Old Madam Yin shook her head, then looked up at Granny Bi, "Tell me, did I really do something wrong?"
How could Granny Bi dare to say that?
She said, "You did everything for the master, and he will surely understand your good intentions in the future."
is that so?
As Madam Yin recalled everything that had happened since her husband's passing, she felt somewhat dazed.
...
"Wife, be careful---"
Qiao'er helped Qin Sheng down the steps, and Qin Sheng stepped onto the prepared low stool and entered the warm carriage.
After arriving in Ningzhou Prefecture, it rained for several days in a row. When the sun finally came out, Qin Sheng kept walking around outside.
She was looking at all the shops, big and small, in Ningzhou Prefecture.
After observing for three days, Qin Sheng had a general idea of what was going on.
Back at the manor, Qin Sheng was about to have someone call Yu Fu over when she saw Awei pacing anxiously back and forth in the courtyard.
"My lady---"
When Awei saw Qin Sheng return, he quickly went to greet her. "My lady, didn't you ask me to find out about what's going on in Crescent Moon City the other day? It just so happens that merchants from that area have started fighting between the armies of Da Xiang and Xi Rong!"
"What---" Qin Sheng's expression changed.
The commander of the Da Xiang region this time is her own brother, so Qin Sheng can't help but worry about the war on the frontier.
"They've already started fighting..." Qin Sheng muttered to himself.
Awei said, "Yes, I specifically asked the merchants from Crescent Moon City for information. They said that the Western Rong people used the excuse that our herdsmen stole their sheep and wanted to cross the border to find them. General Qin refused, and the Western Rong people killed four of our Da Xiang herdsmen, and then a fight broke out!"
"..."
News of the war between Da Xiang and the Western Rong quickly spread that General Qin had led 10,000 elite troops in a night raid, routing the Western Rong and achieving a resounding victory in the first battle.
However, the border war remains intense.
As the first month of the lunar calendar was drawing to a close, Qin Sheng also had someone take over a shop. It was originally intended to be a teahouse, but because the place was small and the location was not good, business had always been very poor.
The boss has barely managed to stay afloat until today, but he simply can't hold on any longer.
The shop has two floors. In addition to the lobby, there is a very spacious kitchen on the first floor.
Yu Fu and the other men who had come with him discussed it and asked Qin Sheng for his opinion on whether they should open a restaurant.
However, there are countless restaurants of all sizes in Ningzhou Prefecture, and it would be extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Qin Sheng rejected it.
Grain shops, cosmetics shops, tea shops, and cloth shops were all mentioned, but each one was rejected.
The discussion continued until noon, and Qin Sheng invited everyone to have lunch together. As the food was brought in one after another, Qin Sheng was taken aback when she saw a plate of snacks placed in front of her.
The pastries were made by Granny Fu, who also accompanied the woman to Ningzhou Prefecture.
The pastry looked crystal clear, and inside the petal-shaped pastry was a jade rabbit pounding medicine, carved in a very lifelike way.
Qiao'er smiled and said, "Granny Fu is so skillful! Knowing that you haven't had a good appetite these past few days, she made such beautiful and delicious pastries for you."
Yes, before she started working at the Qin family mansion, Granny Fu ran a pastry shop.
However, because her husband was a compulsive gambler, she had to mortgage her thriving pastry shop to someone else in order to pay off his gambling debts.
Not long after, Granny Fu's husband was beaten to death for cheating at a casino.
Seeing that she was alone, childless, and widowed, Madam Qin took her to the Qin residence to help in the kitchen, so that she would at least have a place to stay.
"Where is Granny Fu?" Qin Sheng suddenly asked.
Jade said, "They're still in the kitchen. They said they're making osmanthus honey syrup for my wife. It'll be ready in a little while."
"I've got an idea of what kind of business we should do," Qin Sheng said with a smile.
Everyone looked over, and Awei asked impatiently, "Wife, do you have any good ideas?"
Qin Sheng nodded: "A pastry shop."
...
Ningzhou Prefecture was prosperous and not far from the capital, attracting many merchants from the north and south, as well as numerous wealthy local families.
Qin Sheng herself was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, so from her own perspective, she naturally knew what the girls and children in wealthy families liked.
When people get tired of eating delicacies, they naturally crave something new and exciting.
The sixth day of the second lunar month is an auspicious day. Qin's Dim Sum Shop opened its doors on the first day of business. To attract customers, all customers who bought dim sum on the first day of business received a gift.
All the pastries, from the ingredients and designs to the cooking time, were handled or overseen by Granny Fu.
Business wasn't particularly good on the first day of opening.
Ningzhou Prefecture also has many pastry shops, among which the two most famous are two century-old brands.
On its first day of opening, the shop only sold three kinds of pastries.
Osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, red bean cake.
It's a very common pastry, sold in every pastry shop.
However, in addition to their beautiful appearance, the pastries made by Granny Fu also tasted very good. When Princess Wenhua visited the Qin residence, she ate the pastries made by Granny Fu and even joked with Madam Qin that she wanted to take the pastry maker back to the princess's residence.
Qin Sheng grew up eating pastries made by Granny Qin, so naturally she had confidence in her skills.
Moreover, on the first day of opening, Qin Sheng had someone bring her own invitation and pastries made by Granny Fu. Every prominent family in Ningzhou Prefecture sent a portion in the name of the Qin family.
"What I earned this day isn't even as much as the pastries I gave away," Qiao'er muttered beside the counter.
Qin Sheng was still busy calculating accounts on her abacus.
Indeed, the day's calculations showed that they actually lost one hundred taels of silver.
Yu Fu chimed in, "It's only the first day of business. Besides, in the first month after we open, we're not concerned about how much money we make. What we're concerned about is establishing the reputation of Qin's Pastry Shop."
"..."
Qiao'er pursed her lips. She had never done business before, so of course she didn't understand these things.
Later that evening, the people who had delivered the snacks to each household returned one after another, and sixteen of the snacks that had been delivered were returned.
Some families accept the gift out of politeness, but whether they will actually eat it is another matter.
"What about the Marquis's residence?" Qin Sheng asked.
She also sent a copy to the wife of the magistrate of Ningzhou, which was made separately by Granny Fu. On the invitation to the Lady of the Marquis, Qin Sheng subtly mentioned the Qin family, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the capital, but did not reveal her own identity.
"Madam Hou accepted it," the errand boy said. "Madam Hou also gave you a message, saying thank you for the pastries, madam."
Qin Sheng nodded and let him leave.
The next day, business at Qin's Dim Sum Shop improved a bit, but overall, it still lost eighty taels of silver.
The shop still sells only three items: osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, and red bean cake.
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