After the incident at the Xu family's, Jiang Pan gained a deeper understanding of Jiang Wan and the old immortal's capabilities, so he confidently allowed Jiang Wan to travel to the prefectural city alone.
Of course, besides Jiang Pan and Chen Yuezhi, everyone else in the family thought Jiang Wan was merely visiting the Cheng family.
Upon arriving in the prefectural city, Jiang Wan's first action wasn't to rush to buy a cook, but to visit the same pawnshop that had cheated her out of fifty taels of silver last time.
At that time, she was in a hurry to take Jiang Xiao away, so she didn't haggle with the pawnshop. Even if the manager had asked for five hundred taels, she would have paid it promptly.
But that didn't mean she wouldn't settle the score later.
She didn't resent the pawnshop for selling her sister; after all, the Zhang family was despicable, and if it wasn't for this pawnshop, another one would have done it.
On the contrary, she was even a little grateful that this pawnshop had bought Jiang Xiao at the time, otherwise, their family might not have had the chance to reunite with Jiang Xiao again.
However, one thing at a time. She, the petty Jiang Wan, remembered the matter of the manager taking advantage of her desperation.
So, Jiang Wan sneaked into the city before dawn and directed a squirrel she had caught in the mountains to slip into the pawnshop, stealthily taking fifty taels of silver without anyone noticing.
Then, she had the squirrel return three taels of loose silver.
Since the Zhang family had sold Jiang Xiao for three taels of silver, she wouldn't take advantage of the pawnshop.
After reclaiming the money she was cheated out of, Jiang Wan found a breakfast stall, ate, and then went to the first pawnshop she had visited last time.
She had a very good impression of this pawnshop, and the clever shop assistant left a deep impression on her.
It would be great if she could poach him.
Jiang Wan was hatching a plan. As soon as the pawnshop opened, she walked in with a smile.
Coincidentally, the shop assistant who received her this time was exactly the person she wanted to poach.
The shop assistant was truly sharp and recognized Jiang Wan at a glance, "Young customer, please come in."
Jiang Wan sat down properly in the chair, and the shop assistant quickly brought her tea.
"Young customer, are you here to buy people again?"
"That's right, still buying cooks. Do you have any suitable cooks here now?"
The shop assistant shook his head, "Young customer, cooks who specialize in restaurants are hard to come by. You might not encounter one in a whole year."
"Regular restaurants either have their own chefs or hire them from outside. It's really difficult to find suitable ones through a pawnshop."
Jiang Wan nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed not an easy task.
"Do you have any cooks who have worked for wealthy families?"
The shop assistant's eyes lit up, "Yes, young customer. What are your requirements?"
Jiang Wan said, "Not too old, clean, quick, and well-behaved."
The shop assistant noted down the requirements and immediately went to the back. In a short while, he brought out several women who met the criteria.
Jiang Wan hopped off the chair and said to the women, "Tell me what dishes you can cook."
The woman standing closest to Jiang Wan bowed to her first, then quietly stated her specialties.
After hearing a string of fancy and opulent dish names, Jiang Wan couldn't imagine what any of them looked like, but she still nodded as if she understood.
"Let me see your hands."
The cooks immediately extended their hands for Jiang Wan to inspect.
Jiang Wan looked them over and then pointed to two of them, "You two stay. I want the other four."
The shop assistant was astonished.
It wasn't that no one had ever bought so many people at once, but rather that no child as young as Jiang Wan had ever bought people at their pawnshop like this.
Jiang Wan asked with a smile, "How much are these cooks worth?"
The shop assistant quickly recovered and replied, "Twelve taels of silver each."
Four people meant forty-eight taels of silver.
Jiang Wan haggled for a while and managed to bring the price down to forty-five taels.
The shop assistant was truly gaining experience. Such a young girl not only had the authority to buy four cooks but also knew how to bargain.
After Jiang Wan paid the silver and the pawnshop completed the paperwork for the cooks' indentures, she beckoned to the shop assistant, signaling him to speak outside.
The shop assistant, having just completed a transaction, was naturally very enthusiastic about this little patron and quickly followed her outside.
"Young customer, is there anything I can help you with?"
Jiang Wan asked with a smile, "What is your name?"
The shop assistant replied, "My surname is Sun, and my given name is Wang."
Jiang Wan then asked, "How much do you earn a month now?"
The shop assistant looked at her, puzzled, but honestly replied, "My fixed monthly salary is eight hundred wen. If I do well, there are bonuses. All in all, it's about one tael and two to three hundred wen a month."
This amount was considered a high salary.
"Young customer, why are you asking this?"
Jiang Wan chuckled, "Sun Wang, if I offer you a fixed monthly salary of one tael and two hundred wen, with bonuses calculated separately, would you be willing to jump ship and become a minor manager at my family's restaurant?"
"I can guarantee that your monthly income will never be less than three taels. If it falls short, I will personally make up the difference. What do you say?"
Although Sun Wang was young, he was very clever and knew how to handle things. Such talent was rare, and it would be great if she could poach him.
After all, no one in her family had experience in business. Her eldest brother had no great ambitions, her second brother was determined to be a general, her third brother wanted to study, her father worked in the yamen, her mother wanted to study medicine, and her sister and sister-in-law were illiterate. They simply couldn't spare anyone.
The shop assistant had never expected Jiang Wan to say this and was momentarily stunned.
Three taels of silver a month!
Sun Wang swallowed, but did not immediately agree.
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Your abilities are great, which is why I am willing to offer this price to poach you. I will give you two days to consider. If you are willing, come find me at the Wanfu Inn. I will be returning to Yaoxian with the cooks the day after tomorrow morning. If you miss this time, I won't wait for you."
With that, Jiang Wan called the cooks and left.
Upon arriving at the Wanfu Inn, Jiang Wan booked two rooms for the cooks and asked the waiter to send hot water for them to wash up.
After they had cleaned themselves up, Jiang Wan called them over for a chat.
"Tell me your names and where you worked before."
The oldest of the women stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the young lady, this servant is named Huang Jin Feng and previously served at the Liu family in the prefectural city."
"This servant is named Liu San Mei, and previously at..."
All four cooks were over thirty years old, had worked for wealthy families, and had been sold off for various reasons.
After hearing their life stories, Jiang Wan couldn't help but sigh, lamenting how miserable slaves were, especially those responsible for food, as their risks were even greater.
"From now on, as long as you don't court disaster, you will likely live out your days with our family. The reason I bought you is for you to cook in the restaurant's kitchen. The environment there is simple, without any scheming. As long as you do your jobs well, our family will not treat you unfairly."
The cooks were initially delighted but then became a little fearful, "Young lady, but we haven't worked in a restaurant kitchen before."
Jiang Wan waved her hand, "You don't need to worry about that. Once we get home, I will make arrangements."
Hearing her say this, the women felt reassured and showed joy on their faces.
Those who sold themselves into servitude feared being passed around from one master to another, as encountering a new master was entirely a matter of fate.
The young mistress before them, though young, acted with considerable method. It seemed the adults in her family were also capable people.
Jiang Wan did not reveal too much about her family's situation, patiently awaiting Sun Wang's reply while also inquiring about the Zhang family's fate.