Chapter 63: Guess Whose Work is Coveted

The Lu family was jealous of Lu Lin, and the Chen family was even more so.

"Shou Ren, did you find work?" Grandma Chen hurriedly asked Chen Shou Ren on seeing him entering the house.

Chen Shou Ren shook his head and said awkwardly, "Not yet."

Grandma Chen was very envious of the fact that Lu An had a job in town. How she wished her son could get a similar job in town as well, thus they didn't have to live at the mercy of the elements. A job in town would ensure a stable income despite drought or excessive rain.

Lu An got that job because the owner of the shop owed the Lu family a favor. Although Grandma Chen was envious, there was nothing she could do. However, Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi were different, she didn't think they deserve such good jobs.

Grandma Chen had always thought that Chen Xiao Mi was a freak who deserved to die. However, Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi had both found jobs in town, jobs with high pays.

A few days ago, Chen Shou Ren asked for a few taels of silver from Grandma Chen, saying that he was going to bribe some people to find a job in the town.

Even though Grandma Chen was reluctant to give money to her son, she thought that if Chen Shou Ren really found a job, the family would have a fixed income in the future. She gave the money to Chen Shou Ren in the end. However, Chen Shou Ren had not found a suitable job but he had spent the money.

"Did you find out where Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi are working?"

"It seems to be a place called Sino Commercial House," Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi are relatively low-key, but there are many things that need to be done by the two of them. Chen Shou Ren wandered in town every day and found that the two always showed up in that shop. Recently, Sino Commercial House had gained considerable repute for selling bags, even Chen Jing bought a bag there.

Chen Shou Ren also went to the commercial house, but they said that they were not hiring at the moment. There was a manager in the commercial house who looked quite cold.

Grandma Chen was a little depressed. "What is the boss of Sino Commercial House thinking?! To think he has hired people like Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin, his business is doomed."

Chen Shou Ren said sullenly, "Those two are so lucky."

Chen Shou Ren originally thought that even people like Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin could find work in the town. Perhaps, finding work in town wasn't as difficult as he imagined. However, Chen Shou Ren could only find manual labor jobs. Moreover, the pay was very low, and he became more jealous of the young couple.

In a depressed state, Chen Shou Ren went to the casino and lost most of his money. He didn't dare mention a word to Grandma Chen.

Grandma Chen looked at her son and said angrily, "You're so much older and more experienced than those two brats, how come you still haven't found anything?"

Chen Shou Ren didn't feel that he was not as competent as he thought. He said with grievance, "Mother! Those two brats are just lucky."

Grandma Chen snorted softly and said, "Enough excuses! Why don't you think about a way to snatch their jobs!"

Chen Shou Ren smiled awkwardly, his eyes narrowed and several thoughts flashed through his mind.

......

"Master Lin," Wan Li closed the door in the evening and found Lu Lin.

Lu Lin looked at him and asked, "What happened?"

"Master Lin, recently someone came to the store and spoke ill of you and Master Chen."

Lu Lin was a little surprised, "Oh, what did he say?"

There were villagers who said bad things about Chen Xiao Mi. Lu Lin knew it but the people in town basically didn't know about him and Chen Xiao Mi. He was a little surprised by the fact that the village people came all the way to the store to say bad things about him and Chen Xiao Mi.

Wan Li said embarrassedly, "He said that your guys had bad moral conducts, you guys were unfilial. That person who spread these rumors has come to the store to find work before, but I turned him down."

'Sino Commercial House is my property, but the villagers have no idea about that. I once said I make 2 taels of silver per month which makes people jealous. So, is it possible that person is doing this to remind Wan Li, the manager in name to get rid of me and Chen Xiao Mi?'

"Do you know what that person's name is?" asked Lu Lin.

"It seems to be Chen Shou Ren."

Lu Lin pouted and thought to himself, "Chen Shou Ren, it turns out to be you! You hold such grudge against me and Mi! How despicable!'

Lu Lin glanced at Wan Li and said, "He's just a contemptible scoundrel, don't pay him any attention."

Wan Li nodded and said, "Consider it done."

Chen Shou Ren wandered around the town for another half a month but he found nothing in the end.

The long journey between the town and the village made them feel so bitter.

There were inns in the town, but the cost of staying in an inn was not low. Chen Shou Ren stayed in an inn for a few nights, he gambled away the remaining money and went back home.

Chen Shou Ren really did not understand why the boss of Sino Commercial House still refused to fire Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi. Chen Shou Ren lost all the confidence after he was turned down by different shops. Then it occurred to him that he could ruin Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin's work, but he didn't succeed.

......

Chen Xiao Mi was pregnant, the couple didn't go back to Big Stone Village as often now.

Lu Lin had launched a few different styles of bags recently. The handbags had attracted different audience because they were all exquisitely made.

Some rich ladies in town had nothing to do all day long but shopping and playing mahjong, Sino Commercial House had become their favorite place recently.

There was even an old lady who kept a low profile bought more than ten handbags at one go, Lu Lin called her shopaholic in secret.

