Chapter 1284

But in the eyes of a craftsman like Lin Cheng, he couldn't see anything particularly skillful about it, though it did meet his requirements.

"My name is Shangguan Wan'er."

"What! What did you say your name was?"

Lin Cheng nearly jumped out of his skin, his voice involuntarily rising, which seemed to startle the shy painter before him.

"My name is... Shangguan Wan'er, boss. Is something wrong?"

The little girl's eyes reddened slightly, her body curling up, a little frightened.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Lin Cheng apologized awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, then offered an explanation.

"Your name reminded me of a departed old friend. Although you don't look like her, when I heard it... I still couldn't help being startled."

"Oh, oh, my condolences, boss."

Shangguan Wan'er nodded in understanding, a hint of sorrow also surfacing in her eyes.

Was she not the same?

Her father had sacrificed himself in an unknown magical beast territory. Now the Shangguan family consisted of only her and her mother. Daily life wasn't a problem, but her mother had recently fallen ill and was in urgent need of money for treatment.

That was why she had hurried out to find work to pay for her mother's medical care.

"Come with me. Wan'er, you'll normally sit here. You start work at 8 in the morning and can leave at 5 in the afternoon, with a break from 11 to 12 at noon."

Lin Cheng led Shangguan Wan'er to the weapon customization counter. The space inside was wide enough for two people to work, and for a little girl like Wan'er, the working environment and space were more than sufficient.

"The base salary is 100 gold coins a month, and for every customization order you complete, you get a 20% commission. All you have to do is draw out the customer's customization requirements and design, then bring it to me!"

"No problem, right?"

"No problem." Shangguan Wan'er nodded excitedly in understanding.

The workday wasn't long, and with a break at noon, she could still go home to look after her mother. "Then you can start work today."

With that, Lin Cheng turned to go interview the others.

Just then, Shangguan Wan'er suddenly tugged at Lin Cheng's clothes and hesitantly, a little awkwardly, ventured to ask.

"Boss, can I get half a month's salary in advance? I know I shouldn't make such an excessive request, but my mother is sick and I have no money to buy medicine. Please, boss."

Shangguan Wan'er's pleading, pitiful gaze made Lin Cheng unable to bear it, and he nodded and agreed.

"How about this: today you go back and look after your mother first, and come in tomorrow to officially start work."

As he spoke, he quickly pulled out a small cloth pouch from his ring, containing 50 gold coins, and pressed it into Shangguan Wan'er's hand.

In his view, Shangguan Wan'er didn't seem very old, seemed sensible, and even a little naive, much like a child who had just left home.

If it weren't for her mother's illness, Lin Cheng probably wouldn't have been able to hire her.

Such filial piety—even if she weren't his employee, he had to help her.

"Thank you, boss, thank you, boss."

Shangguan Wan'er was moved to tears, bowing to Lin Cheng repeatedly.

She had previously tried working at other places hiring painters, but as soon as the other party heard she wanted wages, they immediately refused her and turned her away.

Only Lin Cheng agreed to her request.

She would certainly work hard to repay Lin Cheng's great kindness.

"Stop crying, hurry and go buy medicine for your mother. Remember to go to the Zhai Family Medical Hall. As long as you mention my name, the Fangyiding Society will treat your mother well."

Watching Wan'er leave, Lin Cheng could only offer one final reminder.

The only place he had connections with was the Zhai Family Medical Hall. If Wan'er went there, the Fangyinggai Society would surely treat her mother well, and might even give her a discount.

As she left, Shangguan Wan'er noted down the Zhai Family Medical Hall, remembering it was one of the top medical halls in Bashi Fortress. Since Boss Lin Cheng had said so, she would go give it a try.

On Lin Cheng's side, the final interviews began. Of the dozen or so young ladies, only ten with excellent character remained; the rest were ruthlessly rejected by him.

The blacksmith shop needed quality service, not crooked tricks.

Those who came at him with winks and nudges and ulterior motives were dismissed on the spot.

The remaining people were given a three-day probation period. On one hand, this let them adapt to the work; at the same time, Lin Cheng instructed Miss Qianhui, General Ji Xia, Xiao Hong, and others to secretly observe these new employees' character and work attitude.

As for Lin Cheng himself, he still had things to do.

The dual pistols—Ma Keboluo's inheritance weapon sent by Pe Luoqi Qi Ya—were due to be forged, and other hero inheritance weapons needed to be scheduled as well.

Everything in the shop was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

The mercenary who had earlier ridden the mechanical mount out hadn't even managed to walk one street with the flow of people before being forced to return to Lin Cheng's blacksmith shop, unable to voice his grievances—his plan shattered before it began.

When he returned, he didn't get to see Lin Cheng, but he did see the pretty young lady selling the mechanical mounts. With her introduction and guidance, the mercenary finally nodded and decided to buy one mechanical mount.