It was sweltering in the sixth month of the lunar year.
Yuxi came out of the school and returned to Rose Courtyard. Once there, she took out her handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She muttered, "Why is it so hot today?" She didn't think summer was so hot before! It was only the sixth month, not yet the hottest time of the year.
Moju brought a bowl of suanmeitang[1]. "Miss, drink this, and you will be cool."
After drinking the suanmeitang[1], Yuxi felt much better, "Fortunately, I don't have to go back at noon. Otherwise, I will die of heat." The weather continued to be so hot that Teacher Song asked Yuchen and Yuxi to stay in Magnolia Courtyard at noon.
Moju, on the other hand, was embroidering a peacock on a beautiful white tuanshan[2] to fan Yuxi later on, saying, "It hasn't rained for half a month now, so the weather is currently hot and stuffy. If it rained, it would be pleasantly cool."
Moju sputtered, "It hasn't rained since the incident happened at the border town. Now people outside said this is God's punishment."
Yuxi thought that this was utter nonsense. "If God wants to punish, He should have punished the Song family. How can He torment ordinary people? I don't know who dares to spread such a vicious rumour. "
With the death of Old General Yun, courtiers began to ask the Emperor to reconsider the Tong City incident. Unfortunately, the Emperor agreed to the joint trial of the Three Departments. As soon as the Imperial Decree came down, Old Third Master Yan committed suicide in prison, fearing punishment for his sin. When he died, the matter fell into a deadlock. However, because of Old General Yun's uproar, Yan's family was not implicated. As for the Empress and the Crown Prince, they led a stable life for the time being. At the same time, the capital city had been restored to its usual calmness.
Yuxi did not care about anything before, but she still knew something like the abolition of the Crown Prince. She remembered that the Crown Prince would be abolished several years later.
As Yuxi was busy thinking about things, the maid announced the arrival of Mama Fang.
Mama Fang came here this time to discuss one thing with Yuxi. "Miss, there is a shop on Shangyuan Street for sale. I have made some private inquiries, and the store selling price is about four thousand taels[3] of silver." She was the first to know that Yuxi wanted to buy an estate, so she thought it was an opportunity.
Yuxi frowned. "The annual rent of the steamed bun shop is three hundred taels[3]. While, for that shop, it's only four thousand taels[3] to purchase. Isn't it inappropriate?" She thought that store was too convenient. She was afraid someone was trying to swindle them.
Mama Fang hastily said, "Miss, that shop does not have a backyard, so it is sold at four thousand taels[3]. If Miss wants to buy it, we can ask the landlord to lower the price."
After hearing this, Yuxi nodded. "I'll let my aunt know first. Later on, she can ask Steward Xiang to go check it up. If the shop is perfect, then we'll buy it."
Mama Fang explained her plan, "Miss, if we buy this shop, we don't have to rent it out. We will use it directly to sell groceries; then, we will make money."
Yuxi asked curiously, "Can selling groceries make money?"
Mama Fang had experiences now, so she explained, "Miss doesn't know. Things like mung bean cakes, candy and so on are trendy on Shangyuan Street. Miss, do you know that all the items sold in the shops on Shangyuan Street didn't taste good, but the business was prosperous? If we make our own sales, we will not have to worry about having no market."
Yuxi shook her head and rejected it without thought. "No, Mama. You've been working hard enough on the baozi[4] shop. If you open another shop, your health will suffer."
Mama Fang smiled and said, "I'm planning to buy two more people and teach them how to do it. That shop is not far from the baozi[4] shop. Then we can make cakes or something in the baozi[4] shop for the new shop." The baozi[4] shop had no business in the afternoon. If they wanted to make cakes and candy, they could make them during that time.
Yuxi did not know the general affairs before, but now she was trying hard to learn. Even though she was still learning, Mama Fang, who had been practising outside for a year, obviously would be much better about this than her. "If Mama thinks it is okay, then give it a try. However, you can't tire yourself. Otherwise, I won't open that other shop."
