter Ticket, he could just go straight to hiring them without worrying about being rejected?
After a short while, Ye Xu came to his senses. What was he thinking? Even shop assistants are picky. If the manager wasn't suitable, there would still be people unwilling to compromise. He shouldn't be so reckless.
Ye Xu composed himself, regained his composure, and asked Ji Ling for confirmation: "So you're willing to join our store, is that right?"
Ji Ling nodded: "We can sign the contract at any time."
She wasn't particularly concerned about the matter, but she was somewhat considering Zhenzhen's feelings. Although Zhenzhen hadn't yet agreed to become her apprentice, she didn't intend to back out.
"Does Zhenzhen want to follow the Taoist priest to cultivate?" Ye Xu turned to ask the little girl.
Zhenzhen didn't understand what cultivation was, and she shook her head blankly: "Dad, I just want to learn to play the piano."
That's awkward.
Ji Ling remained completely unaffected and calmly stated, "I am a disciple of the Zhengyi Sect. Zhengyi disciples are required to learn a great deal of knowledge, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, swordsmanship, tea, medicine, and geomancy. If you do not wish to begin your cultivation for the time being, I can simply serve as your music teacher."
Ye Xu had indeed heard that the Zhengyi Daoist priests had to learn many things, including playing the zither, but he wasn't quite sure. Now that the master himself had confirmed it, he felt relieved.
Ye Xu had been wanting to find a classical instrument teacher for Zhenzhen, but unfortunately, everyone around them was just an ordinary villager and no one knew how to play. Ye Xu then set his sights on UR cards, hoping to meet someone who could play the piano, but he'd been putting it off until now to finally use his encounter tickets.
Surprisingly, they were able to hire someone skilled in these things right away. Although the other person's profession was a bit off, the scope of the encounter ticket was too broad, even including Taoist priests.
"Then it's settled." Having resolved two matters at once, Ye Xu felt much more at ease. "Zhenzhen can't be afraid of hardship or fatigue when she wants to learn to play the piano. She has discussed with her teacher what time to study each day and how long to study. She can't be lazy."
That's what Ye Xu said, but she wasn't worried at all that the girl would give up halfway. She had been able to concentrate on practicing the piano for so many years before, so she could do the same with any other instrument.
Zhenzhen nodded earnestly: "Don't worry, Dad."
After the matter was settled, she underwent the apprenticeship ceremony at the instruction of her elders.
If it's just about learning to play the zither, there's no need for a grand apprenticeship ceremony. Ye Xu thought that since this was in an ancient setting, one should offer a cup of tea to the apprentice and address him as "Master" instead of "Teacher" like modern people do. He had to respect the customs of Ji Ling's era.
After drinking the tea ceremony to formally accept the apprentice, it was considered that she had been accepted as a disciple. Zhenzhen was very interested in learning the zither and didn't care about listening to stories. She boldly begged her teacher to start teaching her right away.
Ji Ling said, "It's still early today, so it's a good time to start learning the zither. However, you should first learn about the zither, rather than starting to learn how to play it right away."
Another point is that learning the zither requires a zither in the first place. Ji Ling looked at Ye Xu and asked if he had prepared a suitable zither. Ye Xu himself didn't know how to choose a zither, so he wasn't in a hurry to buy one for his daughter. It wasn't too late to go to the system store to choose one now, and he could also ask Ji Ling to help him look at some.
So the three of them huddled together and looked at the instruments for a long time, and the system even thoughtfully provided a trial playing service. In the end, Ji Ling chose two instruments, one for Zhenzhen and one for herself.
Ji Ling doesn't have enough points to buy a guqin yet, so she can only ask Ye Xu for an advance on her salary.
Fortunately, the zither wasn't expensive. Even a famous zither was something the system could easily conjure up, so it was practically worthless. Ye Xu glanced at the price and decided to give it to Ji Ling as a gift for becoming her apprentice.
Ji Ling was initially reluctant to accept it, but after Ye Xu explained that the hundred-odd points could be provided for any guest who came over for a meal, she realized that the peerless zither was truly worthless to the system. Something that couldn't bring any energy gain to the system was, in its eyes, utterly useless.
