The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

In fact, the most convenient way for Mrs. Chen to set up a dowry store for the eldest girl is to ask You Ziyu to choose two stores in good locations from the stores charged by the Ministry of Households and buy them directly.At that time, it doesn't matter whether the older girl rents it out to collect rent or manage it by herself, at least a certain amount of income can be guaranteed every year.

At the beginning, Chen Gui used this method to set up a dowry shop for the Chen family.

However, due to various considerations, the Chen family did not mention this matter to You Ziyu in the end. Instead, he sent He Cai's son He Wangsheng to wander around the bustling market in Chang'an City, hoping to get the business of the shop.

In Chen's own words, she felt that the eldest girl was not good at economics, and besides, she grew up in a boudoir since she was a child, and she didn't know about the market outside.If you directly choose two confiscated shops from the official price shops of the Ministry of Households to take over and remake them, firstly, you don't know the market, and secondly, you don't know the customers and people who are in the industry, and you are afraid of losing money in the future.

If you can directly order the business that others are running outside, even if you spend a few taels of silver for a while, the goods in the shop are all ready-made for customers. You only need to find a reliable manager to manage it, and the profit will be huge in a year. There is no need to worry too much.And it is better than renting out the shop and only collecting rent after selling the shop.

Because Mrs. You and You Ziyu didn't care about these things, even though the eldest girl learned some housekeeping from Mrs. Chen, she is a girl who doesn't understand the world. Hearing Mrs. Chen's remarks, she was confused for a while, but she nodded.

Only the third sister You is good at common affairs. Hearing this remark, she felt something was wrong.Therefore, it is unavoidable to ask Mrs. Chen about her stature in private.

Mrs. Chen has never been very wary of the third sister in doing things. Hearing this, she still smiled and said: "The reason why I proposed this is indeed for the sake of the eldest girl. You are also our family to manage the accounts and manage the business. I'm an old man, so I know the truth of this. Although the Ministry of Households confiscates a lot of property every year, there are [-] eyes on the real fat meat, and it's not your turn to pick up the cheap. The rest I don't like the leftovers of the soup and water. Anyway, your eldest sister will marry into the Duke's mansion in the future. If the dowry is too shabby, it will be a joke, even I think Shameless. There is a saying that if you don’t enjoy your kindness, it’s better not to show kindness. Since I have taken care of the dowry for the eldest girl, I can’t do it too poorly. It must be done beautifully It's my wish. Besides... buying the dowry for the eldest girl is spent on the company's money, not my own money. Why should I pick and search like cutting my flesh. It's not worth it for me You're saving money, aren't you?"

After hearing this, Third Sister You couldn't help laughing and said, "Of course I believe what Mom said. I'm afraid Mom not only doesn't want to save money for Gongzhong, but also wants to spend as much money as possible?" "

Mrs. Chen had thought that Third Sister You was a big kid, so she would be able to guess her plans, so she didn't care.He just stretched out his slender fingers and poked the tip of Miss You San's nose, and said with a smile: "I knew you were a clever ghost. It's fine if you know about it. Don't tell others. When the time comes There are many."

The third sister You didn't take it seriously, took a sip of the tea, and said: "According to me, Mom's income from the dowry alone is quite a lot in a year, not to mention that there is a monthly allowance of silver in You's house, and various envoy fees. , don’t worry about food and clothing, why bother to do these things. Let people know, no jokes, we are just blind to money.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen snorted coldly and said: "Your child is a family member, what do you know? Even if you fight in the court, you are not short of hungry soldiers, let alone you and me. Now I leave my own precious son alone, I'm just doing the dowry for the eldest girl of his You family, shouldn't I collect some hard-earned money? Besides, even if I collect it, I won't be able to spend it on outsiders in the future. Even if people find out, what can I do?"

After finishing speaking, he sneered at Third Sister You and said, "Furthermore, do you think that if I don't take action and ask those in charge of compradors outside to make a fuss about it, they will be able to clean up? As the saying goes, if the fat and water don't flow into the fields of outsiders, it will be cheaper." They might as well take advantage of me. At least I have collected the money now, and I will definitely handle this matter beautifully, so as not to lose the face of their You family."

The third sister You has helped Chen's housekeeper manage the accounts for so many years, so she naturally understands the truth that when the water is clear, there will be no fish.What's more, Chen Shi was not a pure and kind saint, so it would be unreasonable to demand her with clean and holy standards.

In Chen's own words, people who eat whole grains must have the seven emotions and six desires.Wanting the horse to run and not feeding the horse, how can there be so many things in this world that take advantage of all the advantages.

For example, Mrs. Chen herself, even if she paid a little filial piety and falsely reported the price when buying the dowry, as long as the shop finally handed over to the eldest girl is in a good location and good income, and the You family doesn't feel disadvantaged, it will be over.Why be so serious.

It's better than the housekeepers and compradors of You's family who were greedy for money and didn't do anything.

The third sister You was funny when she heard the words, and said to Chen Shi with a smile: "There is a way to do to others what you don't want to do to yourself. If you really think so, why did you deal with those compradors in charge before? And why a few years ago? What to do with it?"

