Chapter 150: Aunt Chen

  Nine-tailed Yao Fox 21:10:19

  Chapter 150: Aunt Chen

  After several days, Shen Zhen really found Shen Muqing and told him about this matter.

  "I heard from Wang's mom that Jinxiu wants to talk to you about a marriage arrangement... I had someone ask around, and his character is not bad..."

  "Old master, Jiang Yue is thirty-one this year and I am sixteen, do you think it's suitable?"

  Shen Zhen's expression was somewhat struggling: ... although he was a bit older, he was a two-table scholar and had been evaluated as "excellent" for three consecutive years while in office. Although he had a child, it was a girl, you took good care of her, and after a few years, she would be married to a good family...

  Because I have been a relative before, so someone like Jiang Yue is already an excellent candidate... Shen Muqing looked at Shen Jian.

  Shen Zhen's eyelids slightly drooped, avoiding Shen Muqing's gaze.

  "Father, I don't think Jiang Yue is a good person. He might even look down on me for being a widow... Shen Muqing stepped forward and grasped Shen Jian's arm, "Father, I don't want to humiliate myself anymore... I want to open a tea shop, take care of Da Sha, get along well with my aunt, and do what I love..."

  Shen Zhen let out a long sigh and after a while, said in a low voice: "I understand now!"

  It was so simple to get through to Shen Zhen, and Shen Muqing let out a soft sigh of relief.

  The next day, she went to a tea house.

  The teahouse was bustling with people coming and going, much more lively than when she left.

  Zhou Bing and Shen Mu Qing cleared up the accounts, there was no surplus profit in the shop.

  It has been raining less in Jiangnan for the past two years, and tea production has decreased significantly. Other teahouses have raised their prices, but we still sell one package for one wen... Zhou Bing explained, "The accounts don't add up. So I invited a Suzhou-style master to make some small snacks from Jiangnan, which barely helped us break even without making a loss."

  Shen Mu nodded quietly.

  She has been in Jiangnan for two years and more or less knows the situation there. What he said is true.

  "It's not easy to maintain this situation... Shen Muqing looked very grateful, thanks to your careful planning. Lin Rui Chun has gone to the tea garden at home, and if we can hold on for another two years, once we have our own tea garden, this business will be easier to do."

  Zhou Bing repeatedly claimed "yes"

  Shen Muqing told him about her experiences in Jiangnan.

  Every tea house has its own characteristics. Some have invited famous performers to perform on stage, and every day is bustling with activity. Others only sell tea leaves, but the varieties are extremely diverse, as long as you can name it, they have it for sale. And some only sell dried flowers for making tea... Each has its own unique features. I think this place is too lively for Kyoto, it's a bit overwhelming... just selling good tea is good enough!

  Zhou Bing also agrees.

  "Since you last renovated this place, many more people have come to drink tea. If there's still some spare money, I think I'll buy the courtyard behind the shop and plant some rare flowers and grasses, just for people to drink tea..."

  The two of them chatted for half a day about the shop's affairs, and as the sky grew dark, Shen Muqing smiled and stood up: "Today you come with me to Shi Hua Bridge! Old Master is hosting a banquet at home tonight to see off Manager Wang and Madam Wang, and also had Biyu, who serves the mistress, pay her respects to Madam Wang as her godmother, and follow them out of the mansion together.

  "Good!" Zhou Bing smiled and responded, "The old master and mistress are kind-hearted people. Wang Zongguan and Wang's mother have also been loyal to the family, and we're all happy for them to have such a situation."

  Shen Mu Qing listened and his heart moved, he pondered: "Da Zhu, this year should also be two years old, right?"

  Dàzhù is the son of Bǎimù and Zhūjī.

  Upon hearing his grandson's name, Zhou Bing's eyes were filled with joy: "October 14th is his second birthday."

  Shen Mu Qing nodded: "Or else, I'll also remove your family's registration! In the future, Da Zhu can also go take the imperial examination to become a zhuangyuan!"

  "Auntie... Zhou Bing's eyes widened in surprise."

  "It's settled then!" Shen Muqing said with a smile, "In a few days, I'll have Bai Mu go to Shuntian Prefecture and take care of the relevant documents!

  Back at the Petrified Bridge, the Shen residence was already brightly lit.

  Shen Mu Qing Gang went down the bridge, and the gatekeeper flew away quickly to report: "The young lady is back, the young lady is back!"

  She had just entered the door when she ran into Chen Duan's sister-in-law, Chen Duan Shi. She was wearing a white silk jacket with purple and blue two-tone gold sleeves, her hair was high up in a bun, adorned with a peony hairpin, the green jade on top of the pin was as big as a fingernail cover, the pearls on the hairpin were as small as lotus seeds, dressed to the nines, but her pale face looked long and drawn.

  Meeting Mu Qing, Chen Duan's wife hastily gave her a curtsy: "Auntie is back!"

  Shen Mu nodded slightly and before he could speak, Chen Duan had already quickly walked away.

  She couldn't help but turn her head and take a look back.

  A black lacquered sedan chair with a warm awning, surrounded by embroidered silk curtains, doesn't look like a rented one.

  Shen Muqing just glanced at Ying Fen.

  The English spirit leads the divine assembly.

  Shen Mu Qing instructed Xiao Shuai to lead Zhou Bing to see Shen Jian, while she herself returned to Ting Yu Xuan to wash and change.

  Waiting for her to finish packing and come out, Ying Fen had already been waiting on the side.

  "What's going on?" Shen Muqing sat down at the edge of the kang by the window, took a sip of the tea presented by Ming Xia, and asked in a low voice.

