After seeing off Dou Zhao, Dou Xiuchang immediately went to Dou Shibang and told him about Dou Zhao's plan to open a writing shop. He said, "If the money is not much, it all belongs to Fourth Sister. I am just helping to look after it. But she asked for 10,000 taels. I am afraid she will be cheated. But I can't say it directly, for fear that Fourth Sister will be suspicious. So I can only agree vaguely. But if she is really cheated, how can I explain to the people of Dou and Zhao family? Others will think that I am the one who cheated Fourth Sister's money."

"Why did Shougu suddenly want to open a shop?" Dou Shibang was surprised to hear this, but he had experienced a lot, so he came up with a solution after a little thought. He smiled and said, "Shougu can't choose the shop floor and order the ink herself. Why don't you let the person in charge report the bill to you?"

"That's right!" Dou Xiuchang clapped his hands, "Why didn't I think of that! If someone is planning to take advantage of Fourth Aunt, it won't be all lost at once. Those who help Fourth Aunt manage things can also get familiar with her, so maybe they can find any clues earlier."

Dou Shibang smiled and nodded.

Dou Xiuchang tactfully conveyed Dou Shibang's meaning to Dou Zhao's ears.

Dou Zhao smiled and said nothing.

Half of Xidou’s industry is not so easy to manage!

She asked Dou Shibang to help her hire a manager.

Dou Zhaoming's business manager is a jack of all trades. Everyone is doing well, so why should she make a fuss? And not everyone can be a manager. It is impossible to go from an apprentice to a partner to a manager to a manager without twenty years of experience. No matter who has spent twenty years to train a manager, they will not let him leave easily. No matter who has stayed in one place for twenty years and wants to find another job after becoming a manager, there must be something wrong. And it is difficult to find out the real situation even if you want to find out.

Instead of going through all the trouble to find someone who is still unknown, it is better to find one directly from the Dou family, someone you know well and who is loyal and reliable.

Dou Shibang said with a smile: "How big do you want to be? Do you still need to find a big manager? I think it's enough to find a manager."

"Since I've asked Third Uncle for it, I'll naturally ask for the best." Dou Zhaojiao said with a smile, "I don't care what method Third Uncle uses. Anyway, my shop will open in the next year. I'll just come to ask for people then. Otherwise, I'll drag the big manager of your Jingdu bank to Zhending."

Of course this is impossible.

Dou Shibang pinched his beard and laughed. After several rounds of screening, he found a shopkeeper for her from among his family members: "… His name is Fan Wenshu. He became an apprentice at the age of eight. He is only 32 this year, but he is already the second shopkeeper of Jifen Pavilion."

Jifen Pavilion is the Dou family's antique shop in Kyoto.

Dou Zhao nodded reluctantly: "Although he is not a writer, at least he is related. Let's choose him!"

Dou Shibang could only shake his head.

They still refuse to go to such a person. No wonder all the shopkeepers in the family were unwilling to go when they heard that it was Dou Zhao who wanted to see them.

The sword is given to a famous scholar. Dou Zhao had no idea how difficult it was to be the manager.

He had no choice but to promise Fan Wenshu: "If the shop goes bankrupt, I will let you be the head shopkeeper of the Nanjing branch of Jifen Pavilion."

Fan Wenshu smiled bitterly.

Is it so easy to be a shopkeeper?

He has to be able to afford it too!

After a few years away from the antique world, even if he returns to Jifen Pavilion, he will not have the experience he gained in those years, and his eyesight will probably not be as good as before. Moreover, the fourth daughter of the Dou family is still a young girl, and it is unknown where she will marry in a few years. But Mr. Dou has already said this, what else can he say?

After handing in the bill, he pretended to be smiling and went to Xifu.

Ganlu muttered, "Didn't you say you would give me a big shopkeeper?"

"Just be content!" Dou Zhao said with a smile, "How many big managers are there in the Dou family? They simply don't even look at our small fortune." She had left room for her third uncle to bargain with her.

Ganlu went to get the sample essay in a sheepish manner.

Seeing that he was of medium build, with regular features, and showed a friendly manner even before he spoke, like a typical businessman, Dou Zhao took a liking to him. After briefly explaining the matter, he asked him to go to his third cousin to get the money.

Fan Wenshu was stunned for a long while.

The head office was in Kyoto, and in the next five years, ten branches would be opened between Zhending and Kyoto. However, no details were given about the scale, the amount of capital, and who else was involved besides him.

"Miss Fourth, do you have any other instructions?" he asked respectfully.

"That's all I ask. As for the rest, you're the shopkeeper, so you can just take care of it." Dou Zhao smiled, said "Oh," and said, "You have a second shopkeeper, his last name is Cui Shisan. He can't come to the shop to help until September next year."

After Fan Wenshu left, he immediately asked about Cui Shisan.

The Dou family's managers and clerks were all very smart and knew everything immediately. Someone laughed and said, "So the fourth young lady is going to promote Aunt Cui's family. Fan Wenshu, you are here to study with the prince!"

"It's okay to accompany the prince to study," Fan Wenshu said gloomily, "but I'm afraid the prince will pretend to know everything and give me instructions."

Everyone laughed and said, "You are an antique dealer, how can you understand calligraphy?"

Cui Shisan was also asking, but he was asking Dou Zhao: "You let an antique shop sell pens and ink, and you want me to be your second in command?"