Lu Lin would send Chen Xiao Cai to help Wan Li when it was too hectic, Chen Xiao Cai needed the training anyways.

Chen Xiao Cai had a pretty face. Because he was so young and so cuddly, many young ladies would always ask Chen Xiao Cai to recommend the right styles for them.

Chen Xiao Cai grew up in the village. Mind you he used to be bullied by other kids, so he was not that articulate, he always appeared to be at a loss in the first couple of days.

However, Chen Xiao Cai was a quick learner. He could greet and talk with the guests properly after a few days.

Lu Lin often encouraged and praised Chen Xiao Cai whenever he said something clever, making Chen Xiao Cai blush often. Lu Lin always emphasized the importance of the salesperson.

However, Lu Lin was not exaggerating. Sometimes customers would love to spend more money to support the salesperson they liked. A good salesperson could make a ridiculous amount of money.

Lu Lin walked into the house and saw Chen Xiao Cai talking to Xiao Mi.

Seeing him enter, Chen Xiao Cai blushed and left.

Lu Lin put his hands on his back and made a face at Chen Xiao Cai's retiring figure. Chen Xiao Cai saw the couple kissing two days ago, and he had been avoiding Lu Lin since that.

Lu Lin looked at the rice cake in Chen Xiao Mi's hand and blinked, "Where did you buy that?"

"Cai bought it for me," Chen Xiao Mi looked a little smug. "Cai seems to be very happy recently."

"Because he is glad that he is helping, people just feel better when they find a job they enjoy doing. Cai is a good boy, he must feel proud of himself for doing his part in our business. It's good motivation for him as well, I'm glad he enjoys it."

Lu Lin asked Wan Li to count how many bags Chen Xiao Cai had sold. He would give 5 cents to Xiao Cai for every bag he sold.

Chen Xiao Mi said hesitantly, "Are you sure it's a good idea to ask Cai to be a salesperson in the shop?"

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi and said, "He's not a small kid anymore. He will get married and manage his own household in a few year. You can't protect him for the rest of his life! Plus, he is really enjoying it and there's nothing shameful in being a salesperson for now."

If Chen Family dared to cause trouble in their store and accused Xiao Mi of being unfilial, Lu Lin would go to Chen Jing's school and tell the scholars and the other students that his family planned to sell his cousin Chen Xiao Cai for his tuition fee. Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiao Mi and sighed in his heart.

Chen Xiao Mi didn't pay much attention to himself, but he was worried about his two younger brothers all the time. However, that was a sweet thing. After all, the three brothers had only got each other in the most difficult time. Chen Xiao Mi, the eldest brother, had to assume the role of a father for his two brothers.

However, Xiao Mi tended to spoil the kids, so Lu Lin decided to be the 'bad cop'.

Granny Shen was sewing a bag in her room while Shen Chi was making a knot.

In order to encourage Shen Chi's artistic creations, Lu Lin prepared a lot of different styles of wood beads, colored silk and knitting wool for Shen Chi.

Recently, Shen Chi fell in love with making pendants for those fancy handbags. Many customers would ask for one more ornamental pendant after they bought a bag. Although it was not worth much, many rich people would jump for joy when the shop gave them a pendant for free.

Granny Shen was very satisfied with Shen Chi's craftsmanship as well. The knots and pendants were all little things, but they had added different colors to the bags. As far as she knew, many customers would fondle admiringly at the knots made by her grandson.

"Chi, have you learned mathematics recently?" Granny Shen asked.

Shen Chi nodded. " I learned a bit when Xiao Mi Gege taught Cai.."

Granny Shen looked at Shen Chi and said, "It's good to learn more and more, good, keep it up."

The villagers all deemed mathematics as an incredible skill. Granny Shen hoped that Shen Chi could learn more thus it would be easier for him to find a job in the store in the future.

Shen Chi nodded and he knew being able to learn some mathematics was a rare opportunity for him.

Shen Chi started a little later than Chen Xiao Cai. There were many things that he couldn't understand. However, Chen Xiao Cai would sometimes teach Shen Chi what he had learned and Shen Chi slowly could catch up with him.

"In the past few days, Cai has been helping out in the shop," Shen Chi said.

Granny Shen nodded and said, "Cai is such a good boy! So polite and so capable"

Granny Shen glanced at her grandson and something strange flashed in her heart. Shen Chi was a Bio and it was hard for him to get married in the future. People in the village did not like Bios very much. There were few Bios who married well. But Granny Shen hoped to betroth with a family who treated Shen Chi well.

Granny Shen had noticed that Shen Chi was close to Chen Xiao Cai when they were in the village, and Granny Shen had considered Chen Xiao Cai might be great for her grandson. However, now Chen Xiao Mi had become a master in town.

Granny Shen estimated that if Chen Xiao Mi wanted to find a wife for Chen Xiao Cai, a bunch of matchmakers would introduce beautiful girls from official families, she didn't dare to have any hope. She could only wait a few years and see how things turn out for Shen Chi.