NABC Chapter 43 Dessert Shop
Chapter 43 Dessert Shop
Takaya Jiro left in a rage.
With the raw material issue resolved, the next step is manpower.
Sosuke didn't want to hire ordinary workers.
The Uchiha clan is extremely hostile to outsiders. If they were to approach an ordinary person, they would probably be so terrified by those red-eyed people that they would wet their pants on the very first day.
He thought of the orphanage.
Evening at the orphanage.
The children are having dinner.
Thanks to Sosuke's financial assistance, today's meal consisted of a thick porridge of mixed vegetables with a piece of salted fish.
For orphans, this is already like a holiday.
Nono is busy serving the food.
Sosuke called her to a corner of the courtyard.
"I'd like to hire a few kids to help me manage the shop."
Sosuke explained his purpose.
"The dessert shop next to the Uchiha clan's territory isn't strenuous, but it requires good mental fortitude, a quiet demeanor, and quick reflexes."
Nono adjusted her glasses, looking somewhat hesitant.
"Uchiha...that's a very dangerous place, isn't it?"
"I will be responsible for safety. The salary is eight thousand taels a month, with food and lodging provided."
Eight thousand taels.
This is the price for an adult worker in Konoha.
Nono pursed her lips.
There are many children around ten years old in the orphanage who are unable to attend school because they lack ninja talent and are facing the predicament of being eliminated by society.
Having a stable job would be a lifesaver.
"Chiba won't do." Nonou's first reaction was to protect that genius. "He has to study medicine."
"Of course not Chiba," Sousuke smiled. "I want a kid with a low profile."
Nono called over six children.
Four boys and two girls.
They were all between ten and twelve years old, which is the most awkward age.
If they didn't show any ninja talent when they got a little older, they would be sent to farms or quarries to do hard labor.
If it's any smaller, it won't be efficient enough for working.
Sosuke stood opposite them.
"This is Mr. Sosuke."
Nonou's voice was soft, carrying a soothing quality.
"He needs a few helpers to work in the shop. They'll get paid every month and can stay in the village."
The children didn't say anything.
They were very familiar with Sosuke, but their eyes still held a kind of blankness.
Having spent a long time in orphanages, they know that "leaving" often means another form of exile.
Sosuke sized them up.
"You, step forward."
Sosuke pointed to the first boy on the left.
The boy was very thin, but had a large frame, and his knuckles were covered with tiny chilblains.
"What's your name?"
"Ren." The boy's voice was very soft, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
"Hand out."
Ren stretched out his hands; his palms were thick, and there were calluses on the base of his thumbs, the result of carrying heavy objects for many years.
"What did you do before?"
"Chopping wood and carrying water in the kitchen."
Sousuke nodded.
These kinds of kids are strong and quiet, making them suitable for backstage tasks like kneading dough and carrying flour.
He then looked at the girl in the middle.
The girl was wearing a faded old kimono, her hair was neatly combed, and her eyes were more lively than the others.
"And you?"
"My name is Maki. I can do math."
The girl mustered her courage and raised her head.
"The dean taught me basic accounting. I can also mend."
Sosuke stared into her eyes for a while.
Maki didn't flinch; her eyes held a desperate urgency to survive.
"Alright, you two come with me first."
Sosuke took out a few banknotes and stuffed them into the hands of the other four children who were not chosen.
The light in the eyes of those four children went out instantly.
Being chosen is luck, not being chosen is fate.
Seeing this, Nono moved her lips, but ultimately said nothing.
She knew that Sosuke was not a savior; he ran a shop, not a refuge.
"Mr. Sosuke."
Nonou escorted Sousuke to the door.
"Jin is simple-minded, please bear with him. Maki is very smart, don't let her go to dangerous places."
Sosuke stopped and looked back.
"Teacher Nonou, there will be no danger in Konoha."
probably.
The next day, Sosuke brought his two children to Red Fan Street.