Ye Xu, however, didn't think so. If it were one of the other three restaurants, having someone play melodious piano music during mealtimes would have a significant effect on soothing the customers' moods. Those three restaurants had high standards, and the customers who came and went generally knew music. Hearing cheerful or tranquil music would earn them more points while dining.
It's a pity that Ye Xu was the one who got the role, but he was entertaining ordinary people who knew nothing about art, so it was destined to be a waste.
Hmm, I can take my daughter to other shops later; it gets boring staying in one place all the time. The candy store is on track now, and nothing will go wrong even if no one's watching it. If something does happen, we can just close down and leave.
And so Zhenzhen began her daily piano lessons: playing in the morning and learning to play the piano in the afternoon.
The children were very interested in this and often went over to watch. However, learning the piano is a rather tedious thing. After watching for a few days, they could hardly sit still anymore. They would only come over occasionally to take a look, and most of the time they would listen to the stories outside.
After a month of getting to know each other, Ye Xu had gained a certain understanding of this dynasty in the current world. He had a general idea of which stories could be told and which could not, so he picked up Journey to the West again, made some edits, and handed it over to the robot to start telling that story after the previous one was finished.
Journey to the West is a classic enjoyed by people of all ages, making it a perfect second main attraction after The Primordial Era. In addition, Ye Xu also plans to find some collections of short stories. The shop can't always only feature long stories, which only whet people's appetites; short stories also need to be included as appropriate.
The candy store inexplicably turned into a storytelling shop, and selling candy became an extra.
The weather was getting colder, and people gradually put on their winter clothes. As an ordinary little teahouse, Ye Xu obviously couldn't have heating; it wouldn't make sense. Fortunately, ordinary people were used to the cold and didn't mind.
As the New Year approaches, business for expensive candies in the store is gradually picking up. With the Lunar New Year approaching, there are many more visits to relatives and friends, and to ensure a presentable reception, sales of fruit candies have surged.
Both cost ten coins per ounce, but people naturally preferred to buy fruit candy. Peanut candy and sesame candy were common, but fruit candy was rare, and since fruit was scarce in winter, it was more presentable to bring it out.
Moreover, the fruit candy contains pear syrup, which includes pear juice. Autumn and winter weather is dry, making it easy to catch a cold or get sick. Pear juice can clear the lungs, moisturize dryness, and relieve phlegm and cough, making it perfect for drinking at this time.
Some families with young children coughing will grit their teeth and buy a few pear candies. These candies are always cheaper than medicine, as a bowl of herbal medicine would probably cost more than ten coins. Even if the medicine was more effective, poor families still felt that buying candy was more worthwhile.
The candy could be eaten slowly, since we'd be buying candy anyway during the holidays, so what difference did it make which one we bought? The children were happy too; the pear candy was sweet without any bitter taste, and they could carefully suck on one for a long time. For a while, many children even hoped to get sick and cough, but everyone was sensible and no one deliberately made themselves sick.
However, Ye Xu had previously mentioned that the stock of fruit candies was limited, so he estimated that they were almost gone and announced that both types of fruit candies were sold out. This left everyone very disappointed, regretting that they hadn't come to buy some earlier, and now they could only buy sesame candies and peanut candies.
When there was plenty of stock, it didn't seem like a big deal, but now that it's sold out, everyone is realizing how good the fruit candies are. Those who managed to buy some are secretly pleased and decide to keep them safe, only to bring them out to entertain relatives on New Year's Day.
With the holidays approaching, people have more free time, and even those preparing for the New Year aren't as busy as usual. Many people like to go out and stroll around when they have free time, and Ye Xu's bookstore has become a favorite among everyone. People buying New Year's goods also like to take the opportunity to come and listen for a while. With more people in the store, it's not so cold anymore.
But Ye Xu also wanted to celebrate the New Year; this was his first New Year since he bound himself to the system. The last winter was on the Transi Continent, but they didn't celebrate the New Year there, and Ye Xu wasn't sure what month it was there, so it might not be a proper winter.
