A heavy rain fell at the end of July, completely ending the nearly three-year drought. The water level in the river rose, making it easier to navigate. The Lu family's house was also completed. Since July was not a suitable month for moving, they would wait until August to move into their new home.
The embroidered pavilion in the western suburbs is already taking shape, and we will be able to move in in a few days.
After the heavy rain, the summer heat subsided somewhat, and silkworm farmers began to come to inquire about the prices of silk, silk thread, and fabric. Qin Xiaozhou was exhausted from dealing with them all, so he could only ask Lu Yunxing to write a note and post it at the shop entrance.
People in the county town discovered this business opportunity, and soon people appeared to buy silk, silk thread and cloth. Some even went to neighboring counties to buy them and then sold them to Qin Xiaozhou.
Qin Xiaozhou couldn't tell the difference between good and bad silk fabrics, but fortunately, Granny Zheng used to be the manager of the ladies' fabrics in the mansion, and she came in handy right now.
Granny Zheng solemnly accepted the seal from Qin Xiaozhou's hand, knelt down and kowtowed, "Manager, this old servant will certainly do my duty and take good care of all the silk threads and fabrics."
Fabric and silk thread are the source of everything. If this part is damaged, even the best embroidery will not fetch a good price. Qin Xiaozhou nodded, "From now on, you will be in charge of purchasing silk thread and fabric for the embroidery shop. You will have to put in a lot of effort and not be negligent."
"Yes." Granny Zheng was grateful from the bottom of her heart. At her age, to be given such a respectable job, how could she not do her best?
Qin Xiaozhou then took out another seal. "Granny Qian, this is the seal of Hua Xiangrong's shop. From now on, you will be in charge of all sales in the clothing store. When doing business, you must keep clear accounts and be humble to others. Remember this."
Granny Qian wiped away her tears, knelt down, and accepted the gift.
Being knelt to by someone of such advanced age put Qin Xiaozhou under a lot of pressure, but today was special, so she had to endure it to establish rules and prevent chaos in the future. "Brother Ma, Da Yun has rented a shop in the eastern market, with a small courtyard and partitioned rooms. From now on, you, your wife, and the children will work there together. My wife is helping me with the work now, and I will take care of her food and lodging. You don't know how to keep accounts, so just keep them in your own way for now. Every three days, Lu Yan will go to the shop to register the accounts. Zhao Yong will deliver the chickens, ducks, and geese directly there. From now on, the barbecue shop will be entirely in your hands."
Ma Dage slammed his knees hard on the ground with a thud. "Thank you, shopkeeper! Thank you, shopkeeper! I'll definitely work hard."
Renting a place in the county town is not easy. The house my wife and son are currently living in costs 300 yuan a month, which is a huge expense. Now that we have a place to live, we can move in at the end of this month and won't have to worry about rent next month. We can also save money for a rainy day.
Qin Xiaozhou continued to make arrangements, "From now on, my mother-in-law will be in charge of this shop, and Lu Yan will be responsible for the accounts in various places. All your accounts will be checked every half month, at irregular times. If the accounts are unclear, don't blame me for being ruthless."
On the first day of the eighth lunar month, the embroidered pavilion was put into use.
The main gate of the embroidered building faces east, welcoming the rising sun. Lu Yunfeng lit the firecrackers that were hanging high. Amid the sound of the firecrackers, Qin Xiaozhou pulled down the red silk on the plaque above the gate. The four characters "Fenggu Embroidered Building" were painted in gold and color, shining brightly in the rising sun.
"Bravo!" The crowd erupted in cheers, followed by deafening applause!
As the firecrackers stopped, Lu Yunfeng and Qin Xiaozhou carried baskets and scattered copper coins and candy at the door. Candy was a precious commodity that ordinary people could not afford on ordinary days. At this moment, most of the people in the county town had come and were scrambling for candy and copper coins at the door, creating a lively scene. After scattering the candy three times, the couple finally pushed open the door together.
The brown double doors were heavy and sturdy. Even with Qin Xiaozhou's strength, he couldn't budge them. The crowd clamored and pushed the doors together, and it took three or four burly men to finally open them.
What comes into view is a large courtyard paved with bluestone slabs. Directly opposite is a magnificent and spacious three-story main building. On each side of the courtyard is a long two-story building connected to the main building by a corridor.
Lu Yan's eyes widened. "Wow—it's so beautiful and so big!"
Many people from Wangjia Village also came. Today might be the easiest day for them to enter the embroidery building. They all came to watch the excitement. Wang Hongye and several embroiderers from the village had never seen such a beautiful house before. They looked around with their heads up, and then approached Village Chief Wang in the crowd, "Grandpa, is this really the Lu family's?"
Village Chief Wang was still in shock when his granddaughter nudged him twice with her elbow, bringing him back to his senses. "The Lu family is no longer the Lu family it once was."
Some time ago, I was just rich, but from now on, I've reached a higher level and am no longer in the same social class.
Wang Hongye felt increasingly uneasy as she looked around. Then, she spotted her third brother, Wang Chao, and Lu Yunxing among the group of readers, and her mind immediately started racing.
Village Chief Wang saw through his granddaughter's thoughts at a glance. "Don't think about things you shouldn't. Just focus on being a good embroiderer. In a couple of years, your status as an embroiderer will help you find a good family to marry into. If you have any improper thoughts and make the wrong choice, your life will be over."
The foreman in charge of building the house smiled and circled around Qin Xiaozhou and Lu Yunfeng, his eyes full of pride. This was the best house he had built in his forty years of work. It was his hard work and his proudest achievement. In the future, his name would resound throughout the entire county and even the neighboring county. Whenever a rich person wanted to build a house, he would be the first person they would think of.
"Manager Qin, Young Master Lu, please follow me."
The group entered the first floor of the main building, where there were embroidery frames. The foreman explained, "This floor is for displaying embroidery products, and this side, with the screen as the boundary, is where guests can be received and tea can be served."
Qin Xiaozhou estimated that the hall was about 200 square meters and could hold about 70 or 80 embroidery pieces. Lu Yan touched and looked at everything, and even Zhao Fang's hands were trembling. She wanted to pull Qin Xiaozhou or Lu Yunfeng away, but seeing that they were surrounded by people, she could only wait until there were fewer people and call out to Lu Yunxing, "Eryun, is this really our family's?"
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