He then instructed the shopkeeper to open a grain shop, a charcoal shop, and a clothing shop.
The shopkeeper had never seen a shop selling charcoal, grain, and clothing all located in one place.
Having been the manager of the Chen family for over a decade, he still felt some affection for them. He advised Jiang Wei to separate the shops and open them in areas where business was booming.
Besides, people go where there are many rich people. Who would open a shop where there are many poor people? How can you make money there?
Jiang Wei simply told him politely to do as she said.
The shopkeeper shook his head. "This young lady probably isn't cut out for business. It's no wonder she's losing money."
Since his employer had assigned him to his cousin, he had no choice but to comply.
He has already given the advice he needed to.
The shopkeeper was indeed a seasoned veteran, and with the help of the manpower and readily available supplies borrowed from the Chen family's shop, the shop quickly got up and running.
As per Jiang Wei's request, there should be three storefronts and one signboard.
The signboard bore the three large characters "An Sheng Ji," and passersby who recognized the characters were invariably curious.
Is there such a strange surname as An Sheng?
In his heart, he also laughed at the owner, thinking he was probably a bad businessman who opened a shop in this slum.
People will buy some grain, but how much can they buy? Even if a dozen or so households buy enough grain for half a year, it probably wouldn't be as much as what wealthy families buy in one or two months.
And this charcoal looks pretty good, is it something they deserve to use?
If it weren't freezing cold, who would hesitate to spend money on charcoal and go hungry?
The silver also needs to be used to buy food.
This winter wasn't too cold, and spring is almost here.
This boss must be an idiot.
The other storefront was even stranger. It was supposed to sell clothes, but there wasn't even any cloth or clothes. All they had was cotton!
What exactly is it trying to sell?
The people watched the commotion outside for a while, but it got too cold, so they rubbed themselves and went home.
The shopkeeper was also very anxious, but he couldn't persuade the young lady, and he didn't want to keep trying.
Jiang Wei wasn't in a hurry, nor did she take what those people said to heart.
She instructed the shopkeeper to do as she said.
Jiang Wei had his men load a cart with charcoal and two bags of grain and deliver them to Doctor Mo.
Just as Doctor Mo emerged from his herbal medicine, a servant came to report that Jiang Wei had sent him grain and charcoal, asking if he would accept them.
Doctor Mo listened carefully, shook the dirt off his clothes, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Take it!"
Doctor Mo smiled kindly. So that's how she opened the new shop.
This girl is quite interesting.
When Jiang Wei saw the shop assistant return with an empty cart, she exchanged a few words with the shopkeeper and then left.
For several days in a row, Jiang Wei went to the shop, and the shopkeeper was extremely anxious because almost nothing in the shop had been sold.
If things like charcoal can't be sold now, they'll be stuck with them when spring comes.
Jiang Wei, however, was not in a hurry at all, and seemed to be busy with something every day.
The shopkeeper asked her to hold an opening ceremony, but she said it wasn't necessary.
Today, her second uncle, Chen Yunfan, just sent a letter to Jiang Wei, telling her to go to Chen Ji's shop and pick up the fabric to take to her shop. The fabric she wanted has already been transported from Jiangnan to Kyoto.
After finishing her lunch at noon, Jiang Wei took advantage of the relatively warm weather and immediately went to get the linen and cotton cloth she wanted.
As luck would have it, just as she was packing fabrics in front of Chen's shop, Hong Xinyue came out of the Linlang Pavilion next door.
When Hong Xinyue saw Jiang Wei openly doing business, she couldn't help but mock her.
"Oh... isn't this the daughter of a sixth-rank physician? How come you're giving up your privileged life as a daughter of an official to become a lowly merchant? Is your physician's household struggling to survive that you have to force your daughter to sell herself outside..." Hong Xinyue glanced at Jiang Wei with a mocking look.
She covered her mouth as if she had said something wrong, "I meant, why do we still have to send a young woman like you to do business outside?"
Unable to hide her schadenfreude, she asked, "Is the physician's household starving?"
Jiang Wei didn't care at all and was too lazy to waste time with her. "If Miss Hong has nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Jiang Wei turned to get into the carriage, but Hong Xinyue wasn't about to let her leave so easily; she hadn't ridiculed her enough yet.
She hasn't had a chance to avenge the grudge she suffered at the Prince Shen's residence these past few days.
Hong Xinyue loosened the ropes that she had managed to tie up, and the linen and cotton fabrics scattered on the ground.
"Is the physician's household really starving? They must be trying to make a profit by doing something more lucrative." Jiang Xinyue kicked the cloth on the ground, her disgust written all over her face.
He said disdainfully, "What kind of things are you selling? Who would buy them? Are you out of your mind?"
Jiang Wei squatted down and picked up the cloth at Hong Xinyue's feet. She instructed the shop assistant to repack the cloth and tie it securely. "You take the things to the shop first, I'll be there soon."
“Miss Hong is the daughter of a prime minister, so naturally everything she eats and uses is of the highest quality. How could she possibly know the suffering of ordinary people? If everyone were as fortunate as Miss Hong, having a father who is a prime minister, I think everyone would be just as knowledgeable as Miss Hong.” Jiang Wei showed no mercy.
"Miss Hong is just born into a better family than others, with a good father. As for yourself, there is nothing to be proud of."
Hong Xinyue reached out to slap Jiang Wei, saying, "I was born into a better family than you. My father is the Prime Minister, so I can hit you whenever I want."
Before her slap could land, Jiang Wei grabbed her hand. "Miss Hong is nothing like the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. She gets angry and tries to hit someone after just a few words. She has no manners of a proper lady. Although I don't have a father who is the Prime Minister, I would never do what you did."
"If Miss Hong is alright, then I'll take my leave." Jiang Wei released Hong Xinyue's hand and prepared to get into the carriage.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from behind, "Miss Jiang, please wait."
The eldest prince, Xiao Qi, emerged from the Linlang Pavilion, carrying a box in his hand.
“Miss Jiang, I felt very bad that my fifth brother was misunderstood last time. Today, upon seeing you, I would like to apologize on behalf of my fifth brother. Please accept this small token of my apology.”
Xiao Qi opened the box in his hand, inside was Hong Xinyue's favorite five-colored phoenix hairpin with tassels. Just now, the eldest prince had said he would buy it for her, which was why she pretended to be shy and ran out of the Linlang Pavilion.
Xiao Qi wanted to win Jiang Wei's favor, so he had to do some good deeds.
When the eldest prince opened the box, Hong Xinyue was utterly horrified.
She clearly took a liking to this first; doesn't he understand the meaning behind this hair ornament?
Now the eldest prince is giving it to Jiang Wei, where does that leave her?
It must have been that bitch Jiang Wei who seduced the prince when she wasn't looking.
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