Chapter 362: Winter (Part 2)

Madam Gan talked about this with Shiyi Niang in her spare time: "...I have to admire the Li family's scheming. With their son being a mere fifth-rank officer, they were able to marry Princess Ancheng!"

At this time, the wedding shop had already opened, and it was the season of "whether you have money or not, marrying a daughter-in-law is a good way to celebrate the New Year." The embroidery in their shop was novel in style, good in quality, and reasonably priced, which attracted many people and soon became famous in Yanjing. Whether it was Shiyi Niang, Master Jian or Madam Gan, they were all very satisfied with this start.

This time, Eleventh Lady came to see Madam Gan to bring the shop's accounts to her for review.

"Young people are like the rising sun, with a promising future." She said implicitly, "No wonder Princess An Cheng was moved."

Mrs. Gan laughed when she heard this: "But, speaking of it, these two families are a perfect match."

Madam Gan is saying that Princess Ancheng's husband is not a peaceful person either, right?

In the early years, he was impeached by the imperial court for selling smuggled salt and was beaten with 40 sticks, which crippled his leg. In recent years, I heard that he has raised a group of idle people to specialize in lending government debts. Now that the maritime ban has been lifted, Fujian is the target of public criticism. I am afraid that this son-in-law has his own little plans.

However, this is someone else's family affair after all, and Eleventh Lady is not in a position to comment.

Talking about others behind their backs is not what a gentleman does. Mrs. Gan said something simple but meant something. She stopped at the point and talked to Shiyi Niang about the business of the Xipu shop: "So, we still made six taels of silver this year?"

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded: "If you don't count the rent of your shop, you did make six taels of silver, but if you count the rent of your shop, you lost sixty taels of silver."

Madam Gan was puzzled.

Eleventh Lady calculated the accounts for her: "The annual rent of your shop is eight hundred taels, which is divided into twelve months, so each month is about sixty-six taels. Now we have earned six taels of silver. If we include the rent of the shop, wouldn't we be at a loss of sixty taels?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Gan laughed, "It's really complicated. No wonder people say that this business is not something that everyone can do." She added, "But it's not bad to make six taels of silver! This is our first time doing business, at least we didn't lose money!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, "I came here this time to discuss two things with you. One is the time when the shop will close. Master Jian wants to close on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month and reopen after the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. The second is the red envelopes for the New Year. Although I didn't get any money this year, firstly, we have only been in business for a short time, and secondly, we are just starting a business, so the profit is very thin. But we can't deduct the money from the shop assistants. I am going to give the head shopkeeper eight taels of silver, the second shopkeeper six taels of silver, the servants two taels of silver, and the embroiderers five taels of silver as red envelopes. What do you think?"

"Most shops on East Street close on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month and reopen on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. Naturally, we should do the same." Madam Gan pondered, "But, is it possible that the red envelope for the head shopkeeper is a little less? The first-class stewards in our house are given twelve taels of silver during the New Year. Moreover, these people come here for Master Jian's sake. We are tight-fisted and don't need this little money. I think we should give them a little more!"

The shop's head and second-in-command were both old acquaintances of Master Jian, and both were veterans in the embroidery business.

"I have made an agreement with Master Jian. This year is a special case." Shiyi Niang said, "Starting from next year, in addition to wages, one tenth of the shop's profits will be used as bonuses for the head and second shopkeepers and the servants, and another tenth will be distributed to Xiu Niang. Instead of giving them more red envelopes, it is better to let them think of more ways to do business."

"I'm afraid the two shopkeepers will think we're stingy." Mrs. Gan said with a smile, "I don't really understand these things. But since you and Master Jian both agree, then let it be as you wish! Besides, we agreed beforehand that I won't interfere in the affairs of the shop."

Even so, this is a business run by three people after all. I still need to communicate more with Madam Gan about some things!

Eleventh Lady smiled and talked to her for a long time. As it was getting late, she got up and said goodbye.

As soon as she entered the house, Lu Yun told her: "The Third Master has sent someone from Shanyang to deliver New Year gifts!"

"Are you sending Gan Laoquan again?" Eleventh Lady asked her with a smile as she took off her chestnut mink fur jacket.

"Gan Laoquan was sent again." Lu Yun handed the leather jacket she had taken off to the little maid beside her, and helped her to go to the clean room to change clothes and wash up. "Gan Laoquan's family saw that you were not here, so they went to kowtow to the lady."

Eleventh Lady nodded, washed up, and went to see the lady.

The lady invited Gan Laoquan's family to have dinner in the east chamber. When she heard that Shiyi Niang had arrived, she hurried out to kowtow to her.

Eleventh Lady rewarded her with two taels of silver and entered the lady's inner chamber.

"What? Have you finished the accounts?" The lady was sitting on the kang, fiddling with some cloth tigers and small shoes with Madam Du, and she smiled and beckoned her to come over and sit down.

Eleventh Lady bowed to the Dowager and sat beside her: "The Dowager of the Gan family is a widow, and Master Jian is a craftsman after all, so I have to run between the two." Then she smiled and looked at the exquisitely crafted cloth tiger in the Dowager's hand, "Is this a gift for the eldest princess?"

Yesterday was the eldest princess's full-moon ceremony. She was in mourning and did not attend. But the fireworks that lit up half of Yanjing City were enough to show how lively the scene was last night.

