Chapter 608: Little girl, that’s immoral.
Qian Zhenyun held the heavy purse and felt it weighed a thousand pounds.
"Qingchen, are we really going to do this?" His face wrinkled into a bun, his heart in turmoil. "This money, I, I dare not close my eyes to sleep at night."
"Promising!"
Gu Qingchen rolled his eyes at him, but still reached out and patted his back as a comfort.
"It's foolish not to make money. The money for the gifts has been distributed, and the rest is the capital for us to do big things!"
Lin Jiayou carefully put away the accounts and IOUs and put them into his school bag before looking up at Gu Qingchen.
"I have the capital, but the most critical part of the jewelry business you mentioned has not yet been solved."
He pointed out the problem pointedly: "Where can you find a craftsman with excellent skills and who can keep his mouth shut?"
"The famous silver shops in the capital all have their own masters. They will never take jobs from outside, and they will certainly not let you use their masters for private work."
Qian Zhenyun nodded repeatedly: "Yes, and we don't know how to draw!"
This is indeed the biggest problem.
Gu Qingchen crossed his arms over his chest and paced in the pavilion with a frown on his face.
She had imagined countless ways to make money, but she had overlooked this most fundamental step in execution.
He needs top-notch skills, is in dire need of money, and needs someone he can rely on.
Where can I find such a person?
Her mind raced, pages of the account books she had read flashing back. Purchases, expenses, warehouses, repairs...
Suddenly, she stopped and her eyes suddenly lit up.
“I figured it out!”
Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun looked over immediately.
"Uncle Qin Fang!" She clapped her hands, her voice filled with the excitement of sudden enlightenment, "How could I have forgotten him!"
Lin Jiayou looked bewildered: "Who is Uncle Qin Fang?"
"The general manager of all the shops and manors owned by my mother!" Gu Qingchen's mind raced. "He must know exactly which chef in the capital has the best skills and which jewelry store has connections!"
Qian Zhenyun: "Chief Steward Qin is my aunt's confidant. He always puts my aunt first. Why would he help us with this kind of... 'private work'?"
"So we can't say it directly." Gu Qingchen's mouth curled up with a cunning arc, "We have to think of a way to trick... No, ask him for help!"
Her eyes rolled and an idea immediately formed.
She moved between the two friends, lowered her voice, and mysteriously revealed her plan.
On the second day, in the private room of the Treasure Pavilion, Qin Fang was facing the account book, turning a purple-gold rat abacus in his hand, making crackling sounds.
"Manager Qin." The waiter's respectful voice came from outside the door.
"Come in." Qin Fang didn't even raise his head.
The door was pushed open, and the people who walked in were not the waiters, but three half-grown children.
Gu Qingchen was in the lead, followed by Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun.
Qin Fang paused his fingers on the abacus, raised his head, and saw the person coming. His sharp eyes instantly turned into a gentle smile.
He put down the abacus and stood up: "The lady is here."
“Uncle Qin!”
Gu Qingchen imitated his mother's style, walked steadily to sit opposite him, and seriously picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.
Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun stood aside obediently, looking a little embarrassed.
Qin Fang had seen countless people and could tell at a glance that something was wrong with the expressions of these three little guys.
Especially Gu Qingchen, that serious expression of "I'm doing something big" coupled with her childish face was really funny.
He didn't point it out, but just asked with a smile: "Miss, you came here today, but what instructions does Madam have?"
"Ahem," Gu Qingchen cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calmer. "My mother... has been testing me recently. She gave me a task to complete."
"Oh?" Qin Fang showed an expression of great interest. "I wonder what important task Madam has given Miss?"
"My mother said that the tastes of the noble ladies in the capital change quickly, and the jewelry styles in the shop are a bit outdated."
Gu Qingchen brought out the excuse he had prepared last night.
"She wants me to design some novel jewelry and find a trustworthy craftsman to make some prototypes first to test the waters."
