Chapter 150 - 151: Acquiring a Shop
Jin Qianqian covered her mouth in astonishment. ’If Xiao Dongzi lived in modern times, he’d be an absolute math prodigy.’
She had only just explained the key principles of mental calculation to him, and in just a few short days, he hadn’t just mastered it, he could already apply it to new problems. He could solve even the most difficult sums in an instant.
"If this were an international mental calculation competition, he’d be a shoo-in for first place," Jin Qianqian whispered into Ancient Wen Heng’s ear.
Ancient Wen Heng looked at the chicken-scratch characters on the side, then at the precise and neat numbers, and shook his head in disappointment. "If he weren’t so lopsided in his talents, this kid might have had the makings of a top scholar.
Look at these characters. I’ve had him practice them hundreds of times, and they still come out looking like they’re lying down. He’s really something else.
But when it comes to numbers, he can imitate your writing perfectly. I’m starting to suspect the kid’s doing it on purpose."
Jin Qianqian said, "People have their strengths. You don’t have to chase perfection in everything. I think he’s fine just the way he is. His handwriting might be a bit ugly, but at least he can recognize all the characters.
His math skills are another story. With a brain like his, he could beat 98% of all accountants."
"He certainly has a knack for numbers. I think you can start letting go a bit. In this cold weather, you can just have them come to the house every day to pick up the dough you’ve prepared." Ancient Wen Heng glanced at Xiao Dongzi bustling about behind the counter, a flash of regret in his eyes.
Jin Qianqian was currently filled with ambition to develop her second business. After all, the pastry shop had stabilized with a steady stream of daily customers. It didn’t make much of a difference whether she was there or not.
Now that she had such a capable assistant, she was naturally happy to delegate. "As it happens, there’s a storefront up for sale at the end of the street, not far from our house. You should come with me to check it out later."
Ancient Wen Heng raised an eyebrow at her. ’We just bought an estate. Do we have enough silver taels to cover this too?’
Jin Qianqian scratched her forehead. "It’s a rare opportunity, and it’s close to where we live now. I’m thinking of taking it over to set up a small soap workshop."
Lately, while wandering through the market, she had discovered that there were still plenty of soapbeans available. She also had many books in her possession with recipes for making soap. This product didn’t exist yet, and as long as she controlled the secret formula, it was another surefire way to get rich.
Having used the shampoo and body wash provided by Jin Qianqian for so long, Ancient Wen Heng had truly forgotten all about soap.
"That could work, but we can’t hire outsiders for this soap shop," Ancient Wen Heng said with a frown. "The profits and potential are too great; we can’t afford to take any risks."
"You’re a Scholar now, so by right, you can purchase servants," Jin Qianqian said, having already thought of this. "As long as we find a couple of honest and reliable ones and hold their indentures, we can have them handle some of the less critical tasks.
But we’ll have to handle the mixing of ingredients ourselves. After all, even an indenture isn’t always a guarantee."
History always shows that in the face of absolute profit, a thin sheet of paper can’t bind anyone.
Ancient Wen Heng said, "We’ll have to search for the right people slowly. Since you’ve already made up your mind, and the weather is nice today, let’s go take a look at the storefront together."
Sure enough, about fifty or sixty meters from their home, a cosmetics shop had a "For Sale" sign written on its door.
Looking at such a small storefront, Ancient Wen Heng began to understand why Jin Qianqian had spoken with such confidence.
"This is barely ten square meters. Isn’t it too cramped?"
Jin Qianqian glanced at him. "We won’t be doing the processing here. We’ll move the finished products over. A space this size is more or less enough for that.
Besides, look. It’s at a street intersection, and the main road isn’t far ahead. As long as we put up a big sign, do you think we’ll have any trouble attracting customers?"
Jin Qianqian had walked up and down this street many times and had long since noticed the considerable foot traffic from the main road. Some caravans even stopped here frequently to restock.
Besides, she wasn’t planning on making high-end soaps right from the start. She would begin with the most common type: laundry soap. As for other varieties, she could slowly consider them once the business grew.
The owner of the cosmetics shop saw Jin Qianqian enter and immediately greeted her with a smile. "What wind blew you here today, the owner of the pastry shop?"
Jin Qianqian smiled, pressing her lips together. "Sister Lin, you haven’t come to see me in so long. Can’t I come looking for you?"
Lin Aijiao usually loved going to the pastry shop to bring back some treats, sometimes to serve customers in her shop, and other times to take home for her children and the elders in her family.
"Sigh, I’m not in the mood for anything these days. You must have seen the ’For Sale’ sign on my door, right? My family is still in an uproar over this. I just hope to get it all sorted out soon and get away from these troublesome people."
Jin Qianqian gave the woman a sympathetic look. Everyone had heard something about her situation.
The shop was clearly part of the dowry from her maiden family, but because of her in-laws’ incessant pestering, and unable to stand her own husband’s one-sided stance, she had to sell the storefront and let those family members carve it up.
Jin Qianqian warmly took her hand and patted it. "Making a clean break like this is decisive, but it’s a pity you’ve taken such a huge loss. Since ancient times, dowries have always been officially registered. You could have just ignored them."
Lin Aijiao knew this all too well. "Forget it. My own family is too far away. Besides, it’s just one storefront. When it’s actually divided up, it won’t amount to much. But if I can use this to make a clean break from that family, the loss is worth it.
I know you’ve all been worried about me lately. I know what I’m doing."
’The fact that they dared to split up my dowry gives me some leverage over them. If we can keep to our own lanes from now on, fine. But if they keep pestering me, I don’t mind making that family infamous throughout the county.’
"This must be your husband, right? I’ve seen him a few times from a distance, but this is the first time he’s come into my shop." Seeing Ancient Wen Heng up close for the first time, Lin Aijiao couldn’t help but nod repeatedly. "He’s truly worthy of being this year’s top examinee. With an air like that, your future is bound to be limitless, little sister!"
Jin Qianqian said, "Sister Lin, your praise is making us both blush.
To be honest, I came here today because I’m interested in taking over your shop. I wonder if you’d be willing to sell it to me, Sister Lin?"
Lin Aijiao frowned. "You want to open another pastry shop on this street?"
’The whole county town is only so big. There’s no need to go to all that trouble.’
Jin Qianqian shook her head. "I don’t have any plans for that. I just have some spare money on hand right now, and if the price is right, I’d like to take it over and try my hand at something else."
Lin Aijiao gave her a thumbs-up. "You’ve got real guts, little sister. So many people have come asking about the price these past few days, but they either complain it’s too high or that my location is no good."
"..."