Jiang Wan decided to go to the prefectural city to buy cooks.
Since Yao County was the Xu family's territory, buying cooks here would be like giving the Xu family an opportunity to deal with them.
Moreover, cooks were considered skilled labor, and it was rare for a cook to fall on hard times and sell themselves. Therefore, finding suitable personnel would not be easy.
Yao County was not too far from the prefectural city; it would take two to three days for a round trip. But for Jiang Wan, this was not a problem.
It was now incredibly convenient for her to go to the prefectural city. She could directly use her ability to enlarge the eagles in the back mountain and have them carry her. The round trip would likely take less than half an hour.
However, departing during the day would be too conspicuous. She needed to discuss it with her parents and get their agreement for her to leave before dawn.
Being young had its downsides; she couldn't just go out whenever she pleased. If she left without informing her parents, they would surely go mad with worry.
So, Jiang Wan informed her parents about her plan to use the divine powers of the immortal to go to the prefectural city. After a brief hesitation, her parents agreed.
But Jiang Pan decided to accompany her. After all, they had never been to the prefectural city before and didn't know what to expect. Letting Jiang Wan, a child, go alone was truly unsettling.
Jiang Wan touched her nose. Fortunately, her ability had been upgraded; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to carry Jiang Pan.
The next morning, before dawn, Jiang Pan woke Jiang Wan up.
Chen Yuezhi saw the father and daughter to the door, whispered a few words of caution, and then closed the door.
Jiang Wan, not having slept enough, continued to doze off on Jiang Pan's back as he strode towards the back mountain.
Upon reaching the mountaintop, Jiang Wan woke up and whistled. Soon, several eagle cries could be heard.
Good heavens, all the eagles in the mountains had come, circling above the father and daughter, vying to be chosen by Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan picked the largest one and signaled the other eagles to disperse.
The chosen eagle was ecstatic, folded its wings, and landed near the father and daughter.
This eagle was very large, with a wingspan of over a meter, and its plumage was beautiful, which made Jiang Pan's eyes light up.
What man didn't have the desire to have Zuo Qingcang on his left and You Qianhuang on his right.
Jiang Wan walked over to the eagle, placed her hand on its back, and the eagle's body immediately began to swell like an inflated balloon.
After the eagle had enlarged enough for the father and daughter to sit on it, Jiang Wan withdrew her ability.
This action consumed a large portion of her ability.
But looking at the eagle's size, Jiang Wan felt very satisfied. If she were only bringing herself, it would likely require only a fifth of her ability.
Nimbly climbing onto the eagle's spacious back, Jiang Wan turned and called out to the still stunned Jiang Pan, "Dad, it's getting late, hurry up and get on, we need to leave."
Jiang Pan finally reacted. He glanced at the giant, terrifyingly large eagle and swallowed with difficulty.
After the immortal's upgrade, he was truly becoming more and more powerful.
Ensuring Jiang Pan was seated, Jiang Wan gave the eagle a command.
The eagle flapped its wings, stirring up a gust of wind that rustled the trees in the forest. The eagle quickly ascended. Jiang Pan, tense, tightly grasped the thick feathers on the eagle's back, causing the eagle some discomfort.
Jiang Wan quickly said, "Dad, relax, don't hurt it."
Jiang Pan quickly looked down. Heavens, it was so high; he couldn't let go!
Her father was afraid of heights!
This discovery made Jiang Wan chuckle softly. So, she used her ability to blur the eagle's sense of pain on its back, allowing it to fly freely.
The higher they flew, the greater the air resistance and the lower the temperature.
Jiang Wan simply lifted a few eagle feathers to shield herself from the wind and stay warm.
Fortunately, the eagle's flying speed was truly fast. In just over half an hour, they arrived near the prefectural city.
Finding a secluded spot, and before it was fully light, the father and daughter quickly landed.
Jiang Wan restored the eagle to its original size, rewarded it with her ability, and told it to pick them up there in the evening before they parted ways.
The father and daughter walked towards the prefectural city gate. Upon arrival, they happened to catch the opening of the city gates.
The two presented their travel permits and paid the entry fee, then smoothly entered the city.
The prefectural city was vast, more than ten times larger than Yao County, and its prosperity had naturally increased severalfold.
In the early morning, the shops had not yet opened, only some breakfast stalls were set up. The people on the streets were those going to the market to sell or buy vegetables.
Jiang Pan took Jiang Wan to a breakfast stall, ordered a few steamed buns and two bowls of noodles. After eating their fill, they asked the stall owner about the major real estate agencies in the prefectural city.
Upon inquiring, they learned that there were about a dozen real estate agencies in the prefectural city. There was one, the Zhang family's agency, nearby, while others were scattered around the prefectural city, at varying distances.
So, the father and daughter decided to try their luck at the Zhang family's agency first.
The Zhang family's agency was not small in scale and had a wide range of businesses. It was bustling with people coming and going.
As soon as the father and daughter stepped into the agency, a shop assistant immediately greeted them, "Esteemed guests, please have a seat. May I ask if you are here to buy land or servants?"
Jiang Pan led Jiang Wan to sit down and said, "I want to buy two cooks. Do you have any suitable candidates here?"
The shop assistant quickly asked, "May I ask if the esteemed guest needs servants for a private kitchen or for a restaurant?"
"A restaurant."
The shop assistant shook his head with regret, "Restaurant cooks are hard to find. It's rare to encounter two in a year."
Although they were all cooks, private cooks and restaurant cooks were very different. The value of a private cook naturally could not compare to that of a restaurant cook.
Generally, restaurant cooks possessed skills that set them apart, and very few would stoop to selling themselves.
Jiang Pan and Jiang Wan were aware of this and didn't expect to find someone immediately. They decided to visit the next agency.
The shop assistant said enthusiastically, "Esteemed guests are going to inquire elsewhere, right? Judging by your accents, you are not from the prefectural city. Allow me to offer a suggestion: it would be best for you to rent a carriage from the nearby carriage rental service, otherwise, you won't be able to visit many places in a day."
The prefectural city was too large; relying on walking would not be an easy task.
Jiang Pan thanked the shop assistant and was about to go to the nearby carriage rental service to rent a carriage. However, upon reaching the entrance of the carriage rental service, he saw Zhang family's Carriage Rental Service!
The same font as the real estate agency clearly indicated that this carriage rental service and the agency belonged to the same owner.
Jiang Wan tutted, "Dad, see? When looking for shop assistants, you should find ones as clever as this."
Jiang Pan deeply agreed!
The father and daughter rented a carriage and headed to the next real estate agency.
However, cooks were truly difficult to find. After visiting several agencies, they couldn't find anyone suitable.
Jiang Pan discussed with Jiang Wan, "If it really doesn't work out, let's hire two cooks from the prefecture."
Most cooks in other restaurants were also hired from outside.
Jiang Wan, however, did not want to do this. "Dad, hired cooks are not our people. Putting aside whether they will be easy to work with, we also have to guard against them learning things and then being poached by the Xu family. It would be infuriating if the Xu family used what we taught them against us."
Jiang Pan heard this and thought it made sense.
"But it seems unlikely we can buy professional cooks."
Jiang Wan thought carefully and suddenly had an idea.