Chapter 60 Arrangement
"Miss, yes, there are some, but they're not very big. If you're interested in buying one, I'll go and ask around." Li Zheng saw that housekeeper Zhu was frowning, and she knew that large shops were hard to come by. With so many high-ranking officials living in Taiyuan Prefecture these days, who wouldn't be shrewd enough to know that buying a property is the safest option? These unsold shops were probably leftovers, but she hadn't originally wanted a large shop; she just felt she needed to do something, otherwise she couldn't just sit there and do nothing; she needed some income.
"It's okay. Pick out some shops with good locations for me to take a look. Thank you, butler." This butler Zhu looked to be in his forties, and no one knew where he came from.
"I dare not. It is my blessing to work for the young lady. I will get busy now. Bye." Butler Zhu did not dare to act rashly. After all, he was the butler and all the affairs of the mansion had to go through his hands. Moreover, he knew that the young lady would become a lady soon and he had to serve her well.
After lunch, Li Zheng began by giving her newly acquired servants a lecture. Although she didn't want to, she was the future mistress of this mansion, and she needed to exercise some authority. She temporarily placed the two men who knew how to cook in the kitchen, leaving them to oversee the business once the shop was purchased. She wasn't afraid of signing a contract to sell their bodies, and the man of the house was a fifth-rank official. While not particularly impressive among officials, he was quite impressive among servants. After all, who wouldn't want to follow a promising master?
The lunch was prepared by the chef Wang who was bought today. She cooked some northern and southern dishes, but the cooking skills of that era were just so-so, and the taste was just average, but you could see that her knife skills were solid. Li Zheng decided that chef Wang would cook for the servants in the mansion from now on, and her meals would be cooked in the small kitchen. Yes, that's right, Li Zheng has a small kitchen next to her yard, which looks like it was newly built, and it's probably where he cooks. After they get the hang of things in the mansion, they can then let chef Wang come over and learn a few tricks from Xiao Zi. After all, they can't eat well while the servants eat poorly. She's not that kind of person, and she can't do it anyway.
Let Du Hai follow housekeeper Du to run errands and learn some skills these days. When her shop opens, let him help manage it. Although he is still a little young, he can learn slowly.
A few days later, Butler Zhu came back with the news. "Miss, there are quite a few shops here, some on the east side and some on the west side. It's up to you to decide which one you want."
"Is there any difference between the east and the west?" She had only been there for a few days and was not familiar with the situation.
"Miss, the east side is generally inhabited by people with official positions, just like our mansion. The west side is generally inhabited by wealthy and well-off families." Butler Zhu explained to Li Zheng.
Li Zheng remained silent, her head lowered as she pondered for a moment. "Butler Zhu, are there any suitable shops in the west?" The east and west sides were like the so-called wealthy and commoner areas. While it was easy to make money with the wealthy, there were still risks. Besides, Gu Chengze was only a fifth-rank official, and anyone here could come and take advantage of him. She didn't want to burden him; she would feel guilty if she ruined his career. On the contrary, opening a shop with the wealthy would not only make money, but also provide a way to maneuver if someone caused trouble.
Butler Zhu immediately understood the point and explained the advantages and disadvantages of the shops there to Li Zheng. "Why isn't anyone buying that two-story shop?" Aren't two-story shops usually quite popular? They're usually found in teahouses or jewelry stores.
"Miss, you don't know that although this two-story building is a two-story building, it wasn't that big before. The area is a bit small, and the lighting is not good, so not many people are willing to go there, which also leads to few people buying it."
So that's how it is. No wonder such a person slipped through the net. It turns out he was disliked. "Butler Zhu, what would happen if we repaired this building?"
Butler Zhu thought for a moment. It seemed that the young lady had taken a fancy to this building. "I think it would be a good idea to find a good bricklayer to repair and renovate it."
"Well, I'll leave this matter to the housekeeper. I'll let Du Hai follow you. If he has any opinions, I'll let Du Hai tell you." After all, this two-story building is not easy to get. Although the housekeeper said that this building is a bit small, it doesn't matter. She will use this building for hot pot business. It doesn't need to be too big in the early stage. She will test the waters first to see how accepting the people here are of hot pot.
"Yes, miss." Judging from the lady's expression, she seemed to be a business-minded person. So he decided to just watch from the side.
"By the way, Butler Zhu, buy those two small shops in nice locations too. I'll need them." She planned to have the two people with some cooking skills run the two small shops. The shops were small enough that even one person could handle them. One would make duck products, and the other fried chicken. They would be quite good by the end of the year. Besides, the duck products and fried chicken had been tried and tested in the south and were very popular. They were probably going to be good here too.
Housekeeper Zhu had been running back and forth with Du Hai these past few days, discussing how to renovate the shop. Li Zheng had also mentioned to Housekeeper Zhu that she was planning to open a duck and fried chicken shop. Housekeeper Zhu was quite capable, suggesting that they should simply buy a farm and raise some chickens and ducks. Even if they couldn't make any money, it would still save a lot of money on the meat supply for the shop later. With this suggestion, Housekeeper Zhu wasted no time in taking Du Hai back and forth, finally getting the farm business settled. They also hired people in the village to raise chickens and ducks. The farm still had some land, but it was winter and it wasn't time to plant, so it was a good time to think about what to grow.
After a busy month, the shop was finally finished and would open in a few days. During this time, everyone in the mansion gained weight while Wan Lei and Ge Fu practiced making duck and fried chicken until they were satisfied. Meanwhile, Chef Wang was greatly inspired, and her meals became more flavorful than before.
During this period, a war broke out between the King of Qi and the King of Wu. This is why Gu Chengze did not return for a month. Originally, there was a truce in winter, but for some unknown reason, the King of Wu sent troops. Although the scale was not large, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there were casualties. The city also became more tense and deserted. Fortunately, good news came back a few days ago. The King of Qi won a great victory, and the King of Wu's army retreated twenty miles. It seems that there will be no chance of a major war before the New Year.
It was on this day that Gu Chengze returned.
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