Night Talk
"Hot potato?"
The night was clear and dust-free, and the moonlight was as silver, but Zhao Mingyan had no desire to sleep. She kept thinking about the words that Tan Linshuang had blurted out during the day, tossing and turning.
Finally, she turned around and looked at Tan Linshuang, who was lying on his side with his back to her. She stretched out her left big toe and scratched his left calf.
"Husband, let's talk."
"Why!"
Tan Linshuang sighed, slowly turned over and lay flat on the bed.
In fact, he was not sleepy either.
"I should have thought of this earlier, but I didn't expect Grandma to act so quickly, and to arrange it for you."
"If not me, then who? You? My uncle?" Zhao Mingyan sneered.
Is there anyone else available in the Tan family besides me?
Tan Linshuang rested her hands on the pillow, staring unfocused at the carriage embroidered with mandarin ducks, and said meaningfully, "My uncle is not as useless as you think."
"he……"
Tan Linshuang's pupils shrank a little, and then stopped abruptly, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
At this moment, his eyes were full of hatred, but his expression was extremely ironic.
However, Zhao Mingyan didn't see his expression clearly and said to herself, "Now that it's just the two of us, can you explain in detail why you compare this task to a 'hot potato'?"
"I think it's more appropriate to accept the task in times of crisis."
She muttered again, her expression slightly smug, but not entirely complacent, mixed with some hidden worries, some worries she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Tan Linshuang smiled lightly, "Not only is this a task given in a time of crisis, but it's also a hot potato."
Swish——
Zhao Mingyan kicked his calf and scolded him, "If you have to fart, do it now! If you keep wasting time, the rooster will crow."
Tan Linshuang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She rubbed the spot she had kicked with her other foot and said slowly, "As the saying goes, good things should be kept within the family. Since my aunt has already established this business, instead of just ignoring it and letting others take advantage of it, why don't we pick it up and make it bigger and stronger?"
"Besides, different trades are like different mountains. Our family has never been involved in the Shu brocade business. Now, this business is right in front of us. If you don't make money, you're a fool."
"So, when Grandmother asked you to continue this business on behalf of Auntie, it could truly be considered a mission in a time of crisis. But..."
He suddenly changed the subject, turned around and lay on his side facing her, his eyes deep and sharp, like fireflies in the dark, making Zhao Mingyan instantly concentrate her attention and wait for his next words.
"Have you ever considered that by doing this, you've robbed your aunt of her hard work, the fruits she's planted over the years in Chastity Hall?"
"My aunt is quite vindictive."
At the end, Tan Linshuang added in a low voice.
Zhao Mingyan was stunned. She really overlooked this problem.
She scratched her cheek and said, "I've seen it. The wall of the South Mansion is quite high. A weak woman like my aunt probably can't climb out."
"cough!"
Tan Linshuang laughed in silence, but quickly regained her composure and continued, "That's the first reason. The second is, if you rashly replace your aunt, will the people of Chastity Hall accept you? Even if you are her niece-in-law."
"This business is only possible because of those virtuous women weaving brocade. If they stop weaving and no longer produce Shu brocade, what business will you have?"
“A good cook cannot cook without rice.”
"So my grandmother chose me instead of my uncle because I am a girl," said Zhao Mingyan.
She had thought about this "second" thing. Not to mention the complicated relationship between Tan Moxiang and the Tan family, even if there was no such relationship, if the person in charge was suddenly replaced, the people below would not be able to accept or adapt to it all at once.
Unless a regular rotation habit has been formed like the Zhulin Trading Company, there will be no resistance.
Therefore, compared to a man with a bad reputation like Tan Mozhu, the new bride Zhao Mingyan is more suitable to replace Tan Moxiang.
But besides being suitable... Zhao Mingyan added, "This is also a test from my grandmother. If I can handle this hot potato, then helping to manage the company's affairs will definitely be a piece of cake."
"clever!"
Tan Linshuang smiled and praised, raised her hand and touched her round nose, then lay back again, secretly complaining: Grandmother can't bear to let her precious son suffer, those chaste women are definitely not easy to deal with.
"You contacted Hall Master Gu today. Did he give you a detailed introduction to the current business situation?"
Zhao Mingyan nodded and turned over to lie flat.
"I did, but not in detail. I don't know if it was because I wasn't very clear about it myself, or if I didn't want to say too much."
Thinking back to that brief meeting today, Zhao Mingyan frowned, "How can such a huge Chastity Hall be managed by a man?"
Tan Linshuang declined to comment, saying only, "Master Gu is considered a local celebrity. Although the Chastity Hall was built with government funding, its subsequent expenses were largely funded by donations from the public, and Master Gu was the largest donor."
"However, as a man, he really shouldn't get too close to the chaste women. He'll be approached for important matters, while the chaste women will handle minor matters on their own. The Chastity Hall isn't like a workhouse, where there's no need for constant supervision. The mere presence of the word 'chaste woman' above their heads can make them tread very thinly."
"What a 'walk on thin ice'!" Zhao Mingyan sneered.
