"Five taels of silver?"
Zhang Guoyi's eyes widened.
Don't even mention five taels of silver, he didn't even have five copper coins on him.
The money for buying black paper paste at the pharmacy earlier was paid by Bai Ziyue.
"If you don't have it, one tael of silver will do. But then you'll only be able to work in the branch's matchstick room, kitchen, or even the laundry room."
Qian Ming seemed a bit troubled and said with a frown.
"No need, we don't have money on us. Mr. Qian, just arrange as you see fit. No need to trouble yourself."
Bai Ziyue shook his head and said.
"That's a shame. If you have connections, you should use them."
Qian Ming sighed regretfully and, seeing that they indeed didn't want to spend money, could only say, "In that case, I'll assign you two."
Zhang Guoyi, you'll go to the Cuiyue Flower Boat, which is a good job among the miscellaneous tasks."
As for Bai Ziyue, you will go to the Ming Pearl Restaurant.
Go back and pack up, I'll send someone to take you there later."
"Thank you, Mr. Qian."
Bai Ziyue thanked him and walked out with Zhang Guoyi.
"Ziyue, this time we will have to part ways.
Originally, we had a chance to stay in the branch, but it must be that Wang Jian who caused us to become miscellaneous workers."
At first, Zhang Guoyi was a bit reluctant, then he gritted his teeth in anger.
"Do you really think someone deliberately made things difficult for us?"
Bai Ziyue sneered.
Yesterday, he had learned from other miscellaneous disciples that Qian Ming, despite his gentle demeanor, was the greediest one.
Those who stayed in the branch almost all spent money to secure their places.
He couldn't be sure if someone really intended to drive them away... maybe yes, maybe no. They were small figures; no one would care about their thoughts.
But Qian Ming taking advantage of the situation to make a profit was certain.
"You mean, it was Mr. Qian who..."
Zhang Guoyi's face changed.
"I don't know, and this isn't our concern now.
From now on, we'll have to rely on ourselves."
As Bai Ziyue spoke, he entered the small room they used to stay in.
He didn't have much to pack, just two sets of clothes and the "Illustrated Guide" he bought in the morning, all wrapped in a cloth bundle.
Not long after he finished packing, a young man came in and said, "You must be the miscellaneous disciples assigned this time, Zhang Guoyi and Bai Ziyue, follow me, I'll take you there."
The two immediately stood up, carrying their luggage, and followed the young man outside.
First, they went to the Cuiyue Flower Boat along the bank of the Qinghe River.
It was now that Bai Ziyue and Zhang Guoyi realized the Cuiyue Flower Boat was actually the rumored place of pleasure. On a nearly twenty-meter-long flower boat, there were small pavilions and a glimpse of some pretty women.
The senior brother named Liuu Huasheng handed Zhang Guoyi over to a man in his thirties and then left the boat with Bai Ziyue.
"Our Sunburst Gang has numerous businesses in Qinghe Town—Qinghe Pier, Cuiyue Flower Boat, Ming Pearl Restaurant, Qinghe Casino, Scorpio Pharmacy, Wolf Horn Mine... Once you join our gang, even as the lowest miscellaneous disciples, you won't worry about food and drink.
Although you're not in the branch, it doesn't mean you can't make something of yourselves.
You should know, the Flower Lady at the Cuiyue Flower Boat and Mr. Hou at the Ming Pearl Restaurant both started as miscellaneous disciples.
Now, their status is no worse than some stewards in the branch."
Senior Brother Liuu said with some emotion.
"Who is Mr. Hou?"
Bai Ziyue asked quickly.
"It was under his management that the Ming Pearl Restaurant was established. It's one of the best restaurants in Qinghe Town."
As they spoke, a tall restaurant appeared before them.
Senior Brother Liuu led Bai Ziyue confidently inside.
Bai Ziyue glanced at the restaurant; it had two floors. The first-floor hall was filled with tables and chairs, and the second floor had private rooms.
It was evening mealtime, and the restaurant was packed with customers both upstairs and downstairs. Three or four waiters were bustling around with dishes and cloths.
"Shopkeeper Li, this is the miscellaneous disciple assigned by the gang. Please arrange him."
Senior Brother Liuu found the shopkeeper by the counter and said with a smile.
"Perfect timing. Ergou, show him around and start with serving dishes."
Shopkeeper Li's eyes shone as he called out, and a young man slightly older than Bai Ziyue ran over.
"Hi, I'm Li Ergou. Come with me."
Ergou grinned at Bai Ziyue and said.
"I'm Bai Ziyue." Bai Ziyue quickly introduced himself.
"I'll take you to put your stuff away first. You'll share a room with me; there's an empty bed just right.
This is the kitchen; we mostly work here. The living quarters are in the back yard, over there; put your things there first.
You need to wear a uniform to work here, like mine. You probably don't have one yet, so you can wear mine for now, though it's a bit big."
Li Ergou warmly welcomed Bai Ziyue and talked non-stop.
"Since you're new, just stick with me for now. Shopkeeper Li is a nice person. As long as you don't slack off, he won't bother us.
Oh, you must be curious about the wages. We get one hundred and fifty copper coins a month, not bad, right? We get food and lodging, so you can even save up and send money home."
Li Ergou excitedly led Bai Ziyue back to the restaurant from the backyard.
Thus, Bai Ziyue spent his first day at the Ming Pearl Restaurant serving dishes, cleaning tables, and wiping them down.
The next morning, a tired Bai Ziyue was woken up early by Li Ergou to start another busy day.
Cleaning tables, washing vegetables, chopping wood—he did all sorts of chores non-stop.
It took three full days before he got used to it.
To Bai Ziyue, the environment at the Ming Pearl Restaurant wasn't bad. Both Shopkeeper Li and the head chef, Master Zhang, weren't too harsh.
Sometimes when there were leftover good dishes, they would generously let the waiters have a taste.
As for Mr. Hou, who Senior Brother Liuu mentioned earlier... Bai Ziyue only found out after staying here that Mr. Hou rarely came to the restaurant. He only came at the end or beginning of the month to settle accounts and collect a month's revenue.
When it came to work, Bai Ziyue didn't mind. He wasn't pampered; in his past life, he had worked odd jobs under harsh bosses while studying.
But the many chores at the restaurant left him little time to practice martial arts, which was frustrating.
He had no choice but to squeeze in time for practice every day.
Occasionally, he would take out the "Illustrated Guide" to learn characters. In a short time, he had already learned over a hundred characters.
When he couldn't recognize some, he would boldly ask Shopkeeper Li and occasionally get answers.