After seeing Qin Baitang off, Meng Anzhi handed a purse to Wu Yong, said a few comforting words, and then let him leave.
Wu Yong left the shop and opened his purse to find two hundred taels of silver. Startled, he clutched the purse tightly and looked around warily. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he grinned.
While tidying up the account books, Meng Anzhi couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, Wu Yong and Qin Baitang are both head managers, why is there such a big difference in the amount of money they were paid?"
Jin Shanyao up and stretched her waist. "Precisely because we are all in charge, we need to be able to distinguish between them."
" Wu Yong is one of our own. If he doesn't make any major mistakes, he'll have food and lodging for the rest of his life."
In Zhuangzi's case, kindness towards him should be cultivated gradually, with ample monthly pay and year-end rewards based on performance. A combination of kindness and strictness is necessary to maintain his loyalty.
If you give him the maximum reward in the first year and a smaller one in the second year, he will feel wronged. If this resentment persists, he will become bitter and harbor evil intentions.
She looked up at Meng Anzhi, "Our medicinal herbs, prescriptions, and customers all pass through his hands. We need to guard against backstabbers, but also against changes in our own lives."
Meng Anzhi seemed to be deep in thought, "What about Qin Baitang?"
"He was hired," Jin Shanyao, inserting a business book into the bookshelf. "He single-handedly built up the business in Willow and Poplar County; his skills and character speak for themselves."
He was originally a shopkeeper, a man of some standing. The reason he condescended to become our manager was because of his pride and the trust he placed in us.
"For people like this, you have to give them plenty of money, and give it readily... don't drag it out."
Seeing that the two children were listening attentively, Jin Shanyao further explained, "Everyone knows where Qin Baitang came from. If we treat even the people who followed him the most harshly, we will discourage all the capable people."
They'll worry about ending up like Qin Baitang. If they think about it too much, they won't work diligently, becoming inconsistent and ultimately harming our own interests. Qin Baitang is the face of the Anzhi Hall's talent management."
Jin Shanyao to the door. "As long as he doesn't betray Anzhi Hall, I'll always cherish him." She then opened the door and called out to the kitchen, " Qing He... I want noodles tonight!"
"Okay... I understand."
In the study, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci looked at each other in bewilderment.
"In other words, you need to cultivate relationships with your own people gradually and persistently to keep them loyal. For those you invite, you should reward them based on their contributions to retain their talent."
Meng Anci nodded, "Sister... I think you're right."
Meng Anzhi couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, then walked out of the study and called out, " Qing He... I want to eat meat sauce."
Meng Anci looked around, got up, and walked out. "Celery and meat sauce."
In December, Green Mountain Academy is closed for the holidays.
Meng Anci brought a pile of wooden strips from the carpenter's shop and huddled in the room, fiddling with something, not letting Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi see.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, we worship the Kitchen God.
On December 24th, the villagers slaughtered sheep, killed pigs, and processed chickens, ducks, and fish.
Qing He and Qing Yang entrusted all the household chores to the two nannies, Chen Guini and Zhao Caigu, and specifically instructed Zhou Xiaosi to carefully check all the doors and windows at night and to lock them securely.
After everything was settled, the Qing Household sisters carried large and small bags of New Year's goods and set off to return to Willow and Poplar County for the Spring Festival.
They hadn't been home for two years since arriving in the prefectural city, but this year their master had been kind enough to allow them to stay home a little longer.
On December 28th, two old women boiled four large pots of water, and everyone from the master to the servants washed up. Even at this critical moment, the family still didn't know what Meng Anci was up to.
After washing up, Meng Anzhi nestled in Jin Shanyao's arms, letting her dry her hair. "Auntie... what should I give as a wedding gift for Master?"
Jin Shanyao tossed aside the damp cloth and put on a dry one, carefully wiping her hair. "Send him walnuts, he's not very bright... Xuanjizi has been running for so long and we still haven't caught him."
Meng Anzhi turned to look at her, "Auntie, what are you giving me?"
"Still giving him gifts? When he left Anzhi Hall, I gave him a ginkgo leaf to protect his life, and last time I went to the capital, I gave him two talismans for many children and good fortune. Wouldn't I be a sucker to give him more gifts??"
Meng Anzhi turned around and smiled, "Wedding... wedding gifts have a different meaning."
"Okay... I'll look through some books when I have time," Jin Shanyao, her fingertips waving as Spiritual Power enveloped Meng Anzhi's head, drying her wet hair.
Meng Anzhi pinched a strand of hair, "Auntie... I always feel like you dry your hair the fastest."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, " Anci... is still holed up in his room fiddling with those pieces of wood."
"Hmm... He's being all mysterious. Yesterday I saw him carrying a bunch of scraps of cloth into the house. I wonder what he's doing."
Meng Anzhi put away her handkerchief, leaned back on the kang (a heated brick bed), spread her hair out on the kang to dry completely, and fell asleep without realizing it. When she woke up, it was already the next morning.
Nanny Chen had already prepared breakfast: a plate of steaming dumplings, cold pig's ears, crystal aspic, a plate of braised mushrooms, and a dish of braised pork.
At the dinner table, Jin Shanyao noticed Meng Anci's left hand was wrapped in a strip of cloth. "What happened to your hand?"
Meng Anci subconsciously pulled his hand back into his sleeve. "No... it's nothing, I just accidentally cut myself while whittling wood."
He picked up a dumpling and put it into the Jin Shanyao bowl. "Auntie, eat it while it's hot," he said, and then wolfed it down himself.
Meng Anzhi had just finished eating two dumplings when she heard Meng Anci, "I'm finished... you guys take your time eating," and then she turned and left the house.
Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi exchanged a glance.
Meng Anzhi suggested, "How about... we go and take a look?"
"Never mind, the book says that men develop little secrets when they reach a certain age... Let's give him some space," Jin Shanyao paused, "We'll go see him again tomorrow."
Meng Anzhi suppressed a laugh and said, "Okay."
But before tomorrow, Meng Anci's secret was exposed.
At dawn on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Anci quietly moved out a chair and took out the small lanterns he had made, hanging one on every branch and eave within his reach.
He thought he had done something completely undetected, but he forgot that his aunt Divine Ability; nothing out of the ordinary could escape her notice.
Jin Shanyao stood by the window, watching Meng Anci stretch out his arm and hang a small red lantern on the treetop.
He almost fell off the chair because he had been standing on tiptoe for so long. Luckily, he reacted quickly and managed to keep his balance. The little guy had to hang the lantern while trying not to make any noise, making him look like a thief.
After all the lanterns were hung, tung oil sticks were used to light them one by one. The colorful halos spread out in the cold night, like a dream.
At the end of Yin hour and the beginning of Mao hour, before dawn, Jin Shanyao pushed open the door as usual.
Suddenly, a flurry of lights filled the courtyard, with various exquisite lanterns in crimson, pale yellow, light blue, and moon white, shining brightly as the night faded.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the hem of her dress shrank further in the corner. Jin Shanyao suppressed a laugh and feigned surprise, saying, "Wow... my goodness, it's so beautiful!"
She raised her voice slightly and called out towards the corner of the wall, "This... could it be that a fairy has descended to earth? Who set this up? It's so dreamlike and enchanting... it's absolutely beautiful!"
Meng Anci's ears turned slightly red as he walked out from around the corner, and he bowed earnestly to Jin Shanyao with feigned composure.
Happy birthday, Auntie!
He and his sister didn't know their aunt's birthday, and their aunt herself didn't know either. So the siblings decided that New Year's Eve would be their aunt's birthday, simply because that's the day with the most delicious food, when Wan Household and everyone is celebrating.