Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Dawn alone...
Lin Qiuran could probably guess that Xiao Xun's absence was related to Zhao Tingyue, but she didn't know what exactly happened in the palace.
She wanted to ask someone to go to Anyang Marquis' Mansion to inquire, but she was afraid that they would not be able to find out anything at this time and would only cause trouble for Xiao Xun.
Another half hour passed, and Xiao Xun still hadn't returned. However, Xiao Xun's servant, Lin An, did return. Lin An told Lin Qiuran, "Madam, the master is in the palace right now. I'm afraid he won't be back today, but don't worry, it's a good thing. You don't have to wait for him. Eat your meals and go about your business at home."
Lin Qiuran nodded, feeling a little relieved. She hadn't had dinner yet, so she simply ate some food after the kitchen brought it over.
Tangyuan was still awake, playing with a nine-ring puzzle on the kang. After a while, he finally solved it and looked up at Lin Qiuran, "Mom, Dad isn't coming home tonight?"
Lin Qiuran nodded, "Well, go to sleep first. Maybe you'll see your father tomorrow morning."
Tangyuan nodded. Although Lin Qiuran looked worried, he was actually very obedient. He didn't need Lin Qiuran to coax him much and soon fell asleep on the kang.
Lin Qiuran looked down at the glutinous rice balls, then looked up at the house.
After moving in, the main courtyard was larger and more furnished. The rooms were well-furnished, neither empty nor boring. Xiao Xun was away tonight, so he had left a maid to watch over the night in the side room. Lin Qiuran was used to Xiao Xun's presence, and this time she felt a little empty inside and couldn't sleep.
Lin Qiuran lay there for a while before turning over, her mind racing to what had happened in the palace tonight. Lin An had said it was a good thing, but Zhao Tingyue was now the Duke of Zhao and a General of the Imperial Guards. Taking him down wouldn't be easy. If General Zhao fell, it would surely implicate many others.
I hope Xiao Xun is safe and sound.
As he was thinking this, a strong wind blew outside, rattling the windows. Tang Yuan stirred and hummed a few times. Lin Qiuran listened carefully and heard that he seemed to be calling for his father, so he reached out and patted him on the back.
There was a loud roar outside all night, but the house was warm and safe.
Xiao Xun hadn't returned today, and Sun couldn't help but come to the main courtyard to ask what was going on. Lin Qiuran comforted her, "Maybe something happened in the palace. Don't worry. It's not the New Year, and your husband is favored by the emperor, so it's normal for him to come back late."
Sun nodded. Lin Qiuran saw her and brought the maid over. Not seeing Xiao Dashi, she couldn't help but ask, "Mother, where is Dad?"
Sun said, "He went to the mansion early in the morning. This mansion is big, and I don't know where he went. Let him go. What do you want to see your father for?"
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "I wrote to Dad and told him to bring me the profits and account books of the Jinding Building over the past few months. I have nothing to do right now, so I wanted to take a look."
Lin Qiuran didn't feel embarrassed to bring it up. After all, she was the one who ran Jindinglou. It had been almost four months, and she was also concerned about the business of the restaurant.
Sun said, "If you need it urgently, I'll take it for you."
Xiao Dashi wasn't there, but the bag he'd brought with him was there. This time, to Sun's surprise, Xiao Dashi hadn't brought anything cluttered with him, just a bag with some uneaten rations. That was the truth, there was nothing in the capital, so why would he have to bring it all the way from Yu'an?
Lin Qiuran nodded and followed Sun to Shou'an Hall, saving her the trouble of making another trip later.
Sun quickly found the things: two account books and some banknotes. A stack of banknotes was placed together, and Sun guessed it must be this. "Take this first. When your father comes back, I'll ask him if he has anything else."
Lin Qiuran nodded and took the things back.
There was no news from Xiao Xun for a while, so Lin Qiuran couldn't just sit there anxiously, so he went to the study to check the account books. They had left Yu'an at the end of August, and it had been almost four months now. The restaurant used to make 220 to 30 taels of silver in profit each month, with Manager Shi taking 5% and Lin Qiuran usually taking around 210 taels.
The profits of the twelfth month are not counted because this month has not yet ended. Inventory is always taken at the beginning of the month, so the profits of the twelfth month will not be known until the beginning of the next month.
