Chapter 248: Chapter 247: Rich Lady, Take Me With You

Watching twelve taels of silver being handed over, Liu Ji felt as if his entire being was unwell.

“Look at this, we barely have any money, yet you insist on treating them to a meal of the same specifications. Pretending to be rich brings us no benefits…” He leaned against the doorframe, nagging incessantly like an old woman.

Qin Yao, at her wit’s end, shouted, “Shut the door, shut your mouth!”

Liu Ji: “Alright!”

Swiftly closing the room door and covering his mouth, yet still feeling a sharp heartache—twelve taels! What kind of divine banquet is this? He didn’t deserve to eat it!

Qin Yao told Liu Ji to cool off somewhere else and stay out of her sight.

Sitting on the floor playing with lanterns, Sanlang and Si Niang happily waved at their father to join them in playing.

Liu Ji was indignant. Why should he only play with kids? He refused!

Plopping down in front of Qin Yao, he stared at the small wooden box in her hand, determined to see how much silver was inside.

Seeing his rebellious nature, Qin Yao got up and pulled out the broadsword hidden under the bed.

To avoid trouble when entering the city, she only carried the slingshot and bow and arrow openly; the sword had been hidden away. It hadn’t been brought out in several days and was collecting dust.

Qin Yao removed the scabbard, blew on the sword’s surface, and the light reflected off its razor-sharp edge.

Then she looked up to find someone already rolled onto the floor bedding, playing with lanterns with the children.

Qin Yao sneered, carefully wiped the blade again, fiddled with it for a moment, then put it back under the bed.

She got up and went to the table, opening the wooden box.

Besides contracts and guarantees, there were also four five hundred tael Money Shop notes inside.

The Money Shop was named Hui Feng, with dozens of branches in the six northern provinces along the Yangtze River, with a branch in every county, allowing note holders to withdraw the stated amount at any local county branch.

So this Hui Feng Money Shop was akin to a modern regional major bank.

But unlike later times, Sheng Country Money Shops didn’t pay interest on savings; instead, a yearly insurance fee was required based on the amount.

The larger the amount, the higher the insurance fee.

The reason being that transportation was inconvenient and circulation costs were high.

However, because it was very convenient to use, major businesses mostly used the notes for transactions.

Some, for convenience, directly conducted increment and decrement transactions at the Money Shop, greatly reducing the hassle and risk of transporting silver.

Qin Yao didn’t care whether it was silver or silver notes, as long as merchants and people recognized their value.

Four feather-light notes held in her hand felt deceptively weighty.

Qin Yao reviewed them several times before setting them down.

Having spent twelve taels on today’s meal hurt her wallet too.

But it was her statement. She could afford Jiang Wen’s feast, and she could afford to treat him, as well. They had an equal partnership; she wasn’t his subordinate.

Subtracting these twelve taels, her original savings now only amounted to fifty-seven taels.

The seven taels from the bandit and the seven taels from the dragon boat race were already half spent, leaving seven taels remaining.

These sixty-four taels of silver, plus ten thousand jin of wheat at home, were all her current savings.

Looking down again at the two thousand taels in the box, they didn’t truly belong to her yet.

Qin Yao took a deep breath to calm her excited state and stored away the silver money contract and other items, grabbing the ever-peeking Liu Ji.

“I’ll dictate and you write.”

She wanted to write a letter to send back to Liu Family Village, instructing Liu the carpenter to prepare for the full-scale upgrade of the factory, and to fulfill the promise of ceasing the sale of related products.

The recipient was Liu Qi, the only one in the factory who could read a few words; writing to Liu the carpenter would be pointless.

As Qin Yao dictated the letter, Liu Ji wrote, while she pondered the subsequent arrangements.

Lumber was the most urgent and needed to be sent to Liu Family Village quickly to ensure subsequent production.

Both parties agreed that the first batch of three thousand wooden boxes should be delivered by late July, with the remaining six thousand boxes completed in succession by September, before October.

Qin Yao would stay in the Prefecture until the end of May before returning to the village to manage the overall situation, meaning full production could only commence in June.

Time-wise, it was tight.

What needed to be done now was for Liu the carpenter to expand the factory and recruit personnel for job training.

And for herself, during her stay in the Prefecture, she needed to purchase all necessary production materials and send them to Liu Family Village.

Qin Yao thought it was quite advantageous for her to be in the Prefecture right now, as there were many merchants here. With Jiang Wen’s help, solving the issue of production materials was much easier compared to Kaiyang County.

The previous amount of wood could be handled within the village, and even some more could be guaranteed within Jinshi Town.

But now, with increased output, small and scattered lumber suppliers in Kaiyang County couldn’t meet the demand.

Only large lumber businesses in the Prefecture could resolve this.

She would handle the raw materials, Liu the carpenter would oversee the village, and with Liu Qi, Shunzi, and Liu Bai’s support, everything should be prepared before her return to the village.

Once she returns in June, she can fully engage in production.

“Oh, and I should write another letter to the village chief.” Qin Yao signaled Liu Ji to keep writing.

If this stationery factory was to expand, it concerned the entire village, and the village chief’s and Liu Family’s support was essential.

So Qin Yao started her letter with: Uncle, do you remember the beautiful vision we once promised of lifting ourselves out of poverty and achieving prosperity?

Liu Ji’s face wrinkled up; he couldn’t quite comment on that opening.

But since the shrew’s earnings were his earnings, as long as she was in charge, he’d write whatever she wanted.

With both letters finished, Liu Ji laid the papers on the table to dry the ink, burped, “Uh.”

The promises Qin Yao painted for the village chief and the Liu Family Village villagers in her letter were so big and enticing, even he felt satisfied just looking at them.

Liu Ji gave Qin Yao a thumbs-up, completely forgetting the earlier heartache over the twelve tael meal, sincerely complimenting, “Wife, your skills are truly superb!”

“Enough with the flattery. You have to enter the exam hall tomorrow. Rest early tonight, study well, and strive to contribute to this family as soon as possible. You’ll naturally reap the benefits.”

A stick combined with a sweet carrot—who could withstand that?

Liu Ji, excited, puffed up his chest and promised, “Wife, just watch! I’ll bring you back a scholar honor!”

It’s not like before. His family was about to become the wealthiest in the village. Not just for that, but to prevent the government from taxing his family’s property excessively, he needed to earn that scholar honor.

Qin Yao smiled slightly, dangling a carrot in front of him, “Once this big order is completed, I’ll ask Uncle Jiu to build a new study for you to read in—large, bright, freshly painted white walls, with polished wooden floors, and plant some plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum in front to cultivate your taste.”

Liu Ji grabbed Qin Yao’s hand and squeezed it tightly, inwardly howling: Rich lady, take me with you!

Out loud, he proclaimed, “Wife, you’re so kind and loyal; I will never let you down in this lifetime!”

The four children, quietly watching from the side, hurriedly covered their eyes, reciting to themselves: See no evil, hear no evil…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep