Yuxi asked Qiu Shi many questions, and Qiu Shi answered each of the questions patiently while her face gave out a funny smile. She found it interesting to meet a four-year-old child who talked seriously about business with her.
Yuxi asked all the questions and problems that she could think of.
Qiu Shi looked with a smile, "Don't worry about the location. I'll have someone help you to inquire about it. There should be news soon." If it was difficult to find a suitable location on the east or west streets, finding one in the south should be much easier.
Yuxi was somewhat embarrassed and said, "I will have to trouble Eldest Aunt over this matter." She knew it was wrong to always find Qiu Shi whenever she needed something, but she could not find anyone else to trust in this residence except her aunt. At present, she could only rely on her. When she finally had the ability, she would surely repay her.
Qiu Shi only smiled and patted her head as she said, "You silly child, why are you being polite to your aunt? If you need anything, just tell your aunt in the future."
After Yuxi left, Mama Li said, "I didn't expect that Fourth Miss, who had been away from home for more than two months, would have this drastic change of attitude." Fourth Miss only knew to cry and hide in the past, but now, she had learned to solve her problem by herself. She seemed like a completely different person.
Qiu Shi was pleased with the changes she saw in Yuxi. She used to be concerned with her because she owed her mother, Ning Shi, for saving her son's life. But, now, she did like that child. Yuxi was a thoughtful child who always thought of the people's well-being around her.
Mama Li said with a smile, "Speaking of which, Fourth Miss is still a bit immature. After asking so many questions, she forgot to ask Lady the cost of opening a store."
Qiu Shi smiled and said, "Did you forget how old Yuxi is? It's good that she can keep her mind busy thinking about many things. Furthermore, I somehow feel responsible for this great disaster to befall her. So, please ask Xiang Yang to visit Shangyuan Street and see if a suitable shop can be rented." Xiang Yang was Mama Li's only son, who currently helped Qiu Shi manage her silk shop.
Mama Li heard this and thought of something. She immediately said, "Lady, Fourth Miss is only a four-year-old kid, so Concubine Rong will not have any qualms about harming her. What evil deeds had she not done? Thus, we must watch out for that child's safety."
Qiu Shi nodded her head in agreement.
Unbeknownst to both, Yuxi already knew the cost of opening a business. She didn't ask because she didn't plan to borrow any money from her aunt. With more than a lifetime of experience, she learned that she could only solve her problems with her abilities. She suddenly asked Mama Fang, "Mama, can you show me the jewellery that Mother had left behind?" All estates, shops, and houses under Ning Shi's name had all been pawned away. Only a few pieces of gold and silver jewellery were left to Yuxi by her mother, all of which she wore on herself. These jewellery pieces were also sold then, but they only served as collateral, or else they could not have been left behind.
Mama Fang reluctantly said, "Miss, these jewellery pieces were left to you as your dowry and can't be sold."
Yuxi helplessly said, "I may not know when the horse month of the monkey year will be, but I know clearly what I'm talking about. Moreover, when we start making money, we can buy much better quality jewellery. Mother will surely be delighted from beyond the grave." Jewellery was usually renewed every year. The ones she wore were already out of date. She believed that it was better to buy new ones than to spend money to beautify outdated jewellery.
Mama Fang couldn't beat Yuxi's eloquence, so she reluctantly took out the jewellery box.
Seeing Yuxi staring intently at one of the gold hairpins inlaid with emerald and ruby gemstones, Mama Fang explained to her, "This was gifted by Old Lady to Lady when she first entered the house." The jewellery that Old Lady gave was never cheap and also quite exquisite.
When Yuxi looked at the jewellery inside the box, she suddenly had a bad feeling. In her previous life, only a few pieces of gold and silver jewellery were left inside the jewellery box. Obviously, in the future, someone would have stolen these things. As for the culprit, it was obvious that the person would be the new Mama, who would later manage the Rose Courtyard. Because of this matter, Yuxi had also decided to take care of these things personally.