Mrs. Chen also sneered when she heard the words, and pointed at Third Sister You and said, "You don't lie in front of me. Although I don't study much, I know what to do and what not to do. I just said that I have been managing our house all the time. The manager of the dowry shop, I trusted him at first, so I entrusted him with the full power of those shops. In the end, he betrayed my trust and kept his own hands. When I found out, I would naturally punish him—don’t mention me. I fined him a few hundred taels of silver. As a slave, my life belongs to my master. If I was seriously annoyed and sent him to the court, it would be his own fault and no one else. I just fined him a few hundred taels Yinzi, he was asked to manage a few shops later, and he had to be grateful. Besides, the compradors of You’s family are just in charge. Greed for money is a trivial matter. The slave shouldn't be dismissed. If you compare me with these people, I won't agree. At least I'm not that stupid."

Isn't that right, now Mrs. Chen took the initiative to take care of the shop for the eldest girl.According to her plan, she must trouble Yutai Trading Company.Based on the in-law relationship between the Chen family and Yutai Commercial Company, at that time, the Chen family has taken a fancy to the shop and wants to sell it, no matter whether it asks the Hu family to be a middleman or something else, can the Hu family still open their mouths and help others to sell their own business? Can't the in-laws raise the bar?

Sure enough, the third sister You in this room was groaning inwardly, while the Chen family in the other room had already made up his mind and said: "...that's what I planned. Your master and I are both laymen in the matter of choosing a shop. After so many years, I can trust my eyesight and judgment. At that time, which shop he likes, I will ask you, Uncle Hu, to look at it, and then I will ask the owner of that shop to talk about it in detail—if it is possible to make a deal After all, it’s not worth spending more money. You must know that if you don’t have your Uncle Hu’s face in it, it’s still a matter of whether people will give it to us or not.”

While talking, the old lady You sent Ji Xiang to look for Mrs. Chen, she only said that Brother Bao woke up from his afternoon nap, and the old lady invited Mrs. Chen to come over.

Mrs. Chen knew that Brother Bao was hungry and needed milk, so she covered her mouth immediately and brought her third sister to the upper room.

Sure enough, Brother Bao was crying endlessly because he was hungry.When Mrs. Chen saw her, she carried Bao Ge'er into the inner room without saying a word.

For a moment, only Mrs. You and the third sister were left in the room.Mrs. You didn't pay much attention to the two oil bottles brought by Mrs. Chen.There is nothing to say at this moment, but it is not good for the two to remain silent.After thinking about it, he told Ruyi, the maidservant next to him, "The face tea is freshly made in the kitchen. I tasted it and it's not bad. Pour a bowl for the third girl too."

Ruyi bowed and agreed to go.Third sister You couldn't help getting up to thank her.

Old Madam You waved her hand to signal Third Sister You to sit down, and smiled again: "I heard that you two sisters get along well with the big girl?"

The third sister You should be so rare.The old lady You laughed and said: "Then let's get along well. The eldest girl is about to marry into the Ningguo Mansion. As soon as she enters the door, she will be ordered by the third rank. At that time, all the people who will come and go will be from the princes' mansions. Madam Gaoming. I know a lot of people, and I will be able to help you with your marriage in the future."

The third sister You's ambition is not here, and she doesn't take it seriously when she hears what Old Madam You said.It's just that she wouldn't be so stupid as to reject something in front of the old lady, so she could only bow her head in silence.

Old Madam You thought that Third Sister You was embarrassing, so she couldn't help laughing and said, "Sure enough, it's a daughter's house. You're only so smart, so I know it's embarrassing..."

Before I finished speaking, I saw Mrs. Chen coming out of the room holding Bao Ge'er.

Seeing this, the third sister You hurriedly got up to meet Chen Shi, and smiled and teased Bao Geer in Chen Shi's arms.Brother Bao seems to like his elder sister very much. After meeting Third Sister You, he stretched out a pair of small arms like lotus root joints, wanting to hug Third Sister You.

Third Sister You has grown up to such a big age, but she has never hugged a baby as big as Brother Bao, so she was taken aback, and looked at Mrs. Chen in a moment of bewilderment.

Mrs. Chen was happy that the two siblings could get closer.Seeing this shape, he hurriedly smiled and stuffed Baogeer to Third Sister You, and taught her how to hold the baby comfortably.As soon as Brother Bao arrived in the arms of Third Sister You, he simply put a pair of small arms around Sister You's neck tightly, and then pillowed a small furry head that still smelled like milk on Third Sister You in the neck fossa.

All of a sudden, Third Sister You felt her bosom sink, and a scent of milk came over her face, her whole body was itchy, and she was so frightened that she was too stiff to move.

Brother Bao didn't know about Third Sister You's tense attitude, he just swayed back and forth in Sister You's arms to find a comfortable position, and even blew bubbles quite proudly.

Seeing this, Old Madam You couldn't help laughing and said: "Since Brother Bao was born, he has rarely clinged to anyone in the past few months. Today, he is stuck in the arms of the third sister. It seems that the siblings hit it off quite well. of."