Xiao Dashi left at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, bringing with him the profits of September, October and November.
Lin Qiuran first looked at the account book, which clearly recorded everything from daily cash flow to monthly costs and expenses. After October, there was an additional expense, which was charcoal. She saw that more firewood was used than before.
Winter does not come to Yu'an until November, but the charcoal brazier must be set up in mid-October. After all, guests come to eat, so it doesn't matter if you are a little cold, but you can't let your guests get cold while doing business.
September's turnover was 630 taels, with a profit of 240 taels, of which 12 taels were shared with Manager Shi. Lin Qiuran flipped through the pages, finding October's turnover was 608 taels, with a profit of 210 taels. November's turnover was 580 taels, with a profit of 193 taels. Xiao Dashi had brought back 610 taels, all in banknotes.
The account book and the money were in equivalence. After Lin Qiuran finished reading this, he flipped through the things he had taken from Sun's family. After flipping through them twice, he still didn't see anything else.
In addition to the Jindinglou business, Lin Qiuran also invested in other businesses. Madam Yang had a shop selling roujiamo (Chinese steamed buns) and Aunt Yu's house. She later gave him a few recipes and signed the paperwork.
Madam Yang took the larger share, 40%, while Aunt Yu's family only took 20%. After all, the two families were close, and the partnership wasn't just about business. Both businesses had been going on for a few years, each growing bigger and bigger. Aunt Yu's family had already opened a shop selling breakfast, and people also went there for lunch and dinner. Madam Yang also rented a small shop, which she had owned for two years.
Both sides sent money on a monthly basis, and Lin Qiuran received more than thirty taels every month. Although it was not as much as what he got from Jinding Tower, it was still several hundred taels a year.
However, Aunt Yu and Madam Yang were illiterate and didn't know how to keep accounts. It wasn't worth hiring a manager for such a small business, so they just sent the money directly to her. Lin Qiuran hadn't checked the accounts, but after all, they had been together for many years and she trusted them.
She also informed them when she came to the capital. Madam Yang and Aunt Yu said that the money would be sent to the Xiao family and given to Xiao Dashi.
Three months would have cost at least eighty taels of silver. If it was for traveling, Lin Qiuran had left a hundred taels for Xiao Dashi before he left. And this time, it was Lin Mingjie's final payment: thirty taels for the escort agency and three taels for the carriage.
She closed the account book and put the money away to keep for use at home. With only this amount, the money for Wufangzhai and Shisanxiang must have remained unpaid. Lin Qiuran planned to wait until Xiao Dashi had finished his tour of the house before asking about it.
Xiao Xun still hadn't come back at noon, so Lin Qiuran didn't wait for him and took the dumplings to Shou'an Hall to have lunch with the two elders.
Xiao Dashi kept praising it, "This house is really nice. The emperor gave us such a big house. We have too few people here, so it's empty. It can actually accommodate more people."
Sun didn't take this to heart. She said, "You didn't see it. When the title was conferred that day, the rewards came like water. Besides, even if the emperor didn't give any rewards, we still had a place to live. When we came to the capital and stayed in the inn for a while, Qiu Ran bought a house with seven courtyards. It's very large."
Sun Shi didn't forget Lin Qiuran's ability. It was good that he came to the capital early so he wouldn't have to suffer the cold on the road. Xiao Dashi should have come earlier too.
Xiao Dashi said, "There's another one this big!"
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Dad, it's not this big. It's all for living at home."
Maybe she will buy a house when she has money in the future. She has Tangyuan, and these things can be saved for Tangyuan.
Xiao Dashi was surprised, with a glint in his eyes. Lin Qiuran couldn't help but warn him, "Dad, Xiao Xun is an official in the court now. We can't help with court affairs, so just take care of yourself. There are many powerful people in the capital, so don't cause trouble for Xiao Xun."
Xiao Dashi nodded randomly, "Hey, I know, I know, it's not a big deal."
Lin Qiuran hummed, "I'll just ask, 'Dad, how's the business at the Jinding Building?'"
Xiao Dashi ate while saying, "Business is pretty good. I think Shopkeeper Shi is very dedicated. We have banquets upstairs and guests eat downstairs. It's just that in the winter we use more charcoal, which is expensive, and when it gets cold fewer people come out, and there are fewer winter dishes, so business isn't as good as in spring or autumn. But I heard from Shopkeeper Shi that it was like this in previous years."
