trct_64

Chapter 64: Helper

Weekend morning, just as the morning sun pierced through the gaps in the curtains and spilled into the room, Ji Qingzhou woke up. Glancing at the watch by the bed, it was only just past seven-thirty.

He rested with his eyes closed for a moment, then sat up, and looked with sleepy eyes at the man beside him, still soundly asleep with his eyes shut. Then, without mercy, he patted the man's shoulder and said, voice slightly hoarse, "Time to get up, Jie Yuanyuan, the sun's roasting your backside."

Since the new studio was farther from the Jie residence, to ensure enough working hours, he'd been getting up half an hour earlier than usual lately to go to work.

Fortunately, Jie Yu'an had no complaints, quietly accompanying him in waking up early every day.

Of course, no complaints didn't mean there wasn't a bit of morning grumpiness.

Like right now. Hearing his voice, Jie Yu'an furrowed his brow slightly, seeming to have woken, yet still lying motionless in the middle of the bed.

Ji Qingzhou stared at his quiet sleeping face for a few seconds, and suddenly found it funny.

Ever since they'd removed the dividing line down the middle of the bed and laid out the cooling mat, this man's sleeping posture had grown more and more unrestrained.

Before, perhaps the unevenness of the bed had limited how far he could go, usually just a hand or foot crossing the line—now, as he slept, he'd roll all the way to the center of the bed, head nestled in the gap between the two pillows, sleeping quite soundly.

"A young master through and through, domineering even in his sleep," Ji Qingzhou muttered, ruffling his own hair as he rolled out of bed.

Jie Yu'an lay there half-asleep for a few more minutes, until he heard the sound of washing up coming from the bathroom, and only then did he slowly sit up, lean against the pillow to collect himself for a moment, and then turn and get out of bed without any particular hurry.

By the time he'd ambled to the bathroom door, Ji Qingzhou had just finished washing up and was coming out.

Having spent so much time together, the two had grown familiar with each other's habits. By the time they'd finished getting ready and gone downstairs to eat, it was just past eight.

Normally, on weekends without work, the Jie household would sleep in a bit later, but today when the two of them arrived at the main dining room, they found Shen Nanqi already seated at the table enjoying breakfast.

She was wearing the indigo qipao that Ji Qingzhou had only recently finished making for her—the deep, dignified solid color set off her bearing as especially elegant and dignified, making one's eyes light up at the sight.

"Madam Shen, why are you up so early today? Do you have somewhere to be?" Ji Qingzhou greeted her while pulling Jie Yu'an along to their respective seats, then waved to signal a servant to bring over two Chinese-style breakfasts.

"I need to go to Suzhou in a bit. Tomorrow's the graduation ceremony, so I have to get there early to prepare. Once these two days are done, I can rest at home for a while."

Shen Nanqi said this, setting down her spoon, and looked over their outfits with a gentle gaze, smiling faintly. "You two match quite nicely today, long robes in blue, one dark and one light. Sitting together like this is really a pleasure to look at."

Hearing this, Jie Yu'an's brow twitched slightly, and he unconsciously smoothed his collar and cuffs.

"Isn't that thanks to your good taste? The colors you picked out for our clothes always suit us well," Ji Qingzhou immediately began complimenting her.

"Pity I didn't think back then that you'd look this good in a long robe too. I should have had more made for you. I had my eye on two lovely fabrics as well, one pale green, one rosy pink, but I worried you wouldn't want to wear them, so I didn't have them made. Next time, then."

Amid Shen Nanqi's musing, the servant brought breakfast over, with fragrant dishes like shrimp congee, pan-fried buns, and scallion oil noodles laid out one by one on the table.

Ji Qingzhou served Jie Yu'an a bowl of shrimp congee first, then added two plump, filling-packed shumai to the plate at his side, before helping himself to a steaming bowl of scallion oil noodles that looked freshly dressed, mixing it with his chopsticks and starting to eat.

"You opened yesterday, did you get any business?" Shen Nanqi, having mostly finished eating and seeing there was still time to spare, poured herself a cup of clear tea and chatted with Ji Qingzhou.

Ji Qingzhou shook his head. "Not much business, just one regular customer ordered a set of autumn clothes."