Mama Fang did not know what Yuxi was thinking about. She felt that when Yuxi saw the pieces of jewellery, they made her thoughts of the person1. Her heart suddenly went soft. "Miss, as long as you are well, the Lady can finally close her eyes in death2 down in the Nine Springs3. Don't do too much work by yourself. Try to accomplish one at a time."
Without thinking much about what Mama Fang said, Yuxi immediately selected several heavy gold ornaments from the box she would bring to the pawnshop. She said, "These should be enough for us to open a shop."
Mama Fang looked horrified as she said, "Miss, we will only open a small shop. Where will we need to use so many things? It would be enough just by pawning that gold necklace."
Yuxi shook her head and replied, "It's also convenient to have plenty of money, Mama." After pausing for a bit, she added, "Mama, you can rest assured. I won't pawn anymore from the jewellery box." This was the first and the last time.
That evening, Hongshan met with Yuxi and reported, "Miss, when the Lord Duke returned home, he knew about Concubine Rong being confined, and he had gone straight to her room."
Yuxi had been really busy with Mama Fang's affairs that she somewhat forgot to introduce Hongshan to the people in her courtyard. She, as her master, was really muddle-headed. "Hongshan Jiejie4, you have been wronged by following me here." Hongshan's paternal grandmother was the Old Lady's confidant and maid. Although she had passed away, the Old Lady still thought of her. Hongshan's father was the residence's third steward, and her mother was the stewardess of the inner court. This kind of background made it hard to order Hongshan around. Yuxi knew this because Hongshan never came to serve her, even when she called. All Duke Han's official residence servants knew she was unfavoured by the Old Lady and her Father. That was why not all her courtyard maids were from the main house. Aside from Mama Fang, Ning Shi's dowry maid, others were bought from outside or picked up from hamlets.
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Hongshan chuckled and said, "What was Miss saying? It is my blessing to serve Miss." Girl, it is most important to start doing your job well, she reminded herself.
It was supposed to be a happy event to have a pretty capable maid with a good background, but Yuxi couldn't understand the meaning of the Old Lady. Her grandmother had been cold to her all her life, and now, this sudden change of attitude made her very anxious. She cast aside those confusing thoughts and asked, "Did Grandmother lift Concubine Rong's confinement?"
Hongshan shook her head and replied, "No."
Yuxi was not disappointed that Concubine Rong had not been punished severely. If Concubine Rong didn't save some good plans in her past life, her Eldest Aunt would not have been in a slump after more than a decade of fighting with Concubine Rong.
The Old Lady's hands and feet were swift. Yuxi thought she could take care of Mama Fang for at least another three or five days before being assigned a new Mama. She didn't expect a mama surnamed Shen to come the next afternoon.
Old woman Shen was tall and thin, with a long face and a decent smile. Although the other party was very respectful to her, Yuxi still didn't like her. The reason was simple. No one ever wanted another person to monitor them.
The handover was completed in the morning. When Yuxi wanted to go and plead to let Mama Fang stay a few days longer from the Old Lady, Qiu Shi informed her that she had found the right shop.
Yuxi was somewhat surprised and exclaimed, "That was quick." All the people living in the South were civilians. It was not difficult for a noble family to find a small shop there, but to be done this fast?
Qiu Shi said with a smile, "It was also a coincidence. A small rental shop just south of Shangyuan Street meets your requirements. If you think the shop is good, sign a contract tomorrow."
Yuxi considered it momentarily and said, "Mama Fang's workmanship is good, but she doesn't know anything about the outside world. So, there are still many things that she will worry about in the future."
Qiu Shi thought that Yuxi was quite thoughtful. She smiled and nodded, "Whatever difficulty she will face in the future, she can go and find Xiang Yang. He will be ready to help her anytime."
After talking about the shop, Yuxi asked again, "Eldest Aunt, do you know what Mama Shen did before she came to my courtyard?"
If it was regarding Old Lady's side, Qiu Shi knew quite well about it as she smilingly nodded. "Back then, Old Woman Shen was one of Old Lady's dowry maids. Afterwards, I was unaware that something happened that had made the Old Lady send her to a hamlet."
Yuxi seemed lost in thought after hearing what her aunt said. "Eldest Aunt, I want to bring Mama Fang to check out the shop tomorrow. What does Eldest Aunt think?"
