Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 849 - : Booming Business
Chapter 849: Chapter 849: Booming Business
After breakfast, Di Yelei leisurely left the house.
Liu Sisi glared at his back, suddenly remembering that she had not yet asked him what Elder Di’s visit yesterday was all about, yet she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Not long after, the shopkeepers from several shops arrived.
Since these shops had already been reported to His Majesty, Liu Sisi didn’t keep things hidden, instead, she managed them openly. After hearing the report, she sent someone to call over Di Cheng and Xiao Feng.
Among the several shops, Liu Sisi kept the old men who had been in charge of the two shops, and for the other two, she appointed Old Xi, Old Yuan, and Old Shen, three masters recommended by Di Cheng.
As soon as the men entered, they respectfully greeted Liu Sisi.
...
Xiao Feng was quick; just as the several masters had barely sat down, she came in.
“Third Aunt, Di Cheng has already gone to check on the several shops, and he’s currently not in the mansion. So…”
That child Di Cheng is truly diligent.
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“It’s fine. Since Cheng’er is not here, you sit down and listen instead.”
“Thank you, Third Aunt.”
Xiao Feng’s eyes sparkled. She happily took a seat.
Through the curtain, Liu Sisi looked at the men seated upright on their stools, “Shopkeepers, the shops just opened yesterday. How was business?”
The shopkeepers exchanged looks, and finally, it was Old Wu from the golden ornaments shop who stood up, beaming with joy.
“Reporting to the Princess, in the morning, the gold shop didn’t have much in sales, but starting from noon, several ministers came one after another, and then it was uncontrollable. By the time we closed last night, the trading volume had reached more than 250,000 taels. Most of the gold, silver, and jade items in the gold shop were bought up. Old Wu is thinking, perhaps we should stock more golden ornaments to meet the demands of the customers coming to the shop?”
Liu Sisi frowned immediately but did not say much.
Just the gold shop alone made transactions of 250,000 silver in one day? The people in the capital city really do have money. But on second thought, everyone in the imperial court knows that the ministers own the gold shop; they would definitely prefer to seek favors there. With such thoughts, it seemed reasonable again.
“250,000 taels of silver, then how much is the net profit?”
“The net profit is roughly around 80,000 taels of silver. However, this is just the profit of the first day. If this continues for one month, the amount will be considerable!” Old Wu’s face was full of happiness. With such a good turnover, he need not worry about the Princess being displeased.
“Hmm, next.”
Liu Sisi did not say much and instead signaled the next shopkeeper to speak.
Old Wu sat down gracefully, and even through the curtain, he could feel that the Princess’s words were not filled with much joy, leaving him somewhat uncertain of the Princess’s thoughts.
The second to rise was Old Xi from the wine-house. With neither servility nor overbearingness, he gave a fist greeting and said, “Reporting to the Princess, business at the wine-house yesterday was also good. However, due to the few people staying overnight, the income was only from the sale of good wine, where the profit was the greatest. Yesterday’s income was only about 13,000 taels, with a net profit of around 8,000 taels.”
Liu Sisi looked intently at Old Xi; the wine-house managed to earn 18,000 silver taels on the first day? One must know that the wine-house, unlike the gold shop, is about steady and long-term business. This had truly changed her view of Old Xi’s abilities; Di Cheng had quite the skill in assessing people.
“Very well, next.”
“…”
Quickly, the remaining shopkeepers also stepped forward one by one, reporting the first day’s income.
Liu Sisi carefully calculated, the gold shop’s sales volume was 250,000 taels, with a net profit of 80,000 silver taels ranking first; the remaining Treasure Shop ranked second, with sales of 180,000 taels and a net profit of 80,000 taels; the third place was the wine-house with sales of 13,000 taels and a net profit of 8,000 taels; the fourth was Liuxiang Courtyard, with sales of about 5,000 taels and a net profit of 4,000 taels; the last was the tea house with sales of only 1,500 taels and a net profit of 800 taels.
The high sales volumes of the gold shop and Treasure Shop had been within Liu Sisi’s expectation all along, and the low sales volume of the tea house, which was meant to gather information, was also normal. However, the sales volume of just 5,000 taels at Liuxiang Courtyard was somewhat unexpected for Liu Sisi.
Could it be that men in the imperial court had changed their ways and no longer frequented brothels and flower-houses?
How strange.
By her side, Xiao Feng gave a light cough and leaned in to whisper, “Third Aunt, His Majesty has clearly decreed that officials are not allowed to visit the pleasure quarters…”
Ah, so that was where the problem lay!
Liu Sisi immediately understood and felt relieved.
“From now on, you don’t need to come to me to report; just report to Di Cheng once a month. If there’s anything that needs discussion, unless Di Cheng cannot decide on his own, then you may come to find me. Everyone worked hard yesterday, and as long as you manage my businesses with peace of mind, I, the Princess, will certainly not treat you unfairly. The reward you deserve will absolutely not be shortchanged. Do you understand?”
“Understood, thank you, Princess, for your rewards.”
The shopkeepers hurriedly said in unison.
“Very good.”
Liu Sisi stood up satisfied, “Servants, hand over the prepared gifts to the shopkeepers, consider it a reward from me. However, should I learn that anyone dares to disobey in secret… Hmph! Even if you flee Bianliang City, you can’t escape my Five-Finger Mountain!”
Both reward and punishment are the way to manage people.
The shopkeepers quickly said they wouldn’t dare, growing even more cautious in their hearts.
After the shopkeepers left, Liu Sisi turned to look at Xiao Feng, “Feng’er, what do you think about yesterday’s income?”
Xiao Feng’s mind had been racing with countless thoughts since Third Aunt had sent for Di Cheng and herself to meet the shopkeepers today. Now that Liu Sisi suddenly asked her, she felt it was both expected and unexpected.
She pondered for a moment before cautiously responding, “Third Aunt, the high income from the gold and Treasure Store, I believe, is mostly due to the court ministers favoring the Princess and the Old Master Marquis, and such sales volumes are unlikely to happen again in the future.”
“Feng’er, you truly have learned business from a young age and analyze things in an orderly fashion. Very good,” Liu Sisi did not skimp on praise.
Fortunately, Liu Sisi never intended to rely on these shops to make money.
“It’s because Third Aunt is open-minded and willing to listen to me on this matter…” Xiao Feng’s cheeks flushed with a hint of red.
For her, marrying Di Cheng was truly like entering a nest of blessings. Remembering how she almost missed this excellent marriage, Feng’er couldn’t help feeling grateful.
“You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch of the Di Family. I entrust you and Di Cheng with these matters, also to further the glory of the Di Family. You mustn’t let down Third Aunt’s expectations,” said Liu Sisi with a weighty tone. With Di Hongyuan having encountered dangers in his youth resulting in a hidden ailment and no offspring, Di Cheng became the eldest grandson in title. Cheng’er had a natural knack for business, so entrusting these family affairs to him and his wife, Liu Sisi felt reassured.
“Third Aunt, I understand. I will certainly not let down the training bestowed by Third Aunt,” Xiao Feng assured.