  Ying hurried forward two steps and whispered back: "It was Chen Niangniang who sent someone over. The two of them were locked in the room talking for an entire afternoon, no one knows what they specifically said, only that when Chen Duan's wife left, Chen Niangniang shouted at her in a fit of temper: 'You'd better settle accounts with me clearly, or else don't blame me for not considering brotherly affection'

  Deep and quiet, serene and subtle, lost in thought.

  "After all, he is her own son... She still has to take care of him!"

  Ying nodded: "Yes, if we had sent Chen Niang away according to Master's wishes back then, wouldn't the sixteen rooms of Shu Ge's shop be a mess now?"

  Shen Mu nodded calmly, stood up and smiled: "It's getting late, let's go to the flower hall. Today is the last meal that Wang Mama eats at our house. From now on, we can't order her around as a mother, but treat her as a relative."

  The people in the room burst out laughing, covering their mouths, some disapproving, others with envy in their eyes.

  Sent off Wang's mother. Shen Muqing wrote a letter to Shi Jingmei, telling her about the situation she had seen in various tea houses in Kyoto over the past few days, and also asked when she would come.

  Just as I put down my pen, a little maid came in to report that Madame Chen had arrived.

  Shen Mu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then nodded at Ming Xia to put the letter away properly. He himself stood up and sat down on the large kang by the window.

  She had just finished when Mrs. Chen hurried in.

  After exchanging greetings, Shen Muqing invited Chen Niang to sit on the kang and instructed Liu Chun to serve tea.

  "Auntie is here, but what's the matter?" Shen Muqing asked politely.

  Aunt Chen's eyes sparkled as she smiled, "Nothing, nothing. It's just that the weather is getting colder and colder, and you still go to the tea shop every day to take care of business. I was thinking, should we change the curtains on your carriage to a thicker, warmer one?"

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and reminded her: "You already instructed Tian Mama to help me change yesterday."

  Since Da She moved into Ting Yu Xuan, her wet nurse was assigned to Chen Niangniang by Shen Muqing, who gave it a nice name: "Niangniang also needs someone close and helpful."

  Aunt Chen was very grateful at the time, and Da She stayed in the Min family for two years. Jin Xiu also didn't let Tian Mama intervene, and the gratitude between them faded a lot.

  Being able to help Chen Niang manage the household is naturally better than being a wet nurse in front of the master and mistress who have no experience in managing a household. Moreover, having nursed the eldest young master is an achievement that cannot be erased by anyone, and if something were to happen... later when the eldest young master takes over the household, she would still be able to rise up.

  Tian's mother was overjoyed.

  In the end, Shen Muqing was the one who got it right.

  Tian Mama has something to do, but she doesn't dare forget that the autumn wind has just started, and the door curtains and window curtains of Tingyu Xuan have all been changed. The needlework team for making autumn clothes has also been found.

  "Ah! Look at my memory." Chen Yiniang patted her own head with a look of sudden realization, then looked around and her eyes fell on the half-new red satin cushion on the Taishi chair in front of the bookcase in the western wing. "I've asked someone to come home to make new quilts, I don't know how many beds you'll need... so I can prepare ahead of time."

  Tomorrow she had her personal maid, Pearl, send twenty-four newly quilted mattresses to Tingyu Xuan...

  "Aunt," Shen Muqing said with a smile, "just tell me directly if you have anything to say."

  We're not shrinking away, a family should be close and warm, right?

  Aunt Chen listened, her eyes slightly red, bowed her head for a while, and then said in a low voice: "Madam, actually, I want to borrow someone from you..."

  "Borrow someone?" Shen Muqing was quite surprised.

  Whoever is in charge isn't using their own people... or maybe they want to sabotage the unity of Tingyu Xuan from within... no, that's not right either, Chen Niang hasn't got that kind of skill... whatever it is, you can't borrow a person. Even if we take a step back and assume Chen Niang has a very good reason for borrowing someone, but the salary of this person still ends up in her own hands, otherwise, that would be like Liu Bei lending Jingzhou with no intention of returning it!

  Shen Muqing's expression on his face became increasingly gentle.

  "Auntie wants to borrow something from me? But what's so difficult about it?"

  Chen's aunt's face turned red, and she said in a low voice: "It was my useless brother... The accounts of the Jiangnan shop were all messed up... I know that Zhou Zhuang helped you manage the tea shop, and he is the most pleasing person to you... But I really have no choice... I don't understand those complicated things, but I only know that since the shop was handed over to my brother, the profits are less than half of what they were when Madame was in charge..." She looked up at Shen Muqing with extremely sincere eyes and said: "Miss, I have no other intention, I just want to borrow Zhou Zhuang to help me calculate the accounts, and after calculating the accounts, I will return him to you."

  What's wrong with that?

  Not only was there no objection, Shen Muqing almost raised his hand in approval.

  You and your siblings have settled accounts and torn apart, I can still know the true situation of Jiangnan Puzi... Of course, we must borrow!

  Shen Muqing still looked embarrassed despite thinking so in his heart.

  She hesitated and said, "Auntie, as you said, Manager Zhou is now my reliable person in front of me, and I am preparing to expand the scale of the tea house a bit. Yesterday, I just bought a yard next to the tea house and asked the craftsmen to renovate it...

  "This, how can this be good?" Madam Chen heard the words and couldn't help but rush, "The New Year is approaching, the walls at home need to be repainted, the pillars also need to be re-painted, and the old master's winter clothes made of good wool that were left behind by the family were all taken away. This New Year's, although the old master is no longer in office, he was once a prime minister, so shouldn't we make him a fox fur coat..."

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  Chapter 150: Aunt Chen