The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 482 - 449: Wouldn’t It Be Odd If I Thought You Were Good-Looking? (Part 2)
To buy shares, this matter is not suitable to be handled by the servants, so Wen Wan went to the Xie family herself.
When she arrived, it so happened that Xie Tao’s wife was also there. Wen Wan explained her purpose in front of her, Aunt Xie, and Yang.
Xie Tao’s wife considered briefly; their family restaurant hasn’t been open for long. By the end of last year, the net profit for the year was just over three hundred taels. It’s not that the business was bad, but that being newly opened, including all sorts of costs, there was hardly any money left over.
It was precisely because they valued the location and saw that there was a high customer flow that they thought of taking over the adjacent shop to expand their scale. Once the scale is expanded, the decoration alone would cost a considerable amount, and additionally, buying tables, chairs, and hiring more help would be another batch of expenditures.
If all this money were borrowed from the Song family, they certainly wouldn’t be able to pay it back in the short term.
After pondering for a while, Xie Tao’s wife nodded and agreed, saying yes, as long as the Song family buys in, there would definitely be dividends at the end of the year.
Upon hearing this, Yang immediately seized the opportunity, saying their family also wanted to buy in.
Xie Tao’s wife was worrying about not having the silver to take over the adjacent shop. Hearing that someone is bringing money to her doorstep, she was naturally happy and smilingly agreed, "It’s all good, as long as their family can come up with the money, the dividends will be allocated at year-end according to the shares."
Wen Wan could see that the relationship between Xie Tao’s wife and Yang had somewhat eased.
The easing was probably because of their children.
The boys from both families had reached the schooling age, and Xie Zheng suggested sending them to study.
At that time, Xie Tao and his wife were busy with the restaurant business and hadn’t got around to it; it was all Yang who arranged everything while being busy. Fearing the chaos of the Capital, she would go to pick up the three children every day, timing it by the hour.
The sister-in-law did so much for them; even if Xie Tao’s wife had any dissatisfaction with the main house, she had no choice but to reconcile.
...
After attending to the business, Wen Wan didn’t stay long at the Xie family, just sat for a brief chat before heading back home.
Granny Song, hearing her report, smiled contentedly, "I told you, that Xie Tao’s wife, having done business for so many years, is not a senseless person."
Wen Wan seemed somewhat absent-minded, thinking about the Xie family’s restaurant.
Though Xie Zheng’s official position was low, with the support of a restaurant, their family wouldn’t have to live too harshly.
However, at the Song family, there were too many people, and the expenditure was large. Simply relying on the annual rent and the grain collected from tenant farms could only barely make ends meet. If they wanted savings, merely frugality wouldn’t work; they still needed to generate more income.
Thinking of this, Wen Wan decided to take part of the money her parents left her to invest in shops.
Considering that her mother-in-law and husband might disagree, Wen Wan decided not to mention it for the time being, intending to inform the family after the shop officially opened.
Returning to her yard, Wen Wan took advantage of the house being empty, called Wei Qian out, and asked him to arrange for someone to pay attention to which area’s shop would be good, or if there was any prime location up for transfer. She could directly take it over, and she warned him not to tell Song Wei about it.
Two days later, Wei Qian reported back to Wen Wan, saying that outside Zhengyang Gate in Xiao Shiyong Square, there was a silk shop. The old owner had died of illness, and the young master, poor in management, had nearly closed the shop down within just three months and was preparing to transfer it. Currently, two wealthy businessmen have their eyes on that shop and asked if Wen Wan wanted to get involved.
Zhengyang Gate is an Inner City Gate, indicating that Xiao Shiyong Square is close to the Imperial City. The customer flow in such a location, even if weak, would be several times better than other places. With proper management, they could recoup the costs within a year or two.
Wen Wan asked him, "Have you inquired about the owner’s asking price?"
Wei Qian said, "The owner’s asking price is a thousand taels, but those two have been bidding against each other, raising the price to two thousand taels, and they’re currently at a stalemate. It seems that it might go even higher."
Wen Wan frowned, "Although the location is good, two thousand taels is too exaggerated. If it goes higher, the owner would truly be set for life."
"So what do you mean, Madam—" Wen Wan said, "You arrange for someone good at negotiating to go there and say that including the cloth in the shop, I’ll offer two thousand taels, paid in full without dragging out payments, and ask if they’d be willing. If they are willing, then we have a deal."
Seeing Wei Qian’s surprise, Wen Wan laughed, "Isn’t it obvious? One of those two bidders is just a shill, aiming to drive up the price so the owner can profit. I don’t intend to compete; instead, I give him a direct offer."
In the market, a bolt of brocade can go up to ten taels. Based on Wei Qian’s description, Wen Wan roughly estimated that the cloth in the shop would be worth at least five to six hundred taels, and starting at a thousand taels for such a location wasn’t too much. Wen Wan added another five hundred taels, making it two thousand taels total. If the owner was sensible, he should take this opportunity, or else if she found a way to make the wealthy businessman give up, the owner wouldn’t get even a penny.
