"Daddy's awake!" Yanbao exclaimed happily.
Zhou Quan turned to look at Li Mai and saw that she was still asleep. He quickly shushed the three children, "Shh, go to the outer room and wait for Daddy. Daddy will get up and take you out to play."
The three children immediately became obedient and went to the outer room to wait for their father.
Now Yanbao and Yubao can dress themselves, and after they're dressed, they help Fubao get dressed too.
The three of them slept in Yanbao and Yubao's crib last night. It was a bit crowded, but all three of them slept soundly until dawn.
Zhou Quan glanced at Li Mai again, smiled gently, got up, drew the bed curtains, put on his outer robe, went out to wash the three children, and then took them out to practice their martial arts.
Fu Bao hasn't started learning martial arts yet. When he sees his older siblings learning, he tries to follow suit, even though he doesn't do it very well. But he's determined to learn.
Zhou Quan gave him a few pointers, and being a boy, the little guy was quite persistent.
When Li Mai woke up, the father and sons were no longer in the house. After she finished getting ready and went outside, she heard Zhou Quan and the children's voices coming from the outer courtyard.
She told the kitchen to prepare breakfast before going out to call them back to wash up, and then they would eat together.
This morning, the three kids seemed a little less enthusiastic about the parrot, and Fu Bao was holding the little stone horse again.
They had just finished breakfast when Yun Chang and Xu Changhuan arrived.
Li Mai invited them to have breakfast together, but Xu Changhuan said that the two of them had already eaten.
After dinner, Li Mai and Xu Changhuan discussed the incense shop at home, while the children were led by their maids to play in the courtyard.
Li Mai plans to start teaching the children to read and write again next year. This year, she will let them play for another year and focus on training with their father.
In the days that followed, they continued to be busy in the same way.
In mid-April, Li Mai's inn was almost ready, but their Li Clan Trading Company was not yet ready. Li Mai planned to wait until everything was ready before officially opening for business.
The immediate priority is to recruit and train staff. We need to assign people to various roles in the inn, such as kitchen staff, waiters, servants, and other employees. They will need to undergo a month of training to familiarize themselves with their duties.
Her inn is definitely the most comfortable and convenient in town.
The inn consists of three elegant, separate courtyards, named Fuguang, Wangshu, and Xinghan respectively. These are very poetic names, given by Zhuzhu. These separate courtyards are more suitable for families traveling together.
The rest are all individual rooms, situated in four large courtyards.
The courtyards are named Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter respectively. There are two peach trees in the Spring Courtyard. The rooms are numbered according to the order of Spring Courtyard No. 1 and No. 2, which is convenient for the people doing the work. Each courtyard has ten separate rooms.
The summer courtyard has two pomegranate trees, the autumn courtyard has maple trees, and the winter courtyard has plum trees.
Each courtyard has three main rooms, three east-facing rooms, three south-facing rooms, and one west-facing room.
However, when guests arrive, they are first arranged to stay in the main house. After all the main houses in the four courtyards are occupied, the east and west houses are then arranged.
Prices also vary; the main house is definitely more expensive, while the southeast and west houses are cheaper.
What sets Li's Inn apart from other inns is that guests can choose their own theme to decorate their rooms when they check in.
There are five themes for guests to choose from, named after flowers: magnolia, peony, rose, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom.
They are given a theme list to choose from, and each theme includes soft furnishings such as bedding, bed curtains, drapes, and scented items. The interior decorations are arranged with fresh flowers in summer or during flowering season, and with fabric floral arrangements in winter.
Li Mai has also prepared a greenhouse here, planning to grow flowers in it during the winter. Perhaps, her inn can have fresh flowers available for decorating guest rooms all year round.
The hardware items in each room are the same, including beds, tables, chairs, and desks. However, the soft furnishings are all arranged. Once the guests decide on a theme, the staff will arrange everything as quickly as possible.
The entire Li family business they acquired included Li family inn, Li family dye house, Li family weaving workshop, pomegranate embroidery workshop, and Ruyi incense shop.
The other workshops did not occupy as much space as the inn. The inn also had a separate gate facing the street, and a stable area was included for guests to park their carriages and feed their horses.
The other workshops each had their own gate, while the Li family's office area was a separate courtyard where Li Mai, Zhou Quan, and others usually worked and reviewed accounts.
The courtyard of the Li Family Trading Company is located between the inn and the workshop. It is divided into two courtyards. The front courtyard has several front halls where guests can rest and drink tea, and where the host can receive guests.
There is a large courtyard that leads directly to the main gate of the business.
There is a screen wall blocking the view of the courtyard as soon as you enter the main gate, preventing passersby from peeking inside. There is a foyer at the main gate for the gatekeeper.
The screen wall features a large relief of wealth and prosperity, and a plaque hangs outside the main gate, bearing the inscription "Li Family Trading Company".
The backyard served as Li Mai's accounting office and their main workspace.
Ordinary guests are received in the front hall, while acquaintances who come to visit can be taken to the hall in the backyard to discuss matters.
Li's Trading Company is not involved in the food and beverage industry. Li Mai doesn't care about anything in her cooperation with the Xu family; she just waits for the year-end profit sharing. Therefore, it is not counted as income of Li's Trading Company but as her personal investment.
The entire commercial area will be fully completed by October this year. The inns, embroidery workshops, and incense shops will be built first, and by the end of June, everything will be ready and operational.
Li Mai's big move can be said to have shocked all the merchants in the town.
Li's Trading Company.
In just five years, Li Mai and his wife have firmly established themselves in Qing Shi Town and built such a large business. They are truly intelligent and resourceful people.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
