Old things in Nancheng

Since the people from Xingyuan Mansion came, Lin Zhilan would go to the wonton shop every morning, and in the afternoon, she would take a few people selected by Wang Zimo to visit Yanguan County and its surrounding areas to see the market conditions.Although she has been here for nearly two years, she hasn't really had a deep understanding of the customs and customs of the Song Dynasty. This time she took the northerners to investigate, which can be regarded as a supplementary lesson for herself.

"Miss, the past few days have really opened my eyes. I heard that Jiangnan is prosperous in the early years, and the ground is covered with brocade. Although this is exaggerated, but I see that the people here are quite particular about their clothes, food and clothing. People from the north are comparable." Zhang Fang, the eldest son of shopkeeper Zhang, said with emotion.

"Brother Zhang is right. Looking at the population in this city, a small Yanguan County is almost equal to our Xingyuan Mansion. Although our Xingyuan Mansion is an important town in the northwest, only a few nobles and ordinary people are rich. We are suffering, and it would be nice to have enough food all year round. The climate in the south of the Yangtze River is pleasant, the rivers criss-cross, there is no war, no famine, the people are rich, and they are well-educated, no wonder the emperor plans to build it in Lin'an Mansion."

"Yesterday we went to the pier, and the cargo ships almost blocked the canal. Food, silk, tea, and porcelain are inexhaustible and inexhaustible. It's a pity that my Xingyuan Mansion is located in the center of the Yangtze River. , but it is a battleground for military strategists. The northern gold thieves have repeatedly violated the border, causing farmers to have no land to grow, and the people to have no food to feed themselves. The suffering of wars is worse than that of Huanglian."

"Isn't that what you say. Merchants, you can go from south to north, connecting the whole world. People have no food left, and families have no money left. How can we do the business of merchants. It's us who brought us here, my lord." Fortunately."

"I see, you are really moved a lot." Lin Zhilan said with a faint smile.

The Song Dynasty was famous for its commerce and trade in ancient times. Not only was the inland waterway developed, but the sea transportation was also very prosperous. Compared with the sea ban of the old Zhu family, and the seclusion of the braided dynasty, the Song Dynasty was much more open in terms of politics, economy, and folk customs. Although Lin Zhilan I'm not too familiar with history, but I've heard about it.

"The lady treats us kindly, the young master is kind to us, but the lady has orders, I dare not refuse." Zhang Fang showed his loyalty in time, and after a while, he faintly felt that Lin Zhilan was not comparable to ordinary women.

Seeing that several other people also agreed, Lin Zhilan couldn't help laughing and said: "You are appreciated by my husband, you must be well-informed people, I am a woman, I dare not make random ideas. I have worked hard, but there is only one small room. Wonton shop. I will show you around in the past few days, one is to do the landlord's best, and the other is to let you help think about the future business."

Several people had already understood what Lin Zhilan meant, but she never asked, and they didn't like to talk too much. Now that Lin Zhilan was humbly asking for advice, they naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, so as to gain a firm foothold in the master's house.

After looking at each other for a while, everyone pushed Zhang out: "Since the lady said so, that little one is overstepping."

"But it's okay to say." Lin Zhilan said encouragingly.

"From what I can see, Niangzi's wonton shop is doing very well. The dishes are novel and can attract customers. You don't need to spend too much time in the back kitchen for wonton and iron plate rice. Customers come and go frequently, and there is very little idle time. But... this kind of shop can only do some ordinary business, and the nobles can't look down on these foods. After all, the money in the hands of the common people is less, we should do it, and we should..." Zhang Fang said at the right time Half of the words are left, the meaning has already been expressed, so there is no need to speak too thoroughly.

Lin Zhilan knew what Zhang Fang said, it didn't take time to cook wontons, the turnover rate was high when customers came and went, doing business for the poor, in later generations it was called small profits but quick turnover.Zhang Fang thinks it is easier to make money from rich people, and Lin Zhilan agrees with this, but she has no way out yet.

Slowly drinking tea, and after thinking for a while, Lin Zhilan asked, "If the filling of the wontons is replaced with abalone wing belly and served with a gourmet box, might it attract distinguished guests?"

"It's hard to say. For family rewards like wontons, rich and noble families don't have one or two private dishes. During the Chinese New Year and festivals, there are many people who give gold and jade. It's really hard to give away wontons. If we say that ordinary people focus on benefits, Do you want to buy that food box and swell your face to make yourself fat?" A anxious person blurted out.

Lin Zhilan was dumbfounded when she heard the words, it seemed that copying the packaging of later generations would not work.

Seeing that Lin Zhilan's face was pale, Zhang Fang glared at the person just now, and comforted him: "Lady, I have a shallow foundation, so it's not appropriate to imitate that big restaurant and big restaurant for a while. Little thought, why don't I wait in Shaoxing Mansion, Lin'an Prefecture?" Open a few wonton shops in Yangzhou Prefecture and other places, stay for two or three years, accumulate experience and contacts, and then think about other businesses, it should be smoother."

