I, the one in the heavens, am here to protect my bottom line in all realms.

Calling Mu Xun over, she picked out twelve four-colored pearls from the box and said, "Take these pearls and have them made into jewelry. Hmm... take another hundred taels and have the craftsmen use gold and silver to make men's hairpins and crowns inlaid with these pearls."

Mu Xun opened her mouth to ask something, but finally shut up. She felt that her girl had a lover, otherwise why would she make those things? She would not give them to her master or her brothers and sisters at home. She knew how stingy her girl was.

From childhood to adulthood, I have never prepared such expensive things. A few taels of silver at most. If I give her more, the girl will suffer and won’t be able to eat or sleep well.

"Go ahead, take a rest after you finish this. You've been tired all day."

After giving the order, Zhang Chengyuan picked up his belongings and looked for a place to hide them.

It’s the first day of the journey, and she can’t be used like a beast of burden. Neither can I. She also needs to take a rest.

After calculating the time, I realized that I had missed lunch and there was still more than an hour before dinner, so I could only make myself a snack.

After eating and drinking, she lay down on the bed and prepared to rest, but then she thought of one thing. The matter of buying people could only be handed over to Mu Xun tomorrow. It was her fault for giving him a day off.

She got up and went to the yard, and called someone over at random to ask him to bring the three shopkeepers over for her.

After a while, people came and began to pay their respects as soon as they entered.

"No need to be polite, Liu Yu (cook), what dishes can you cook?"

Liu Yu quickly replied, "My dear, I am good at making all kinds of home-cooked dishes, such as braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, and shredded pork with fish flavor. I can also make some exquisite cakes, such as osmanthus cake and mung bean cake."

Zhang Chengyuan agreed and said, "Yes, you are willing to take a disciple. I want a disciple who can become a master as soon as possible."

Liu Yu lowered her head even more, but she didn't say anything for a long time. It was obvious that she was unwilling. But this was understandable. After all, in front of craftsmen like them, they were all worried about teaching their apprentices and starving themselves to death.

Zhang Chengyuan made a big promise: "Liu Yu, there will be more than one shop in the future, so you have to seize the opportunity."

Liu Yu raised his head, his eyes were not shaken at all, but when he thought that his death contract was still in the hands of others, he couldn't help feeling sad, and finally agreed: "Girl, I am willing to give it a try."

Zhang Chengyuan was satisfied with her tact and said in a good mood: "No matter how well the apprentices you teach learn, they will work in my shop and their skills will not be passed on to others. In this way, the relationship between you two as master and apprentice will not be broken. At least they will recognize me as long as I am alive.

In addition to the wages I give you, you will also receive gifts for the New Year and festivals. Don't worry that I will betray you. As long as you have worked for me and never betrayed me, I will take care of you from birth to death."

Liu Yu was not impressed by this. She had eaten such a big pancake no less than ten times, but in the end, she was still sold at a low price everywhere.

Seeing that she was not interested, Zhang Chengyuan continued, "I can solve your fate problem, but can you return to your heart? I don't want to do business at a loss."

Liu Yu was shocked and looked at Zhang Chengyuan in disbelief: "Can this girl really solve my fate problem?"

Zhang Chengyuan looked determined: "Of course, as long as you work sincerely for me."

Liu Yu hesitated again and again, and finally made up his mind to take a gamble: "Girl, I am willing to return home, and I hope you will not break your promise."

Zhang Chengyuan nodded with satisfaction: "Don't worry, I'll do what I say."

She looked at the shopkeeper and spoke again: "An Linrui, two days from now will be a good day, maybe we can open the business?"

An Linrui said politely, "Can I go take a look at the store and then make a decision?"

"You can go and see it in the next two days, but it must open in two days."

An Linrui did not refute: "Yes, girl." "I hope it can be done as soon as possible without any mistakes. Liu Yu will come over tomorrow and I will solve your fate problem. Okay, everyone go down."

After letting everyone leave, she closed the door, lay down with her eyes closed, thought about something in her mind, and soon fell asleep.

When I woke up again, it was time for dinner, and the person ready to serve me was the steward of the courtyard.

Zhang Chengyuan waved his hand and said, "Go down. You don't need to serve me here."

After sending everyone away, she stretched her muscles and waited for dinner.

Dinner was the same as for lunch, nothing new. After giving herself a small snack, she rested for fifteen minutes and then went to wash up and go to bed.

When she opened her eyes the next day, she lay there without getting up. She first collected today's subsidy and saw what she could buy before getting up.

While being helped by servants to dress and comb her hair, she noticed Liu Yu waiting anxiously at the door out of the corner of her eye. She sighed that she came quite early and thought about how to solve her fate. After much thought, she decided that drawing a talisman would be the simplest way.

Let her wear it all year round to subtly change her fate. When I have money in the future, I will draw a jade talisman for her. My conditions are limited now.

After making the decision, she waited for the servants to leave and then waved for Liu Yu to come in.

She went to the desk, rolled up her sleeves and cut paper: "Can you grind ink?"

"meeting."

"Well, let's grind the ink."

Liu Yu wanted to ask how to solve her fate problem, but she dared not disobey her master's order.

After Zhang Chengyuan cut out the paper to the size of talisman paper, he sat on a chair and waited for Liu Yu to grind the ink. After she had ground the ink, he stood up, dipped the brush in ink and started drawing talismans.

He wrote from the beginning to the end in one go, and when it was finished, the rune seemed to emit a golden light for a moment. Liu Yu thought he was dazzled, but he saw the master picked up the ghost-drawn rune and blew on it, shaking the paper as he walked.

By the time she sat down at the dining table, the talisman paper was almost dry. She folded it into a triangle and handed it to Liu Yu, saying, "Sew it up with red cloth and hang it around your neck. Your destiny will slowly change."

Liu Yu took it with a half-believing and half-doubting feeling. He always felt that it was unreliable. How could this talisman paper that was not even yellow paper and cinnabar work? He was doubtful and showed some doubts on his face.

Zhang Chengyuan asked Mu Xun to set the table, and looked at Liu Yu and said, "Whether it is useful or not, you will know when the restaurant opens in two days. You are the only cook, how can I harm myself? Don't you want to make money?"

Liu Yu felt relieved after hearing this. After he knelt down to thank him and left, he suddenly figured something out. Without his obsession, his body and mind became clear and enlightened.

After having breakfast here, she collected some things and got a bag of gold leaves, a basket of grapes, a jar of fine wine, a bag of brown sugar, a bag of melon seeds, a set of bedding, ten pieces of cotton cloth and three kinds of delicacies.

She thought about it for a while and came up with a plan. She would send the wine to Zhang Jinyao as a thank you for the unexpected money, half of the brown sugar to the master as a filial piety, half of the gold leaves to Jiang Siyou, half of the grapes as well as the melon seeds.

As for the cotton cloth, I gave one piece each to the master, mother, grandmother, and eldest sister, and took three pieces to distribute to other brothers and sisters. I kept one piece for myself, and the other two were sent to Jiang Siyou.

After making all the arrangements, she put the things in a large box in the house and called Mu Xun to give her instructions, asking her to take people to deliver them to various locations.

When Mu Xun saw the box of things, she was extremely shocked and confused. Wasn't she the one who managed the master's property? Where did these things come from? How come she had never seen them before?
Could it be that the master has cultivated another force and just kept it secret from her?

(End of this chapter)