Chapter 63 Ways to Make Money
After Jiang Tangtang briefly greeted Manager Xia's nephew Lin Zhengqiang, she enthusiastically spoke about her requirements for the house.
First, we need to build a brick house, then lay tiles on the floor, and have a separate toilet and bathroom...
The more Lin Zhengqiang listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. "We haven't built a house like the one you mentioned, but the price... I'm afraid it's not cheap."
Jiang Tangtang: “…”
She was so happy that she thought too much and forgot that this was in the countryside of an unknown dynasty, not modern times.
Moreover, her current identity is an exiled criminal, so she cannot be too high-profile.
Jiang Tangtang refocused her thoughts and said, "Just build it like the housekeeper's yard, but a little smaller. We don't have that many people in our family. Can you give me an estimate of how much it would cost to build a yard like this?"
Manager Xia’s house is the best brick house in the village. It is large and spacious.
Lin Zhengqiang said, "If we build a house like my uncle's, even if it's less... it would cost at least a hundred taels of silver!"
For Jiang Tangtang, more than one hundred taels of silver was not expensive, but she did not have that much money on her at the moment.
You have to go to the pawn shop and sell the pearls.
Thinking of this, Jiang Tangtang looked at Manager Xia and said, "Manager Xia, can I go to the county town tomorrow? I want to go to the pawnshop and buy some things."
Manager Xia nodded and said, "We'll go and come back the same day."
"Then Brother Lin, my house will be handed over to you."
Jiang Tangtang said as she took out twenty taels of silver from her purse and handed it over, saying, "Let me pay you a deposit of twenty taels of silver first. I've never renovated a house before, so there are many things I don't understand. I'm sorry to bother you."
"No, no!" Lin Zhengqiang was a simple and honest man in his thirties. It was the first time he had seen someone like Jiang Tangtang. The house hadn't even been repaired yet, but he was already giving him money.
He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "But the bricks have to be bought somewhere else. Do you want to send someone there yourself, or should I help you?"
"I'm too busy, so please help me! You can keep this silver, and use it to buy bricks."
Jiang Tangtang asked Manager Xia to introduce someone to help her renovate her house. This was originally a disguised way of giving Manager Xia a little benefit, and she didn't care about whether they made a profit from it.
Her generous gesture once again won the praise of Manager Xia, who said to his nephew, "Zhengqiang, you can keep the money. Please take better care of Madam Lu's house."
After the house matter was settled, Jiang Tangtang didn't stay at Manager Xia's house for long. She went home to prepare for her trip to the county town the next day.
However, on the way home, she turned back to the thatched house and told Lu Shiyan that she was going to the county town tomorrow and asked him if he wanted to buy anything.
Lu Shiyan shook his head and said no, but before dawn the next day, he sent over a small homemade crossbow.
He stood far away and demonstrated to him, "When you encounter danger, just press this button here. You can shoot two arrows at a time, twice in total. You..."
Jiang Tangtang looked at the green shadow under his eyes, and her heart beat faster for some reason. "You didn't stay up all night just to make this crossbow for me, did you?"
"It's not for you!" Lu Shiyan said expressionlessly, "When we go to the county town, we'll ask a doctor to come back and see my sister."
Jiang Tangtang blushed, embarrassed by her own speculation. He hated her so much, how could he have stayed up all night making a crossbow just because of her?
If he was really worried about her safety, it was because of a sense of responsibility. He was worried that the children would be without a mother, and he was worried that if she died outside, no one would call a doctor back to treat her sister.
"Don't worry, I will bring the doctor back alive."
Jiang Tangtang took a bow and crossbow and rode a donkey cart to the county town.
Raoying County was about as prosperous as the other two counties, but there was only one pawnshop in the entire county. The pawnshop owner offered just over a hundred taels of silver for the same pearl, which immediately put Jiang Tangtang off the idea of pawning the pearl.
She left the pawnshop and walked around the street, thinking about ways to make money.
Although rubber plantations and pearl farming are both good ways to make money, they make money too slowly. She has to find a job that makes money quickly first, and cannot rely on pearl farming to make a living.
What's more, the owner of the pawnshop was obviously taking advantage of the fact that it was the only pawnshop in the entire county to lower her price and acted as if she would have to go back and beg him if she left. She couldn't stand this.
Soon, her eyes fell on a silver shop selling gold and silver jewelry.
"Young lady, if you want to pick out jewelry, you should come to our Jingfulou. What do you want to buy today? Let me tell you." As soon as I walked to the door, a waiter came to greet me enthusiastically.
Jiang Tangtang smiled and said, "What new styles are there in the shop? Bring them over to me and see."
"Okay!" The waiter took out a double-layered jewelry box from the cabinet and introduced it to Jiang Tangtang. "My dear, these are the most popular styles in Beijing. Our shopkeeper took great pains to bring them here. Look at this hairpin. The butterfly on it is so flexible that it looks like a real one. And these twined hairpins... these were made by the master craftsmen in Beijing."
Jiang Tangtang asked, "How much is this step-shake?"
The waiter said, "This is one hundred and fifty-six taels of silver."
Jiang Tangtang asked about a few more pieces of jewelry in the shop, and after getting a clear idea of what was going on, she said, "Is the owner of your shop here? Would it be convenient for him to meet me?"
Seeing that she didn't buy anything, the waiter's smile suddenly faded, "How can anyone see the shopkeeper when he's busy?"
"I want to discuss a business deal with your shopkeeper—" Jiang Tangtang hadn't finished speaking when the waiter interrupted her impatiently, "If you don't want to buy, forget it. Don't delay my business."
He saw that although the young lady was dressed simply, her skin was fair and delicate, her hair was black, and her face was rosy. He guessed that she was a spoiled girl raised in a wealthy family, which was why she was so enthusiastic. He didn't expect that she was a poor girl, so how could she be so friendly?
"I have jewelry that's even more exquisite than the most fashionable jewelry in the capital, and I can continue to provide it to you. Are you sure you don't want to ask your boss for permission?"
Jiang Tangtang was not angry either, she just raised her eyebrows and looked at him indifferently.
The waiter felt a little guilty when she looked at him, but he thought that if anyone said that, he would go to clean the shopkeeper and would definitely have to eat the first bite. He said in a vicious tone, "A few days ago, someone said that she had gold jewelry given by the Empress in the Palace. You liars are getting more and more rampant. Go, go, go..."
The waiter angrily started to chase people away.
Jiang Tangtang chuckled and turned to go to the silver shop diagonally opposite.
This silver shop is smaller than Jingfulou's, and there are not as many waiters at the door to greet customers warmly. The whole shop seems a bit deserted.
"Is your boss here?" Jiang Tangtang did not look at the jewelry first like before, but directly found a maid to ask.
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