Mama Fang smiled. "Don't worry, Miss. I won't tire myself out. I also want to watch Miss grows up." The words about her Miss' marriage were directly omitted.
The shop should be bought early. If they were late, it would be purchased by others. After seeing off Mama Fang, Yuxi went to the Master Courtyard to find Qiu Shi. She told her that she wanted to buy a store.
Qiu Shi got a fright. "Doesn't it cost a lot of money to buy a store? Where will you get that much money? "
Yuxi had already prepared her speech. "When my mother passed away, she left me some money. This was only known by Mama Fang. In the past, Mama Fang thought that this was my mother's dowry, so she was planning to tell me in a few years. Now that Mama Fang has run a
baozi[4] shop outside, her thinking has changed. She thinks that the money put inside the box will be dead money, and if she buys a property using it, she can earn interest every year, and I will have plenty of money." Although everyone knew that her mother took her dowry to help her maiden family, it was not clear whether she did not leave anything behind. Now that Yuxi, herself, said this, most people would believe her mother did leave her some money.
Qiu Shi was somewhat surprised. She thought that Ning Shi did not leave any money for Yuxi. "How much money did your mother leave for you? To buy a store, even in Shangyuan Street, you need at least three to four thousand taels[3]." Although Shangyuan Street was not as good as East and West Streets, its location was still good. People living there had two living expenses, so it was also an excellent place to open stores. As a result, the stores over there were not cheap either.
"Ten thousand," answered Yuxi.
Qiu Shi got a huge fright. Yuxi had that much? She remembered that Ning Shi's dowry was just over twenty thousand taels[3], and to her surprise, she had left ten thousand taels[3] for Yuxi. It was said that Ning Shi had used up all her dowry. But with this current situation, it seemed like the rumours were not credible. "Are you sure?"
Yuxi handed the silver ticket in her sleeve to Qiu Shi and said, "This is the silver ticket." She had requested that the other side of the silver ticket be issued six years ago.[T/N]
Qiu Shi took the silver ticket and looked at it. She handled a lot of silver tickets, so she knew whether it was true. "This silver ticket is true." After she had done checking, she asked, "Yuxi, are you going to buy a store in Shangyuan Street? If you purchase one there, the rent will not be very high." The annual rent of shops in Shangyuan Street was three hundred and twenty taels, which was already considered very high there.
Yuxi explained to Qiu Shi about Mama Fang's plan. "I think Mama Fang's plan is feasible." What Mama Fang said was right. Opening a grocery store was more profitable than renting it out.
Qiu Shi listened, weighed it in her heart, and said, "I'll ask Steward Xiang about it. If it's true, as Mama Fang said, we can buy it." After a pause, she continued, "Yuxi, that store can possibly be bought in about three thousand taels. Then, what will you do with the remaining six thousand taels?"[T/C]
Looking at the silver ticket in her hand, Yuxi asked, "Aunt, I also want to buy some properties. What kind of property does aunt think I should set up?" She looked at the money in her hand, with an amount that was not enough to buy a storefront on East and West Streets. Furthermore, the stores there required thousands and thousands of taels[3] to start up and function. Like Yuchen's two storefronts on West Street and East Street, rentals cost more than forty thousand taels[3] per year.
Considering Yuxi's actual situation, Qiu Shi suggested she buy farmland properties. "I mean, it is best to buy farmland property. It will provide stable crops, regardless of drought or flood."
Yuxi was also inclined to buy a land property. Although the income from land property was not high, it could still be dependable, and the revenue would be available yearly. If there were a grocery store by then, there would be a market for things from the farm. Thinking till here, Yuxi's mind flashed with an idea as she said, "Eldest Aunt, if we want to buy farmland, I think it is best if it also has mountain forests. When the time comes, we will plant fruit trees on the mountain, make preserved fruits and sell them in the grocery store."
