Shop 045

The golden bell, which I missed so dearly, has returned to my hands. This was something I never expected. Along with it, I received a thousand taels of silver, and I was so delighted I could have leapt for joy. Li Yexuan supported me and would not betray me—my freedom, my future. The things I once dismissed, upon losing them completely and then regaining them, stirred an indescribable excitement within me.

I hurried back to the inn, packed my belongings, settled the bill, and made my way to the Golden Jade Workshop.

All along the way, I wanted to shout to the heavens, “I have my own shop now!” But, to avoid being mistaken for a madwoman, I kept my joy to myself.

The Golden Jade Workshop still looked as though it was on the verge of collapse. I didn’t bother glancing at the sagging entrance and went straight inside. In a corner, I found Old Jin and handed him the silver drafts. He gripped my hand, clearly moved, saying he had never expected anyone would spend five hundred taels to buy such a run-down shop from him. Now his wife could be saved.

A run-down shop—yet, I didn’t see it that way. I would let everyone see the potential hidden within these walls.

After he accepted the money, he took me to complete the transfer. He was eager for the cash; I was eager for the shop.

With the formalities finished, the Golden Jade Workshop was officially mine.

Upon returning, I urged Old Jin to go care for his ailing wife, but he insisted on staying, sending only his son in his stead. He claimed he wanted to remain and help me, worried that I was unfamiliar with the area and might find things difficult.

I did not refuse his kindness and instead asked him to summon all the staff of the Golden Jade Workshop to meet me.

Only then did I realize how pitifully few people remained. Besides Old Jin—now to be called Uncle Jin—there was just his family, two old women, and a single errand boy.

Uncle Jin explained that as the workshop declined, the skilled craftsmen had all left, and the shop could no longer afford to keep others.

Curious, I asked him about the items still in the shop. He told me they were all made by his wife, which was why she had worked herself into illness.

Indeed, the staff was scarce, and I had no energy for stern admonitions. I simply instructed Uncle Jin to put up a notice that the shop would be reopening and was hiring new staff. I then ordered the two old women and the errand boy to clear out all the items in the shop and give the place a thorough cleaning.

The Golden Jade Workshop had a sizeable backyard, which was perfect for my living arrangements.

I planned to hire seven new assistants—preferably three men and four women—and left the task in Uncle Jin’s capable hands.

It was not until evening that I met Uncle Jin’s wife. She appeared to be around forty, already considered elderly, but still carried herself well. I greeted her as Aunt Jin.

Accompanying her was their son, Jin Hu, a man in his twenties, honest and good-natured. He was usually responsible for purchasing materials together with the errand boy. Upon meeting me, he remarked that I looked like a young girl.

Were it not improper, I would have praised his perceptiveness.

It was said that Aunt Jin’s craftsmanship was handed down through the Jin family. Uncle Jin, however, had not wanted to learn the trade in his youth, so the skills were passed to his wife. It seemed Jin Hu was also reluctant, lamenting that he had yet to find a wife and did not know to whom the skills would be passed.

I asked Aunt Jin if she could help train a few clever servant girls. She would serve as the master, guiding apprentices, which would spare her from excessive toil and prevent her illness from worsening.

I then addressed the three members of the Jin family: “My surname is Mu. I came to the Moonlight Kingdom alone, and I am still young. I will rely on Uncle Jin to handle affairs for now, but you will not be shortchanged in silver.”

Understanding that I wished to remain a behind-the-scenes owner, Uncle Jin readily agreed.