Ruyi Pavilion was only opened in the past one or two months. Although its business is not as good as those of famous shops such as Linglong Pavilion and Nishangxuan, the number of customers coming in and out is not small either.
However, Shen Xinyan knew that in a few years, Ruyi Pavilion would rise in the Beijing business circle and form a three-legged tripod with Linglong Pavilion and Nishangxuan. The behind-the-scenes boss of Ruyi Pavilion was Xu Sumin who was beside her.
The long-lasting business of Linglongge and Nishangxuan cannot be achieved by simply relying on the operation of the stores. The management of other places, the selection and support of backers, etc. are all indispensable. The fact that Xu Sumin can take a share of the profits from these two companies shows her ability and courage.
Since Xu Sumin did not reveal her identity at this moment, Shen Xinyan could only pretend not to know.
"Ah! This little wooden man can actually spin in circles!" Xiao Yingzhi on the other end shouted in surprise.
Shen Xinyan took a look and saw her daughter standing on tiptoe, leaning on the counter, staring at a peculiarly shaped wooden box on it. Even Lin Fu, who always liked to act like a little adult, opened his mouth slightly and stared at the box intently.
"Little girl, if you twist it here, it will make a nice sound!" The good-tempered female shopkeeper demonstrated to her with a smile, and gently twisted a certain part of the wooden box. The next moment, a series of pleasant "ding ding dong dong" sounds were heard.
"Oh! It really makes a sound! Pingfu Pingfu, look! It really makes a sound!" The little girl was even more surprised and pulled Pingfu's hand and shook it.
"Really? How did they do that?" Pingfu walked around it curiously.
Seeing the two kids watching with great interest, Qiu Tang couldn't help but become curious and quickly stepped forward to see what was going on.
"The things in Ruyi Pavilion are indeed novel and unique. It's obvious that the owner has put a lot of thought into it." Shen Xinyan said with emotion when she saw the various and varied goods inside, which were truly unique.
"If you want to make a name for yourself in the capital, you naturally have to put in some effort." Xu Sumin disagreed and winked at a middle-aged woman in the store. The woman nodded, turned and went into the back room. After a while, she came out holding an exquisite box.
Xu Sumin took the box, opened it, took out a mirror from inside and handed it to Shen Xinyan.
When her face was clearly reflected in the mirror, Shen Xinyan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"How come this mirror is so clear?" She took it lovingly and stroked the smooth surface.
"This is a 'glass mirror' that came from the West. It can reflect things clearly. I got two of them by chance last year. If you don't mind, can I give this mirror to you?" Xu Sumin said with a smile.
As the wife of the prince of a duke's mansion, she naturally had no shortage of expensive and exquisite head ornaments, but she dared to bet that there was no other glass mirror as good as this one in the whole capital.
Shen Xinyan was slightly startled. She handed the mirror to Qiutang and carefully put it back into the box. She pretended to be surprised and said, "So, the owner of Ruyi Pavilion is you, Madam Xu?"
"That's right!" Xu Sumin did not hide it from her anymore and agreed generously.
"Mrs. Xu is a weak woman, but she can run such a big store and make it so successful. It is really admirable!"
Xu Sumin shook her head: "Madam, you are too kind!"
As he spoke, he led Shen Xinyan into the inner room.
Seeing that she seemed to have something to say to her, Shen Xinyan told Qiu Tang to keep a good eye on the two children, and then followed Xu Sumin in.
"I brought the lady here for another purpose." After the two of them sat down, Xu Sumin dismissed the servants and told them frankly.
"Ma'am, please speak."
"I am not from the capital. My business focus used to be in the southwest. I intend to gradually move my family's business to the capital. Although I have managed to make a breakthrough, it will not be easy to gain a firm foothold."
"This time, I have set my eyes on a barren mountain outside Beijing and plan to turn it into a hot spring resort. All the formalities have been completed, and now we are just short of a partner." Xu Sumin said slowly.
Shen Xinyan's mind moved.
Listening to what she said, could it be that she wanted to find me as a partner? If that was the case, it would be a blessing in disguise!
This was because in her previous life, Xu Sumin's hot spring resort was very popular, and ordinary people had to make reservations several days in advance if they wanted to go there. Although many similar resorts were opened in the suburbs of Beijing, none of them could be as prosperous as hers.
She calmed down and asked in surprise, "Partner? Who has your wife set her sights on? Does she want me to help her?"
Xu Sumin shook her head, looked at her sincerely and said, "I am very brave. May I ask if the wife of the prince is willing to cooperate with me to open this manor? I will be responsible for all other matters and will not trouble you. In the future, 30% of the income from the manor will belong to you."
A 30% return...is considered quite high.
Shen Xinyan sat up straight and asked slowly, "Madam, you know that I am just a woman in the inner house, and my network of contacts is limited. Madam, you are looking for me to be your partner. After thinking about it, I realized that apart from my title of wife of the prince of the Duke of Ying, there is nothing else that can attract you."
