Chapter 326 It's not what she wants to see
Shen Zhiyan and Mr. Hong discussed for two full days before finalizing the structure and various detailed dimensions of the bridge.
On the first day of October, Mr. Hong came to Ye Caiping with a list:
"Through calculations, the total length of this bridge is 11 zhang (about 37 meters) and the materials used are estimated to be 3,250 taels."
Ye Caiping was surprised and said, "I thought it would cost tens of thousands of taels!"
Old Hong smiled and said, "No need. Including the wages of the craftsmen, it's only another three or four hundred taels. Oh, I'll take 300 taels for myself."
Ye Caiping chuckled: "That's as it should be. These are made of the best materials, right? You can't save money for me."
"Don't worry, they are all the best. They will last for a hundred years."
“I wonder how long it will take to build this bridge?”
"It should be ready by the beginning of next spring." Building a bridge is much more difficult than building a house.
Ye Caiping said, "Then from today on, Mr. Hong will live in my house. By the way, where are the craftsmen?"
A few days ago, Mr. Hong stayed at Shen Zhiyan's house to discuss the drawings.
Old Master Hong said, "I have my own team of craftsmen, 20 of them. They should be here in three or four days. Please ask Madam Ye to build them some huts for them to stay in temporarily."
Ye Caiping's house can't accommodate twenty people.
Even if we managed to find a place to stay, it was too crowded.
"Okay, I'll send someone right away."
Ye Caiping called Shanzi and asked him to go to the banyan tree to call for people, offering 25 cents a day to find someone to build a thatched hut.
When Shanzi shouted at the top of the banyan tree, a group of villagers responded.
Hearing that they were building huts for the team of craftsmen, they all said they wanted no money and were willing to work for free.
Almost every household sent out one person to rush to the designated open space to build a hut.
The huts are temporary residences and do not require a foundation. The villagers work in numbers and together they make adobe bricks with mud and build thatched roofs with dry straw. In just a few days, they have built a row of simple huts that can accommodate twenty to thirty people.
Add two large bunk beds and it's done.
As for meals, we went directly to Ye Caiping’s house to eat from the big pot.
October 2nd.
Jinhua ran excitedly to Xiaoyan's room. The two girls closed the door and began to divide the bill.
Jinhua held up an account book and said, "We opened on September 22. On the opening day, Manman asked Miss Qin to bring several young ladies from wealthy families over, and we made 23 taels of silver in one day. After that, although sales gradually declined, they finally stabilized at around 200-300 taels of silver per day."
Jinhua continued, "Last month, for 9 days, after deducting all costs, the total was 45 taels and 6 cents."
Xiaoyan smiled and said, "I didn't expect to get back half of my investment in the first month. If we can maintain this amount every day, we can keep making money."
Jinhua said, "We can open a branch store in the future, even in the capital. For now, we will keep 15 taels and 6 cents of the 45 taels for purchase and turnover, and divide the rest first."
The two girls each got 15 taels and were very satisfied.
It was only open for 9 days last month! The revenue sharing will be even greater next month.
Xiaoyan never thought that she would earn so much money in a month. As long as the shop develops steadily, there will be no worries in the future.
"Xiaoyan." At this time, Ye Hufen knocked on the door outside.
Xiaoyan quickly walked over to open the door and said with a smile: "Mom, I was just looking for you. Here, I return it to you."
As he said this, he handed the 15 taels to Ye Hufen.
Ye Hufen was startled, and smiled so hard that his teeth were showing: "What are you returning? What's mine is yours. You can keep it."
Then he stuffed it back into Xiaoyan's hand and pulled her out again: "Hurry up, Matchmaker Liu brought a boy to meet you. He's at your grandpa's house. No, no, don't go yet, change your clothes quickly."
Xiaoyan frowned: "Oh... I think this dress is pretty good, no need to change."
Ye Hufen looked at his daughter.
Since opening the embroidery shop, my daughter has paid great attention to her appearance and always wears silk clothes. She also wore a velvet flower on her head, which made her look delicate and pretty.
Ye Hufen said proudly: "Yes, my daughter is so pretty. Let's go now."
Ye Hufen took Xiaoyan and left happily.
Jinhua came out of the room and saw Old Lady Ye coming over with some corns. "Xiaoyan and Hufen are out? I was just about to ask them if they want to eat corns."
Jinhua said, "It is said that the matchmaker brought a young man to meet. I see that Xiaoyan doesn't seem to want to meet him...but why doesn't she refuse and go?"
Old Lady Ye snorted and laughed: "Or maybe it's not that she doesn't want to see him, but that he's not the one she wants to see right now?"
Jinhua's eyes lit up: "Grandma, what do you know? Tell me quickly."
"Go away, I'm not sure either. How can I say anything?"
Jinhua felt so anxious after hearing this that she felt uncomfortable.
......
Uncle Ye’s house.
Xiaoyan sat awkwardly in the main room.
Sitting opposite was a boy of about eighteen or nineteen years old.
He has regular facial features. As soon as Xiaoyan entered the room, he never moved his eyes away and smiled so naively.
Uncle Ye, Aunt Ye and Ye Hufen were all there, as well as Uncle Ye's three daughters-in-law.
Matchmaker Liu smiled and said, "My dear daughter-in-law, I passed by with my nephew today and came to visit you specially."
This is just a polite remark. You can't really say that you are visiting each other. You have to say that you are visiting relatives. Otherwise, it will be embarrassing if it fails.
Second Aunt Ye smiled and said, "Okay, okay. What's your nephew's name and where is he from?"
Matchmaker Liu said, "He is from Shanghe Village, his name is Lu Yang. It is not far from here, only about six or seven miles away. His family is well-off and is a well-known family in the village."
"His parents are healthy and hardworking. They opened a rice shop in town and have more than 30 acres of good farmland. They also hired a servant, so they don't have to do any heavy work. They just hire temporary workers when the season comes. I wonder which girl is lucky enough to marry into his family, hahaha."
Aunt Ye and Ye Hufen both laughed when they heard this, and were very satisfied.
If a family owns a shop, has no worries about food and drink, and has servants, then they are already wealthy. They are indeed a wealthy and good family.
This guy has a straight face and a plain head. As long as he has a good personality, it would be a good match for him in marriage.
Moreover, it was obvious that the guy had taken a liking to Xiaoyan at first sight, and he was staring at her with a silly smile on his face.
When Matchmaker Liu saw the expressions of Ye Hufen and the others, she knew they were satisfied and she was happy.
Some time ago, she introduced ordinary farmers to this girl. Later, she learned that this girl had some skills and even opened an embroidery shop in the county. She immediately introduced her to a wealthy farmer.
Matchmaker Liu continued, "My nephew is also very hardworking. He helps out in the shop every day. Although we hire temporary workers in the fields, he often goes to the fields himself when he sees work to do, and he doesn't pick and choose at all. Everyone in Shanghe Village praises him."
Xiaoyan glanced at Lu Yang, but lowered her head and said nothing.
Matchmaker Liu was a little choked when she saw Xiaoyan's expression. Did she not like her?
Second Aunt Ye also noticed it, and chatted with Matchmaker Liu for a few more words, and then Matchmaker Liu said goodbye.
Aunt Ye and Hu Fen sent the two matchmakers out.
Matchmaker Liu asked the young man to wait under the big tree in front and said to Ye Hufen:
"I see your girl doesn't seem very satisfied. To be honest, this boy is pretty good in my hands, mainly because of his good character."
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