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

At this time, the wedding shop had already opened, just in time for the season of "rich or poor, marrying a wife 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.

The reason why Eleventh Lady came to see Madam Gan this time was to bring the shop accounts to Madam Gan for her to review.

"Young people are like the rising sun, and their future is limitless." She said implicitly, "No wonder Princess An Cheng is moved by them."

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

Madam Gan is referring to the fact that Princess Ancheng’s husband is not a peaceful person either, right?

In the early years, he was impeached by the censor for smuggling salt and was beaten with 40 sticks, which crippled one of his legs. In recent years, I heard that he has raised a group of idlers who 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 cannot comment on it.

Talking about others behind their backs is not what a gentleman does. Mrs. Gan said something simple but meaningful. She stopped at the point and talked to Shiyi Niang about the business of the wedding 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 still 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 it is about sixty-six taels per month. Now we have made six taels of silver. If we include the rent of the shop, wouldn't we lose 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 the shop on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month and reopen it after the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. The second is the red envelopes for the New Year. Although we didn't make any money this year, firstly, we opened the shop in a short time, and secondly, we are just starting out, so the profit is very thin. But we can't deduct the money from the shop assistants. Prepare 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 open on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. Naturally, we should do the same." Madam Gan pondered, "But, won't the red envelope for the head shopkeeper be 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 on money, so we don't mind this little bit of money. I think we should give them more!"

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

"Master Jian and I have agreed. This year is a special case." Eleventh Lady 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 the embroiderers. Instead of giving 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." Madam Gan said with a smile, "I don't really understand these things. But since you and Master Jian have agreed, then let's do as you wish! Besides, we agreed in advance that I won't interfere in the affairs of the shop."

Having said that, this is a business between three people after all. There are some things that need to be communicated more with Madam Gan!

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

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

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

"It's Gan Laoquan who was sent." Lu Yun handed the fur coat she took off to the little maid beside her, and helped her to go to the bathroom to change clothes and wash. "Gan Laoquan saw that you were not here, so he went to kowtow to the lady."

Eleventh Lady nodded, washed up, and went to the lady's place.

The lady had rewarded Gan Laoquan's family with a meal in the east wing. When they heard that Eleventh Lady had arrived, they hurried out and kowtowed to her.

Eleventh Lady rewarded her with two taels of silver and allowed her to enter the lady's inner room.

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

Eleventh Lady bowed to the Dowager Lady and sat beside her: "The Dowager Lady of the Gan family is a widow, and Master Jian is a craftsman after all, so I have no choice but to run between the two." Then she smiled and looked at the exquisitely crafted cloth tiger in the Dowager Lady'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 a few 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 bindings of the small shoes with her hands, checking how soft they were.

"That child is so beautiful." The lady said about the eldest princess, "She looks like the Empress Dowager. But the Emperor said she looks like him." She laughed. "The eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting also said she looks like the Emperor, which made the Emperor very happy. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's poor health, 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.

"They said he hasn't recovered yet!" The lady said pointedly, "I went to visit him right away. Although he was still taking medicine, he was still talking with full energy, so I guess he's fine."

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 the twelfth lunar month. 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 also went there a long time ago. Do you want to go over and take a look tomorrow?"

"It's all right if you take care of it." The lady smiled, "I won't go over to see it."

A little maid came in and reported, "Madam, Madam, the eldest brother-in-law from Cangzhou has come to deliver New Year gifts!"

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.

Luyun walked in accompanied by two smart and capable old women.

After greeting Eleventh Lady and saying some auspicious words, one of the maids smiled and said, "We also brought a pair of liu ge, which are for the Second Young Master; a pair of kingfishers, which are for the Crown Prince; a pair of orioles, which are for the Fifth Young Master; and a pair of parrots, which are 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 down for dinner. She told Yanrong to go to the outer courtyard and deliver the things 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 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 gifts for the New Year's Festival will be delivered to Xu Lingyi, but the one who puts the gifts into the warehouse is Manager Fan, who is in charge of the gift exchanges between the various mansions. For something like this, I'm afraid Manager Fan can't say anything!

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

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

Eleventh Lady asked about her errand: "Have all the things sent by the eldest brother-in-law been delivered?"

"The second young master's was given to Qinxiang, the young master'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 left Xu Sizhun in her room under the pretext that the weather was too hot, she never mentioned the idea of ​​setting up a separate courtyard for Xu Sizhun. Eleventh Lady thought that Xu Siyu and others did not move into the outer courtyard until they were ten years old, so she did not mention it on her own, and the matter was shelved. Other people's belongings were given to the maids around them, except for Xu Sizhun, who was given to Mother 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 bent her knees and said, "I just didn't live up to Madam's teachings."

Eleventh Lady smiled and sent her away.

Xu Sijie 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..."

Eleventh Lady signaled Nan Yong's wife not to be nervous, and smiled as she took the bird cage and handed it to Nan Yong's wife: "The bird should be kept under the eaves, not dragged around like you are doing."

Xu Sijie 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 Sijie, "Hang it under your eaves and sing for you."

He twisted his body: "Sing for mother!"

It's for her!

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

Xu Sijie then remained silent.

After she settled Xu Sijie and returned to the house, she saw the maids and old women who served them standing far away under the eaves, and Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan 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.

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Rest tomorrow...O(∩_∩)O~