The next day, Xiao Yizhi woke up and lazily stretched.
He squinted and looked around, then was suddenly startled.
Zhen Wanwan grinned and looked at him with a grin: "Xiao Yi, Xiao Zhi, does your head still hurt?"
Yuan Huizhou stared at him with wide eyes, looking him up and down.
The two little ones also looked at Xiao Yizhi with curiosity.
Xiao Yizhi was flustered by this grand display, and his head was buzzing.
After a while, he realized that he was back again.
"How...how did I get here?"
As he spoke, he grabbed Yuan Huizhou's hand and asked incredulously, "Huizhou, tell me quickly, what's going on? How did I get back here?"
He only remembered that he was with a caravan heading north to Kyoto, and when it was time to rest in the evening, he lay down on the ground and fell asleep.
How come I'm back the moment I open my eyes?
Could he be dreaming?
Yuan Huizhou pursed his lips, glanced at Zhen Wanwan secretly, and then explained to Xiao Yizhi.
"You're not dreaming! As for why you came back, it was the son-in-law who had someone bring you back!"
Xiao Yizhi's mouth dropped open in surprise, then he realized something and said urgently, "No! I have to go back to Kyoto."
As he spoke, he threw back the covers, preparing to get out of bed, put on his clothes, and leave.
Zhen Wanwan pressed down on his small body and explained to him, meeting his puzzled gaze.
“I know you’re anxious, but don’t rush! General Xiao’s illness is very serious. Even if you go, it won’t be of much use.”
Xiao Yizhi's eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Zhen Wanwan sighed, squatted down in front of him, and gently comforted him, "Xiao Yi, I know you're a good boy. It's normal to worry when your parents are sick."
"But you shouldn't have run away alone. You're so young. What if you were kidnapped? General Xiao is still waiting for you to fulfill your filial duties!"
Xiao Yizhi shook his head, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "I can't fulfill my filial duty! I heard someone tell the strategist that my father won't live more than a few days!"
Zhen Wanwan was slightly taken aback; she knew it was true.
She gently ruffled Xiao Yizhi's hair, calming his anxious emotions.
"Then you didn't hear it all! Did you hear the strategist say later that I could cure your father's illness?"
Xiao Yizhi stopped crying and looked at Zhen Wanwan in surprise.
Thinking about it carefully, he was far away and couldn't hear very clearly, so it's normal that he missed some parts occasionally.
"Auntie! Can you really cure my father?"
Despite the slim chance, Xiao Yizhi still looked at Zhen Wanwan with anticipation.
Looking at Xiao Yizhi, who had changed from his usual arrogant self to someone who seemed fragile and broken.
Zhen Wanwan's prejudice against the male lead disappeared. After all, nothing had happened yet, and perhaps she could try to accept the child again.
Perhaps with her by his side to guide him, this child's values can be reshaped?
Of course, she still didn't think highly of Xiao Yizhi regarding Tianbao's matter, and as they grew up, she deliberately emphasized their sibling relationship.
I believe it won't be so easy for feelings to develop in the future!
"Your aunt is incredibly capable! Have you forgotten? When the plague broke out in the prefectural city, I single-handedly cured the entire population..."
"Actually, your father's illness is very simple. He will definitely get better in the future. I have already sent medicine to your father. He will be able to come and see you again soon."
With tears streaming down his face, Xiao Yizhi pursed his lips tightly, covered his eyes, and cried softly.
Granny Zhang looked away, feeling a pang of pity, and suddenly remembered her own family's affairs.
After calming Xiao Yizhi down and making sure he wouldn't run away from home again, Zhen Wanwan went back to work.
Today was the day to deliver the account books to the department store, and Manager Zhang was already waiting in the living room.
When Zhen Wanwan entered the room, she saw Zhang Qiaozui sitting leisurely in her seat, drinking tea.
She already had a grasp of the accounts for the past two weeks; it seemed the department store had made quite a bit of money.
"Manager Zhang, you look rosy-cheeked, is something good happening?"
Zhang Qiaozui chuckled and lifted her beer belly, her smile dazzling those around her.
"Hehe! Lady Zhen guessed right! I have some really great news to tell you!"
"Look!" Zhang Qiaozui opened the ledger and showed it to Zhen Wanwan.
"The department store has only been open for ten days! After deducting the workers' monthly wages and the maintenance costs, it has already made ten thousand taels of silver!!!"
