Chapter 88
"You can use this when you study in the future."
"good."
Wen Xiaowu guessed that it was probably some books or something similar, which he could indeed use. Thinking of something, he quickly took out the money pouch that Old Man Wen had given him earlier from his pocket.
"This is what Dad asked me to give you, Third Brother, please keep it."
Wen Shi is not a heartless person. His family has supported him since he went to study in the prefectural city. One cannot be ruthless and heartless.
But right now, Wen Xiaowu could see his situation clearly. In the small courtyard, although there were three rooms, only the main room was spacious. The other two rooms were very small. It was fine for a family of three to live there, but if the whole family came, they definitely wouldn't be able to stay.
"Third Brother, how much is your annual salary?"
Wen Xiaowu was a little curious. Wen Shi was now considered to be receiving government pay, but he didn't know exactly how much.
"Two hundred taels."
This amount of money is considerable, but in the capital, it's just enough to get by; it's enough for basic living.
After Wen Shi finished speaking, he stirred the porridge in the pot with the wooden spoon. The porridge was almost cooked. His treatment wasn't bad. If he had gone directly to the local area, it would have been about the same, or even worse.
Wen Shi didn't hide anything from Wen Xiaowu. After listening to his third brother's explanation, Wen Xiaowu sighed. He wasn't young anymore and had a good understanding of money.
"The porridge is ready. Set the table and let's eat."
"good."
Dinner was simple but delicious. After eating and drinking her fill, Yingxiang started tidying up the house.
The main house has been tidied up, and the other two rooms are just right for the children to stay in with Wen Xiaowu. Wen Shi helps them make their beds, while Wen Xiaowu plays with the children in the yard.
"My wife, you've worked hard."
Wen Shi walked up to his wife, looking ashamed. His wife had visibly lost a lot of weight.
Yingxiang glanced at him, her lips moving slightly: "Husband, how have you been lately?"
Wen Shi didn't hide anything and told Ying Xiang everything that had happened since he left home. Overall, there weren't any major ups and downs.
"Fortunately, we won't have to be separated anymore."
Wen Shi walked up to his wife and hugged her tightly.
The sound of children's laughter came from outside. The two looked at each other and smiled. He then gently kissed his wife's forehead.
At night, after some coaxing, the child was willing to sleep on his own. After settling him in, Wen Xiaowu also prepared to go to sleep. When he saw his third brother push open the door and enter, he subconsciously sat up straight.
Wen Shi was holding a thick set of books, which should have been given to him.
"Third Brother."
"These are mostly my old notes, and a few books too. I'm giving them all to you."
Compared to others, Wen Shi felt that her greatest advantage was her memory. When she was studying in the prefectural city, if she didn't understand the teacher's explanations, she would memorize the questions and answers and review them repeatedly in private.
You'll need it someday, so keep it.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Wen Xiaowu solemnly took the notebook and placed it on the bedside table. As a scholar, he naturally knew how important the notebook was. Moreover, his third brother's teacher was no ordinary teacher; he had actually served in the government and retired honorably.
"Go to sleep."
"good."
Wen Shi closed the door. The night was beautiful, with a full moon in the sky and twinkling stars. Wen Shi thought of her family and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
He had made countless wishes to the moon, and now all his wishes had come true. It was a cold night, and he was dressed warmly, but he didn't stay outside for long. He turned around and went back to the main house.
"The lease on this house has expired. What do you think, my wife?"
"It looks alright, let's continue living here."
After washing up, Yingxiang went straight to bed and felt like she could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
"I'm going to the Hanlin Academy tomorrow, so I'll take today off."
Wen Shi took off his outer clothes and went to bed wearing a white undergarment.
"You go about your business. I'll take Xiao Wu and the kids out for a stroll later. It's not easy for him to come all this way, so let him rest for a month, do some sightseeing, and we can go back before the New Year."
Yingxiang thought of the bustling capital city, and her sleepiness vanished instantly; she was clearly looking forward to it.
"Here, take this."
Wen Shi handed his money box to Ying Xiang and put the money bag that Wen Xiao Wu had given him into it as well.
"My lord, when I arrived in the capital, I discovered many farms and fields in the outskirts of the capital. How much silver would these cost approximately?"
Upon hearing Yingxiang's words, Wenshi said, "If it is top-quality land, it will cost at least fifty or sixty taels per mu. Farms are basically owned by people. Even if they are for sale, large farms will cost at least tens of thousands of taels, and small ones will cost at least a thousand taels."
Yingxiang was also thinking about the long term, and after hearing what was said, she temporarily gave up the idea of buying a property.
She herself has money, but Wen Shi is very meticulous, so it's best not to expose things that she can't explain.
"If nothing unexpected happens in these three years, we can save some money just from our salaries."
The only high cost in the capital is rent. When he goes to the market to buy vegetables, grains and meat, the price is not much different from that in the prefectural city. He has roughly estimated that the weather has been good in recent years, so the price of grain will not be too high.
"If I can stay in the capital later, I can buy a few acres of land for my family. They will definitely have enough to eat and drink."
It's definitely impossible to make money from the grain grown on just a few acres of land.
Yingxiang snuggled closer to him and said, "I've always been in charge of the household finances. Husband, trust me, I'll make the money grow. You go about your business and strive for a bright future."
"This is the capital city."
Hearing this, he immediately spoke up.
To put it bluntly, he was just an insignificant minor official with no powerful backing and no right to attend court.
“I know. I’ve been thinking about this before. Whether it’s the capital or the prefecture, we’re all in this business. As the child grows up, he won’t just be eating with us anymore.”