"I just don't understand. If Madam wants to seek protection, the Duke of England's Mansion is not the best choice. The same is true for me, a powerless wife of the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince's wife is a wise person. To tell you the truth, the partner I originally chose was the Sixth Young Master of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion. I am not exaggerating. If this estate succeeds, it will surely make a lot of money. I know that the Crown Prince's wife is of noble birth and naturally disdains these yellow and white things. But I believe that a woman standing in the world must have confidence in her heart. In this way, no matter what the future holds or what fate is, she can face it calmly and fearlessly."
"Madam, please look at the couple in the cloth shop opposite..." Xu Sumin pointed outside the window and led Shen Xinyan to look.
Shen Xinyan looked over and saw a young couple selecting cloth in front of a cloth shop across the street. She knew at first glance that they were a very loving couple, and their every move was filled with affection.
"Madam, do you think this couple is loving? Is the husband attentive and considerate to his wife?" Xu Sumin asked.
Shen Xinyan nodded: "The husband's hands were always supporting his wife without leaving any trace, and his eyes were mostly on her. He was very considerate and caring."
"Madam, do you think this couple will remain in love forever?"
Shen Xinyan was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I can't guarantee that. Time is long, and who can predict what will happen in the future?"
"Madam, you are right. Look again at the old woman in blue in front of the tofu shop." Xu Sumin pointed out the window again.
Shen Xinyan looked over and heard her continue beside her: "The old woman became a widow at a young age, so she devoted all her energy to raising her son, hoping that he would be successful and bring honor to the family. Her son is a hard-working man. He passed the imperial examination a few years ago and got a minor official position in another place. He also got married and had children in another place."
"Then why doesn't he take his old mother with him?" Shen Xin asked consciously.
"Madam, you are right. The daughter-in-law is from a rich family and doesn't like this poor old woman. But the poor old woman, in order to protect her son's reputation, would never admit that he was unfilial. She just said everywhere that she was used to the life at home and didn't want to go out."
Shen Xinyan was stunned.
Xu Sumin added: "In this world, women obey their husbands after marriage and their sons after their husbands die. Their life's honor, disgrace and peace are all dependent on others. They cannot make their own decisions. How can they be confident? If they marry the wrong person, their life will be over. If their own sons are unfilial and their daughters-in-law do not accept them when they are old, then they will be living a life worse than death."
Shen Xinyan was silent, staring at her blankly. After listening to her shocking words, she couldn't calm down for a long time.
"I'm not being cynical when I say this, I just think that confidence is something that women really need."
Shen Xinyan was confused and felt that every word Xu Sumin said hit the nail on the head.
"Although women are the masters of the home and men are the masters of the outside world, women are trapped in the inner house all their lives, and their eyes are always on their husbands and children, so it is inevitable that they have too high expectations. If the effort and the reward complement each other, everyone is happy; if the result is not satisfactory, frustration and disappointment are the least of the worries, the most feared thing is to lose oneself from then on."
"To put it bluntly, in a woman's lifetime, her husband is unreliable, and her son may not be reliable either. Only herself will never betray herself!"
Shen Xinyan felt her head buzzing. No one had ever said such words to her before, and she never thought that there was anything wrong with a woman obeying her husband and son! She also didn't think there was anything wrong with devoting her whole body and soul to her husband and son.
But the woman in front of her told her frankly, "In a woman's lifetime, her husband is unreliable, and her sons may not be reliable either."
However, her past experiences told her again and again in her heart that it was true, what Mrs. Xu said was true, the most reliable person in the world is yourself! Your husband will betray you, your son will betray you, but you will never betray yourself!
Seeing how confused she was, Xu Sumin stopped talking, poured herself a cup of tea, and began to sip it in small sips.
After all, he was her "savior", and she couldn't just sit there and watch her be like those foolish women, revolving around men all her life.
Although money and power are the source of all evil, we have to admit that these two words are also the greatest guarantee for a person to live a free life.
You are already the Crown Prince's wife. If nothing unexpected happens, you will be the Duke's wife or the Duke's dowager wife. You just need to fulfill your duties as the Crown Prince's wife, lady or dowager wife. Why do you have to be around men all your life?
If he wants to have a mistress, then so be it! As long as he holds on to the money bag at home, he can do whatever he wants with any little witch. But if he can't spend money so easily, how can a man provoke little witches outside?
At this time, Shen Xinyan finally calmed down.
She stared at Xu Sumin, who had a frank face, and asked slowly, "Madam and I have only met once, not even casually, so why did you speak to me so openly?"
Xu Sumin chuckled and asked, "I just met Madam for the first time that day, why did Madam bother to remind me?"
Shen Xinyan was stunned for a moment, and the next moment, she also chuckled.