Red Fan Street connects the bustling central business district at one end to the deep mansion of the Uchiha clan at the other.
Sosuke pushed open an old door facing the street.
Due to years of neglect, the door hinges made a creaking sound that shook off a cloud of dust.
This place used to be a tailor shop, but the owner died in the Land of Grass during the war two years ago.
The house was returned to the village and later designated as a special control zone by the garrison.
With a single word from Soji, this place became Sosuke's property.
"Jin, Maki, let's begin."
Sosuke pointed to the cabinets covered in cobwebs and the blackened wooden beams inside the room.
"First, remove the trash. All the wooden boards need to be wiped three times with alkaline water."
The two children didn't say anything, and started working with their heads down.
Ren was very strong; he lifted the heavy, abandoned wooden frame with his bare hands, like a silent stone statue.
Maki then fetched well water from the backyard and carefully wiped the floor.
Sosuke stood at the doorway, looking down at the street.
Half of the shops here are closed.
The remaining shops mostly did business within the Uchiha clan: a blacksmith shop, a funeral clothing shop, and a shop selling coarse tea.
Doing business here doesn't require soliciting customers.
Because no one but the Uchiha clan will come.
But as long as the appetites of those red-eyed people can be satisfied, this place will be Konoha's most secure fortress.
"Mr. Sosuke, a cellar has been discovered in the backyard."
Ren shouted in the lobby, his voice echoing in the empty space.
Sosuke walked over.
The entrance to the cellar was blocked by two moldy footboards.
As the wooden board was removed, a cold, dry smell wafted out.
The cellar was dug very deep, and the sides were lined with moisture-proof blue bricks.
"A good place."
Sousuke nodded.
This environment is ideal for storing expensive sugar and flour.
He walked out of the house and went to the blacksmith shop next door.
The boss was a man in his fifties, and half of his eyebrow had been burned off by sparks.
He was smoking a pipe, sizing up the new young man.
"Open a shop?" the boss asked.
"A dessert shop," Sosuke replied.
The blacksmith grinned, revealing a mouthful of black teeth.
"The Uchiha clan certainly loves that. But do you have any candy?"
"It will happen," Sosuke replied politely.
In the afternoon, Takaya Jiro's convoy arrived. Bags of glutinous rice and red beans were piled up like small mountains.
Takaya Jiro didn't get out of the car. He whispered a few words and then urged the waiter to hurry up and leave.
He didn't want to stay on this street for even a minute longer.
As a businessman, he always kept his distance from the Uchiha clan.
Sosuke directed the two children to move the supplies into the cellar.
Ren silently bore it all.
Maki was in charge of registration.
The characters are written very clearly.
Sosuke pointed to the grains and said to Jin and Maki, "Your task for the next two days is to wash the red beans and grind the glutinous rice into powder."
The two children started working, and they did it very diligently.
Sosuke sat at the table with a blank sheet of paper in front of him.
He was designing the layout for the dessert shop.
People from the Uchiha clan relax when they eat sweets, or rather, their tense nerves need sugar to neutralize them.
At times like these, perhaps useful information can be obtained from them.
Therefore, he needs to carefully design the store's spatial layout so that customers can sit and chat for a long time.
Of course, he couldn't have accomplished it all by himself.
He then asked Takaya Jiro to hire the most professional craftsmen to come and do the renovations.
The renovation was completed the next day, in just one day.
"Lord Sosuke, the glutinous rice flour is ready."
In the afternoon, Ren came over, his face and eyelashes covered in white powder, looking like a snowman.
Sosuke touched the flour.
It has a very delicate feel and no impurities.
"You've worked hard. Go wash up and go to bed early."
Sosuke arranged rooms for the two children in the back building.
That was the driest and safest place in the whole house.
The two children hugged their newly issued quilts, their eyes filled with an unreal sense of satisfaction.
They've been working these past two days, but Sosuke has provided them with the best food and even paid them three months' wages in advance.