Chapter 388: Ideas for Opening a Store

Old Madam Cui and Cui Qingci didn't feel tired at all. Instead, they felt that being able to do these things made every day fulfilling.

Jiang Zhiluo understood that the reason why the brown sugar made in their village was so effective was because she added spiritual spring water to the well.

It is warmer than regular brown sugar and also nourishes the body.

I just don’t know what’s happening with Xingshan Village.

"By the way, mother, how is Xingshan Village?"

Jiang Zhiluo also missed her parents, brothers and sisters.

However, the villagers here have their own customs and habits, so she plans to go back to her parents' home on the first day of the new year.

Madam Cui said, "Xingshan Village is also quite good. Your father has taken in several carpenter apprentices and is teaching them how to do carpentry work."

"It seems that some merchants outside have placed large orders with your father. Your father is too busy to handle it alone, so he will bring the villagers to work together."

"There are people in Xingshan Village who specialize in helping your father chop wood, and there are also people who help grind wood, and they will all make a little money from it."

"When we went to the Yangliu Village market before, we saw your mother's stall selling scallion pancakes. She seemed to be doing pretty good business."

Jiang Zhiluo nodded, feeling relieved.

As they were talking, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from the village from time to time.

The sound of firecrackers came one after another, and sometimes it was difficult to hear clearly what Jiang Zhiluo and Old Madam Cui were saying.

But Jiang Zhiluo quite likes this atmosphere.

It was still early and the family was not in a hurry, so they talked while making dumplings.

Jiang Zhiluo also told Mrs. Cui some things about the outside world, of course, she only talked about the light-hearted and interesting ones.

However, Jiang Zhiluo also discussed with Cui Hejin on the way and decided not to tell Mrs. Cui about her true life experience for the time being.

Before eating dumplings in the evening, they set off firecrackers.

Jiang Zhiluo was so excited that she went to light the firecrackers herself.

For fear of scaring the wolf king and queen, Jiang Zhiluo asked them to stay back in the house first.

Seeing Jiang Zhiluo as happy as a little girl, Cui Hejin's eyes showed a tender and affectionate look.

After making the dumplings, the family sat together to eat them. Xia Qingnuan even prepared a lot for the wolf king, queen, and two little wolves.

Everyone was eating seriously.

Jiang Zhiluo specially made playing cards to stay up all night. The four of them played cards while eating dried fruit snacks, and time passed quickly.

Mrs. Cui was playing cards and was a little surprised. "This card is really interesting."

Even Cui Qingci found playing cards fun.

Jiang Zhiluo's expression changed as she listened to their words. She looked at the cards thoughtfully.

Cui Hejin looked at Jiang Zhiluo who seemed a little distracted and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Zhiluo looked up and met Cui Hejin's worried expression, and smiled gently.

She said, "It's nothing. I just thought, since there are no such cards outside, maybe we can open a card room in town and only cater to ladies, so that they can have a place to relax and gather on weekdays."

"The card room requires a private room fee, and they also provide tea, snacks, and dried fruits. People spend money there, which also contributes to our income."

When Cui Qingci heard this, she said excitedly, "This is a good idea."

"If only there was a card room like this when I lived in Beijing, my best friends and I would have somewhere to get together on weekdays. We wouldn't have to go to each other's homes. Sometimes it's not fun to play with elders around."

Moreover, when visiting each other's homes, no matter how good the relationship is, you cannot go empty-handed, and sometimes you are afraid of causing trouble.

Moreover, when the younger generation visits someone else's home, they also have to pay their respects to the elders. There are so many rules that it is indeed quite troublesome.

But if there is a place like this where sisters can gather together, there is no need to follow so many rules and everyone can chat in private.

Simple and easy, you can also play cards.

The key is that if you get hungry while playing cards, the card room can also provide drinks and food.

Old Madam Cui was also somewhat tempted. As the old madam of the Cui family, she used to feel a bit bored staying in the mansion all the time.

It’s really nice to have a place like this to relax in your free time.

Jiang Zhiluo said, "It's just that after the New Year, we plan to go out for a while. If we open the store, we probably won't be able to handle it."

Jiang Zhiluo also didn't want to tire her mother and sister.

They only manage one store now, and they seem a bit overwhelmed.

"If there are more people or more staff, we can just let them look after the store and we won't have to worry about it."

The card room is simple. You just need to know how to play cards, teach everyone, and serve everyone drinks and food. It's quite simple.

Moreover, they do not accept male customers, only ladies and young ladies go to the store, so it is easy to serve them.

The environment is also relatively clean.

When Jiang Zhiluo is in charge of the decoration, she plans to make the store more elegant and warm, so that everyone will feel relaxed and comfortable when entering the store.

Cui Qingci said: "Sister-in-law, it's okay, we can look after one more store, we won't get tired."

Cui Qingci has always been grateful to Jiang Zhiluo, so she wanted to do more for her sister-in-law. Looking after a store is not tiring at all for her.

Jiang Zhiluo said, "Sister, I'll think about it carefully."

"Also, I think you and mom have a lot of stuff in the store, and you're also responsible for collecting brown sugar on weekdays. I think it might be a bit too busy. I thought after the New Year, why don't we hire two people to help out in the store."

When Mrs. Cui and Cui Qingci were busy, they also thought about hiring someone to help.

But they were a little worried and felt they could handle it themselves, so they didn't hire anyone.

Madam Cui sighed, "If those loyal servants of the Cui family were still around, we would feel more at ease using them."

When the Cui family was exiled, they released those people's indentures in advance.

They also thought that those were the elders in the mansion who were loyal to the Cui family, and they didn't want them to be implicated because of the Cui family's exile.

So when the imperial court issued the decree, the Cui family had arranged many things.

Jiang Zhiluo said, "Mother, sister, I remember that there are many good people in our Donghe Village who work diligently and efficiently. We can choose a few of them to help out in the store."

Jiang Zhiluo also has modern memories, and she thinks hiring someone can be used as well.

However, for Old Lady Cui and Cui Qingci, they feel at ease using their subordinates' indentures.

In the past, the Cui family's shop was managed by slaves from the mansion, and the masters held the indentures of their subordinates.

However, after Jiang Zhiluo said this, both Mrs. Cui and Cui Qingci seemed to be thinking about something.

"Actually, if you put it that way, it's really possible."

They had never thought about it this way before.

But if you think about it carefully, they know the situation of every household in Donghe Village.

We all know each other well.

Cui Qingci said, "But everyone in our village is busy making brown sugar right now. I don't know if you'd be willing to help out in the store."

Jiang Zhiluo said, "The income from making brown sugar is different from the income from working in a store."

"They make brown sugar because the more they produce, the more money they can make. Besides, there may not be much sugarcane in the mountains, so they may have to grow sugar beets later."

"But if you work in the store, you'll get a fixed salary every month. After the internship period, when you become a full-time employee, you'll also receive dividends."

"If the store's profits are good, they can get more bonuses. This model can motivate everyone to work hard..."