Qiu Shi was not supportive of Yuxi's way of thinking. However, the prices of mountain forests were not that high. It was not a problem for Yuxi to buy one or two mountain forests. "If you want to take the farmland with mountain forests, the location may be more remote." There was none near the capital city. Even if there were, all of them had been occupied by others.
Farmlands were unlike stores. The location didn't matter, even if the farmland was in a different district. Yuxi nodded. "It's not a problem."
For Yuxi to purchase such a big thing, she certainly couldn't hide it from the Old Lady. Qiu Shi simply took Yuxi to see the Old Lady and told her about it.
When the Old Lady heard that Ning Shi had left behind ten thousand taels[3] of silvers, her expression slightly stirred. However, no one could see her reaction. "When did you know about the silver?"
Yuxi replied, "I just found out today."
"Why didn't Mama Fang say so before? Why only now? "All the Old Lady's questions were on point.
Yuxi repeated what she had said to Qiu Shi.
The Old Lady also couldn't find any flaw in Yuxi's statement. Since she was not asked to take out any money for Yuxi to purchase the property, she naturally had no objection. "Since Fourth Girl has this achievement, Eldest Daughter-in-law will help her see which farmland is good to buy." Yuxi would have to use whatever she had as a dowry in the future. The more things she had, the richer her dowry would be, and the better the state residence name would also be.
Once everyone left, the Old Lady put down the Buddha beads in her hand and said to Mama Luo, "Ask old woman Shen if there is anything unusual about the Fourth Girl recently?"
Mama Luo felt a twinge in her heart. "Does Old Lady think Ning Shi didn't give this money to the Fourth Miss?"
The Old Lady said with great certainty, "Ning Shi dowry was only over twenty thousand taels[3] in total. At that time, the Ning family was in urgent need of money, and the price of Ning Shi's properties and shops were not that high. Even if she did leave money for the Fourth Girl, it would have been at least three to four thousand taels[3]. So, how could she still leave such a large sum of money?" She didn't doubt that the money was Yuxi's personal earnings. It was only because she suspected Yuxi had started a baozi[4] shop by pawning her jewellery. She also suspected that this money was a part of the jewellery that Yuxi had pawned.
Mama Luo felt that the money was indeed left by Ning Shi. "Old Lady, ten thousand taels[3] of silver is not a small sum. If the money was made by Miss pawning her jewellery, then her jewellery must have been used up. It is impossible that Mama Shen did not know about such a big thing." At this time, if Mama Shen had known, she definitely would have come and told her in the first place.
The Old Lady also had this concern, but she did not say a word of reply. Instead, she ordered, "Go and ask."
Mama Luo went out and soon returned. "Old Lady, old woman Shen said, all the registered jewellery, which were locked in a box, were still there."
The Old Lady turned the beads in her hand again and asked, "Is there anything wrong with the Fourth Girl recently?"
Mama Luo shook her head. "During this period, there was nothing unusual with Fourth Miss, except that she often said that she felt tired." Fatigue due to overwork was not an unusual thing.
The Old Lady was puzzled. "Maybe it was really Ning Shi who left the money behind." No matter how intelligent the Old Lady was, she couldn't have imagined that the money was actually earned by Yuxi.
Mama Luo said, "Old Lady, Ning Shi was also a mother. It is impossible not to leave some money for her child. I think Ning Shi really did leave behind the money. "Firstly, people couldn't believe that Yuxi earned money. Secondly, Yuxi's excuse was reasonable.
The Old Lady thought Ning Shi would rather give the money to an old woman servant than let her keep it. This meant that Ning Shi believed her old woman servant more than her, making her uncomfortable. Just as how much she liked Jiang Shi, Yuchen's mother, that was how much she hated Ning Shi. However, that person was already dead, and it was not worth it for her to investigate furthermore.
Footnotes Full List
- iced sour prune drink
- an ancient Chinese circular fan
- unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤 (old)
- steamed stuffed bun
- Smart girl!
- Doesn’t Yuxi have ten thousand taels? But, if three thousand will be used to buy the shop, then shouldn't Yuxi have seven thousand taels left?
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi