Chapter 309: Apprenticeship
After Xia Yayun gave the order, one of the maidservants did as she was told.
Another maidservant advised, “Young Lady, isn’t it terrible for us to send food to them like this? Why don’t you find work for them so that they can earn some money? This way, you can save some silver beans and let these people remember your kindness at all times.”
Xia Yayun heard that and thought it made sense.
“We should hire them to run errands in our house? There’s no need for so many people. Besides, look at those six or seven-year-olds down there. What can they do?” Xia Yayun frowned and said with some disdain.
These people were clumsy and had not been trained. How could they do those delicate jobs?
“Young Lady, it’s better not to bring them home. After all, they’re all teenagers and it’s not good for your reputation. In my opinion, I can introduce them to some shops in the city as apprentices. Yes, it’s better to be an apprentice. Craftsmanship is more important than silver!” The maidservant added.
Xia Yayun thought it was a great idea.
She would look for some carpenters, blacksmiths, or doctors. She would send them some gifts and let them take in apprentices. She thought they would not refuse her idea.
She had only done this charity for a few days, but she had already spent more than 3,000 silver beans. It was too much.
She really had to change the method.
Now that Xia Yayun had thought of a way, she naturally had to pass on the good news.
She asked the servants to go downstairs and announce the news.
One must say that it was really effective.
Many people were delighted.
However, although some of these youths had relatively high self-esteem, there were some who were greedy.
Initially, they had thought Young Lady Xia’s kindness toward them was a little strange. Now that they heard the news, they immediately raised their heads and looked upstairs, they asked tentatively, “Can we really become apprentices? Young Lady Xia, the dishes in this restaurant are really good. It would be great if I could eat them every day. Can you arrange for me to be the cook’s apprentice?”
Xia Yayun frowned and turned to look at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper’s expression changed drastically, “Young Lady Xia, we’ve spent a lot of money to hire our cook. His skills will only be passed on to his children and grandchildren, not to outsiders!”
If the cook was willing to teach outsiders, he would teach his children and nephews. How could it be someone else’s turn?!
Xia Yayun frowned, “It’s just a few dishes. Why can’t we learn from him? If everyone holds onto the skills in their hands and doesn’t pass them on to outsiders, wouldn’t some of the delicacies be lost easily?”
Those cooks in her family had to learn their skills everywhere, no?
The shopkeeper looked troubled, “It’s really not possible…”
The inheritance of these skills was extremely precious.
It was not unheard of for outsiders to take on a master. However, under normal circumstances, it was usually the cook who had no successor or saw a talented junior who could bring his family’s dishes to greater heights. Only then would he accept an apprentice.
How could he take in an apprentice so casually?!
“Ask the cook to come over. I’ll talk to him personally,” Xia Yayun said bluntly.
The shopkeeper could not smile at that moment.
However, he could not refuse, so he could only ask the waiter to call for someone.
The waiter told the cook about the matter in advance. When the cook heard that, he was furious.
“It’s fine if you’re angry in private, but don’t behave like this in front of Young Lady Xia. I heard that she made a bet with someone else. That’s why you have to make these 50 youths feel grateful toward her. I see that these youths don’t have any foundation. At worst, you’ll grit your teeth and agree. Take in apprentices, you’ll teach them some basic skills. Then, let them do chores in the kitchen! After a while, Young Lady Xia will ignore them, then we can chase them away!” The waiter quickly advised.
The cook gritted his teeth and thought it was quite cowardly.
However, the waiter was right. Which apprentice did not start from doing odd jobs?
Wanting to learn something as soon as they started? That was impossible!