Chapter 443: Not a Creature of the Pond

Chapter 443: Chapter 443: Not a Creature of the Pond

Xu Laifu took down the door panels and was startled by the figure squatting at the entrance.

When he heard the man was here to apply for the accountant position—and that Ji Huan had sent him—he was even more baffled.

Fortunately, Ji Huan arrived before long.

"That’s right. He’s the accountant I hired, Li Shi. I also hired a new assistant for you, Zhang Cuicui."

Previously, there were only three people in the shop. Ji Huan, the owner, had to greet customers and manage the books. Xu Laifu, the shopkeeper, had been reduced to little more than a clerk. As for Zhou, the young assistant, he was constantly bustling between the front shop and the back courtyard—boiling water, serving tea, sweeping, tidying, and sometimes even going out to hand out flyers. In short, they all had to do a bit of everything.

Now, with Li Shi’s arrival, Ji Huan was free from the ledgers. And with Zhang Cuicui joining, Xu Laifu had a capable assistant. It was a happy outcome for everyone.

After the introductions, Ji Huan had Xu Laifu show Zhang Cuicui the ropes.

Zhang Cuicui followed Xu Laifu, listening as he introduced each of the shop’s products.

That was one of her best qualities: she wasn’t coy or shy. Now, utterly determined to prove herself to Ji Huan, she was brimming with a desire to learn.

Her eyes were glued to Xu Laifu, unwilling to miss a single word. She carefully noted prices and features, asking questions the moment she didn’t understand something. She was completely focused.

Xu Laifu, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward.

He was never like this with female customers, nor with Ji Huan.

Ji Huan was the owner, and her business-like demeanor made it easy to forget she was a woman. Besides, she was married. Even if she weren’t, he knew his place and wouldn’t entertain any other ideas.

But now, a young woman had appeared out of the blue, following him everywhere. They would be working together from now on, and she stared at him without so much as blinking. It just... felt strange.

As his mind wandered, Xu Laifu subconsciously straightened his back, trying his best to project a shopkeeper’s authority. ’Can’t let the newcomer look down on me.’

Meanwhile, Ji Huan was speaking with Li Shi.

"You don’t just know arithmetic, you’re literate?"

She was truly curious. ’How could a coffin-born child, who had never attended school and had once survived by begging, manage that?’

"I can’t read much. I used to beg here in Yeyang and met a mad old Scholar. I learned from him."

"What happened to the old Scholar?"

"He froze to death last winter."

Ji Huan hummed in acknowledgment and looked him over once more.

It was clear he had cleaned himself up before coming. Though his clothes were old and worn, they were a little more presentable than yesterday’s.

Aside from a scar on his left brow bone, his features were fairly regular. His eyes, in particular, were clear, not those of someone who harbored deceit.

Ji Huan decided to believe him and got down to business, explaining his duties and the important aspects of the job.

"The ledgers are of the utmost importance. There can be no mistakes, not even the smallest one. I will conduct spot-checks at any time. If I find that the income and expenses don’t match the delivery slips I have on hand... you understand what I mean?"

Li Shi wasn’t the least bit flustered. He said he understood.

"By the same token, if you do a good job, you might not be managing just the accounts for Ji’s Flavor Industry... but we can talk about that later. For now, just get familiar with everything."

Having said all that needed to be said, Ji Huan clasped her hands behind her back and went to the inner courtyard.

Every morning, Guan Shan would unfailingly head to the mountains in the back. But since becoming her driver, he could no longer go as often. He also avoided the front of the shop, afraid of scaring the customers, so he stayed in the inner courtyard to practice his martial arts.

At first, he just practiced basic forms. But as his body continued to recover, his movements became more expansive and powerful.

Today, for instance, he used a bamboo branch as a sword. At times, his movements were overwhelmingly powerful, with the force to shatter mountains. At others, they were as smooth and effortless as drifting clouds and flowing water.

Even though Ji Huan didn’t understand the intricacies, watching him made her blood race.

