Xu Lanyin sneered, and the lucky life that Miss Su had paved for Gu Wangchen had begun.
She took Xu Lanzhou to the candied fruit shop she had her eyes on before, but the shop was no longer open and there was a sign saying "For Transfer".
There were two shops for sale on this street, but Xu Lanyin was most optimistic about this one. Not only was it close enough to the Yi Ju Restaurant for easy surveillance, but it was also small and not a building, making it cheap and suitable for both renting and buying.
Even if they opened a pastry shop here, Xu Lanyin and Xu Lanzhou couldn't possibly make or sell pastries in the shop every day. Furthermore, they couldn't let Gu Wangchen think she was following him and cause trouble.
She was more optimistic about Xu Dashi and his wife. She had known in her previous life that family businesses had many drawbacks in the long run. But the dim sum shop wouldn't be her family's main business, and Xu Dashi assured her that he would just share some of the profits with them later...
Xu Lanyin and Xu Lanzhou had just reached the gate of the county town when they ran into a military officer. He smiled and greeted Xu Lanyin, "Miss Xu, what a coincidence."
The officer was tall and muscular, with a dark complexion. Xu Lanyin paused for a moment before she could fully grasp him. It was Uncle Hong, the "hunter" she had occasionally encountered. Judging by his clothing, he was an officer, but Xu Lanyin couldn't tell what rank he was.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Uncle Hong, so you are the military master."
Hong Zhen chuckled a few times and said, "When I have nothing to do, I like to go hunting in the mountains to practice my hunting skills." He became a little embarrassed and laughed, "The snack that Miss Xu gave me last time, my daughter Fang'er really liked it. Later, I ran all over the county, but couldn't find a similar one..."
He was too embarrassed to say that his daughter ate the snack with relish, and his pregnant wife still thinks about the aroma to this day. At that time, he said he lived in the county town, but the girl didn't say where she lived, so he couldn't find the place to buy it even if he went to her house.
Xu Lanyin said politely, "I made the snacks myself. How about telling me your address and I'll send them to your house when I'm done?"
Hong Zhen quickly laughed and said, "How can I have the nerve to ask you to send it to my house? Where do you live? I'll have my servants go to your house to buy it." He added, "I live in the third house in Ding Er Hutong, south of Shuhua Street. You are welcome to visit my home anytime."
He has servants at home and also owns a house in the county town. The house on Shuhua Street is one of the better ones, which shows that Uncle Hong has a good family background.
Xu Lanyin knew that there was a military garrison in the southern suburbs of Nanping County, with the highest-ranking officer being the garrison commander. Most military families lived near the barracks, and very few officers had houses in the county.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "I'll make a few more tomorrow morning. Snacks are not expensive and kids like to eat them, so just take some." She then gave her home address.
Hong Zhen thanked them, and Xu Lanyin and her brother walked out of the city gate.
Qin's face lit up with smiles as she took the money home. By this calculation, the family had more than 470 taels of silver in savings, enough to treat her youngest son's illness, support her two sons' education, and give her daughter a generous dowry.
She smiled and said, "Mother, take one hundred and fifty taels and put it aside to buy Yin'er's dowry. When mother feels better, she will go out and find some land and jewelry."
Xu Lanyin had never thought about dowry, and said, "Mom, my bad reputation has spread. No good family would be willing to marry me now, and I don't want to be someone else's stepmother. I can talk about getting married in two years. I will use this money to buy property for the family first..." Then she told him that she wanted to open a snack shop and that she had her eyes on the shop.
Qin was not one to worry about things, and she felt her daughter was now sensible and promising. Her snacks were unique and would definitely make money. She smiled and said, "Yin'er, you can do whatever you want. But your reputation isn't good, so don't show up in public too often. We can live in the backyard, hire two workers to make snacks, and hire a shopkeeper to sell them in the front."
Xu Lanyin shook her head and said, "Gu Wangchen's teahouse is on that street. We can't live there."
Qin Shi heard this and quickly said, "Then we should rent the shop there and move to another one."
Xu Lanyin said hurriedly, "I've already had my eye on that shop. It's not expensive, not far from the houses of wealthy families, and it's suitable for selling high-quality dim sum... Gu Wangchen will be taking the Spring Examination next year. Although his character is not good, his talent and ability are truly outstanding. If he passes the exam without any accidents, they will leave then. Besides, I don't want to put all my energy into the dim sum business. My two younger brothers still have to study. I want my eldest brother and sister-in-law..."
She also mentioned that she wanted to hire Xu Dashi as the shopkeeper, and that Li would teach apprentices to make dim sum, and give them a 10% stake. This would not only encourage them to work harder, but also require them to keep the dim sum recipes secret.
Qin and Xu Lanzhou agreed. However, Xu Lanzhou preferred to rent a shop rather than buy it, saying he would rather buy land if he had extra money, especially since it was uncertain whether the owner would sell it. Qin also thought so; she also wanted to buy more land and save more money for her daughter's dowry.
That evening, Xu Lanyin and Xu Lanzhou went to the eldest wife's house to discuss the matter. The elderly couple and the eldest wife's family were delighted and all agreed. Even the county magistrate's daughter liked Xu Lanyin's dim sum, so it was sure to sell well.
Xu Dashi, in particular, didn't want to work in the fields, didn't know how to make a living, and certainly didn't dare venture out like his second uncle, putting his head on the line. With this opportunity before him, of course he was willing to take it. Furthermore, Xu Lan was favored by Miss Min and Steward Tang, and with them as his support, those scoundrels wouldn't dare come and extort or cause trouble. Plus, the snacks were delicious, so there was no reason not to make money.
He rubbed his hands and laughed, "Second Aunt's family not only provides money, but also provides skills. How can we have the nerve to ask for shares for free? How about this, Dad and Mom lend me ten strings of cash, and I'll invest it, so it won't be free."
Gu was unhappy and said angrily, "I gave you shares because the girl and Zhou Xiaozi were kind and righteous. If you insist on giving silver, you will be refusing their kindness."
Old Man Xu also said, "We're all family, so we shouldn't have different opinions. Dashi just needs to remember the kindness of Second Uncle's family and do good things in the future. It would be a bit awkward to insist on giving him money."
Old Mrs. Xu glared at Old Man Xu and Gu, snorting inwardly. "If the First Wife had remembered the favor, she should have contributed a little when the Second Wife was in dire straits. Back then, when the Second Wife gave you money, you were happy to accept it, and now you're happy to accept benefits from his children as well. How dare you!"
The old lady said, "Dashi did the right thing. He paid the money himself, which shows how brave he is." She then said to Xu Qingming, "Don't be a grown man like a woman and take advantage of orphans and widows. If others know about it, they will laugh at you."
These words were rather harsh, and Mrs. Gu's face flushed red, and she dared not say anything more. Old Man Xu wanted to say more, but seeing the old lady's bad face, he stopped talking.
Xu Qingming blushed and said, "Mom is right. Let's pool our money together, borrow some more, and come up with ten strings of cash."
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