Lin Qiuran nodded. This was the case in previous years. Business was slow during the winter and New Year holidays. She then asked, "Is my mother okay?"
Xiao Dashi breathed a sigh of relief, "It's fine, your mother is quite strong."
Lin Qiuran nodded and looked at Xiao Dashi again. Xiao Dashi lowered his head to eat. She thought about it and did not ask about the business of Aunt Yu and Madam Yang.
With so many things going on at home, Lin Qiuran didn't want to worry about anything else at this moment. After dinner, Lin Qiuran said, "Dad just arrived, so I can ask the servant to take him out for a walk. It would save me from staying at home all the time and getting bored."
Sun: "It's so big, how can it be boring?"
Xiao Dashi said, "That's fine. I don't have anything to do. I can just lie down and see the world. You said Xiao Xun is the uncle, so I am the old uncle, right?"
Sun snorted, "The one who inherited the title is called Old Uncle. Xiao Xun earned the title on his own. What does it have to do with you? You don't count."
Seeing him like this, Lin Qiuran couldn't help but think that no matter where he went in the future, it would be better to keep Xiao Dashi in front of him, or let Sun keep an eye on him.
Lin Qiuran asked Lin Ming to take him out, "Keep an eye on him when he goes out and see where the old man likes to go."
Lin Qiuran didn't want to assume the worst, but given the current situation, everything had to be planned early. It would be too late to think of a solution after something happened. Xiao Dashi stayed in Yu'an, as the county town was so close to Xiaojia Village.
In the past, when they were there, with Sun watching over them, it was fine and the people in the old house behaved well. But as soon as they left, they were afraid that the people in their old house would have some bad ideas.
Xiao Dashi is honest and easily influenced. He used to listen to Sun. Now that Sun has come to the capital, it is not necessarily that he will disobey the people in the old house.
With such a big restaurant, if Xiao Dashi could be coaxed with a few words, the money that would flow out of his hands would be enough for the whole village to live a good life.
At first, Lin Qiuran said these things to Sun Shi just to find out about Xiao Xun. He really wanted to take advantage of Sun Shi, and now his words are almost coming true.
Xiao Dashi went out, and Tangyuan wanted to go too. Lin Qiuran said, "You should wait until your father is free before going out. Your grandfather just came to the capital and wants to take a look around. You're just adding to the trouble by following him."
Tang Yuan said helplessly: "Okay, when will Dad come back?"
Lin Qiuran asked Lin Xia to go out and inquire. Even if Xiao Xun didn't come back, there should be news outside.
With so many ministers in the court, it's impossible that Xiao Xun is the only one who won't return. If that's the case, there should be news from outside.
Lin Qiuran patted his chest and coaxed Tangyuan to do some calculations for a while. After more than half an hour, Lin Xia ran back in the cold wind.
She leaned close to Lin Qiuran and whispered a few words, "Madam, there's talk outside that someone led troops to surround Duke Zhao's mansion last night, and they haven't come out yet. Also, the homes of General Zhao and Deputy General Xu are heavily guarded. There's a lot of talk about it, but no one dares to speak out loudly."
It’s also because I just moved to a house near the north of the city. The houses here are not densely populated, and although there are few people living there, there are quite a few people in each mansion.
Lin Qiuran immediately asked, "Do you know what it is?"
Lin Xia: "It seems that they say General Zhao is corrupt and abuses his power, and that he condones his subordinates and descendants causing trouble, that he also seizes military merits, and that he treats human lives as nothing... and more! They say that he murdered loyal officials more than 20 years ago? But I don't know who this General Shen is. Well, the emperor has ordered it, and the people have spread it around. Whether it was General Zhao who did it is irrelevant."
Lin Xia had heard of Zhao Tingyue's reputation, but had never heard of General Shen. In her eyes, the person who protected the safety of Dai Viet was Zhao Tingyue. However, Xijing City was far away, and she would not have known about it if she had not come here. Seeing others talking about it, she also wanted to join in the fun.
But I still couldn't help but speak for Zhao Tingyue.
Lin Qiuran didn't care, nor did she differentiate. She nodded, "Okay, I understand."
Daybreak is finally approaching.
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