“Haha…”
Tan Linshuang yawned, and it was his turn to kick Zhao Mingyan, urging her to get back to the topic.
"The rooster is about to crow, I hope my lady won't be lax."
Zhao Mingyan said with a smirk, "If it dares to crow before I finish, I'll stew it and eat it."
"Make it into bamboo shoot chicken." Tan Linshuang agreed.
Zhao Mingyan couldn't help laughing and kicked him again. Then he sorted out what he had heard from Master Gu and relayed it to him.
"You just said that the Chastity Hall relies mainly on government funding and donations from local wealthy and famous people to maintain its operations. But in reality, as the number of chaste women increases, their lives are becoming increasingly difficult with just these two things."
"A chaste woman is different from an orphan. An orphan is adopted by someone and can go out to make a living when he grows up. He won't be trapped there forever, like a frog in a well, dying of thirst if it doesn't rain."
When he heard the word "orphan", Tan Linshuang's pupils flashed.
"In order to improve their lives, chaste women would take on some needlework. Initially, it was the wife of Master Gu who took charge of this."
"Later, some kind-hearted person gifted my aunt a loom, and she took the lead in weaving brocade and taught many people. Naturally, Shu brocade sells for more than women's needlework. Thanks to the help of Master Gu's wife, they were able to sell the Shu brocade they wove to their relatives and friends. This business has taken shape."
"Why would a kind-hearted person give them a loom for no reason? A loom is not a needle and thread or scissors." Tan Linshuang asked in confusion.
Zhao Mingyan pursed her lips. "Master Gu said it was donated anonymously. We still don't know who did it."
Tan Linshuang thought to himself: There is no wall that is completely leak-proof. I don’t know if I didn’t check carefully enough or if I didn’t check at all.
Zhao Mingyan continued, "After we made some money, my aunt asked Madam Gu to buy us another loom... As we produced more Shu brocade, we bought more looms. After four or five years, we built up a business. My aunt managed the production, while Madam Gu helped sell it."
"We have always lived in peace and have never offended Jinhu."
"Until the year before last, when Madam Gu tragically passed away, her business outside the city was cut short. Seeing her woven Shu brocade gathering dust in the weaving room, my aunt had no choice but to bravely go to Jinguan Post alone and sell it to the merchants from other places who came to buy it. Because of its high quality and low price, she became a regular seller to many of them over time."
"My aunt is quite impressive. She actually dared to go to Jinguanyi alone and persuade foreign merchants to sell Shu brocade."
Speaking of this, Zhao Mingyan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Tan Linshuang remained noncommittal. "But their actions directly harm the interests of legitimate Jinhu households. Furthermore, their patron, Madam Gu, has passed away, and Hall Master Gu clearly doesn't want to get involved. If the Jinhu households join forces, their business will inevitably be hampered."
"In business, to make a profit, one has to resort to dirty tricks. Those Jinhu people only complained to the prefect, either in front of the late Madam Gu or because they were wary of the relationship between our Tan family and the prefect."
After hearing his analysis, Zhao Mingyan felt that it made sense.
The imperial court had a monopoly system, and merchants also had the saying "must seek a monopoly and gain market share to gain profits from it". Mingyuezhai was able to become the leader in the local lantern industry thanks to hundreds of years of accumulation. It was highly regarded by other lantern shops and its business was also taken care of. If a new lantern shop suddenly emerged and did not abide by the rules and dominated the market with low prices, it would also be suppressed by other lantern shops.
Unless the other party has a strong background or backing.
"Aunt's way of selling is definitely not a long-term solution," she murmured.
"Yeah." Tan Linshuang nodded.
Zhao Mingyan suddenly turned to face him, "Then, my husband, do you have any better ideas?"
"My lady, you are the one that Grandmother has entrusted with this important task."
Tan Linshuang turned her head and smiled at her, then turned over to the inside, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Zhao Mingyan glared at him and turned over, facing outward with her back to him. "You are not reliable at all!"
She can’t have children, and she can’t do business either.
Tan Linshuang raised her lips slightly: It's okay as long as my wife is reliable.
The next morning, after breakfast and listening to Fan Wenlan's detailed instructions, Zhao Mingyan took Xiaozhu and got on Master Gu's carriage and headed straight for the Chastity Hall located on the bank of Tieqian Creek.
"My lady, have a safe journey!"
Tan Linshuang stood at the door to see him off, with his back hunched and his face pale. Although he had a smile on his face, he could not hide his sickness and coughed from time to time.
Zhao Mingyan has long been accustomed to it.
But when Master Gu saw Tan Linshuang for the first time, he felt sad and couldn't help but think of his deceased wife.
Thinking of the rumors, he couldn't help but say to Zhao Mingyan earnestly, "In our dynasty, for chaste women and heroic women, in addition to rewarding them with silver and reducing taxes, we also build memorial archways to spread their names of chastity to future generations and educate the people."
Zhao Mingyan blinked, not understanding what he meant.
"Yeah, that's fine." She said politely.
Hall Master Gu smiled and said sincerely, "If Madam Tan cannot escape that disaster, I will definitely build a large and magnificent chastity archway for you!"
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