After returning from the old lady's room, Jiang Shuwan tidied up and went out for a stroll.
She had already decided not to confront Liu Yunyan directly, so she thought of avoiding her. It had been a while since she had been to Donglai Street, so she took Qingxing with her to check on the business.
"The young mistress has arrived."
"Greetings, young mistress."
As soon as Jiang Caishen got out of the car, she was welcomed by the shopkeepers, who invited her to drink tea and have meals, but Jiang Shuwan declined them all.
Some people openly and secretly inquired about Pei Yanzhi, probably thinking that if they could get in touch with the Marquis's mansion, it would be more convenient for them to do business. However, little did they know that the protector behind this luxury street was the head of the highest power institution of the Great Jing Dynasty.
With the old emperor still around, it would be difficult for Donglai Street to collapse.
The daily management and maintenance were still handled by Jiang Shuwan's people, but with Brother Nai and Song Yi's help, plus the maids and boys transferred from the Marquis's mansion, the whole street was very orderly.
What are they doing here?
Jiang Shuwan looked at Chun Jiao and Mei Xue, who were busy serving customers at the glass shop, and was somewhat surprised.
The two women had previously been determined to become Pei Yanzhi's concubines, and had tried to seduce him and learn etiquette. However, after being rejected, they were quite depressed for a while.
Jiang Shuwan rewarded them with many things to comfort them, and afterwards the two women seemed to have given up their worries and were no longer as lazy as before when doing chores in the courtyard.
She was diligent and conscientious in her work, and she also studied reading and accounting seriously, which earned her praise from her teacher, Zhao Niangzi, on many occasions.
After that, Jiang Shuwan didn't pay much attention to them anymore.
After all, she had a lot of things to do at home and outside, and Qingxing and Xiaotao were the ones serving her most of the time, so it was normal that she didn't see them.
But how come they've started working at the glass shop after all this time?
“Miss, you’ve forgotten, back then the glass shop needed to transfer a batch of people, and many maids in the courtyard were eager to come out. To prevent them from fighting, Granny Tao held an exam and selected the best candidates.”
"Chun Jiao and Mei Xue achieved their success through exams; one came in first and the other second."
“They took a break a couple of days ago and even went back to the Marquis’s residence to show off to us.”
"I heard that not only do they get a fixed monthly salary, but their commission alone is one or two taels of silver. Especially in the first two days after the shop opened, they really made a fortune."
"Moreover, they can read and do accounting. Brother Nai even said he's going to promote them to managers at the end of the month."
"You didn't see their faces, they were so smug."
Looking at Chun Jiao and Mei Xue in the shop, Qing Xing couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Chun Jiaomei and Xue also saw them, and the two of them quickly put down what they were doing and came to greet them.
"Greetings, Miss."
"Greetings to the young lady."
The two women's demeanor was quite different from before. They were wearing the store's uniform long skirts, their hair was tied up, and they weren't wearing much jewelry.
Her attire was much simpler than when she was at the Marquis's residence, but she looked very energetic, and her movements were neat and clean.
"..."
no.
She promised to be a maid, but suddenly she's become a sophisticated urban woman—what's going on?
Jiang Shuwan was pulled into a VIP room on the second floor of the shop by them.
Her shop has a strict VIP system, and now that the glass shop is becoming famous, the VIP spending amount has risen to 50,000 taels.
Fifty thousand taels is a huge sum of money these days, especially since their shop has just opened, so very few people are qualified to enter the VIP room.
It was still early, and the wealthy ladies were all busy with their household affairs, leaving Jiang Shuwan alone in the private room.
After strolling around the shop and checking the accounts, Jiang Shuwan was very satisfied with the entire store.
When guests arrived, Chun Jiao and Mei Xue handled them appropriately, and it was clear that the maids and boys in the shop all followed their lead.
The green apricots are even more sour now.
Talking to Chun Jiaomei Xue always sounds sour.
"You're all working for Miss. You weren't this diligent when I asked you to be concubines for the young master before..."
"..."
Hearing her say that, Chun Jiao and Mei Xue chuckled, feeling extremely embarrassed.
I became a concubine to live a good life, and I'm working hard now also to live a good life.
There is no difference at all.
Of course, they understand that green apricots are sour.
After all, their monthly income from commissions alone is no less than thirty taels.
Nowadays, one tael of silver can buy ten bushels of rice, enough for a family of four or five to live on.
Their current income is shockingly high.
Not to mention that they also get a commission at the end of the month, which will increase their income again.
—If a servant girl has this kind of income, she'll be envied wherever she goes.
On the other hand, Jiang Shuwan also understood Qingxing very well.
After all, the two women's current income would be equivalent to that of high-level executives with an annual salary of hundreds of thousands in modern times. In addition, they are young, so they are really riding high and their future is limitless.
"My dear Qingxing, Miss will give you a raise right away."
Jiang Shuwan comforted Qingxing, and the little girl immediately cheered up; in reality, she was just grumbling.
She grew up with Jiang Shuwan, and no amount of money could make her leave Jiang Shuwan for even a moment.
She was determined to serve Jiang Shuwan for the rest of her life.
"Thank you, Miss. I'm very happy to be by your side."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuwan smiled, patted the little girl's head, and the two of them strolled out again, where they happened to meet some Persian merchants.
Persian merchants had long been acquainted with the capital and all spoke Mandarin, making communication between the two sides very convenient.
They expressed their immense gratitude to Jiang Shuwan for selling them the glass marbles.
"We are truly grateful to the young mistress for selling us such a pure and extraordinary pearl."
"Thank you so much, young mistress."
The Persian merchants were very excited as they spoke; glass beads are worthless in modern times, but they are unique here.
They still can't understand how Jiang Shuwan could bear to sell such a treasure to them.
But who cares? There are plenty of things in the world that are hard to understand. I'll take these treasures back and curry favor with the authorities. Maybe I won't need to do business anymore and will become a high-ranking official directly.
Or, keeping it at home as a family heirloom would also be very precious.
"Not at all. Business is business. I also really like these beads, but it's not easy for you to come all this way. You can only bring the same old three things: porcelain, tea, and cloth. The journey is long and they inevitably get damaged, which I always find hard to bear."
“I also own a caravan. Caravans face many difficulties; at best, they lose money, and at worst, they lose their lives.”
“If I have something good, I will naturally think of you. Besides, you also sold me a lot of spices.”
Jiang Shuwan always spoke to them with a smile.
Just a few days after Donglai Street opened, she ordered Nai Ge to hold a private auction and sell two boxes of glass beads to a group of foreign merchants, led by Persians, at an extremely high price.
This deal earned her a million taels of silver, more than five years' worth of monthly rent on Donglai Street.
She was thrilled with this deal.
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