Now that the cooked duck had flown away, Jiang Miao felt incredibly disheartened. He had it all planned out; Jiang Chan was already fourteen, and would come of age in another year.
Within this year, he intended to have Jiang Chan stay at home to embroider and nourish her health. Once he passed the exams, he would then find a match for Jiang Chan. A farmer’s daughter could not be the principal wife, but she could still be a concubine.
He had planned well, but he hadn’t expected such a development while he was away from home. Even with all his plans, Jiang Miao could only temporarily keep them to himself.
It didn’t matter; daughters always rely on their maternal families. Even if Jiang Sen was reliable for now, who could tell the future? As long as he achieved official rank, wasn’t he worried that Jiang Chan would seek his support on her own initiative?
Jiang Miao had this inexplicable confidence, and if Jiang Chan knew of his intentions, she would surely laugh it off. From the original owner’s memories, she knew what kind of people the Jiang Mu family were. Having escaped from the Jiang Mu family with Jiang Sen’s help, why would she willingly walk into their clutches again?
Given Jiang Chan’s hatred for evil, if it were not for the original task not including revenge against the Jiang Mu family, she would have already taken action against them.
Now, she merely wanted to see how the Jiang Mu family would continue their seemingly smooth lives without her. She only needed to watch coldly from the sidelines.
“By the way, why has the examination been scheduled so much earlier this time? Isn’t it usually in March next year? Why are you heading to the provincial city so soon?”
Jiang Mu also thought about this and felt puzzled, having pondered over it these days.
Jiang Miao knew a bit: “I heard that the current Emperor urgently needs officials, so the imperial examination was moved up. This is good; we can be prepared earlier.”
“Does that mean there will be another exam next March?” Jiang Mu caught on to this and felt a bit hopeful.
“What about the autumn exams? Will they be moved up too?”
“They shouldn’t be. The autumn exams are too important and still occur every three years. The dates won’t change. That’s what I’ve heard, though I’m not sure if it’s true.”
“I understand, having two opportunities isn’t bad.” Jiang Mu also had some plans; having been a scholar for many years, he honestly didn’t want to stop advancing.
Now that the family conditions were passable, Jiang Mu planned to try for the autumn exams next year. But that would require several scholars as guarantors, probably needing Jiang Sen’s influence then.
Of course, more expenses were involved in attempting for scholar rank, which would have to be planned slowly. For now, the focus was on getting through this early spring exam; if unsuccessful, the next chance would be next spring’s exam.
This was a rare opportunity, so Jiang Mu earnestly advised Jiang Miao a lot.
“When is your academy planning to go to the provincial city for the examination?”
Usually, a scholar from an academy would go for the exam led by their teacher, who would also provide last-minute tutoring.
“It’s in the next few days. We’ll meet up at the academy, and I plan to visit my uncle tomorrow to seek his advice on some academic matters,” Jiang Miao said, hiding his ulterior motives.
“That’s appropriate,” Jiang Mu nodded repeatedly. “Also check if your sister is doing well.”
Now that Jiang Chan wasn’t around, Jiang Mu started to recall her good qualities, albeit pretentiously so.
Jiang Chan was unaware of Jiang Miao’s plans involving her, and frankly, she wasn’t concerned about these matters. Currently, she was busy with her own shop, spending these days managing the renovations and decorations.
The omnipotent butler, Uncle Zhong, could be described as the local fixer. Jiang Chan needed various materials for her shop renovations, and a word to Uncle Zhong was all it took to procure them swiftly.
Thinking of modern dim sums, which were displayed behind glass windows—although this world had only more expensive glaze instead of glass, and it wasn’t a common or affordable option—Jiang Chan didn’t go for such luxury.
Instead, she simply asked a skilled carpenter to make about a dozen large wooden trays for the dim sum. The shop’s decor was quite minimalistic, very neat, with just a small counter at the back of the shop.
As for the kitchen, it was full of various tools and molds for making dim sum. If it were up to Jiang Chan alone, it would certainly not be manageable. Perhaps she should hire a couple of helpers?
After a routine inspection of the shop, Jiang Chan planned to discuss hiring help with Lin Shi.
Forgive her modern mindset, which still thought of society as equal as it is today. Lin Shi pondered a bit after hearing Jiang Chan’s plans.
“Xiao Chan, I wouldn’t recommend hiring people. It’s better to buy a few.”
“Buy people?” Jiang Chan was taken aback, a concept she hadn’t anticipated, remembering that this was ancient times, where societal norms differed.
“Indeed, the dim sums you make are quite good. If it were an ordinary dim sum shop, they would keep these skills a closely guarded secret. If you hire someone, what if they learn your recipes and sell them to others?”
Seeing Jiang Chan’s contemplation, Lin Shi left it at that, knowing Jiang Chan would make the right decision.
“You’re right, I was thinking wrong.”
Jiang Chan quickly accepted this suggestion. Though it meant buying people, she wouldn’t mistreat them as long as they helped manage the shop well.
“Mom, where can we buy people? I plan to buy three, two for making dim sum and one for keeping accounts.”
The things she didn’t know, Jiang Chan would ask Lin Shi, and Lin Shi was also generous in answering: “Tomorrow, let Zhong Shu accompany you. Do you want me to come along with you to keep an eye on things?”
Jiang Chan shook her head: “Uncle Zhong is capable. I’ll go and see with him first; it’s not easy to find the right people immediately.”
Lin Shi laughed: “You’re quite selective?”
“Of course, they must first be of good character,” Jiang Chan replied earnestly, believing in finding the right fit. If it meant the shop opened a bit later, so be it.
Uncle Zhong, truly the jack-of-all-trades in town, took Jiang Chan to a broker the next day. After Jiang Chan expressed her requirements, the broker suggested buying an entire family for convenience.
Jiang Chan wasn’t naive; hearing the broker’s suggestion, she knew he had his own agenda. She said nothing, just waiting for him to continue speaking.
Watching Jiang Chan not take the bait, the broker swallowed his saliva, forced to continue the conversation.
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