Thanks to Zhao Qianhua, Tian An and Gu Jinyan each got 2,500 taels of silver and a shop in front of the college for free.
That day, after Aunt Wang left the general's mansion, she went to the Gu family and gave the same compensation to He Tian An.
Gu Jinyan's coming-of-age ceremony was ruined, and the elders of the Gu family felt that they had treated her unfairly, so they left the money and the shop to her for safekeeping.
Gu Jinyan had never done any business before, and she didn't know what kind of business to do with the shop, so she went to find Tian An.
Upon hearing this, Tian An tentatively said, "How about we form a partnership? You provide the shop, I provide the manpower and technology, and we'll split the money equally."
Gu Jinyan agreed without thinking. She would definitely not lose money if she did business with Tian An. This girl was a treasure trove.
After making up their minds, the two of them immediately went to see Gu Jinyan's shop.
On the way, Tian An also asked Gu Jinyan about the relationship between Jiang Wanmeng and Zhao Qianhua. Only then did he know that the Jiang family was the empress dowager's family, and the empress dowager Jiang was not the current emperor's biological mother.
Back then, the Jiang family was just an ordinary official. After entering the palace, Empress Dowager Jiang held a low position. Because her family had no influence and could not provide her with support, she did not fight for power like other concubines, and was like a nobody in the palace.
Later, the late Empress, the biological mother of the current Emperor, died of complications during childbirth. The young prince was left unattended, and the uncompetitive Concubine Jiang caught the late Emperor's eye. He not only promoted her position, but also gave her the legitimate prince to raise.
Because she raised the legitimate prince, Concubine Jiang became closer to the late emperor, and gradually she had her own children.
Later, after the current emperor ascended the throne, he honored her as the empress dowager in gratitude for her upbringing and also gave the Jiang family the title of Earl's Mansion.
Because of the relationship with Empress Dowager Jiang, even though the Earl's title was not high, everyone had to give him some face.
This is also the reason why Zhao Qianhua, a lady from the Duke's Mansion, has to curry favor with Jiang Wanmeng from the Earl's Mansion.
Although the title of Duke's Mansion is high, Zhao Yiming's father died and Zhao Ningsong did not inherit the title, so the title of Duke's Mansion is equivalent to nothing to them, and naturally it is not as important as an Earl's Mansion backed by the Queen Mother.
As the two were talking, the carriage soon arrived.
Tian An and Gu Jinyan first looked around the shop and found that the size, layout, and location of this shop were similar to hers. Selling snacks near the college was the best choice. After getting Gu Jinyan's consent, Tian An arranged for people to set up the shop similar to hers.
The first floor is a noodle shop and simple meals. Braised pork noodles, spicy chicken noodles, fried bean paste noodles, braised pork noodles, and later I can also study the recipe of rice noodles, which I am sure many people will like.
For simple meals, various fried rice, rice bowls, nutritious porridge, casserole rice sets, and spicy hot pot are also available.
The second floor is where we sell cold drinks and snacks, including Aiyu jelly, milk tea, fruit tea, double skin milk, ice porridge, and various small cakes.
After a few months, when the potatoes in the field are harvested, we can prepare all kinds of potato snacks, such as French fries, potato chips, potato towers, and fried potatoes of various flavors.
Potatoes are a snack that people never get tired of eating near the college. With the addition of potatoes, it is hard for the shop’s business to be bad.
Gu Jinyan rarely came out, so after looking at the shop, the two of them went to Huanyanfang.
Huanyanfang's business is as good as ever. When renovating the shop, Tian An specially reserved a special counter for Ronghua.
At this time, two girls were choosing velvet flowers, but after looking at them, neither of them seemed very satisfied. As one of the two major velvet flower designers, how could Gu Jinyan tolerate this happening?
He immediately stepped forward to inquire about the situation, "There are so many styles of velvet flowers, don't the two girls like them?"
Seeing Gu Jinyan coming over, the maid beside her hurriedly introduced her to the guest: "This is Miss Gu, the designer of our velvet flowers. You can tell her what kind of flowers you like, and we can also make them to order."
The two girls wondered, "What is a designer?"
Without the maid's help to explain, Gu Jinyan said herself: "What the designer meant is that some of these velvet flowers are made according to the patterns I drew. I can help you draw the ones you like first, and then make them after you confirm them."
The two girls understood immediately and excitedly surrounded Gu Jinyan, saying, "So you painted all these velvet flowers! They're really beautiful!"
"Hmm? Looks good?" Gu Jinyan frowned and said, "But didn't you guys choose the one you liked just now?"
A girl in pink explained, "We just didn't choose the right one, not that we don't like it."
The girl in green said with an embarrassed look on her face, "Actually, I'm here to buy a headdress for my wedding. My family and my future mother-in-law's family are both very poor. Although they gave me money to buy silver jewelry, I think every penny counts, so I wanted to take a look at these velvet flower headdresses and hope to get good luck with them."
Looking at the velvet flowers on the counter, Gu Jinyan understood. They had previously made a set of wedding ornaments, but it had been bought a few days ago. The velvet flowers they made now were for daily wear. They looked fresh and elegant on weekdays, but they would not be so good if they were to be worn at a wedding.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "If you're serious about buying it, I can design a velvet flower headdress specifically for you to wear on your wedding day. I guarantee it'll be beautiful and luxurious, on par with silver jewelry."
The girl in pink excitedly pulled her best friend and said, "Xiao Ye, hurry up and agree! It will definitely look great."
Although the girl in green was tempted, she was a little hesitant. "Will it be too late? This will take a long time!"
Gu Jinyan estimated the time and said, "I can draw the pattern for you right now. If you are satisfied, you can take it to the workshop for customization. You can come and pick it up in five days at most."
Hearing this, the two girls looked at each other. If it was five days, then it would be just in time.
Seeing this, Gu Jinyan immediately asked the maids to bring paper, pens, and paints, and then drew a copy according to her own ideas. After showing it to them, she made some adjustments based on their ideas, incorporating several elements that the green-dressed girl liked, and she was very satisfied.
The girl in pink envied him and said, "When I get married in the future, I want to come here and have a unique headdress like this customized."
After paying the deposit, Gu Jinyan had the finalized drawings taken to Donglin Street for rush production. She then arranged with the two girls to come pick them up five days later and personally escorted them to the door.
Seeing Gu Jinyan coming back, Tian An gave her a thumbs up and said jokingly, "As expected of our great designer Gu, she's amazing!"
Gu Jinyan raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Why? Do you want me to help you plan your wedding in the future?"
Tian An's eyes lit up, "Great! Then Sister Jinyan must not be forgotten."
Seeing that Tian An didn't look like he was joking, Gu Jinyan panicked instead, "I was just joking, don't take it seriously!"
Tian An said, "That won't do. We just agreed that all jewelry I wear for my wedding will be designed by Sister Jin Yan. I don't want jewelry designed by anyone else."
Gu Jinyan was dumbfounded, pointing at Tian An and scolding him, "You, you little scoundrel..."
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