Knowing that Yingxiang was aware of the situation, Wen Shi wasn't too worried. He was thinking about the worst-case scenario: he would save some money to buy land for his family and bring them over. They would have something to do and wouldn't have to worry about food and drink.
But if he were a bit luckier and became an official earlier, and rose through the ranks, his salary would naturally be higher. With more money, he could do other things, since family fortunes are accumulated slowly by generation after generation.
"Go to sleep."
As drowsiness washed over him, Yingxiang quickly drifted off to sleep. He kissed his wife gently, reminding her that she needed to rest for a few days.
Early in the morning, when it was just getting light outside, I got ready, prepared breakfast, ate and drank my fill, and then went out.
Yingxiang slept until noon, and Wen Xiaowu slept for almost the same amount of time. It was cold, so the two of them were dressed warmly. Fortunately, the food was ready.
Yingxiang washes the dishes, and Wen Xiaowu helps him look after the children.
"Xiao Wu, let's go out for a walk later."
Yingxiang came out of the kitchen, and Wen Xiaowu nodded while holding the child. The child really liked this uncle and clung to his neck, refusing to let go.
Yingxiang put some money in her pocket. As for the deposit slip, she could have Wenshi exchange it at the bank when she needed the money. Right now, the most important thing was to start some business so that the family could have some income.
The three of them walked out of the alley and went straight onto the main street.
Despite the cold weather, there were still many people. The shops on both sides of the street were bustling with people. There were teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, cloth shops, restaurants, and one of them every few steps in Yingxiang. There were also many small vendors carrying their wares on shoulder poles, selling all sorts of strange and unusual things.
"Third Sister-in-law, what are you trying to do?"
Yingxiang nodded.
“My child is growing up, and I’m bored staying at home all day. I might as well do something to earn some money.”
The food business is actually the most stable, but the capital city is not lacking in food stalls. Thinking of the restaurant in the county, Yingxiang felt that this small restaurant would probably not work in the capital city. There are more stalls here, and the people on the street are obviously richer. Even if there are people from other places who come to do business, they are mostly wealthy and they are more particular.
The county has many poor people and few rich people, while the capital is the complete opposite. After walking through several streets, Yingxiang rejected the previous plan, and she had to re-examine it.
Logically speaking, the easiest things to do in business are food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, as these are necessities of life. However, much of her money is illicit and cannot be readily available. Wen Shina currently only has a little over a hundred taels of silver, and even with the twenty taels given by her father, it's not quite enough.
If you're doing business, you need to attract customers and build your reputation in the first two months, so you can only do so by selling more at a lower profit margin.
During this safe period, she also needs to set aside living expenses and rent for the next six months. When the child grows up, she can take care of him herself, so she won't need to hire anyone.
"Third sister-in-law, I think you don't need to worry too much. Although my third brother's salary is not much, it is not small either. He can support you and the children without any problem."
After Wen Xiaowu finished speaking, he pinched the soft cheek of the child in his arms.
Yingxiang smiled but didn't say anything. If the family of three relied on Wen Shi, they could definitely make a living. He was currently paying 200 taels a year, and 600 taels in three years. After deducting all expenses, they would definitely have some left over. However, she didn't want to rely entirely on Wen Shi. Before, there was no other way, but things were different now.
Yingxiang wandered around, observing.
What she needs right now is to monetize her assets as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a teahouse packed with people caught Yingxiang's eye. Yingxiang went straight in. It was a three-story teahouse with a stage in the middle where a storyteller was telling stories.
When Wen Shi took the exam in the prefectural city, she once took her child to a teahouse to listen to storytelling.
But listening to stories is ultimately just for entertainment; it would be even better if the stories could be brought to life in the storyteller's words.
As Yingxiang thought about this, a brilliant idea flashed in her mind: she still needed to be innovative and do something unique, so that she could definitely make money at the beginning.
There were opera troupes in ancient times too. Opera troupes sang, but wouldn't it be even better if they could perform in plain language? After thinking it over, she decided that she could try doing that in ancient times.
Yingxiang sat in the teahouse, her mood improving with each thought.
She could rent a small shop, but the most important thing was to set up a good stage. She would write the script herself and find people to rehearse.
The love-hate relationship between a scholar and a young lady, the harem of a wealthy man, the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—everyone listens to these stories with great interest, but it would be even better to see them in person.
The only difficulty is the set design and the actors' acting skills. They need to be able to cry and laugh. However, at the beginning, there is no need to be too demanding about the acting skills and the scenes. She is unique and will definitely attract people to watch.
Yingxiang became more and more excited as she thought about it. She made up her mind and decided to do it this way. The people of the capital had no worries about food and drink, and they had seen a lot of variety shows, plays, and storybooks, so they were all just so-so. It would be better for her to write her own scripts and perform them directly, which would be much more engaging.
She should focus on the plot and make it exciting. It's okay to keep the scene setting simple. It's better to start with a simple plot so that the scenes are easier to set up. Everything is difficult at the beginning.
Once she earns money and has more money in hand, she can gradually improve her skills.
"Third Sister-in-law, do you really enjoy listening to audiobooks?"
In the bustling teahouse, Yingxiang was staring intently at the storyteller when Wen Xiaowu's words brought her back to reality.
"like."
After Yingxiang finished speaking, she smiled, hugged her son and kissed him. That's how it'll be. She'll travel around for a few days, rest, and then start making preparations.
Of course, I should definitely tell Wen Shi in advance.
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