After Wei Qian arranged for someone to negotiate, the young master firmly refused, saying that the cloth alone in the shop was worth over a thousand taels, and with the cloth included, two thousand taels for the whole shop was too low. He wouldn’t agree!
Wen Wan originally felt that two thousand taels was already a generous offer, but since the other party was thinking of squeezing more from her, she decided not to bid further and let Wei Qian find a way to divert the wealthy businessman’s attention.
In just a day’s work, the wealthy businessman voluntarily gave up on the silk shop, and after that, no one expressed interest. The young master became anxious and had no choice but to contact Wen Wan’s people, asking if the two thousand taels offer still stood.
Now having the upper hand, Wen Wan naturally wouldn’t let herself suffer a disadvantage; she said she’d only offer one thousand five hundred taels, take it or leave it.
She was going to lower it even further, but then thought everyone was just trying to make a living, and city locations aren’t cheap, let alone shopfronts. Being too harsh would seem unkind, so she settled on a moderate price.
The young master was fairly sensible and got the government paperwork ready within three days.
Wen Wan, staying true to her words, paid in full with one payment. Using the token Song Wei had given her, she went to the Xuande Square Money Shop, only to find that the silver coin her parents had left her amounted to a staggering twenty thousand taels.
Wen Wan was momentarily shocked, and even when she returned home, she still felt like she was dreaming.
Twenty thousand taels, an astronomical figure.
As long as there are no gamblers in the family, this money would be enough to support a large family for the rest of their lives.
When talking to Song Wei about it, she couldn’t help but sigh, "I wonder if my parents went bankrupt for this."
Song Wei didn’t expect Wen Wan to secretly invest in shops without telling him. Hearing her say this, he found it amusing, "You underestimated the royal family. Besides, your mother is the Eldest Princess, the Emperor’s own sister. Anyone could be without money, but not her."
Emperor Guangxi felt quite guilty towards this sister, and these years he wouldn’t treat her unfairly.
Wen Wan joked, "If I had known there was so much money, why bother investing in shops? I could have just relaxed at home and lived a good life."
Song Wei took the shop’s key from her hand, "I’ve told you long ago to just be a leisurely lady at home, but you just couldn’t sit still. This time, you even bought a shop behind my back?"
Wen Wan snatched back the key, with a somewhat pleasing smile, "Since I’m idle anyway, I only spent a little effort to get it, and the rest will be handled by the people under me. We have so many people in our family, with daily expenses; we can’t possibly live off what we have, right? As the lady of the house, I am thinking about the future of the Song family."
Since the shop was already secured, Song Wei didn’t blame her for acting first and reporting later, only reminding her not to get involved in the silk shop business anymore. If she couldn’t sit still, she could go shopping with Lin Xiaoyue, but not to overwork herself.
Faced with her husband’s daily concerns, Wen Wan had no choice but to nod in agreement, trying her best to be obedient and listen.
——
On the tenth day set by Zhao Xi, he and Song Yuanbao went to the Minister’s Mansion as agreed.
They didn’t ride horses today, afraid to attract attention, so both rode in a carriage.
On the way, Zhao Xi asked Song Yuanbao, "Do you still want to marry Ye Ling?"
Song Yuanbao couldn’t understand Zhao Xi’s problem; ever since returning from the polo field, this question had become a daily inquiry.
However, his enthusiasm for the young lady hadn’t diminished.
"I do." Song Yuanbao leaned against the sidewall, seemingly casual, yet his eyes were exceptionally lively.
Zhao Xi couldn’t comprehend Song Yuanbao. He secretly asked Eunuch Sanbao, and Eunuch Sanbao said, Young Master Song fell in love at first sight.
Upon hearing this term, Zhao Xi found Song Yuanbao even more shallow.
Love at first sight, nicely put is being attracted by someone’s charm, but frankly speaking, it’s just about appearances.
It was only one meeting; how could a face determine that she is the one to accompany you for the rest of your life?
Song Yuanbao seemed to see through Zhao Xi’s thoughts and directly refuted him, "Let me ask you, would you want a goddess to bear your children and pass on your good looks, or would you prefer an unattractive woman to be your main wife?"
Zhao Xi said, "That’s not the same thing."
"How is it not the same thing?" Song Yuanbao counted on his fingers, "Think about the palace; which of those who are favored are not beautiful? If the Imperial Concubine were not good-looking, Your Highness, you wouldn’t have the handsome appearance that makes many ladies lose their hearts, right?"
Zhao Xi looked at him, "If I remember correctly, not long ago, you hinted at the polo field that I wasn’t good-looking."
Song Yuanbao: "I mean... I’m a big guy. Wouldn’t it be strange if I thought you were good-looking?"