These words hit Lin Zhilan's heart.Lin Zhilan has feelings for and confidence in the wonton shop, and has long thought of opening the wonton shop as a chain store, but she didn't have helpers before, and now that these people are here, she can also spread the stalls.The wonton shop has low investment and high returns, and she is not familiar with these people, wouldn't it be the most suitable to use a small wonton shop as a touchstone.

She naturally has ideas about those high-end restaurants, but the conditions are still immature. She always remembers what her father said, do business if you are not familiar with it. No.

No matter whether it is grabbing land or doing business, there are spheres of influence, and earning a lot of money is even more competitive. Given the current situation where she is helpless, Lin Zhilan dare not rush out to compete with others for jobs, and she has no business Before he stood up, he was inexplicably tricked.

"What Zhang Fang said is exactly what I want. I am just a woman. Although your young master asked you to obey my orders, I am not knowledgeable enough, and I can't compete with men in public. Now, let's stop now Go to a few wonton shops, and when your young master comes back, she will make her own decision."

They were very excited when they heard that Wang Zimo came back to take charge of the family business.It's no wonder they are cautious, Wang Zimo's reputation of being afraid of his wife is resounding in Xingyuan Mansion, she never dared to go to the brothel, never hooked up with women, oh no, it seems that there was a woman named Taohua in the prison camp who was with them. Grandpa is very close, but in Wang Zimo's capacity, this is obviously not enough.

These people all know that Wang Zimo will definitely listen to Lin Zhilan's words, and he will not discount them. They have been worried that Lin Zhilan doesn't understand anything, and blindly commanding will ruin the family business. Fortunately, this mistress has general knowledge and self-knowledge. The talk about the big restaurant was just a way for them to test Lin Zhilan's knowledge.

Besides, Wang Zimo is younger than them, but they are extremely convinced, not only them, but even the old man in their family is willing to follow Wang Zimo wholeheartedly, otherwise who would leave their hometown forever.

The establishment of trust does not happen overnight. The subordinates test Lin Zhilan's waters, and Lin Zhilan is also testing their loyalty.

For the affairs outside, after half a month of busy work, it is considered that there are regulations, but the affairs in the mansion are a mess.

"Sister-in-law, why did you come back, can we have dinner?" Seeing Lin Zhilan returning exhausted, Yan'er hurriedly brought hot water for her to wash.

"I've used it outside, is Bao'er obedient today?" Lin Zhilan wiped her face, and let out a long breath while leaning on the warm couch.

"Be good, I just wanted to see you at dinner, cried for a while, and now I'm tired of crying and fell asleep." Yan'er held Lin Zhilan's arm intimately, feeling sorry for Lin Zhilan's busy schedule.

"You bring her over later and sleep with me at night. These days I leave early and return late, and Bao'er is probably angry." Lin Zhilan said.

"Why, our Bao'er loves people the most, and has been obedient since she was a child. It's much easier to take care of her than other children." Yan'er comforted.

"The child of the poor has long been in charge of the family. She has followed me and your brother, and has suffered from birth." Lin Zhilan said guiltily.

After Yan'er heard this, she didn't know how to answer it.Speaking of Bao'er, it is true that her parents were not by her side since she was a child, but Lin Zhilan and Wang Zimo love her sincerely, and have never shorted her in terms of food and clothing.When Yan'er thought of herself, she felt sad. If Bao'er was suffering, she would not be able to live.

Seeing that Yan'er was silent, Lin Zhilan also understood that she had said something she shouldn't have said, so she hurriedly changed the subject: "Has there been any movement in the mansion these two days?"

"It was better at first, but recently the people below saw that you were not at home, and they became more courageous." The little spy Yan'er said in a low voice.

"Oh? Someone jumped out?" Lin Zhilan's eyes were shining with golden light.

"Sister-in-law really caught my eye. The old lady guarding the second door called three or five people every night to steal wine and gamble money. The boy on the porter saw that there were no guests at home, so he ran out all day long. The two in our courtyard Girl, we quarreled over a piece of meat yesterday... nothing happened today, but there are always people coming to Bao'er." Yan'er broke the news one by one excitedly.

Lin Zhilan felt that Yan'er could become a paparazzi in future generations. These were all messy things, and she inquired about every detail.

"The people in Xingyuan Mansion, are they safe?" Lin Zhilan asked.

"The Zhang family's mother-in-law is stable and she manages very strictly. The servants in our house are provocative. Although they have complaints over there, they are suppressed by the Zhang family's mother-in-law, so there is no trouble."

"You should still be careful, and remember those people with shallow eyelids jumping up and down. Let's let them make a fuss for a while, and make it bigger, so we can get rid of them." Lin Zhilan said calmly.

"Yaner understands, sister-in-law, you should rest earlier."

At night, Lin Zhilan had some headaches, she was busy with other things, she really couldn't hold on as a woman.It's okay to talk about the external affairs, those stewards seem to be loyal, but the internal affairs are really too big to let go.

Although Wang Qinian had spoken, she arranged the staff, but these people were servants of the Wang family, and if they were dismissed without a decent reason, how could they convince the public.These people believed that they had been in the Wang family for many years, and they followed the powerful second wife. They were not arrogant, and they could only wait for them to jump out by themselves before Lin Zhilan could do anything.