Shen Nanqi nodded, leaning back in her chair, speaking with real concern. "That studio of yours is quite large after all, you'll surely need to hire some hands. I heard Yuanyuan sent A'Fu over to work for you? He's a capable one, but you'll still need to hire a servant to cook, won't you? When you were on Love Lane, you could still come back every day for lunch, but going all the way to Avenue Joffre, just the tram ride there and back would take an hour, too much time wasted."

"Mm, actually a friend's younger sister will be coming to my shop as a helper soon. She's young, but at least she can serve as an extra pair of hands. As for lunch, it doesn't matter much. I can just settle it at the restaurants and food stalls nearby."

"You can't eat out every single day. Never mind the expense, you're bound to get sick of it eventually." Shen Nanqi picked up her cup and took a sip of tea, then, after considering for a moment, suggested:

"Why don't you have the kitchen prepare some food for you ahead of time, packed in a food box to take with you? That house has a kitchen too, doesn't it, so it'll be easy enough to reheat when the time comes.

"Or ask around the house to see who has free time, give them some travel money, and have them deliver lunch to you. Doesn't need to be every day, even just occasionally, for a change of pace, would be nice."

"Sure, that works." Though Ji Qingzhou felt it wasn't really necessary to go to such trouble—for convenience's sake, he'd likely just end up eating at outside restaurants anyway—Shen Nanqi meant well by it, so he agreed readily for now.

He then looked at Jie Yu'an and joked, "Though if we're talking about who in this house has the most free time, that'd have to be Jie Yuanbao. I wonder if His Lordship would be willing to lower himself to bring me lunch sometime?"

Jie Yu'an's spoon paused mid-scoop of congee, and he tilted his head slightly. "Still not awake yet?"

"Yes, yes, I'm daydreaming, you caught me!"

Ji Qingzhou laughed softly and shook his head, dropping the teasing.

After a while, Shen Nanqi, seeing the time was about right, rose and left first.

Less than three minutes later, Ji Qingzhou finished his noodles, drank some water to rinse his mouth, then called Huang Youshu in to keep his young master company while eating, said his own goodbyes, and headed out the door.

With the two of them gone one after another, the spacious dining room fell suddenly quiet and empty.

The sunflowers in the famille-rose porcelain vase at the center of the table went on rendering their bold summer mood, unadmired by anyone.

Jie Yu'an finished his congee at his own unhurried pace, then set down his spoon, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and rose.

Just as he was about to pick up his cane and leave, he hesitated a moment, then turned his head toward Huang Youshu. "Tell the kitchen to prepare an extra portion for lunch, packed in a food box."

Huang Youshu hadn't been in the dining room earlier and so hadn't heard their conversation, but even so, he instantly guessed who this lunch was being prepared for.

Even as he answered "Yes," a thought couldn't help but flash through his mind.

His young master really had changed a lot lately. Willing to go out now, and growing more dependent on Mr. Ji too. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing...

.

Before heading to the new studio, Ji Qingzhou first stopped by the small shop on Love Lane.

He arrived early today, and when he got off the tram, he saw Zhu Renqing already yawning, watering can in hand, watering the climbing roses that covered half the wall by the entrance, it looked like he'd only just arrived himself not long before.

"Morning!" Ji Qingzhou called out as he walked into the shop.

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhu Renqing immediately turned around, instinctively replying "Good morning," before noticing that his boss had changed up his usual attire today, wearing a pale blue long robe.

He couldn't tell what material the fabric was, but it looked light and soft at a glance, with fine cloud-pattern jacquard woven throughout, and paired with that pale blue color, it looked wonderfully gentle and refined on his boss.

He couldn't help staring for a moment, dazed.

This was the first time in his life he'd seen anyone wear a long robe so beautifully.

"Any business yesterday?" The moment Ji Qingzhou walked in, he took the work log out of the drawer and flipped through it, then checked the coins in the jar. Seeing the amount had increased rather than decreased, he knew Zhu Renqing had probably taken on some simple mending jobs these past couple of days.

Hearing the question, Zhu Renqing snapped back to himself with a start and said, "No big orders, just some small odd jobs."

"Mm." Ji Qingzhou wasn't surprised, and closed the drawer, waving Zhu Renqing over. "Come on, let's close up first. I'll take you to the new shop to learn the way. After this, come find me over there if anything comes up."

