Chapter 177: The Fragrant Braised Pork Knuckle

Chapter 177: The Fragrant Braised Pork Knuckle

After three days, the final number of applicants settled at two hundred and forty-seven.

The farthest came from Huai'an Prefecture, recommended by Zhang Wenbo and his wife, with a letter of recommendation from Chen Zuo Niang—this was an internal referral, bypassing the initial resume screening.

The most outrageous case was a nineteen-year-old farm boy who told Aunt Zhong that he had sixteen years of papermaking experience.

Aunt Zhong was surprised. "Childhood training?"

Upon further questioning, she found out that he had been helping his father cut bamboo since he was three years old. The young man argued earnestly, "After cutting the bamboo, I sit in the courtyard pond to peel the green skin, then bundle them up and soak them in water. After soaking, they are steamed, and after steaming, they need to be fermented... If not for me cutting the bamboo, where would the subsequent processes come from!?"

Xianjin found his reasoning quite convincing and waved her hand, passing his name on the list.

After filtering through the applications, two hundred and forty-seven were reduced to one hundred and eighty.

One hundred and eighty to ten, comparable to taking the civil service exam.

Aunt Zhong circled some names and reported to Xianjin, "...Nine people came from Heng Kee and Baiji."

Not bad.

Xianjin nodded and whispered instructions to Aunt Zhong, "If they're not particularly incompetent, directly advance them to the training phase."

These were transfers from other major companies, and their work experience and educational background put them leagues ahead of other candidates—though it might seem harsh, such criteria were fundamental in personnel selection.

Aunt Zhong responded loudly, adjusting her recently promoted two-bar sleeve, looking very motivated. Just as she was about to leave, Xianjin called her back.

"...Did you go to Doctor Qu to have your pulse checked a few days ago?" Xianjin asked.

Aunt Zhong smiled and nodded, "Yes! Aunt Du took me there!"

"Are you okay? How's your health?" Xianjin asked with concern.

Aunt Zhong seemed puzzled, "I'm fine, very strong! I can eat two bowls of rice in one meal!"

Xianjin observed Aunt Zhong's short attire, her hair tied high, and her finely shaped eyebrows, giving her an air of a capable career woman. She noticed Aunt Zhong's clear eyes, free of dark circles.

"Aunt Du said you sleep only at midnight and wake up at dawn..." Xianjin smiled, "You don't need to push yourself so hard. We're on the right track, and things will only get better... Old Dong is retiring soon, and you are my top choice to replace him. Don't let yourself burn out before achieving success. Your health is what matters most."

Aunt Zhong smoothed a few strands of hair behind her ear, revealing dimples at the corners of her mouth. Despite her usual seriousness, she was just a woman in her twenties, possibly still studying in another era.

"Don't worry about me. My life has been full of hardship, but you gave me a chance to change my fate. If I don't seize this opportunity, I'll regret it when I'm old," Aunt Zhong said, holding the roster tightly, her lips pressed together. After a moment, she looked up, "In June, Song Baixi returned from Capital City. My neighbors on Shuixi Street in Jing County wrote to me, saying he was disheveled and acting crazy, wearing tattered clothes, knocking on the door of 'Kanba,' and was thrown out by the Chen family. He then searched for me all over Jing County."

Xianjin slowed down her actions, listening intently to Aunt Zhong's story.

Aunt Zhong gave a bitter smile, "He first went to my hometown, but finding no one, he started asking around and even reported to Magistrate Cui. Cui, who is friends with you and Erlang, showed him the divorce papers I had left at the county office, forcing him to sign them."

Xianjin's expression softened.

Apart from the lawsuit involving Zuo Niang, Cui Heng was a man with clear goals and determination.

"Later, he couldn't accept it and somehow learned I was with the Zhang family in Huai'an Prefecture, so he went there to find me." Aunt Zhong's eyes showed a hint of determination, "Having climbed out of the mud, I wouldn't fall back into it. Left Niang sent someone to beat him up and threw him into the woods. Later, I heard he ate dirt, raw mushrooms, and grass leaves in the forest; whether he lived or died, we don't know."

Xianjin lowered her head to sort the roster, understanding Aunt Zhong's situation—she had struggled hard to escape her past, carrying her young son, and would not slow down for the future.

Xianjin stopped her advice and spoke differently.

"Whether he lives or dies, it doesn't matter to you or Yuanlang anymore." Xianjin stood up, gently smoothing Aunt Zhong's sleeves, revealing the two bright bars, "You are my person, and Yuanlang is like a child I've watched grow from infancy. Whatever I achieve, you will achieve too. If I have meat, you will have meat."

Aunt Zhong looked at Xianjin with intense eyes and asked straightforwardly, "Will we continue working for the Chen family forever?"

Xianjin paused while adjusting Aunt Zhong's sleeves and smiled, "We didn't stay in Jing County forever either."

Aunt Zhong pondered Xianjin's words.

Xianjin winked at her with a warm smile.

In the following days, to avoid the long-distance applicants having to travel back and forth, the initial and final exams were compressed into three days. After the papermaking test, one hundred and eighty were reduced to sixty-one. The last test was cultural knowledge, where each person received a sheet of paper and was asked to write as many characters as they could, regardless of content.

Xianjin, Aunt Zhong, and Li Sanshun appeared at the examination hall.

The front row of about a dozen people wrote diligently. Xianjin observed that, though their handwriting wasn't perfect, they could write common characters.

Some in the back scratched their heads, visibly anxious; others, despite writing few characters, were deep in thought; many muttered curses under their breath, stopping when Xianjin approached, but resuming once she moved away.

Among them, the man standing at the threshold, who had said "Baizhen Pavilion's braised pork knuckle isn't as good as Hongbin Lou's," kept writing with confidence, exuding an aura of mastery.

Xianjin nodded, thinking, "Looks can be deceiving; this 'braised pork knuckle' has a high level of cultural knowledge..."

However, upon seeing his paper, Xianjin was stunned.

Aunt Zhong leaned over and laughed, "One, two, three, four, five... hundred, thousand, ten thousand; ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty... two hundred, eight hundred; big, small, up, down, not, not big, not small, not up, not down..."

He managed to fill the entire page.

Xianjin looked at the name of "braised pork knuckle"—Qi Qiqi.

Xianjin circled his name with a red pen.

She also circled a few others who, despite writing few characters, remained calm throughout the exam, never panicking or looking around.