Chapter 257 Money Makes the World Go Round
"Sister Yuan, isn't this a pie?" Wang Xifeng's eyes lit up when she saw the pie. Ignoring that it was still hot, she immediately grabbed a piece and devoured it.
One bite and the flaky crust crumbles, revealing a delicious filling.
She didn't care about being the matriarch anymore, and kept eating until she finished a pie before she could even speak.
“Sister, I know that the academy has opened a pastry shop. Could I be entrusted with running this pastry business? There are a few shops in the manor that are thinking of starting some small businesses.”
Wang Xifeng had already decided that this pie would definitely be sold at a high-end price.
Since the Liu family can get these seafood items, the Wang family can easily find them if they want to.
"Why did you suddenly decide to start your own business?" Yuan Hongqu thought that the couple only cared about doing business with the royal family on the products of their estates and had no intention of getting involved in anything else, so she had never given Wang Xifeng any suggestions in this regard.
"Looking at the Xue family's business, I'm so envious," Wang Xifeng said with a grin. She wasn't lying. Although half of the Xue family's business had been lost and Xue Pan had squandered a lot of it, their wealth was still so substantial that it left Wang Xifeng speechless.
Wang Xifeng naturally knew that her family was not bad off, but they had been living off their savings for so many years. She was unwilling to make ill-gotten gains, and cutting expenses would be seen as a loss of aristocratic dignity. So she had to think of ways to increase revenue.
How can I make money?
Of course, it has to be about doing business!
The couple had been following Yuan Hongqu for over a year and had earned a good reputation, but all of the produce came from their own estate.
They felt they weren't generous enough to use the income from their own estate to subsidize the government.
Why should I?!
Why don't the first and second wives use their own dowries to supplement the family income? Why do we have to give them money?
A few days ago, she told the old lady about the family's finances and said she was ready to quit.
The old lady summoned the first and second wives over, and also invited the eldest and second masters to listen in.
In the end, it was decided that all the shops in the public treasury would be handed over to Jia Lian.
His family doesn't own many shops, and even though the Xue family has declined, his family still can't compare to the Xue family.
Moreover, they have never run a business before, and now that things have come to this point, they have no choice but to try and run it themselves.
Jia Lian is not good at studying, and he is only so-so in his official career. However, he is quick-witted and manages the affairs on the estate quite well. Presumably, his own family businesses should also be doing well.
The old lady didn't have high expectations for them; she just wanted them to break even in the first year.
After discussing it with Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian agreed.
That title is just a formality; it only gives a small amount of silver a year, and Jia Lian doesn't really value it anymore.
Although his father's health had been ruined by wine and women, he was still from a wealthy family, and if he took good care of himself, he could easily live another twenty or thirty years.
Jia Lian thought that inheriting the title was a long way off, so he might as well use the time to build up a solid fortune!
However, the title should belong to oneself. Even if one doesn't care about it, it's not something others can covet!
Having a strong sense of self-confidence is also important for one to be more authoritative when taking charge in the future.
What is confidence?
To put it bluntly, money is confidence!
Why did Xue Pan act so arrogantly in Jinling, killing people and then come to the capital as if nothing had happened?
Money makes the world go round!
Although the four major families are closely connected, they share the same fate, and their fortunes are intertwined.
However, it would take the Xue family's gold and silver to pave the way for everything to go smoothly afterward.
As for Wang Xifeng, she had no psychological burden regarding the lowliness of doing business.
She was the powerful Second Madam Lian, and she had power, but she dared not abuse it. She refused to tolerate any acts of bullying, taking on too much responsibility, or violating laws and regulations.
To maintain the expenses of such a large family, the only option was to run a business.
As for what kind of business to start, she had no idea.
However, Wang Xifeng knew that she could ask her sister Yuan for help.
"Second sister-in-law." Upon hearing Wang Xifeng's words, Daiyu stopped calling her "elder sister" and directly addressed her as "sister-in-law."
In the past, when Yuan Hongqu gave Jia Lian and his wife advice on giving them business opportunities, it was because Yuan Hongqu herself had a good relationship with Wang Xifeng, and Daiyu could also see the affection between the two.
At the same time, Yuan Mama looked down on some people and things in the Rongguo Mansion, and Daiyu was also aware of this.
Now that Wang Xifeng wants to do this business, it's unacceptable to let the nanny handle it for nothing!
She called Wang Xifeng "Sister Feng," which indicated that the two had a close relationship, like sisters, and was more intimate than calling her "Second Sister-in-law."
She addressed Wang Xifeng as "Second Sister-in-law," placing her in the position of the second mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, speaking only in a professional manner and disregarding personal feelings.
“My nanny is usually very busy, and she does very little of these trivial things these days. You consider yourself to be like a sister to her, so please don’t bother her with these things. Let her have more time to rest. Look how busy my nanny has been lately. Doesn’t she look less young than she did last year?” Daiyu was also very protective of Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu chuckled inwardly. Only Daiyu knew how to fool people. As the years go by, naturally no one looks as young as they did last year...
It's unclear whether Wang Xifeng can see through the trap in those words. The old Wang Xifeng would definitely have been able to, but this one... Yuan Hongqu looked at Wang Xifeng's naive and innocent expression as she was being seriously scrutinized, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Sister, please stop frowning. Why don't you apply some ginseng cream? You've got fine lines here."
Yuan Hongqu chuckled. Daiyu, seeing that Wang Xifeng didn't seem to be faking it and genuinely hadn't noticed the trap in her words, couldn't help but laugh as well. This Sister Feng, isn't she full of cunning? How come she's completely guileless when dealing with the nanny?
“Our academy’s cooks have also learned how to make these pies. You can have someone invite them to your shop to teach your cooks.” Yuan Hongqu felt there was no point in hiding this from Wang Xifeng.
“Granny, you and your second sister-in-law are close, but this shop doesn’t belong to your second sister-in-law. It belongs to the public. So naturally, they can’t just take your recipes for free.”
Daiyu knew that the old nanny was careless and didn't care about these things, so she couldn't let the old nanny always suffer.
The nanny had always given to her without expecting anything in return, but Daiyu wasn't entirely at ease with herself. So, with her father's trip to the capital, the things she had always wanted to do could finally be put into practice by her father.
“Of course we can’t let you suffer a loss, sister,” Wang Xifeng hurriedly said. “Sister Yuan, these shops are quite involved. Jia Lian and I together get 10% of the profits…”
Daiyu interrupted Wang Xifeng.
"Even if you use my nanny's recipe, you still want a 10% cut. Can Second Sister-in-law really make that decision?"
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