CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: HIRING SHOP ASSISTANTS

For several consecutive days, Jiang Youzhi left early and returned late.

That day, he came back and said to Liu Lang and Gu Chuan, "I have already found a school for beginners for you. Tomorrow, I’ll take you there, pay the tuition, and then you’ll start school."

Liu Lang sighed, "So soon? I haven’t even had a good look around Xiang City yet."

Jiang Youzhi glanced at him sideways, "You’ll have plenty of time to explore on your way to and from school every day."

Liu Lang dared not say anything more, just grumbled about his brother in his heart.

Mrs. Chen said, "Didn’t you mention wanting to find a way to study at Yuelu Academy?"

Jiang Youzhi nodded, "I’m still looking, but there’s no rush."

"Let’s handle these household matters first."

As one of the three most famous academies of the Great Chu Dynasty, entering Yuelu Academy is not easy.

To get in, one needs a recommendation.

Jiang Youzhi still doesn’t know from where to find a reputable recommender.

Yun Jiao has also been quite busy these days.

She rented another courtyard not far from the storefront.

The courtyard is small, a detached place right at the entrance of an alley, convenient for coming and going.

She goes there every day, closing the door, moving medicines in and out of the drug storeroom by herself.

Having been busy all morning, she returned to the shop at noon to see a young man in his twenties holding a cup of tea, sitting inside watching a carpenter make a cabinet.

As Yun Jiao entered, the carpenter called to the young man, "There, she is the owner. If you want to work here, talk to her."

The young man widened his eyes, "You, you’re the owner?"

Yun Jiao nodded.

The young man put down his cup of tea, "I wasn’t mistaken, was I? Is this place hiring drugstore assistants?"

Yun Jiao nodded once more.

For a moment, the young man didn’t know what to say.

Yun Jiao could understand his thoughts, likely doubting her ability to run a drugstore due to her young age.

Yun Jiao asked, "Have you worked at a drugstore before?"

The young man hesitated for a moment, "I’ve been working with my father at the medicine market since I was about seven or eight, for over ten years now. I recognize the medicinal materials, and I know some simple processing techniques."

Yun Jiao asked again, "You can read, right?"

The young man nodded, "I can’t read much, just enough to recognize medicine names and numbers."

Yun Jiao thought for a while, "Then come with me to a place, and I’ll assess your skills in recognizing medicines."

The young man followed Yun Jiao out, asking as he walked, "Are you really the owner? Are you going to be the shopkeeper of this drugstore in the future?"

Yun Jiao smiled, "Why, don’t I look the part?"

The young man embarrassedly scratched his head, "It’s just that you look so young, even younger than my sister."

He glanced at Yun Jiao and cautiously said, "In Xiang City here, although there’s a joint trade association managing the medicine market, sometimes counterfeit drugs still pop up."

"If someone takes a fake medicine, it could be fatal."

"Miss, um—that, that—"

Yun Jiao caught the thread of conversation, "You’re worried that I don’t understand the trade, right?"

"Rest assured, my family once had two renowned physicians, and we have our own medicine storeroom, so I’ve grown up surrounded by the smell of medicine. Identifying medicinal materials, processing them, these are my strengths. You’ll see soon enough."

After hearing this, the young man felt somewhat reassured.

Soon, the two arrived at the courtyard Yun Jiao rented.

Yun Jiao led him inside and pointed to the various sacks in one room, saying, "Identify the medicines in these sacks."

The young man walked over and opened the bags one by one, "Licorice, roasted licorice."

"Fangfeng, Schizonepeta, Sichuan ox knee, raw Polygonum multiflorum, processed Polygonum multiflorum······"