Qiu Shi saw that Yuxi was keen on this matter. "It's not a problem. I'll let you go tomorrow." She readily promised her. It was because Yuxi was only four years old this year. Thus, she wasn't at the age where interaction between men and women needed to be restricted.
Mama Shen knew that Yuxi was going to Shangyuan Street to look at a shop the next day and advised, "Miss, you are a girl from a noble family. You shouldn't be bothered by these trivial things."
Yuxi kindly countered, "This baozi5 shop is related to Mama Fang's future livelihood. I must see it by myself before I can be at ease."
Mama Shen saw that Yuxi had made up her mind and asked, "Does the Old Lady know about this?"
Yuxi shook her head and said, "I didn't tell my Grandmother, but I already asked my aunt, and she already agreed." The Old Lady had always been indifferent to her affairs, so she didn't want to tell the Old Lady about her plan.
Mama Shen's heart thumped, and she immediately said, "Miss, I'll go with you tomorrow." She could see that Yuxi was a girl with great ideas despite her young age, so she didn't want to go against her. Otherwise, Yuxi would have rejected her, and the Old Lady's means of letting her come to Yuxi's courtyard would no longer be useful.
Yuxi shook her head and said, "Wait for next time." This time, they were not only going to see the shop but also to pawn some jewellery, which she couldn't let Mama Shen know about.
The next day, Yuxi went to the pawnshop first, pawned several gold ornaments for 62 silvers, and changed them to silver notes. She felt some of them and became a little bit more confident.
In Shangyuan Street, Xiang Yang led her into a shop. The shop was tiny, even less than half of Yuxi's room, but there was a yard behind the shop. There were two main rooms, two sundry rooms in the yard, and a kitchen.
Mama Fang was delighted to see the yard, "Miss, we will sell steamed buns at the front and make steamed buns in this kitchen. The other room is habitable, which makes it very convenient. Steward Xiang has done such a thorough job."
Xiang Yang said with a smile, "You're flattering me, Mama Fang."
When Yuxi exited the carriage, she saw many people on the street. The business of the baozi5 shop here should not be bad. "Steward Xiang, what's the annual rent for this shop?"
Xiang Yang answered, "Including this yard, it's 320 taels a year." It was given this price mainly because it also included the yard. For the price of both areas, it was not that expensive.
Yuxi thought it was a good deal, as she said, "Steward Xiang, do you think it would be better for us to sign a contract for several years? Also, what should we pay attention to when signing the contract? "
Xiang Yang didn't underestimate Yuxi just because she was young, so he told her in detail what they should pay attention to when signing a contract, and then said, "The contract should be signed with the duration of a year first." He didn't know how good Mama Fang's skill was, so it was better to first sign a contract with a short duration. If you don't do well, you will lose less. If you do well, renew your contract. With the backing of a noble residence, the shop owner did not dare to offer the shop to another person.
After discussing with Mama Fang, Yuxi finally agreed and said, "Let's settle the contract now!"
After signing the contract, Yuxi was ready to pay for it, but Xiang Yang stopped her and said with a smile, "Fourth Miss, the Lady said, after signing the contract, you should let the people of the residence settle the bill."
Yuxi insisted on paying by herself and shook her head. "This is the shop I opened for Mama Fang. How could I let aunt pay for it?"
Xiang Yang thought that Yuxi was quite an exciting person. If people did not take advantage of her, Fourth Miss would not take advantage of that person either. This was quite rare, but Yuxi's behaviour made him look up at her more.
After everything was completed, Yuxi sincerely told Mama Fang, "In the future, if Mama has any questions or wants to learn more about how to manage the shop, Mama can just find Steward Xiang Yang, and he will help you."
Xiang Yang generously responded, "Don't worry, Miss. The Lady has told me to take good care of this baozi5 shop in the future." With him watching and protecting the shop, Mama Fang would not be harassed in Shangyuan Street.
Footnotes Full List
- Chinese idiom : The object reminds one of its owner
- die content
- Chinese idiom : underworld
- elder sister
- steamed stuffed bun
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi