“Miss…”
Before the manager could say another word, Jiang Ci raised her hand to silence him. She took the ledger from Zhegui and began to read intently.
The accounts were written in traditional Chinese characters. Fortunately, Jiang Ci had read a lot of comics in her past life, so she could understand about seventy to eighty percent of them, and the rest she could easily guess from context.
The shop fell silent, save for the sound of breathing and the occasional turning of pages.
Manager Wu stood anxiously at the side, his heart pounding. He felt it would be less torture if she just scolded him outright.
After a long while, Jiang Ci placed the ledger upside down on her lap and spoke calmly.
“What is your surname, Manager?”
“You flatter me, Miss. You may call me Old Wu.”
He pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead and steeled himself. “Miss, since you’ve seen the books, I won’t beat around the bush. Normally, we submit reports every three months. However, a few months ago, the Old Master was gravely ill, and I dared not disturb him. Then came the funeral, and immediately after, your wedding. The reporting was delayed.”
His expression grew somewhat helpless as he continued, “While the Master was sick, he sold off most of the shops under his name. We all thought this jade shop would be gone too. But perhaps he forgot about it, or spared it for some reason. To be honest, Miss… this shop has been losing money for a year now. Out of kindness, the Master didn’t dismiss us, so we’ve been eating free rice here for twelve months. If you want to fire me, I have no complaints. But I swear to heaven, the losses are only because the goods won’t sell! We haven’t embezzled a single cent!”
The accountant brought out a wooden box and handed it to the manager.
Manager Wu unlocked it with a key, revealing rows of gleaming silver dollars.
“Look here. The Master gave us one thousand dollars last year for operations. Over the year, we spent eight hundred on materials and wages. Two hundred remain.”
“Eight hundred dollars a year…”
Jiang Ci looked at him with a faint, ambiguous smile, making him shift uncomfortably. “What kind of quality material can eight hundred dollars buy?”
Manager Wu was startled. He looked at her in surprise before understanding dawned on him. “You see, Miss, we specialize in large ornaments. The value lies in the craftsmanship, not the raw material. Besides, these pieces are several feet tall meant for halls. If we used top-grade jadeite, even the wealthiest families couldn’t afford them!”
“You saved money on the materials, yet you still couldn’t sell anything?” Jiang Ci closed the ledger and handed it to Zhegui. “I didn’t come here to accuse anyone. I want your professional opinion. You’ve managed this shop for years, you must know where the problems lie.”
Manager Wu sighed deeply. “When luck is on your side, business flows naturally. But when times are bad, the same methods fail. It’s a long story, but I can tell you the main issues.
First, the power structure in this city is complicated. To do business, you need connections. The Old Master had influence and friends decades ago, but times have changed. His network has dwindled away.
The good raw jade that arrives in the city is controlled by only a handful of people. Even if high-quality stone appears, it’s snapped up immediately by the big, famous houses with strong connections. By the time we hear about it, they’ve already carved it and put it on display.
Second, our master carver passed away last year. The young apprentices are still inexperienced; their work is merely average, nothing outstanding.
Third, people nowadays love foreign things. Perhaps jadeite would sell better if made into Western-style jewelry. But jewelry requires top-grade raw material… which brings us back to the first problem.”
“Why must you only buy cut and polished stones?”
“Oh! Cut stones are expensive, but they are safe! Gambling on raw jade is a game where nine out of ten times you lose. They say even immortals cannot judge jade beneath the skin. Our shop is small; we cannot afford such risks!”
“So, according to you, if we had good materials and hired a master carver, this shop could be turned around?”
Manager Wu nodded cautiously. “If that wouldn’t save it, then we truly are useless.”
“And what about the connections? No need for that anymore?”
“Ha!” Manager Wu slapped his knee. “You are the Young Mistress of the Qin family now! Why would you need to bow to anyone? Even if the branches don’t socialize much privately, publicly you are one family. No one would dare offend you. Besides…”
He trailed off. Jiang Ci looked up. “Besides what?”
“Besides, the Second Branch’s caravans have direct routes in Yunnan. If you source jade through them, as a family, they would surely give you the best.”
*Since when do I have that much face?* Jiang Ci thought.
She stood up. “I will handle the matter of materials. You just focus on running the shop well and don’t meddle in other people’s affairs.”
“Of course! We would never overstep our master.”
Jiang Ci nodded and walked out.
“Take care, Miss.”
She got into the rickshaw and instructed, “When we get to the firm, do not reveal my identity. We will just be ordinary customers buying a vehicle.”
Zhegui and the puller, Ajin, acknowledged quietly.
Jiang Ci had thought it through clearly. Sooner or later, she and Qin Huai’an would divorce.
She needed to be fully prepared before that happened, ensuring she could live comfortably and independently afterward.
She couldn’t rely on others.
Besides, the more favors she owed now, the more complicated things would be when the time came to part ways. Why invite trouble?
Thus, when they arrived at Baofeng Firm, unknown to everyone there, she simply laid down a roll of cash and purchased a brand-new, top-grade rickshaw.
Baofeng’s rickshaws were wider than standard ones. Jiang Ci and Zhegui sat comfortably without feeling cramped.
Ajin was overjoyed. He honked the brass horn, ran a few steps, then stopped suddenly, acting like an excited puppy. Zhegui scolded him several times from behind, but he didn’t care.
Not wanting to eat at the Qin residence, Jiang Ci told Ajin to take them to Hongyun Restaurant.
“This way, Madam.”
Zhegui followed behind, scanning the main hall. “Do you have private rooms?”
The clerk clasped his hands apologetically. “So sorry! We are quite full today, all private rooms are taken!”
“That won’t do. Our Mistress does not sit in the main hall.”
Noticing the brand-new, high-class rickshaw parked outside, the clerk grew cautious. “May I ask which family the Young Mistress belongs to?”
Zhegui huffed. “So you discriminate based on status! She is the Young Mistress of the Qin family! Now do you have a room?”
The manager hurried over, glaring at the clerk, and smiled obsequiously at Jiang Ci. “He is new and has no eye for people! Young Mistress Qin, please come upstairs.”
“Let Ajin eat downstairs.”
Jiang Ci gave the instruction and went up.
The manager led her to the best room. It was spacious and elegantly decorated with a long table, a jade carving of a pine tree, sandalwood incense, and calligraphy scrolls on the walls.
The second floor was built in a square shape around an open courtyard. The room had a window overlooking the stage below, offering the best view in the house.
However, since Jiang Ci was a lady, the manager closed the window curtains immediately upon entering.
“Bring us Suiyuan-style pork belly, Dongpo pork, vegetables in chicken broth, taro in osmanthus honey, and liquor-soaked liver. Two bowls of rice.”
After ordering, a pot of Longjing tea and two plates of snacks—spiced melon seeds and peeled pomelo—were served promptly.
When the waiter left, Zhegui looked around admiringly and poured tea. “I didn’t realize the Qin name carried so much weight. As soon as they heard who you were, they gave us such a grand room.”
Jiang Ci took a sip of tea, feeling a slight twinge of unease.
While the Second and Third Branches were indeed powerful, she was just from the Main Branch. It seemed excessive.
But it was just a meal, nothing major. She dismissed the thought and focused on the food.
In this era, there were no pre-made dishes; everything was cooked fresh.
The rice, liver, and vegetables arrived first.
The master and servant dropped formalities, eating and chatting casually.
“This is what a proper meal tastes like!” Zhegui said with her cheeks full. “What we eat at the mansion is barely food!”
She was complaining on Jiang Ci’s behalf.
The Main Branch had endless rules. At breakfast, you couldn’t sit until the elders allowed, couldn’t eat until they picked up their chopsticks, and had to stand when they left.
And today, Madam Qin had lectured her non-stop. Who could eat under those conditions?
What the two didn’t know was that downstairs, two gentlemen were currently being denied their usual room.
Zeng Juemi tapped his leather gloves against the manager’s forehead, a smirk on his face. “Hongyun Restaurant is getting bolder. You dare give away my Ninth Brother’s private room to others?”
The manager didn’t dare dodge. “Second Young Master, how dare we? We wouldn’t risk it for a small profit. It is truly a case of ‘water rushing into the Dragon King Temple’—the person inside is your relative!”
Zeng Juemi tossed his gloves to his aide, loosened his suit jacket, and put his hands in his pockets, turning to look at the room’s rightful owner.
“Is Eldest Sister here?”
“Nonsense. She went to visit the Second Branch today. Why would she be here?”
“Tsk!” Zeng Juemi gestured at the manager. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No, no! Misunderstanding!” The manager stepped back quickly. “It is the new Young Mistress from the Main Branch! She really is your relative!”
“Oh? Her?”
Interest sparked in Zeng Juemi’s eyes.
He slung an arm around Qin Yanchi’s shoulders. “Come on! Let’s go take a look!”