Just as Jiang Mingyu arrived at the talent market—
Across the street, on an old lane, stood a shabby feng shui shop with a blue cloth curtain. Painted in brush calligraphy on the sign were the words “Zhiming Pavilion.”
Following Huo Mingfeng’s orders, Mao Can had been secretly trailing behind to protect Jiang Mingyu and the three children. Seeing them enter the talent market, he seized the chance to slip into Zhiming Pavilion.
The moment he lifted the curtain, the dim glow of candlelight inside made his eyes sting. He frowned and shut them.
“Hey! Why are you lighting candles in broad daylight? Are you blind or what?”
“Not blind. It’s just the rule of Zhiming Pavilion.”
A young man stepped out from the back.
If Jiang Mingyu had seen him, she would have been shocked—
He bore a slight resemblance to the old fortune-teller who had once read her fate.
But he looked far more spirited.
His narrow, single-lidded eyes rested calmly on his pale face, and his voice carried a composed steadiness.
“Ahem… you’re Master Yi?”
Mao Can didn’t waste time. After adjusting to the light, he lowered his hand, walked inside, and sat down casually with one leg crossed over the other. He pulled out the silver ring Huo Mingfeng had given him.
“My brother Huo Mingfeng asked me to deliver this to Master Yi. He also told me to pass along a message—everything you calculated for him turned out to be accurate.”
Though he had no idea what exactly had been predicted, he didn’t care to ask.
Best not to pry into his boss’s affairs.
The young man wore a dark brown jacket embroidered with a taiji symbol on the chest and had a cropped haircut. His previously indifferent expression lit up the moment he saw the silver ring, his tone turning excited.
“It was accurate?! I got it right!”
He snatched the ring and examined it eagerly, his eyes shining with delight.
“Great! Damn it, I guessed correctly!”
One moment he spoke of calculations, the next of guesses.
Was this really the so-called Master Yi?
Mao Can quickly snatched the ring back, gripping his shoulder suspiciously.
“Hold on, hold on! First tell me—are you really Master Yi? My brother said I had to personally hand this to him.”
“Ahem.”
The young man gradually regained a composed demeanor. One hand behind his back, he extended the other.
“If I’m not Master Yi, are you?”
“Then what’s your name?”
“My name cannot be disclosed. I go by the title ‘Yishan Hermit.’ You may call me Master Yi. Now, give me the ring.”
From start to finish, his attention remained fixed on the silver ring.
“Putting on airs… isn’t your name just Yi Shan?”
Mao Can, not particularly educated, didn’t bother arguing further. He tossed the ring over.
“Since you’re Master Yi, keep it safe. I’ve done what my brother asked. But if he asks about you later and you dare talk nonsense, I’ll beat you to death!”
He didn’t forget to throw in a threat.
The young man paid him no mind. Instead, he carefully put the ring away and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Good. Not only have I accumulated merit this time, but I’ve also taken another step closer to my master!”
The moment Mao Can left, he immediately took down the curtain of Zhiming Pavilion and shut the door, muttering with suppressed excitement:
“Looks like the other owner of this ring has appeared too. I have to find her!”
“Wait… what was her surname again?”
“Jiang… Jiang something Yu?”
“Forget it. I’ll just go find Huo Mingfeng!”
He quickly packed his belongings and left the county, heading straight toward the Lin family’s old residence.
Meanwhile, at the talent market—
The clerk stared at Jiang Mingyu in astonishment.
“You… you want to hire disabled workers?”
There were countless disabled individuals seeking jobs here, but very few factories were willing to employ them.
If not for policy requirements, those factories wouldn’t even bother posting such job listings.
Yet Jiang Mingyu spoke with complete seriousness.
“Yes. I want to hire disabled workers. But among them, I prefer to hire the blind—no matter how many there are.”
“Uh… alright…”
The clerk was so shocked he struggled to respond. Swallowing nervously, he handed her a form.
“Comrade, please fill this out first.”
He had no idea what she intended to do, let alone why she wanted blind workers.
Was she planning to open one of those so-called “blind massage” shops?
Even those were only heard of in big cities—such things didn’t exist in small counties like this.
“Done.”
Jiang Mingyu quickly filled out the form with a pencil and handed it back.
Seeing the neat and elegant handwriting, the clerk’s eyes lit up.
Good—she was educated!
But when he read the section labeled “Purpose of Employment,” which she had filled in as “agricultural production,” he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Alright. Please wait inside the Human Resources office for a bit. At two in the afternoon, I’ll bring in the disabled job seekers. You’re specifically looking to hire blind workers, correct?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Mingyu only wanted blind employees.
The three children looked confused. After she exchanged a few more words with the clerk and he left, they couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Mom, you want to hire blind people?”
“But they can’t see anything. What could they even do?”
The youngest hesitated before asking,
“Mom, is this also an investment?”
Jiang Mingyu raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh… this is our secret. We have to keep it quiet.”
“If you tell a secret, then it’s no longer a secret.”
Children all had their own little secrets. Though curious, they were surprisingly obedient in this regard.
They immediately nodded in understanding, making “OK” gestures to show they would keep quiet and not ask further.
Soon enough, at two in the afternoon, the staff of the Human Resources Bureau returned to work. The clerk brought his supervisor—a sharp-looking woman in her early thirties with a neat, ear-length haircut and bright, discerning eyes.
As soon as she entered the office, her assessing gaze fell on Jiang Mingyu. Then she smiled and extended her hand.
“Hello, comrade. You’re the one looking to hire blind workers, correct?”
“Yes. Hello, comrade. My surname is Jiang—Jiang Mingyu. I currently run an agricultural business in Lushui Town. To improve efficiency, I sincerely wish to hire blind workers here. I believe that under your guidance, we can work together harmoniously.”
Jiang Mingyu spoke confidently and with ease.
The woman nodded with a smile and invited her to sit.
“My surname is Fang, Fang Chengying. I’m the group leader at the Human Resources Bureau responsible for job placement of disabled workers. I’ve reviewed your application. You require them to work six hours a day, at your small greenhouse in Lushui Town. You’ll provide three meals, accommodation, and a wage of thirty cents per hour. Are all these conditions confirmed?”
“Yes. If you have any concerns, you’re welcome to visit my greenhouse tomorrow.”
Jiang Mingyu smiled slightly.
The three children, however, lowered their heads guiltily.
A greenhouse?
They didn’t have one at all!
How could their mom lie so calmly?
But Jiang Mingyu remained completely unbothered.
They might not have one today—
But by the time they came tomorrow, they would.