21 Prepare to open a store

◎One thousand taels for three months? She might as well go rob it!◎

After hearing what Song Jinyi said, the shopkeeper opposite instantly changed his opinion of her. He had asked her to speak just to flatter Song Zhangye, but he didn't expect that this little girl was really capable.

This insight is very insightful. Even some old hands may not be able to put it better than this young lady.

He couldn't help but feel shocked and sad. He was shocked by her ability and sad that she was not his own child.

Song Zhangye was impressed by Song Jinyi today. He waved the shopkeeper out and said, "Shopkeeper Wu, go to the company and tell the other shopkeepers that we will meet at Yingchun Tower tonight."

Is this considered adopted?

After Manager Wu left, she and Song Zhangye were the only ones left in the mountain retreat. She waited quietly for a while, and then she heard Song Zhangye ask, "Not getting married? Then what do you want to do?" His tone was calm, and it was not a sarcastic question, but rather a serious inquiry.

What does she want to do? Of course she wants to make money.

But if she said that, Song Zhangye would definitely sneer at her and put on a condescending attitude, saying that she didn't earn as much as the servants of the Song family from setting up a stall.

But she changed her mind and thought, there is no distinction between high and low in business. No matter how much Song Zhangye earns, he cannot escape the identity of a businessman, and Daxia must also follow the system of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans.

Song Jinyi said seriously: "My daughter wants to open a shop..."

"When you get married, your father will naturally not treat you unfairly. He will give you a thousand acres of fertile land as a dowry, and you can choose any shop on Jixiang Street in the east of the city."

"Those things belong to you, not me. If you want to give the shop to me, there must be conditions, just like the preposition 'marry' you just said.

A daughter must marry according to her father's wishes to obtain it, but I don't want to marry casually, nor do I want other people's things. "

He looked at Song Jinyi speaking, and suddenly a figure that was both familiar and unfamiliar appeared in his mind.

She was an excellent woman. Even though he didn't love her, he had to admit that she was a good wife, a good mother, and a smart businessman.

In the past, the Song family and the Yun family were neighbors. When Song was young, he was engaged to Yunzhi, a branch of the Yun family, so they were considered a good match.

Later, the Yun family had a queen and gave birth to the current crown prince. This crown prince might become the master of the entire Daxia in the future, and the Yun family suddenly became a popular aristocratic family.

The Song family's timber business had been lukewarm for many years, and then a natural disaster occurred, and nearly several hundred taels of goods were damaged, causing the Song family's business to plummet.

The two families were as different as heaven and earth. Yunzhi did not break her promise just because the Song family fell into poverty. She resolutely married into the family.

He once asked her, "The Song family has declined and is no longer worthy of the Yun family. Don't you regret it?" She shook her head and said that she should keep her promise when she was young. The Yun family is not the kind of family that forgets their loyalty.

Yunzhi was smart and saw that the silk business had a good prospect. Yunzhou was already rich in luxurious fabrics such as satin, gauze, yarn, silk, and gauze. In addition, the Yun family had connections in the capital, so the first batch of silk shipped to Shengjing was quickly sold out.

The Song family's silks were quickly loved by dignitaries because of their high-quality materials and novel patterns. Later, the Song family was responsible for the silks that Yunzhou presented to the palace as tribute.

Not only did the Song family's business revive, but it became even more prosperous than before. After Yunzhi became pregnant, her body could not take it anymore, so Song Zhangye took over the burden and let her rest assured to take care of her baby.

Yunzhi did everything well, but he had a woman he wanted to marry when he was young, so he had to let Yunzhi down.

Perhaps it is because this person has been dead for many years, but the past memories come to mind, and her every frown and smile are still so vivid in my memory.

The figure of the old friend vaguely overlapped with the one in front of him, and he murmured, "You look a lot like your mother."

Song Zhangye lowered his eyes, his expression becoming focused and solemn.

He seemed to be thinking about something silently, lost in his own thoughts, forgetting everything around him: he had few children in this life. Apart from two daughters, one son was mentally retarded and the other was dull and stupid, making it difficult for them to take on important responsibilities.

He is about to turn fifty. After fifty, life and death are no longer in the hands of fate. He doesn't know when he will pass away. The Song family silk shop is his life's work. To whom should he hand it over?

But now an idea suddenly flashed through his mind, but he remained silent and did not express his opinion immediately.

Song Jinyi keenly felt the change in Song Zhangye's gaze, which was scrutinizing and probing.

"You said you wanted to decide your own marriage and own a shop. I'll give you a chance. If you succeed, you can decide everything for yourself. If not, you'll have to follow my instructions. What do you think?"

Song Jinyi nodded in agreement.