The lady smiled and nodded: "New Year is coming soon, find some small things to give her." Then she pushed the cloth tiger and small shoes in front of her, "My eyesight is not very good now, please help me take a look!"

Eleventh Lady stroked the uppers, soles, and straps of the small shoes, checking their softness.

"That child is so beautiful." The lady said of the eldest princess, "She looks just like the Empress. But the Emperor said she looks just like him."

As he spoke, he began to laugh. "When the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting saw her, they all said she looked like the emperor, which made the emperor very happy. If it weren't for the fact that the Empress Dowager was ill, the 100th day ceremony would have been planned in a grand manner."

Not long after the eldest princess's third bath, the Empress Dowager caught a cold, and the Empress Dowager and others went to the palace to visit her. It had been more than half a month.

"The Empress Dowager's illness hasn't been cured yet?" Eleventh Lady was a little surprised.

"It's said that he hasn't recovered yet!" The lady said with a hint of meaning, "I went to visit him at that time. Although he was still taking medicine, he was still talking with full energy, so I guess he's not in any serious trouble."

Eleventh Lady laughed.

The lady obviously didn't want to talk about this topic, so she immediately changed the subject and asked about Xu Siyu's return home for the New Year: "... He said he could arrive in Tongzhou on the 16th of December. Is the house ready?"

"Everything has been packed up." Eleventh Lady did not mention it again, and followed the old lady's words, "I asked Ji Ting's wife to move some flowers and trees, and replaced all the bedding with new ones. Qinxiang and the others have gone there a long time ago. Do you want to go and take a look tomorrow?"

"You can take care of it." The lady smiled and said, "I won't go to see it."

A little maid came in and said, "Madam, Madam, the eldest aunt from Cangzhou is here to send a New Year gift!"

The lady was very happy to hear this and urged Shiyi Niang: "Go and have a look!"

Eleventh Lady returned to her own courtyard with a smile.

Lu Yun came in accompanied by two shrewd and capable maids.

After greeting Eleventh Lady and saying some auspicious words, one of the maids smiled and said, "We have also brought a pair of liaoge for the Second Young Master, a pair of kingfishers for the Crown Prince, a pair of yellow pengs for the Fifth Young Master, and a pair of parrots for the Eldest Miss."

"How thoughtful!" Eleventh Lady smiled and said a few polite words, then gave each of them ten taels of silver and asked Luyun to take it downstairs for dinner. She told Yanrong to go to the outer courtyard and deliver the gifts sent by the Shao family to everyone's room.

Yan Rong came back to report, but whispered to her: "I heard from the servants in the outer courtyard that although the gifts sent by the Third Master were the same as those sent during the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, the quality was much worse."

Eleventh Lady was a little surprised.

Yan Rong said hurriedly, "Really? I've been to see it. The wind ducks that the Third Master sent during the Mid-Autumn Festival were all greasy and plump, but the ones sent this time are very skinny."

Eleventh Lady laughed.

The list of New Year's gifts would be delivered to Xu Lingyi, but it was Manager Fan, who was in charge of the gift exchanges between the various mansions, who would put the items into storage.

For something like this, I’m afraid Manager Fan wouldn’t be able to say anything!

"Don't make this public." Shiyi Niang told Yan Rong, "lest the Marquis be embarrassed."

"I know!" Yan Rong said anxiously, "I didn't tell anyone about this!"

Shi Niang asked about her errand: "Have all the things sent by the eldest aunt been delivered?"

"The second young master's was given to Qinxiang, the prince's was given to Madam Du, the fifth young master's was given to Nanyong's wife, and the eldest young lady's was given to Xiaoli."

Since the lady had kept Xu Siyu in her room under the pretext that the weather was too hot, she had never mentioned the matter of setting up a separate courtyard for Xu Siyu. Eleventh Lady thought that Xu Siyu and others had moved into the outer courtyard after they were ten years old, so she did not bring it up, and the matter was shelved. She gave all the other people's things to the maids around her, except for Xu Siyu, who was given to Madam Du.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but nodded slightly and said, "You are very careful in doing things!"

Yanrong accepted the praise, her face flushed with excitement, and she knelt down and said, "I just didn't let Madam down."

Eleventh Lady smiled and sent her away.

Xu Siyi ran in dragging a bird cage: "Mother, mother, look, this is the bird my brother-in-law sent me!" Nan Yong's wife followed in with an apologetic look on her face: "Madam, the fifth young master insisted on coming."

Shiyi Niang signaled Nanyong's wife not to be nervous, and took the bird cage and handed it to Nanyong's wife with a smile: "Birds should be kept under the eaves, and you can't drag them around like you are doing."

Xu Siqi nodded deeply and said with a smile: "Hang it under the eaves of my mother's house, and it will sing for her!"

"This is a gift from my elder brother-in-law!" Eleventh Lady smiled and hugged Xu Siyi, "Hang it under your eaves and sing for you."

He twisted his body and said, "Sing for my mother!"

It should be given to her!

Eleventh Lady kissed his cheek and said, "Mother is afraid of quarrels, so she hangs under my brother's eaves."

Xu Siqi then remained silent.

After she settled Xu Siqi and returned to the house, she saw that the maids and old women who served him were standing far away under the eaves, while Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan were standing in the yard whispering something.

Hearing the noise, the two brothers stopped talking.

"It's so late and the weather is cold, why don't you go inside?" Eleventh Lady greeted them with a smile.