Ye Xu stayed in the modern world for a few months before leaving early. He left around December, but because summer was longer there, the climate was early autumn, not winter. Even though the Lunar New Year was approaching, the festive atmosphere wasn't very strong.
Since it was the first time they were all celebrating the New Year together, the group decided to get together and have some fun. They finally decided to meet at Han Yingchen's academy restaurant, since it was conveniently located between Mo Bei's capital city and Xuan Jie's Jiangnan region, making it easier to travel there from either side at this time.
As for Ye Xu, he's quite far away, so they can just use Xiao Yu's skill to teleport him there. He won't be back at the candy shop for a while; he plans to take Zhenzhen to the capital and Jiangnan to see the sights, and also to avoid the matchmakers.
During the New Year holidays, matchmakers have plenty of free time. They run to his place three to five times a day, trying to arrange a marriage for him during the festive season. It's a real headache.
Chapter 42 New Year
Ye Xu couldn't handle the villagers' warm hospitality, so he decided to leave early.
Since the shop will remain open, whether Ye Xu, the shop manager, leaves or not will not make any difference, so there's no need to announce it publicly. It's Zhenzhen who needs to be informed of her friends.
Children forget things easily; there's no need to tell them you plan to leave and never come back. After all, if you don't see them for a long time, they'll gradually forget about Zhenzhen, their childhood friend. Revealing the truth now will only cause them unnecessary heartache.
Ye Xu then said to Zhenzhen, "We're going to visit your Uncle Xiaohan and the others to celebrate the New Year together. Go and say goodbye to your friends."
Zhenzhen didn't suspect anything and obediently went. Everyone thought it was just because they wouldn't see each other during the New Year. Some of the other friends were going back to remote mountain villages for the New Year and wouldn't see each other for a while, so they didn't take it to heart at all.
After Zhenzhen finished saying goodbye to her friends, Ye Xu told her that she might not be coming back this time.
"Huh?" Zhenzhen was a little disappointed, but she quickly recovered and said, "Okay then."
Grandpa System said they would frequently travel between different worlds and wouldn't stay in one place for too long. She actually already knew this, but she didn't expect their first separation to come so soon.
Ye Xu asked her, "Are you very reluctant to leave? Then we can come back and stay for a few more months."
"No need," Zhenzhen shook her head in refusal.
She'd only known him for a month, so she wasn't actually that reluctant to part ways. Compared to that, traveling around with her dad was much more fun.
Ye Xu told her that after the New Year, they would first go to Jiangnan with Aunt Jiang. Springtime in Yangzhou is the perfect time to travel in Jiangnan. Once the weather gets warmer, they would head north to the capital city in the north, where summers are relatively less hot than in Jiangnan.
The academy isn't located on the line connecting the two places, but rather slightly east, in the Qi-Lu region. Traveling from Jiangnan to the capital would involve a slight detour back to the academy; whether or not to make a detour to visit Uncle Xiaohan then is something we can decide later.
Zhenzhen studied the map for a long time, barely managing to understand the terrain layout. After looking at it, she asked, "Why not just spend the New Year in Jiangnan and then head north?"
This way they can walk less.
Ye Xu explained, "In that case, your Uncle Mo Bei will have to walk a bit further. The academy is a good place to meet up. We have nothing to do, so it's okay for us to walk a little further. Just don't delay your uncle's work."
Ye Xu can continue to sit back and wait for dividends even if he's a hands-off manager, and he's not short of money. Han Yingchen and Mo Bei are different. They're still quite poor, so every penny they can save is precious, and they're very motivated to work on their branch right now.
That night, Ye Xu took Xiao Yu, who had been playing wildly at the pet park, out and had it use its spatial teleportation ability to teleport only Ye Xu and the other two to the fast food restaurant. Their dormitory room also arrived with them.
Next time, they won't get such good treatment. Teleportation can only be used once, so whether they go to Jiangnan or the capital, they'll have to travel the long way, and there won't be any dormitories to stay in when they arrive. Fortunately, everyone had already expanded their dormitories in advance, and most of them had a secondary bedroom or similar room, so they could squeeze in and sleep. If that wasn't enough, they could expand again; it only cost two thousand points anyway.