"So you won't be coming here anymore?" Zhu Renqing asked while putting the tools in his hands into the back compartment, tidying things up briskly before closing the front door.

"I'll still come, but the studio's got more space and everything's fully equipped, so I'll definitely be doing most of the work over there. I'll swing by this little shop every few days or so." Ji Qingzhou saw him fish the key out of his pocket to lock the door, and stood off to the side waiting.

"From now on, this place will be in your care. If a custom order comes in, ask the customer first whether it's urgent, and whether they're willing to make the trip out to Avenue Joffre. If it's urgent, follow what I taught you before. Ask clearly about their needs, and give them a quote and a timeline. If it's a rush order, charge extra, but it depends on the situation, something like a suit needed in three days, just turn that down."

"Yes, sir." Zhu Renqing listened and answered with a smile, though he felt a bit disappointed inside.

This way, wouldn't it be several days before he got to see his boss again...

About twenty-some minutes later, Ji Qingzhou brought Zhu Renqing by tram to the new studio.

The moment he stepped into the small courtyard, fragrant with flowers and full of life, Zhu Renqing couldn't help gaping in astonishment.

He'd assumed the new shop his boss mentioned would just be a more spacious storefront, he hadn't expected it to be such a beautiful Western-style house.

"Morning, Mr. Ji!"

Just as the two reached the corridor, a hearty greeting rang out nearby.

Zhu Renqing followed the sound and saw, by the courtyard wall, a mustached man in his thirties standing there.

He wore a work apron, carrying a heavy watering can and shears, watering the plants while trimming back the spent flower branches.

"Morning, A'Fu." Ji Qingzhou replied with a smile.

After the gathering that day, once he'd gotten home, Ji Qingzhou had gone to find Hu Minfu and asked whether he'd be willing to come work at his shop. The monthly wage he offered was twenty-five yuan, one yuan more than the man's original pay, though of course the work might also be somewhat more than at the Jie residence.

As it happened, Hu Minfu had just received last month's wages partway through the month, and upon hearing Ji Qingzhou's request, agreed on the spot.

This was only natural, after all—in his eyes, Ji Qingzhou was Mr. Jie's nephew-in-law, so working for Mr. Ji was essentially the same as working for the Jie residence, just stationed elsewhere with a different boss paying his wages.

Since the essence of it hadn't changed, naturally he'd choose the higher pay.

Besides, as a hired hand like him, unlike a personal attendant like A'You who ate and lived within the Jie residence, he could only rent a room outside to live in.

His wages weren't especially high, and with a wife and children to support, he couldn't afford too nice a place to rent—where he lived wasn't particularly close to the Jie residence, and compared to commuting there, coming to Avenue Joffre might actually be a bit closer.

Given that, this change of work suited him rather well.

"Oh right, Mr. Ji, a young lady just arrived, said she's here to help with the work. I had her wait for you in the parlor."

"Alright." Ji Qingzhou knew immediately it was Song Yu'er.

He'd told the girl the day before yesterday that arriving before ten in the morning would do, he hadn't expected her to show up quite this early.

Walking into the front hall, sure enough, there stood Song Yu'er, dressed in a blue top and black skirt, hair in two braided pigtails, waiting for him by the parlor door.

Song Yu'er glanced at him, then at Zhu Renqing beside him, and said, a little shyly, "Mr. Ji, I'm here."

"Mm." Ji Qingzhou acknowledged her, then gestured toward Zhu Renqing to introduce him. "This is A'Qing, an employee at my other shop."

Then he said to Zhu Renqing, "This is Song Yu'er, here to help out at the shop."

Song Yu'er nodded. "Yes, I'm a helper."

Just a helper for now, she wondered privately whether someday she might hear Mr. Ji say the words "this is my student"... she couldn't help hoping for it in her heart.

A little later, Ji Qingzhou gave Zhu Renqing a brief tour of the new studio, went over a few things he needed to keep in mind about running the shop, then gave him two copper coins for tram fare and sent him back to keep watching the original shop.

Once Zhu Renqing had left, Ji Qingzhou turned and waved toward Song Yu'er, who stood waiting at the corner of the staircase, saying briskly, "Come on, let's get to work."

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