Xia Tian walked in, bowed to the old lady, and then asked, "Old lady, are you looking for me?"
The old lady slowly raised her eyes and asked, "Well, what does Princess Ruihua want to see you about?"
"Nothing, it's just that the Yunying County Master got drunk yesterday, and I helped take care of her for a while. The eldest princess thanked me, so she invited me to have a meal."
"Nothing else?" The old lady didn't believe it. Princess Ruihua couldn't possibly invite her to dinner just for such a small matter.
Xia Tian nodded, not caring whether she believed it or not, that was all he could say.
Seeing that her expression was natural and she didn't seem to be lying, the old lady didn't ask any more questions and waved her hand to let her go.
Xia Tian returned to Jinglan Garden and did nothing but took a nap first.
The next day, after obtaining the consent of the old lady and the second lady, Xia Tian left the house and went to Linglong Lane.
These days, Uncle Chen and his men have cleaned up the newly purchased yard next door.
Uncle Gu went to other grain merchants and bought more than 100,000 kilograms of grain. This time, she did not ask Chen Nian to help preserve it, and had them all stored in the newly purchased yard.
Seeing that everything here was proceeding in an orderly manner according to plan, he did not stay long and took Ningxue and Cuiyun to Yayizhai.
Shopkeeper Xiao had been here before the Empress Dowager's birthday, but he hadn't been here since.
Every time a painting was finished, Mu Feng would bring it directly to Manager Xiao.
Shopkeeper Xiao was quite surprised to see Xia Tian coming.
In the past, he thought that Mr. Xuanying didn't want to show up, so he asked this lady to come forward on his behalf. Now he knows that Mr. Xuanying is actually the prince's wife.
When he heard about this, he was confused for a long time. The lady didn't look like someone who was short of money.
"Madam, how come you have time to come here today?" Shopkeeper Xiao came up to her with a smile.
"I have finished two paintings and brought them to you on the way." Xia Tian replied with a smile and asked Ningxue to hand the paintings in her hand to Shopkeeper Xiao.
"Madam, so you are the Mr. Xuanying? I always thought that Mr. Xuanying was someone else. It turns out that I was blind." Shopkeeper Xiao took the painting and said with a smile.
"Hey, I chose a pen name just to make things easier. Don't blame me, Shopkeeper Xiao."
"You're too polite, Madam. Since we've been working together, I've gained a lot. I have to thank you for thinking highly of me!"
"Shopkeeper Xiao, you're too polite."
“No, no.”
The two exchanged polite words for a while before Shopkeeper Xiao finally made up his mind and asked, "Madam, will you continue to cooperate with our shop in the future?"
Recently, since Mr. Xuanying revealed his true identity, more and more people have come to him to order paintings, but he didn't dare to accept any of them.
The main reason was that she never came to his shop in the summer, and he thought that this lady would never work with him again in the future.
After all, he is now famous, and many dignitaries know Xuanying's identity. Although some people still want to get in touch with Mr. Xuanying through him, if he doesn't accept them, they will naturally find other ways.
Shopkeeper Xiao was feeling somewhat regretful at first, as a good way to make money was about to be cut off.
"Shopkeeper Xiao is the first person I've worked with, so naturally we have to continue our cooperation. The old rules are still the same: a maximum of two paintings per month, otherwise I'll be too busy."
Shopkeeper Xiao, who had been feeling anxious for days, finally relaxed and said with a happy smile, "Thank you, Madam, for still being willing to cooperate with me. To show my sincerity, I will only take 10% of the commission from now on. In addition, you can bring your finished paintings to our shop and have them framed for free."
Xia Tian saw that Shopkeeper Xiao was sincere and thought it was okay. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Xiao."
If Shopkeeper Xiao could frame the piece for her, she would save a lot of time.
The deal was settled, and Shopkeeper Xiao happily sent Xia Tian out of Yayizhai.
In the carriage, Ningxue asked Xia Tian in confusion, "Madam, why do you still want to cooperate with Shopkeeper Xiao? You are almost overwhelmed with orders now, and there is no need to go through Shopkeeper Xiao."
"Shopkeeper Xiao did me a favor back then. They're all paintings anyway. Giving Shopkeeper Xiao some face will give me a way out if I need anything in the future."
Xia Tian explained to Ning Xue and Cui Yun, "If no one asks me to paint anymore, I still have orders from Shopkeeper Xiao. Isn't it good to make money?"
Most of the orders that Shopkeeper Xiao receives are from wealthy businessmen. If they want Mr. Xuanying's paintings, they can probably only go through Shopkeeper Xiao. This also accounts for a large part of the market.
After all, a painting costs about five thousand taels of silver. Apart from those wealthy families, who among the officials would be willing to spend so much money to buy a painting?
The two nodded. Although they didn't quite understand, they felt that what the lady said made sense.
After eating outside, Xia Tian took the two maids shopping for a while, bought a lot of small gadgets and delicious food, and then returned to the Marquis' Mansion.
The restaurant must open in August. Xia Tian thought about it and decided to open a small kitchen in Jinglan Garden.
This makes it easier for her to teach Cuiling how to cook.
Without further ado, after paying his respects the next morning, Xia Tian directly brought up the matter with the old lady and the second lady.
In the entire Wu'an Marquis Mansion, only the old lady and Liu's courtyard had a small kitchen, no one else had one.
The two of them only use their small kitchen to occasionally cook some meals and stew soup, and the main meals are basically cooked in the big kitchen.
When Xia Tian proposed to open a small kitchen in Jinglan Garden, the old lady hadn't said anything yet, but the third lady started shouting first.
"Your second aunt and I don't have a small kitchen in our yard, but you, a junior, are enjoying it first."
The Second Madam quickly pulled the Third Madam aside and said, "Don't worry, let Xia finish what she is saying."
Xia Tian glanced at the Third Madam and respectfully explained to the Old Madam and the Second Madam, "Old Madam, my grandson's wife used to like to study some dietary therapy recipes, and the prince also felt that they were very good after eating them.
The grandson's wife thought of setting up a small kitchen and stewing some medicinal food from time to time to nourish the prince. After all, his health has been quite poor in the past few years, and this kind of food therapy is definitely better than taking medicine. "
This was also the reason Xia Tian and Chen Nian agreed upon when they talked about opening a small kitchen.
The old lady didn't have too many thoughts. It didn't matter if she thought about it. Besides, it was for her own grandson. Although her eldest grandson was not as obedient as before, he didn't have to be treated harshly even when he had a meal.
"You can open it if you want. Ask your second aunt about this."
The Third Lady was a little dissatisfied when she saw that the Old Lady agreed so easily. "Mother, wouldn't it cost a lot of money to open a small kitchen? If that's the case, then your daughter-in-law would also like to open a small kitchen in the yard and make soup for my master."
There was nothing wrong with opening a small kitchen, but she was unwilling to spend public money.
If Gongzi pays for it, she will also open one, because she can't let the eldest wife take all the benefits.
The old lady looked at the second lady.
The Second Madam was in a bit of a dilemma. After all, she was only the temporary housekeeper now. She still had to discuss this matter with Liu, so as not to create a rift between them because of this.
Xia Tian saw the Second Madam's dilemma and was afraid that the matter would fall through, so he quickly said, "Madam, the grandson's wife wants to open a small kitchen of her own. The prince and I will pay for the money needed and will not touch the public funds, so as not to make things difficult for the Second Madam."
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