Ten thousand taels was within Zhen Wanwan's expectations, and she was even somewhat dissatisfied.
Her goals have changed, and she needs more money now.
Earning 20,000 taels in ten days only amounts to 60,000 taels in a month, which is far from enough to support hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Zhen Wanwan remained silent for a moment, thinking carefully about what methods she could use to make a lot of money in the short term.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that the main problem was the lack of sufficient sales channels.
If we can promote the department store's products to other prefectures, we won't have to worry about making money!
Zhen Wanwan was very confident that everyone would like the things they sold in their department store, and that everyone would need them.
"Manager Zhang, I have an idea. I wonder what your thoughts are?"
Zhang Qiaozui was immersed in the joy of earning 20,000 taels of silver from a single shop in a short period of time.
Upon hearing Zhen Wanwan's question, he chuckled and replied, "What Madam Zhen has in mind is certainly excellent!"
Zhen Wanwan rolled her eyes inelegantly and said reproachfully, "If I asked you to put a knife on your head, would you be willing?"
"I don't tolerate gimmicks here. If the department store wants to improve, the worst thing is to make decisions unilaterally. From now on, we need to brainstorm and communicate with each other to get things done well!"
Zhang Qiao grinned, showing no sign of embarrassment at being scolded by Zhen Wanwan.
She was even secretly pleased; her master's words were proof of her trust and respect for her.
Which business owner would be willing to listen to their servants and work together to develop the business?
A large part of the reason Zhang Qiaozui chose to abandon Zhuyuan and choose Zhen Wanwan was because he felt that he received respect from Zhen Wanwan.
They also gain a sense of accomplishment from building their careers.
Now, thanks to his management of the department store, who wouldn't respect him when he goes out?
Even low-ranking officials would greet him with a beaming smile.
Not everyone has this kind of face!
Especially for those families who have signed indentures, if their masters don't treat them like human beings, they can only endure being beaten and scolded.
Zhen Wanwan expressed her thoughts in detail.
"Manager Zhang, as you can see from our department store, every single item is a bestseller and an everyday necessity."
"Although these items are consumables and there's no need to worry about unsold stock, the city is only so big. It will take several months for customers to finish using them."
"We've been making a thousand taels a day these past few days, which is quite good. But once everyone has bought their share and the first batch is used up, it will take some time. I think we should think of a way to fill this gap and make it a thousand taels a day, or even ten thousand taels a day..."
Zhang Qiaozui nodded in agreement; he had discovered this problem when he was in Guangling County.
They even launched promotional activities, but with little effect, because rich people simply don't care about a little bit of money.
Poor families are unwilling to waste money on products that are inedible and consumed quickly.
That's why they created a distributor model, allowing itinerant merchants and peddlers to sell their goods to people in other prefectures.
Zhang Qiaozui wondered if Zhen Wanwan also wanted to do the same thing in this department store in Fucheng.
"Does Madam Zhen intend to reintroduce the distributor model?"
Zhen Wanwan shook her head; the distributor was just giving her another sales channel.
However, this is not conducive to her building her own brand, and the money earned by the distributors is still too little for her.
Seeing her shake her head, Zhang Qiao scratched her head in confusion.
Zhen Wanwan explained to Zhang Qiaozui, "We distributors only make a small amount of money, and our goal is not only to make money, but also to make the department store's name known."
"Let the whole world know about our department store! Let these products bear our department store label."
Zhang Qiaozui's eyes lit up. If that were true, they would be remembered in history and admired by thousands!
A hundred years later, people will still remember Zhang Qiaozui, the top boss of the department store!
His name, Zhang Qiaozui, will also spread throughout the world along with the department store!
What a blessing! Who wouldn't want to be remembered for all time?
Despite her thoughts, Zhang Qiaozui remained clear-headed.
"But didn't you say that our current situation isn't enough to open department stores in other prefectures?"
“That’s what I wanted to tell you!” Zhen Wanwan replied quickly.
Meeting Zhang Qiaozui's puzzled gaze, Zhen Wanwan confidently raised her head and explained.
“We can’t go there ourselves, but we can have those merchants come to us for cooperation. You can then propose a condition: we will supply the goods, but they must invest in opening a department store. Of course, they can manage the department store themselves; we won’t interfere!”
"However, we have the right to interpret the terms of this department store. If they do something wrong, or do something behind our back that damages the reputation of the department store, we have the right to demand that they close the store."
