She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

The two, each with their servants, sat down in a corner of the teahouse, under the gaze of a few scattered patrons.

Madam Qian had resigned herself to their fate and didn’t ask the tea master of the teahouse to attend to them, instead instructing her maid, "Go, get a pot of Cloud Mist tea."

Lady Zhao quickly said, "No, that won’t do, we can’t have Madam Qian treat us. Let Xiuqin go. We’re not familiar with the rules of the capital, just showing her the way will suffice."

Madam Qian didn’t decline, "You lead Miss Xiuqin there."

Lady Zhao didn’t care if the tea had arrived or not, and sitting across from Madam Qian, she leaned forward, eagerly asking in a low voice, "Madam Qian, with your vast knowledge, could you tell me, how could my Ah Qiao properly run a Construction Industry?"

Madam Qian’s face showed difficulty, "Didn’t I just say, there really is no way. That, didn’t the construction company that Steward Wong was with before have quite a large scale? I think it’s better to stay there, being the chief manager of a large construction firm is also quite respectable."

Lady Zhao’s expression darkened, and she spoke hesitantly, "Ah Qiao is skilled with his hands, and I was thinking, if he worked for himself, it should be somewhat better."

"Oh." Seeing that Lady Zhao skirted the issue of the previous construction company, Madam Qian didn’t continue that line of questioning. Pondering, she said, "To my knowledge, artisans with good skills are mostly employed by employers, earning a high wage. Going into business for themselves... very few do that, and those people with substantial wealth won’t allow a skilled artisan to compete with their own business, right?"

Lady Zhao grabbed Madam Qian’s hand, "Madam Qian, with your extensive experience, please think again, are there really none who rely solely on their own fine skills to run a Construction Industry and make money with a workshop?" She stared into Madam Qian’s eyes, full of hope and urgency.

Madam Qian shook her head, "To my knowledge, there are none. Even for those in commerce and trade, there are landlords and the gentry, whose family wealth is accumulated bit by bit, sometimes over several generations. With wealth and reputation built up, fewer people will have designs on their property."