After all, Wang Zimo and Lin Zhilan's family background is still a bit weak.

So it was another half month, and the opportunity finally came.

Early one morning, Lin Zhilan was sitting in the main hall of the flower hall with a solemn face. Below were kneeling six maids and five male servants. The steward led all the servants to stand aside. with.

"On the first day I entered the mansion, I made it clear that I would do my job with my heart, be generous with rewards, steal and play tricks, and never slack in punishment. Butler, do you still remember this?"

"If you go back to your wife, please remember."

"what about you!"

"The little ones dare not forget."

Lin Zhilan glanced at the crowd coldly. Some were frightened, some were timid, some were contemptuous, and some silently resisted. She couldn't help but sneered and said sharply: "Butler, if the servants in the house don't abide by the house rules, what should we do!"

The butler began to sweat coldly on his forehead, and when he saw a few people kneeling on the ground, he felt extremely anxious.In any case, these people are members of the Wang family just like himself, and he is in charge of this family. Now that these people have committed a crime, he wants to protect them, but Lin Zhilan sitting above obviously doesn't think so.

When Lin Zhilan first arrived, the housekeeper respected her when she saw that she was very organized and thoughtful.But later, Lin Zhilan was busy with outside affairs, and ignored the family. The housekeeper unconsciously started to get big, and his control over the subordinates was loosened a lot. Now that something happened, he couldn't escape the crime of ineffective supervision. .

"If a servant commits a crime, the mistress of the house will punish him." A dead fellow Taoist is not dead, and the butler is very knowledgeable about current affairs.

"Since that's the case, you should write it down. The Hu family, the Lin family, the Zhao family, and the Liang family gathered people to gamble, drink and make mistakes, and sent them back to the Wang family. Emerald green, peach red, stole the property in the mansion, and they were punished with twenty sticks. They were sent back to the Wang family. The gatehouse has two pillars. Huzi, who colluded with Emerald and Taohong, was punished with the same twenty and sent back to the Wang family. Also, Wang Bang and Wang Xia stole into the house of the maidservant with the intention of committing a crime, turned them over to the government, and told the torture room. My house will never shelter this Wait for the filthy people."

"Miss, we are wronged~"

As soon as Lin Zhilan's words fell, the people kneeling on the ground began to cry and beg for mercy, and the people watching couldn't help but look sideways. No one expected that their mistress would be so swift and resolute.

"Injustice? Hmph! This is how the Wang family taught you to be servants. If that's the case, I'd like to go to the Wang family to ask the second wife, if something like this happens to the master's family, how will they deal with it!" Lin Zhilan raised her eyebrows coldly Right.

For a moment, there was complete silence in the flower hall. All the servants of the Wang family knew that the Wang family relied on their scholarly disciples, a hundred-year-old family, and had extremely strict control over the servants. If these things happened to the head of the Wang family, many people would lose their lives.However, if they were repatriated to the master's house in this way, their future fate would not be much better.

Those who drink and gamble, still smelling alcohol, put money and goods in front of the thief. Although the two who tried to steal the maid failed, they were caught and revealed. The housekeeper knew that if he shouldn't, he would be the next one. Yes, it is him.

"Yes, I have written it down." The steward bowed his head to Lin Zhilan, knelt down, and said: "The servants in the mansion committed crimes. As a housekeeper, I cannot escape the crime of ineffective supervision. Please forgive me, my lady."

"You are very polite. If this is the case, you will be fined for two months. If this happens again, I will not care about the dignity your ancestors earned in your lifetime." Lin Zhilan raised her eyebrows.

"Little one, thank you lady."

When everyone saw those people, some were beaten and some were sent away, they were terrified for a while, especially the few remaining members of the Wang family, they were so frightened that they were out of their wits.The people in Xingyuan Mansion were relatively calm because they had done nothing wrong, but they looked at Lin Zhilan with awe.

Shopkeeper Zhang's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Chen, is probably the calmest person in the hall. She looked at all this coldly, and secretly exclaimed that she was lucky. Sure enough, what shopkeeper Zhang said before leaving was reasonable. It is worth their help.

A group of thorns went to the mansion, and it was finally safe.Lin Zhilan rearranged the manpower, and put a few loyal people in important positions, and the housekeeper and daughter-in-law of the main house were taken by Chen Shi.

Because there were less than a dozen people in the mansion, Lin Zhilan bought a few servants and maids from the tooth shop. The servants were sent to the housekeeper for dispatch, and the maids were handed over to the Chen family. , Among these people, one or two loyal and useful ones can also be picked out.As for Bao'er, Lin Zhilan didn't even think about it, she still let Yan'er take her with her. Bao'er was the lifeblood of her and Wang Zimo, and only when Yan'er looked at her could she feel at ease.

The business outside began to flourish. Those accountants were sent to various places to build new shops, and the family was safe. Lin Zhilan felt that the burden on her shoulders was finally lightened.

Just when she breathed a long sigh of relief, Wang Qinian sent someone to report that a big battle broke out in Xingyuan Mansion, and the guards could no longer be guarded!