The courtyard behind the shop is not large, but it has a kitchen and a well. However, it has fewer side rooms than the back courtyard of Jishetang.
Madam Su had already planned which rooms would be used for living and which would be used as storage.
After settling in, Zhang Man and his wife went to Madam Su.
"Greetings, Madam."
Erniu was a little reserved, having lost the carefree attitude she had in the countryside. She felt that the etiquette she had practiced countless times in her mind was not up to standard.
Jiang Shuyue returned Zhang Man's indenture to the head of the estate last night. Since his indenture hadn't been stamped with the official seal, it had no legal effect.
"Erniu is educated, isn't she?" Madam Su seemed to recall Jiang Shuyue mentioning it.
Erniu glanced at Zhang Man and said, "I've read a few books with my husband, so I wouldn't call myself a scholar, but I'm very good at accounting."
When it came to settling accounts, Erniu revealed a confident smile.
“Zhang Man will be the manager, and his monthly allowance will be set at eight taels. If business is good, it will be increased. Er Niu, you will be in charge of serving female customers, and your monthly allowance will be set at four taels.”
After speaking, Madam Su looked at the couple and asked, "Are you willing to accept this arrangement?"
"Yes, yes, thank you, madam."
Erniu beamed and pulled Zhang Man to bow again.
"We haven't prepared any writing materials here today, so we can sign the employment contract another day."
Madam Su paused for a moment and then had a maid hand her a purse. "This is for living expenses. All expenses should be recorded and kept in a ledger. Just give me the ledger every month."
Erniu was overjoyed and took the purse, handing it to Zhang Man immediately.
"Don't worry, Madam. Miss has taught me a new bookkeeping method. Income and out are clearly separated and transparent. You can tell how much profit you have at a glance."
Zhang Man was secretly pleased but didn't show it on his face. He patiently explained the new accounting method to Madam Su.
He hadn't expected that when he first came to the capital to work, Madam Su would set such a high monthly allowance for him and Erniu, and that they wouldn't have to pay for their own food and lodging. This surprised him quite a bit.
Jiang Shuyue listened quietly to Madam Su's arrangements, and no one mentioned hiring more people until the very end.
She reminded her at the right moment, "Aunt, the couple can't handle all the work at the cloth shop on their own. Yue'er suggests you hire two or three more helpers."
"Can business really be that good?"
"Yes! Trust me, the business will be booming for at least a year."
Seeing Jiang Shuyue's serious expression, Madam Su thought for a moment and instructed Zhang Man, "I'll leave the hiring to you. You can use either a fixed contract or a flexible contract, as long as the person is clever and follows the rules."
"Yes, sir. I'll go out and buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones right away."
"Wait a minute, we need to look at people's appearances when hiring. We'll give them a one-month trial period before making a final decision."
Jiang Shuyue has always believed that one's appearance reflects one's inner state.
“What you say is absolutely right, Miss. I will go and make the preparations right away. When the person arrives, Miss can come and take a look if you have time.”
Jiang Shuyue nodded. "Okay, go ahead and get busy. Erniu isn't familiar with the streets of the capital. You can take her to the neighborhood to get acquainted with the area first."
After Zhang Man and his wife left, Jiang Shuyue and Madam Su talked for a while before saying goodbye and going home.
Has Sui Sui come back?
As soon as Jiang Shuyue got off the carriage, she asked the gatekeeper.
The servant shook his head. "The young master hasn't returned. Princess Chang Le has left the palace. Knowing that the young lady wasn't in the mansion, Her Highness left a message saying she would come another day and then left."
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and Jinxiufang opened its doors amidst a deafening burst of firecrackers.
Looking at the wall covered with all sorts of fabrics, Madam Su couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Yue'er said the business would be booming for at least a year. With such unique colors and patterns, every young master and young lady would want some."
Jiang Shuyue happened to hear the last sentence when she came in.
He looked up at his masterpiece.
Exquisitely beautiful, Jiang Shuyue imagined in her mind how dashing it would look on a handsome young man if the ink-like landscape pattern were made into a robe.
When Jiang Shuyue saw a customer enter the shop, she pulled Madam Su aside.
"Aunt, look how beautiful that fabric is. Noble ladies in the capital will definitely love it."
"If we go back another ten or twenty years, I would have liked it too."
“Look at what you’re saying, Aunt. You’re still young. Once this busy period is over, I’ll pick out a piece of light-colored fabric and have an embroiderer make two sets for you to try.”
After the dyeing workshop produced the finished product, the young master sent someone to deliver a bolt of cloth to the Jiang residence. The embroiderers had never seen such stunning silk before, and they decided to make it as beautiful as possible.
From the collar to the sleeves, every embroidery was done with care and attention.
The embroiderers had to rush to make wedding dresses, so the speed of making new clothes was naturally much slower.
Jiang Shuyue estimated that it would be a few more days before she could wear her new dress.
Watching Zhang Man busy attending to customers, Er Niu saw the ladies standing in front of the counter examining the fabrics on the wall. She talked incessantly to the customers about the new patterns of silk.
The newly hired helpers were also busy, taking orders to see sample fabrics, cut fabric, and collect money.
Seeing that everyone was busy, Qiuju also picked up a ruler to help measure. Most of the people who came to buy fabric knew how much fabric they needed to make their dresses.
Very few people don't understand that Erniu only needs to glance at a customer's size to tell how much fabric the customer needs.
If a noble family takes a fancy to a piece of a horse, they will want the whole horse, and the servants will serve it with beaming smiles.
Even if an ordinary family only needs a few feet of fabric, the shop assistant won't look down on them. They will patiently cut the fabric, wrap it up, and respectfully see the customer out of the shop.
Watching the endless stream of customers enter the shop, Madam Su pulled Jiang Shuyue to the backyard.
A maidservant brought tea.
"Moon, thank you. Without your help, I would never have imagined that the business would be so successful."
Jiang Shuyue seemed to be thinking, "Aunt, to be honest, today's sales may not meet my expectations."
Madam Su was taken aback. "This is already very good."
Qiuju and Madam Su's maid both said, "Yes! Customers have been coming in waves, which is already very good."
Jiang Shuyue gently shook her head, "It's not good enough. I'm not thinking about waves of customers arriving, but rather the kind of frenzied scene where the goods sell out."
"Don't worry, Yue'er. Given the current situation, we can still make a small profit after deducting all expenses. Your aunt is content."
The scenario of selling out completely, as described by Jiang Shuyue, was something Madam Su couldn't even imagine.
Jiang Shuyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down before saying to Qiuju, "Go and choose two ink paintings and have Gao Mu and Cang Yun deliver them to Young Master Zhen and Young Master Xie respectively. Just say that A Jin asked them to be sent."
Madam Su looked annoyed. "Look how foolish I am. I only sent two horses to Yutong and the Princess, and I never thought of sending two horses to Ajin's friend."
"Aunt, the meaning of your gift is different."
Madam Su was completely bewildered. "Yutong is my future daughter-in-law, and Her Highness the Princess is Hui'er's sister-in-law. Of course, we should think of them when we have something good. What other meaning could there be?"
Jiang Shuyue smiled faintly, "Auntie, you don't know this, there's a saying called the celebrity effect."
"Tell me about it, Moon."
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