“If it sells well, we’ll invest more.”
She paused and looked at Qin Fang sincerely: "My mother said that this matter must be done quietly, and the master in the shop cannot be used to avoid alerting the enemy."
"She said that the person she trusts most in the entire capital is you, Uncle Qin, and asked you to help me find the best craftsman."
After Qin Fang heard this, he understood.
Madam is so smart, how could she let the young lady do such a thing?
This little girl clearly had evil thoughts in her mind and was using the lady as a shield.
However, if the little lady wants to play, she has to be coaxed.
He feigned hesitation, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "It's truly rare for Miss to have such a heart. However, finding a craftsman with exceptional skills and trustworthiness is not easy."
"Besides, it takes a lot of time and effort from drawing the blueprint to producing the finished product. I'm afraid it will delay your important work."
When Gu Qingchen heard that there was a way, his eyes lit up: "No delay, no delay!"
Qin Fang smiled and changed the subject: "Miss, since you want to test the waters and see what styles sell well, I have a faster way."
He stood up and led the three people through a moon gate to a warehouse.
"Here," Qin Fang pointed at the neatly stacked brocade boxes on the rows of shelves, "these are some of the styles that are overstocked in our Treasure Pavilion."
"They are all good things, but the styles are not new enough, or the quantity is too small to be easily displayed on the counter."
He casually opened a brocade box, and inside was an exquisitely crafted plum blossom hairpin.
"If you really have a talent for business, you might as well try selling some of the items here."
"I'll sell them to you at the purchase price. If you can sell them and make a profit, come back to me."
"Then I will personally search for a world-renowned craftsman for you, young lady. How about that?"
These words not only blocked Gu Qingchen's idea of taking advantage of the craftsman for free, but also gave her a chance to prove herself.
Gu Qingchen's little plan was seen through, and her cheeks heated up slightly, but she was immediately attracted to the proposal.
Sell the goods yourself and make the difference! It's much faster than hiring a craftsman to make them!
"Okay! It's a deal!" She agreed immediately.
The three of them had long forgotten what gift to buy for the prince, all their attention was attracted by the glittering little gadgets in front of them.
Gu Qingchen is a clever girl. Since she wants to choose, she will naturally choose the best-looking one.
Relying on the fact that she had spent half a month with her mother looking at the account books, she thought she had some understanding of the ladies' preferences.
"This butterfly hairpin is too tacky, I don't want it."
"This gold hairpin is too heavy. It makes me tired to wear it. I don't want it."
"Hey, this is pretty!" She took out a small silver wire bracelet from a pile of brocade boxes. It was made of tiny rice beads in the shape of a bunch of grapes, which was chic and fresh.
"And these, these earrings are made to look like two ginkgo leaves, perfect for autumn!"
She picked and chose, and soon a small pile of what she considered to be "fine products" piled up in front of her.
Qian Zhenyun and Lin Jiayou stood aside, looking at the jewelry that looked similar to them, their faces full of confusion.
"Qingchen, is there any difference between this hairpin and that hairpin?" Qian Zhenyun picked up the two hairpins and asked Lin Jiayou in a low voice.
Lin Jiayou looked at it carefully and shook his head.
Gu Qingchen heard it and turned around to give them a blank look: "There's a huge difference... What do you know!"
In the end, they used 150 taels of "capital" to buy a large bag of jewelry from Qin Fang.
The three of them, holding their spoils, excitedly found the most crowded place in the capital - under a big locust tree not far from the gate of the Treasure Pavilion.
They imitated the street vendors, spread out a piece of cloth, and laid out the jewelry one by one.
Inside the Treasure Pavilion, Qin Fang looked through the second-floor window at the three furtive little figures under the big locust tree. He picked up his teacup and shook his head helplessly and amusedly.
They take the things they bought from me and run to my store to steal my business, and sell them cheaper than in my store.
Qin Fang took a sip of tea and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Little girl, this is immoral.
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