TNIBFT -Chapter 183 Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

Sifang City, inside the hotpot restaurant.

A few days ago, Ye Tian had considered making Chinese patent medicine. After calculating his assets over the past few days, he realized that the hotpot restaurant hadn’t seen much business recently. After paying two thousand taels to the grain store, Ye Tian still had a total of two thousand eight hundred taels in hand.

Sifang City was in a state of rebuilding.

Many wealthy families had fled with their families, leaving their houses empty. Tao Lichun had confiscated these homes, sealed them, and kept them in reserve.

To prevent the disaster victims from looting grain, several large grain stores were guarded by Tao Lichun’s city soldiers.

Work-for-relief policy was in effect.

Only those who worked could eat and have a place to live. No matter the age or gender, in the current Sifang City, everyone could be assigned work. Laziness was simply impossible.

As a result, the life of ordinary citizens was actually better than before the disaster.

As for the money spent on buying grain, Tao Lichun would not treat Ye Tian unfairly.

“Hiring workers!”

“Hiring workers!”

Yuan Heipang held a large red piece of paper with black characters. Standing at the entrance with Xiao Wang and Old Yang, he shouted, and countless people on the street swarmed over.

“Why are they hiring workers when the hotpot shop has no business right now?”

“Yeah, Ye Tian has always been generous. Working with him must be worth fighting for!”

“I want to sign up!”

“Count me in!”

No one knew about the recruitment beforehand, yet a huge crowd had gathered at the shop entrance, each person eager to apply.

Yuan Heipang frowned at the crowd. His round black face was full of helplessness. He shouted loudly, “Everyone, don’t rush, don’t rush! Listen to me first!”

“Listen to what I have to say!”

Currently, there were basically no employment opportunities in Sifang City. Previously, people could find odd jobs in landlords’ or wealthy households, serving as servants. But now, most of the rich had moved away. Everyone could only participate in the city’s work-for-relief program, which barely provided simple meals each day—just enough to fill their stomachs.

The crowd was excited, and many knew that Ye Tian was recruiting. People from all corners of Sifang City poured in.

Yuan Heipang’s voice was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd. He was pushed into a corner, watching as people surged into the restaurant, his face red with frustration, completely useless.

The crowd rushed inside, heading straight into the hotpot restaurant to find Ye Tian and sign up in person.

Ye Tian had anticipated a large number of applicants but didn’t expect it to be this chaotic.

He was drinking tea when Xiao Xun’er dragged him upstairs before he could even put his cup down.

“What are you spacing out for?” she scolded.

“What if someone wants to kill you? With so many people here, you wouldn’t even be able to find the assassin. The Divine Doctor isn’t here—who would save you?”

Xiao Xun’er’s disdainful gaze fell on Ye Tian.

Her face, normally beautiful and delicate, now resembled that of a strict housemistress.

Ye Tian was speechless. He shrugged off Xiao Xun’er’s hand and straightened his clothes. Ever since Xiao Haoyang escaped, she had become more and more unrestrained. All the airs of a young lady were completely gone.

Inside the main hall, the crowd was buzzing with discussion.

Seeing Ye Tian on the second floor, many shouted up at him: “Boss Ye, count me in! I have eight mouths to feed at home. I can do any kind of work.”

“I can do it too!”

“Boss Ye, as long as you let me work with you, I’m willing to take only half the pay.”

“No need for pay—just give me a meal!”

The crowd kept one-upping each other, each trying to outdo the other. This was the first time Ye Tian had heard of people volunteering to lower their wages just to get a job.

The hall was packed with people.

The crowd was massive, and the noise even more deafening.

Hearing the commotion, Shanggan Ning came out of the house to watch.

Seeing Ye Tian standing with Xiao Xun’er, Shanggan Ning gritted her teeth and quickly stepped forward, positioning herself between Ye Tian and Xiao Xun’er, her face full of provocation as she looked at Xiao Xun’er.

Xiao Xun’er was speechless, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She crossed her arms and took a step back, too lazy to pay any attention to Shanggan Ning.

“What are you doing?”

Ye Tian asked in puzzlement. Shanggan Ning cast him a disdainful look and said, “I’m your lifesaver. I’m still badly injured, and you speak to me like this?”

Ye Tian sighed helplessly. “I see you’re moving around just fine. Recover from your injuries quickly and don’t let it hold up your important matters. If it’s time to go, then it’s time to go, right?”

His assessing gaze swept over her from head to toe. Shanggan Ning’s face stiffened.

This damn Ye Tian… saying that about her.

Wasn’t he just making sure she didn’t stand next to Xiao Xun’er?

She had a husband and kids—didn’t he understand that men and women shouldn’t be too close?

Shanggan Ning gritted her teeth in anger. Seeing that Ye Tian wasn’t paying her any attention, she glanced down at the dense crowd outside and said coldly, “Recruiting at a time like this… you might just be the first in history to do such a thing. Everyone’s on edge right now. Do you really think your hotpot restaurant will get business? Don’t be surprised if someone else has to clean up your mess later. There are still so many people here. If you don’t organize them properly, let’s see how you’ll manage.” Shanggan Ning’s expression was all for show, like she was enjoying the spectacle.

Ye Tian simply ignored the nonsense.

The crowd downstairs grew denser, with many people trying to squeeze into the building.

Ye Tian shouted, “Everyone, quiet!”

“Quiet!”

As soon as he finished, the hall fell silent. Countless heads turned to look at Ye Tian.

He continued, “Crowding can cause trampling. Everyone, pay attention to safety. Now, go outside and line up. Anyone looking for work should form a proper queue immediately. No pushing or cutting in line—offenders will not be considered. Register your name and age. Those selected will have their names posted at the hotpot restaurant entrance tomorrow.”

As soon as Ye Tian said this, the crowd erupted.

“So many people… how many can they actually take?”

“Boss Ye, have mercy on me!”

“If Boss Ye doesn’t let me work, I’m not leaving…”

When one person tried to take advantage, countless others followed suit, each thinking they were the worst off. Ye Tian frowned and shouted toward the door, “Old Yang, throw that person out.”

“And him too!”

“This recruitment is for two hundred people. Anyone of the right age, nimble, and clean will be hired. Complaining won’t help. Those who line up first get priority.”

As soon as he said this and gestured with his hand, no one dared to whine.

In less than two minutes, the hall emptied as everyone went outside to line up.

Old Yang was in charge of order, and Yuan Heipang handled registration.

Xiao Xun’er was responsible for screening candidates, and the few of them were busy beyond words.

Ye Tian continued to leisurely sit in his recliner drinking tea. Shanggan Ning stood on the stairs, looking down at him with furrowed brows. This Ye Tian was completely different from the one the villagers talked about. Widow Zhang had claimed that Ye Tian had privately promised to marry her, yet Xiao Xun’er followed him around every day, and a beauty like her didn’t even pique his interest—let alone an old widow.

And then there were the children.

The Third Prince wasn’t present, but the eldest prince and the little princess obeyed Ye Tian completely. Everything he gave them was the best he could afford.

Why would the villagers falsely accuse Ye Tian?

This man appeared so nonchalant, yet he handled matters methodically. He was someone suitable for official or business work, rare material—not uneducated or incompetent.

Keeping an eye on him was the only way to see if he was pretending.