Seeing that Qiu Weicha did not react, Zhu Jiayu continued, "Just now, I heard from Third Uncle that the jewelry shop and silk shop in the west of the city have no income at all, and are even in a state of loss. If that's the case, why doesn't Third Uncle just close down these two shops and lay off the employees and managers, at least saving a sum of money per month?"
"And then there's this bookstore in the south of the city. The people living in the south of the city are mostly peddlers, laborers, embroiderers, and cooks. They are busy making a living all day long, so where would they find the time to read books, let alone spend money to buy them?"
After she finished giving her example, Qiu Weichai retorted, "But... the clerks and managers in the jewelry and silk shops are all old folks who worked for Father in the past. If we just dismiss them like this, what will others think of our Qiu family?"
"The bookstore can be closed, but that would only cut costs. How can we solve the fundamental problem of revenue?"
Zhu Jiayu smiled and asked Qiu Weicha, "The whole family is barely surviving, and you still care about your reputation, Third Uncle? Even if they are the elders of the Qiu family, how old are they now? Are they all too old to lift a finger? What contributions have they made to the Qiu family? Do they deserve to be cared for in their old age? Have you thought about these questions, Third Uncle?"
"Since we are short of money, we should cut back on the family's food and other necessities. We can also dismiss unnecessary servants. When we have money, extravagance is the icing on the cake, but when we don't have money, extravagance is a shackle. What do you say, Uncle?"
Seeing that Qiu Weicha was still hesitant, Zhu Jiayu smiled and offered him a suggestion: "Since Third Uncle is reluctant to admit it, why not take advantage of Grandmother's mourning period and say that the whole family is grateful for Grandmother's frugal nature and has decided to follow suit? This way, we can preserve our reputation and save a lot of money. With the money saved, Third Uncle could discuss it with his two uncles and aunts to see if they want to do other business?"
"Since you're looking for quick profits, I don't recommend going into the fabric business, including the cosmetics business targeting women. These kinds of businesses require building a reputation, which isn't suitable for the Qiu family right now. In my opinion, the bookstores in the south of the city could be converted into restaurants with lower prices, which would be perfect for the locals."
Having said that, Zhu Jiayu felt he had said enough, so he stood up and said to Qiu Weicha, "Third Uncle, think it over carefully. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
After their conversation, she could tell that Qiu Weicha had too many concerns and probably wouldn't listen to her advice. Since that was the case, she didn't want to say anything more.
Qiu Weicha nodded dejectedly, got up to say goodbye, and returned to his own courtyard.
Zhu Jiayu eventually left with Lüzheng. So much had happened in Heling that she increasingly missed the gentle and tranquil old days in Suiping.
Although she knew she could never go back to those days, perhaps that's why she missed them so much.
She took Lüzheng for a walk at the foot of Xicheng Mountain outside the city. At the foot of the mountain were vast fields, which were already full of green at this time of year. Farmers wearing straw hats and carrying hoes walked on the ridges of the fields. In a moment, the wind blew and the water in the river rippled, and the forests in the mountains and the seedlings in the fields also swayed. The green waves rose and fell, and the scenery was beautiful.
Zhu Jiayu found a quiet place to sit and rest, and with her permission, Lüzheng ran off a little further away.
She sat under the tree, looked at the scenery for a while, then closed her eyes to calm her mind.
A short while later, a shadow fell on her face. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes. When she saw the person who had come, she was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. Her hand, which was hidden in her sleeve, clenched tightly. Her tone was restrained and calm, with a hint of doubt in it: "Young Master?"
The person who arrived was Rong Heng. He smiled, but before he could speak, the eagle on his shoulder suddenly flew towards Zhu Jiayu and affectionately nuzzled her face.
Zhu Jiayu's eyes widened.
how so.
Although it was close to her in her past life, hasn't she been reborn now? How could it...?
Before she could figure out why, she looked up and saw Rong Heng squinting at her, looking at her probingly. Her mind raced, and she quickly showed a flustered expression on her face. After being taken aback, she hurriedly backed away.
The look of doubt on Rong Heng's face faded away.
He called out softly, "Arrow Chaser, come back!"
The eagle then reluctantly flapped its wings and flew back to his shoulder.
Rong Heng looked at her again, and said apologetically, "Did I scare you? It's not usually like this..."
However, he couldn't figure out why Jianzhu was so close to Zhu Jiayu, and he had to stop halfway through his sentence.
He found Jianzhu in the mountains and raised it three years ago. It never got close to anyone except him. Once, a woman who wanted to please him approached Jianzhu and almost had her eyes pecked out by it.
Zhu Jiayu breathed a sigh of relief, patted the weeds off her body, and said to Rong Heng with a smile, "It's not its fault, it's just that I'm too timid and that's why I was scared by it."
Before Rong Heng could say anything after she finished speaking, Jianzhu let out a soft, aggrieved whistle on his shoulder, seemingly expressing its dissatisfaction.
Zhu Jiayu was so frightened that her palms were almost sweating.
But she wasn't worried that Rong Heng would discover anything. Rebirth was simply unbelievable, and Rong Heng had always thought such things were nonsense. In any case, he would never have imagined that the woman standing in front of him now was the wife he had once wronged so deeply.
After Zhu Jiayu finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and asked him, "Why is the young master here?"
Rong Heng had come for Zhu Jiayu, of course.
She was involved with Wei Qinglou too much, and she was also acquainted with Gu Zhongyi. Even the young master of the Langya Wang family said that he would marry no one but her. Rong Heng really wanted to know what was so special about her.
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