"I will give you one hundred taels. You can use it to open a shop or something else, but you cannot use your connections with the Yun or Song families. If you earn one thousand taels within three months, I will consider you the winner. Otherwise, I will not."

When Song Jinyi heard that Song Zhangye was going to give her one hundred taels, she was stunned at first, but then when she heard Song Zhangye's request, she felt both happy and worried.

She was happy that Song Zhangye, this old antique, was actually willing to give her a chance. But she was worried that, one thousand taels for three months? She might as well just rob him!

After a moment, she raised her head and met Song Zhangye's eyes. She said, "Okay, I promise. If I don't earn a thousand taels in three months, I will stay at home and my father will decide my marriage."

******

Song Jinyi strolled leisurely in the bustling streets. There were shops lining both sides of the street, the endless hawking sounds, the coming and going carriages and horses, and the endless stream of pedestrians, all of which showed the prosperity of this place.

She is observing and deciding what kind of store to open.

It's not that she hasn't thought about doing her old job, but she roughly calculated that if she wanted to earn one thousand taels in three months, she would need at least three hundred and forty taels every month.

The tea shop can only make a maximum profit of fifty taels in the summer. After deducting the store fees, labor costs, and material costs, one-third of the money is spent. Not to mention three months, I can't make more than a thousand taels in three years. I might as well just give up.

What if you open a gourmet restaurant?

She looked at the shops on both sides of the street. There were many delicious restaurants, including Shuweiju, Wangjia Zhoupu, Zuichunfeng...

Song Jinyi sighed and said to herself, "Times have changed. Back then, I was alone and spent whatever I earned. Now, things are different. Running a shop and doing business is not my forte, especially with the bet."

What kind of store to open, what location to choose, what kind of customers to target... she has to worry about everything. She has no experience and the boss is just a useless show-off.

She has little chance of winning this bet.

She thought of Xu Ruolan, and thought that Sister Ruolan, who was staying in Yunzhou City, might be able to help her.

Song Jinyi had been in Qiaoge Street for almost two months and had a good relationship with her neighbors. When she was going to the teahouse, she was stopped by Wang Po, who was selling braised pork next to her, and they exchanged a few words. When she heard someone calling her, she turned around and saw that it was the handyman in the teahouse.

Song Jinyi asked about Xu Ruolan and learned from the waiter that a lot of things had happened during the days she was away.

"Sister Jinyi, you don't know that a lot of things have happened in the shop during the days you were away. Since you left, half of the customers have been gone, and the money we earn has also decreased.

The shopkeeper was so anxious that his mouth was covered with bubbles. He asked Sister Ruolan to look for you, and when she couldn't find you, he got angry at Sister Ruolan.

Not only that, he also withheld the wages of me and Sister Ruolan. I can do nothing but odd jobs like serving tea and water.

Sister Ruolan had learned some tea-making skills from a tea master and could make a living anywhere. But she couldn't stand the shopkeeper's bullying, so she left two days ago to find another way out.

When Song Jinyi asked where Xu Ruolan had gone, the guy shook his head and said he didn't know.

Song Jinyi originally wanted to find Xu Ruolan and ask her to open a shop with her, but she missed her unexpectedly. She sighed deeply and walked back.

She walked to the north market and after walking for a long time, she felt tired and found a familiar shop to sit down.

The store is not big, and there are two people busy inside. Because the space inside is not big and the stove is on, there are no customers dining inside. There are four or five small tables outside, and Song Jinyi sits at the outermost table.

This was the restaurant Xu Ruolan had taken her to last time. She ordered a bowl of their signature soup and while drinking it, she carefully observed the business in the restaurant.

It looks good now, but upon closer inspection, the business is not as good as when Sister Ruolan came.

The weather is hot now, and it's already hot enough to make you sweat if you move a little, and then drink soup, which is not a good idea. If the weather is nice and the temperature is suitable 365 days a year, maybe this store will have good business every day.

But the weather changes all the time, and she wants to open a business that will attract customers no matter the season, but she hasn't thought of any business that can do that yet."

After a while, her bowl of soup was almost empty, and she couldn't help muttering, "Maybe there's no such thing as good business every day in this world?"

"Who said no?"

The sudden voice startled Song Jinyi. Who was eavesdropping on her? He even asked in public, "How could he be so shameless as to eavesdrop?" Song Jinyi looked sideways.

Sitting behind Song Jinyi was an old man in a gray shirt, with his black and white hair loosely tied into a bun. He lowered his head slightly, and Song Jinyi could only see the wrinkles on his forehead like tree bark.

The old man felt the gaze from the front and slowly raised his head, revealing a face that Song Jinyi was not unfamiliar with.