In her previous life, Dou Zhao would never argue with Cui Shisan and did such a thankless task. She said directly, "This was agreed by Aunt Cui."

"Are you kidding me?" Cui Shisan rolled his eyes and said, "Then I'll go ask Aunt Cui."

Dou Zhao drank his tea calmly.

Cui Shisan was upset.

Dou Zhao asked him, "What happened to Bo Yan?"

"We have discovered many things that no one else knows about." Cui Shisan was beaming with joy when he heard this. "In Xiping, people from a village have quietly reclaimed more than 200 mu of wasteland. It has been six years, and no one has discovered it. There is also Quyang Bridge. The fish scale book says there are only 200 mu of fertile land, but looking at the village, it seems to be more than 200 mu..."

Dou Zhao was shocked: "You guys found out about this." He quickly warned Cui Shisan, "You must not talk nonsense. Be careful of what you say."

"I know." Cui Shisan said nonchalantly, "If you cut off other people's financial resources, they will cut off your livelihood. I know the importance of these things, but you asked me about them, so I told you to relieve your boredom."

Dou Zhao couldn't feel at ease when he thought about the fact that Dou Qijun's family was from a historical family. So when he went to pay his respects to his sixth aunt, he went to his third cousin's wife to tell Dou Qijun about it.

"Don't worry, Fourth Aunt. I'm not a 17 or 18-year-old kid who would just rush in recklessly out of passion."

You are only two or three years older than the 17 or 18 year old boy.

Dou Zhao complained in his heart and stood up to say goodbye.

I met Wu Shan and Dou Zhengchang on the way.

The two of them walked and whispered to each other, but it was unclear what they were talking about, and both looked a little depressed.

Dou Zhao walked up to them and greeted them.

The two were shocked, forced a smile and said a few words to Dou Zhao, then hurried to the school.

Dou Zhao was confused, but only for a moment, and did not rush up to ask further questions.

When I returned home, I saw my grandmother, Ganlu, and Susu all wiping their tears.

"Shougu, that Bie Gangyi has passed away." Grandma's eyes were red. "Two little girls, what do they know? You should send someone to help!"

Dou Zhao felt a little depressed, so he asked someone to tell Zhao Liangbi in Zhending to help the sisters Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan with the funeral arrangements. He also invited Mr. Chen, and they went to Zhending Prefecture together the next day.

The Bie family martial arts school was already closed, with many people coming in and out, including strong men, thin old men, and a few vendors who had just delivered fish. Everyone had a heavy expression on their faces. Some sent three kinds of sacrificial animals, while others just took a pair of elegiac couplets and went to the mourning hall to burn incense for Bie Gangyi. It was obvious that Bie Gangyi had very good relationships with people.

The steward delivered the offerings, Dou Zhao lit three incense sticks, and Bie Suxin, who was thanking the visitors in front of the coffin, accompanied Dou Zhao to the main room.

"Miss," she said, looking very haggard, and made Dou Zhao a cup of hot tea. "The weather is so cold, you can just send someone over, why bother coming here in person?" She added, "I will come to the mansion with my sister after father's seventh day of death."

Once they entered the mansion, they had to abide by the rules of the Dou family. It was New Year's Day, and the two sisters couldn't wear mourning clothes, right?

"You should wait until the other master passes the seventh day of mourning and spring comes before you enter the mansion!" Dou Zhao said, "There is no rush now."

Bie Suxin thanked Dou Zhao gratefully.

Someone outside shouted, "The meal is about to begin."

Dou Zhao couldn't help but look over and saw Zhao Liangbi and Chen Xiaofeng busy helping other families greet guests.

Dou Zhao smiled slightly, did not stay for dinner, and returned to Zhending early.

The second lady was talking to Dou Shibang.

"The second shopkeeper is from the Cui family," the second lady pondered, "but the head office is in Kyoto... Could it be that she wants to compete with the Wang family?" The second lady was confused, "But she herself did not go to Kyoto at the beginning... Or, she was unwilling to kowtow to those people in the Wang family to acknowledge her relationship?"

Dou Shibang thought the same thing, and asked his mother, "So what do you think we should do now?"

"What's so difficult about that?" The Second Lady said with a smile, "The money belongs to Shougu, and she wants to earn more for the family. This is a good thing, and we should help her!"

Zeng Yifen was almost caught because Wang Xingyi did not handle the family affairs well, and Wang Xingyi was ignored for several years. But Wang Xingyi was very lucky. He won many battles in Shaanxi. Even the emperor praised him. There were only a few positions in the court. You, Zeng Yifen, did not promote people who had made such contributions, but you could not prevent others from being promoted. When the good positions were taken by others, it would be a blow to Zeng Yifen.

Dou Shibang also knew his brother's situation.

He smiled and said, "Fan Wenshu came to me and said that he had taken a fancy to a shop in Hanlin Hutong, South Street, Jingdu. Shougu wanted to buy it. We happened to have a two-room satin shop there, but because it was a bit small, the business had been mediocre. I thought it would be better to sell it to Shougu. It would be quite suitable for them to run a calligraphy and painting shop."

"You decide." The Second Lady smiled and changed the subject, asking about the New Year: "How are the preparations going?"

"Everything is ready." Dou Shibang said with a smile, "The farm has made a lot of money this year, and we sent over 4,000 kilograms more grain than in previous years."

The Second Lady nodded with a smile, and a maid came in and said, "The Fourth Miss is here."