With a weapon in hand, Guan Shan was a paradox: slow as a drifting cloud, yet swift as lightning; still as a crouching tiger, yet moving like a soaring dragon. He was a magnet, drawing all eyes to him. His steady form held an unstoppable power, and with it, an inadvertently revealed killing intent... Ji Huan’s admiring gaze faltered.

’How could a man like that be a creature meant for a small pond?’

’A dragon stranded in the shallows is a temporary state. Yeyang can’t hold him. And by what right could anyone else... keep him?’

"All done?"

Guan Shan finished his form and took the cloth towel Zhou offered, hastily wiping the sweat from his brow.

Ji Huan hummed in response, her gaze shifting to Zhou.

Usually, it was Dabao who stayed with Guan Shan in the inner courtyard, but Dabao had now more or less mastered the fundamentals and could practice at home.

Besides, he also had the job of tutoring Ji Mingfang. It wasn’t right to make Ji Mingfang come over late at night all the time. Sometimes, Ji Mingfang himself, worried about disturbing their rest, wouldn’t stay long and couldn’t learn properly.

By staying home, he had Ji Mingfang for company, and he could spend half the day on martial arts and the other half on his studies. It was much better than tagging along with her to Yeyang and killing a whole day.

Ji Huan had noticed long ago. Whenever Guan Shan was teaching Dabao, Zhou would finish his chores and stand quietly by the Moon Cave Gate to watch, sometimes becoming completely entranced.

She had asked if he was interested, if he wanted to learn.

Zhou didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t dare say yes.

’The owner gave me a job and keeps me fed and warm,’ he thought. ’I shouldn’t be greedy and ask for more.’

But Ji Huan had told him that learning martial arts would be useful for guarding the shop one day. She then brought him into the inner courtyard and spoke with Guan Shan. Just like that, Guan Shan had another disciple.

Dabao refused to call Guan Shan "Master," but Zhou respectfully fulfilled all the duties expected of a disciple.

Ji Huan had asked Guan Shan in private, and he admitted that Zhou was a rare talent.

Dabao’s aptitude didn’t lie in martial arts; he only practiced for self-defense. Zhou, in contrast, had the potential to reach a much higher level of mastery.

Zhou was resilient and sensible. It pained Ji Huan that a boy of his age, who should be in school, could only do menial tasks like serving tea. Since he was a promising martial arts talent, she was determined to cultivate his abilities.

"How is it? Is it tough?"

Zhou, who had also just finished his practice, was drenched in sweat. Hearing Ji Huan’s question, he shook his head, his eyes sparkling.

One look at him told her he was full of vigor; no matter how hard it was, he wouldn’t find it a burden.

"Master, I’m going to take care of things in the shop. I’ll be back to practice the next set in a bit."

With Guan Shan’s permission, Zhou trotted off to the front of the shop.

"Hurry and put this on." Ji Huan handed an outer robe to Guan Shan.

’He was only wearing his inner tunic, standing in the biting wind for so long. Wasn’t he afraid of catching a chill after working up a sweat?’

Guan Shan sensed that something was off with her mood and assumed she was feeling unwell from a stomachache.

"I’ll go make you some ginger soup."

"No, no." Ji Huan waved her hand. "I’m not unwell, I was just lost in thought."

’I wonder how that old Taoist is getting on with his task.’

"Mother, didn’t you say we were staying a few more days? Why are we going back today?!"

In the past, Huang Juncai had always been reluctant to come to Dafeng Village, but this time, he was reluctant to leave.

His dog had been killed, yet Ji Huan was completely unscathed. She had even delivered the dog’s corpse to their door to humiliate him. There was no way he could swallow this indignity.

"Stay here for what? To lose even more face? The original plan was perfect. We were going to let your fourth uncle take the lead. As long as he got into Ji Huan’s shop, we could use him to tamper with things, have a customer or two drop dead, and Ji Huan would have had to close her shop and pay with her life..."

"You saw Fourth Uncle lose time and again. And you’re still counting on him?" Huang Juncai sneered.

"Well, you shouldn’t have sicced your dog on her!"