"And they need to compensate us for our economic losses. As for the profit, we need to deduct our cost of goods first, and then split the rest 50/50."
"Then you and I will set a target for them, and if any of the franchised department stores achieve the target, we will reward them."
"If the target number is exceeded, the profit sharing will be based on the amount exceeding the target, and they will receive a corresponding profit."
Zhen Wanwan told Zhang Qiaozui everything she had been thinking in one breath, and Zhang Qiaozui listened in a daze.
He frowned at times, then looked pleasantly surprised, and finally slapped his thigh excitedly.
“Madam Zhen’s idea is excellent! If we do it your way, we won’t have to spend our own money to open a store, nor will we have to allocate staff to manage department stores in other prefectures.”
"Most importantly, we can earn half the profits effortlessly, and someone will even help build our department store's reputation!!!"
Zhen Wanwan nodded in satisfaction, it seemed that Manager Zhang had fully understood her meaning.
"That's exactly right! This project is very important. Manager Zhang, I'm entrusting it to you. I hope you won't let me down!"
Zhang Qiaozui's eyes suddenly widened, and she stood up straight, solemnly making a promise.
"I will certainly not fail in my mission! Don't worry, Madam Zhen! I will cherish this...fragrant wood more than my own life!"
Zhen Wanwan couldn't help but laugh when she saw his expression.
“This project is called ‘franchise’. Spread the word that our department store is recruiting franchisees from other places!”
"That's right! The bigger the commotion, the better! Make it as big as possible!"
Zhang Qiaozui nodded seriously and then returned with her mission.
After a busy day, Zhen Wanwan was a little hungry. She went out and wanted to ask Rou'er to send someone to prepare a meal.
Just as she stepped out, she saw Rou'er bringing over breakfast.
"When I saw Manager Zhang come out, I knew that you had finished your business. I'm afraid you must be starving!"
Looking at Rou'er's stunning face, Zhen Wanwan felt even better.
She followed Rou'er back to her room with a smile and had breakfast.
Rou'er was always capable and thoughtful, so Zhen Wanwan kept her by her side.
When it comes to things like eating, which depend on one's appetite, she always preferred Rou'er to serve her.
She gets happy when she sees beautiful women, and she eats more than usual.
"By the way! Rou'er, are Siqin and the others ready for breakfast?"
She was busy comforting Xiao Yizhi early in the morning, and then went to see Manager Zhang. She didn't have time to see Siqin yet.
Rou'er said with a smile, "My lady, don't worry, the nanny has already prepared breakfast for Miss Siqin."
"Miss Siqin is playing with the young master and young lady right now!"
Zhen Wanwan nodded, "It's good that you ate it!"
She continued to savor her food slowly.
She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow yesterday. Zhu Yuan returned late, and when she woke up, he was gone.
Zhen Wanwan hadn't mentioned Siqin's arrival to Zhuyuan yet; she planned to tell him later.
After Siqin arrived, she basically took over the task of taking care of Guabao and Tianbao.
Zhen Wanwan often sighed, "You can tell that Siqin is a professional; you can tell at a glance that she is very good at taking care of children."
Zhen Wanwan couldn't help but recall when they first met, when the other person was just a young girl, but in the past six months, the other person had become a considerate nanny.
She thought about the child that Madam Fang had given birth to and couldn't understand why Siqin was growing up so fast.
Granny Zhang was shrewd and had a sharp eye.
She observed that Siqin was well-mannered and did things properly, so she forced the maids in the mansion to learn from her.
In a short time, the two girls had learned almost everything.
Two days later, Siqin came to find her with a joyful expression.
"Madam Zhen! Are you busy?"
Zhen Wanwan smiled and asked, "What's going on? Is there some good news?"
"That's right! I just received a letter from the Zhang family saying that I can arrive in Anqing Prefecture tomorrow."
"Really?!"
Zhen Wanwan exclaimed happily.
“Then I will also make preparations, and after the Zhang family arrives, I will take a good look at their illness.”
As she spoke, Zhen Wanwan called to the maids beside her, asking them to prepare a room so as not to neglect the guests.
Siqin quickly held Xiaomei down and said to Zhen Wanwan with a light laugh, "Madam Zhen, there's no need to trouble yourself! The Zhang family has a lot of people, and there's not enough room for everyone here. Besides, I've already rented a courtyard next door, so it will be more convenient for you to come and treat my old lady in the future."
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