Free Web NovelChapter 302: Chapter 301: The Mother and Daughter Mistaken for Job Seekers
"Hahahahaha..."
In a remote mountain, within a quiet, secluded Gorge, three old Daoists burst into loud laughter.
They had worked together to eliminate a rather powerful Evil Ghost, and the abundant Evil Qi they harvested was enough to allow the three of them to advance rapidly. Taoist Tai Xian and the other two certainly had a reason to laugh so heartily.
"Senior Brother Tai Xian is truly a fortunate man. The Evil Qi from this one battle is more than all the Evil Qi I’ve gathered since I descended the mountain," Taoist Huai Yi remarked with a sigh, lighting another cigarette.
Taoist Huai Yi was a long-time smoker. In his early years, he was never without a cigarette, but as smoking regulations became increasingly strict, he had to be more and more careful, to the point where it became difficult to smoke in public.
But things were different now. Here in the vast world of the Otherworld, whether he would achieve great things in the future was another matter, but at least no one was enforcing smoking bans.
So, the moment Taoist Huai Yi received his Storage Gourd, the first thing he did was return to Blue Star and buy many cases of cigarettes to pack into the gourd. This was to ensure he would never suffer from a nicotine fit while in the Otherworld.
If a craving hit, he could light up on the spot!
Taoist Xuan Yong nodded. His luck had been a bit better than Taoist Huai Yi’s, but even he had never earned so much at once. He was equally satisfied, nodding with a smile. "Let’s go. We’ll head to the nearest county town and have a meal together."
The three old Daoists didn’t use Spirit Flying Jade Talismans. They simply traveled on foot, yet they still quickly reached the nearest county town and found the most bustling restaurant.
Ordinary Daoists might not have had much money in ancient times, nor are they a wealthy group in the modern era, but for those brought to the Otherworld by Gu Zhao, it was a completely different story.
Not to mention that Daluo Palace was now thriving with Incense and lacked no funds. The single shipment of replica silver ingots from the Taoist Office alone was enough for everyone in Daluo Palace to live a life of lavish indulgence for a hundred years!
It couldn’t be helped. Celestial Xia’s silver production was simply too massive, and the price difference for silver between the two worlds was just too great.
...
Meanwhile, as the three old Daoists were having their meal, Taoist Xu Ning and Jingyi walked into another county town, strolling through its streets and looking around inquisitively.
"Ma’am, may I ask if you’re here to seek refuge with relatives, or are you looking for work?"
Their curious way of looking at everything had drawn a misunderstanding. A shrewd-eyed man in simple cloth garments sidled up to them and posed the question.
Taoist Xu Ning and Jingyi were speechless.
Just then, however, both of them turned their heads at the same time to look at a middle-aged man who was stepping down from a horse-drawn carriage, attended by a male servant and a Maid.
"Heh? You two sure have a good eye. That’s Landlord Ma, a wealthy household from the east side of town. He has a thousand mu of fertile land outside the city, a vast mansion within it, and two summer villas. If you can get into the Ma Mansion, you’ll be set for the rest of your lives."
Taoist Xu Ning and Jingyi were speechless once again. They were both dressed in Daoist robes. They might have been simple, but surely not so shabby? They couldn’t believe they were being mistaken for poor souls looking for relatives or work.
At that moment, the middle-aged man seemed to notice their gazes and subconsciously turned his head. His eyes lit up when he saw Jingyi.
Although Jingyi was only wearing simple Daoist robes, her features were refined and her disposition was gentle. Just by standing there, she gave off an air of graceful, standout elegance.
"Old Yang?" The middle-aged man beckoned to the man beside the two women. "Are they from your agency?"
Hearing the middle-aged man call his name, the man called Old Yang felt his knees go weak. He bowed and said with a fawning smile, "This humble one greets Landlord Ma. These two are a mother and daughter who just arrived in town looking for work. I was just about to recruit them."
After speaking, Old Yang turned back and instructed in a low voice, "If you want to work in the Ma Mansion, then don’t say a word!"
And so, Taoist Xu Ning and Jingyi really did remain silent. It wasn’t because they actually wanted to work in the Ma Mansion, but because they had detected a faint trace of Yin Qi on Landlord Ma. It was obvious he had been in close contact with a Ghost.
Landlord Ma nodded and looked at Jingyi with a beaming smile. "Young lady, you don’t look like an uncultured person. Have you studied before?"
Jingyi smiled faintly. "I studied for a few years and can recognize some words."
"That’ll do!" Landlord Ma clapped his hands and said with a laugh, "My rear courtyard just so happens to be in need of a stewardess. If you’re willing to come, I’ll offer you a monthly stipend of five taels of silver."
Jingyi had no concept of this amount of money, but Old Yang’s breathing grew heavy. The sum was clearly not a small one.
But Jingyi replied calmly, "Let me have a look first. If it suits my fancy, I might stay."
Old Yang was startled, not expecting Jingyi to play hard to get. But Landlord Ma’s smile only widened. "Of course, of course. My Ma Mansion may have many rules, but we treat our servants extremely well. I’m certain it will be to the young lady’s satisfaction."
At this point, Landlord Ma beckoned to Old Yang again. "Find me four more Maids, clever and diligent ones. And assign two Maids to my future stewardess as well."
"Right away!" Old Yang was overjoyed. He reached out to pull Jingyi toward the shop. "Let’s go sign a contract first."
Jingyi dodged Old Yang’s hand and then strode into the shop. "There’s no hurry to sign a contract. We haven’t even decided to stay in this town yet."
Old Yang’s expression soured, but Landlord Ma’s next words made his face change again. "No contract then. I’ll still give you the money."
"Right away!" Old Yang immediately bowed and scraped. He couldn’t believe that just by seeing this mother-daughter pair didn’t look like locals and striking up a conversation, he could earn a referral fee for them, plus the money for two additional Maids.
Taoist Xu Ning and Jingyi watched the process unfold in the shop—signing the contract, the introduction—finding the whole experience quite novel.
Since they had come to a new world, they needed to understand it, experience it, participate in it, and integrate into it. This was also why the two of them didn’t reveal the truth and decided to go along with this opportunity to enter his home.
Before long, the generous Landlord Ma settled the accounts and picked out four Maids who looked clever and diligent.
Unlike in novels, although these four Maids had decent figures, their looks were all very average. And because they had worked hard their whole lives under poor conditions, their skin was coarse, not delicate.
No wonder Landlord Ma knew at a glance that Jingyi was not a common laborer.
"Miss Shen, the way home is far. Please, take my carriage. Your mother can sit in the front." Landlord Ma called to Jingyi, appearing quite amiable.
"Thank you, Landlord." Jingyi didn’t stand on ceremony and boarded the carriage calmly.
Taoist Xu Ning shook her head with a smile and also hopped nimbly into the carriage, surprising the equally elderly driver. "Big Sister, you’re in good shape, eh?"
Taoist Xu Ning replied, "When life is hard, your body naturally gets stronger."
The old driver nodded in understanding. "Times are tough, but the conditions at the Ma Mansion are good, and the stipend is generous. Once you and your daughter have entered the Ma Mansion, your lives will get better."
At this, the old driver asked tentatively, "Your husband... has he passed away?"
Taoist Xu Ning: "..."