Ye Xu and his two companions, relying on their skills, set off the latest, while Jiang Yuexuan and Mo Bei had already begun their journey long ago. Ye Xu originally thought it would take several days for them to arrive, but to his surprise, he heard early the next morning that they had already arrived.
"So fast?!" Ye Xu exclaimed in shock.
Without even having breakfast, Ye Xu went to see his friends whom he hadn't seen for a month, and sure enough, he saw two familiar faces eating xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Ye Xu was quite surprised. It was one thing for Sister Xuan to have left a week ago, but Mo Bei had only been gone for two days. How did he arrive so quickly?
Mo Bei took a sip of soy milk and said proudly, "I travel alone, without anyone else to hold me back, and I can fly there in a little over a day." It turned out that he had flown over in his original form.
Thankfully, Mo Bei is still just a dark-skinned cub, round and plump, looking like a long-tailed tit, with no trace of a phoenix. Otherwise, with his flying style, he would definitely be discovered, which would be another troublesome matter. Whether a pure black phoenix is a good omen or a bad omen is hard to say.
"Why did Sister Xuan come here?" Did she fly here too?
Jiang Yuexuan chuckled softly, "I came by boat."
Although she became Ye Xu's shop assistant, some of the items she had purchased didn't disappear; they remained in her personal backpack. The wealthy Sister Xuan had plenty of backpack compartments, filled with all sorts of odds and ends. Even if she didn't find what she needed, she could simply use the synthesis panel to conjure one using energy.
The ships produced by the system may look no different from ordinary ancient ships on the surface, but they are actually magical artifacts. It took two days to arrive, and that was only because Jiang Yuexuan deliberately suppressed the speed.
Jiang Yuexuan set this time after inquiring about the fastest speed of civilian ships in the current plane. After all, she was too famous, and the First Restaurant had drawn a huge amount of hatred towards her, so she couldn't afford to give anyone cause for gossip. There was no guarantee that no one at the academy would recognize her, and some people might even have been keeping an eye on her ship and silently monitoring the situation.
"By boat!" Ye Xu's eyes lit up. "Is it the Grand Canal?"
Even though the current historical process in this plane differs from that of China, some things are still similar. The Grand Canal is one such example, and at present, the Grand Canal has not been affected by the rise of the Yellow River's riverbed and has not yet dried up. When Ye Xu travels from Jiangnan to Kyoto, he can also take this waterway and arrive in half a month.
However, a two-week boat trip is quite uncomfortable. Since it's a leisurely trip, Ye Xu plans to take his daughter ashore for a couple of days to rest when the boat stops in a major city, and also to explore the ancient cities. The Grand Canal is still a very important waterway in this dynasty, with many important economic cities along the way, most of which are very prosperous and suitable for sightseeing.
While having breakfast, Ye Xu and Sister Xuan planned their sightseeing itinerary. Sister Xuan said she would also join the group, and as for the restaurant, they could control it remotely, telling everyone that she was searching for a reclusive chef elsewhere and wanted to invite him back to oversee the business.
Ye Xu was speechless at this excuse, but travel is all about having lots of people and being lively, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Mo Bei was immediately envious: "I want to play too."
"Is your shop available?" Ye Xu asked him.
Mo Bei became unhappy when this was mentioned: "How would I know? Let's see how it goes. I'll keep the store open and let the robot manage things. If there are any problems, I'll rush back to deal with them. That's all I can do."
Fortunately, he flies fast and will arrive in less than two days, so it shouldn't cause too much trouble.
Mo Bei looked at Ye Xu with a resentful expression: "When are you going to release another robot butler?"
Ye Xu was speechless: "Do you think I can just come up with something like this? How about I transfer the one who runs the noodle shop to you? The noodle shop probably doesn't need a butler; it would be a waste of his talent."
As I said before, if something goes wrong, we can just close the store. Anyway, the store that the butler runs is privately owned by Ye Xu, so he doesn't have to share profits with anyone. Closing it will only affect his own income, and Mo Bei will not be affected.
"Are you willing to give it up?" Mo Bei asked suspiciously.
Ye Xu snorted: "It's just a robot. I'll have the system help you transport it to your shop in a bit."