Chapter 167: Jing Xiu's Opinion

  The house was quiet, with only the candlelight from the sheep horn lamp, not bursting into a blaze of fireworks.

  After a long time, Shi Jingyu said softly: "Mu Qing, there is nothing perfect in this world. Do you know why I set out for Kyoto before the year was over?"

  Shen Mu Qing Zheng wanted to ask her.

  He nodded immediately upon hearing this.

  Time stood still as she gazed blankly at the candle flame.

  "At the beginning of the year, I found out that there was a problem with the accounts of several shops managed by my third uncle. At the time, I had a private conversation with him and he said that because his brother-in-law had some business problems, he had secretly taken the money to transfer it. Borrowing from relatives is also a common thing. At the time, I used public funds to balance the account and told him that if he couldn't get the money back before the end of the year, he should let me know and we would think of another solution. In September, not long after he repaid the money, I went to Zhenjiang to settle accounts, but halfway through the journey, the boat suddenly capsized."

  Shen Mu Qing stared at Shi Jing Yu in shock and amazement.

  "The boat has capsized!" At that time, Jing Yu looked at her with a bitter smile and nodded, "A boat over three zhang long and five chi wide at the bow actually capsized."

  Shen Mu Qing's mouth was dry and his tongue felt parched: "Could it be that it's your third brother..."

  "I don't know!" At that moment, a flash of fear and sadness crossed her eyes. "Only my eldest uncle knew about my trip to Zhenjiang to check the accounts. The person in charge of the boat was a nephew from my sixth aunt's family - before boarding, I didn't tell him where we were going. And even stranger things happened afterwards. In mid-October, it was my seventh uncle's birthday, and our family was having an opera performance at home. At that time, I was sitting with several aunts in the waterside pavilion listening to the opera, when suddenly I got up to go to the toilet, and a basin of begonias fell from the roof - if it wasn't for Zi Jing pushing me aside, the flower pot would have landed right on my head. Tell me, how did the begonias get onto the roof?"

  Shen Muqing had no way to respond.

  "I'm busy with my affairs, so every year in late November I would go to give my uncle a New Year's gift. The sedan chair was approaching the Lion Bridge when suddenly a group of people fighting came rushing over - if I hadn't had a clever idea and brought along one of our family's most skilled guards, you probably wouldn't be seeing me now!"

  "Could it be a coincidence?" Shen Mu Qing comforted Shi Jing Yu with an uneasy tone.

  Shi Jing smiled self-deprecatingly.

  "I also hope it's a coincidence." She picked up the teacup in front of her, lowered her head and gazed at the green tender leaves clustered together in threes and twos inside the cup. "My uncle lives next to Fuzi Temple, going to Lion Bridge is because my second uncle asked me to help him bring duck oil pastry from there —"

  "But isn't this too obvious?" Shen Muqing couldn't help but say.

  Shi Jingyi ignored Shen Muqing's words, lowered his head and continued in a low voice: "The problem is that the husband's temple also has duck oil crispy pancakes, but the second treasure just wants to order the lion bridge - I also know that if these things are a conspiracy, either the person in charge is too stupid or someone wants to frame others"

  Shen Muqing has somewhat understood.

  "I wanted my grandfather to help me make a decision, to investigate the cause of things, but instead he gave me 10,000 taels of silver and asked if I was willing to go to Kyoto to do some small business with the help of Uncle Shen." Her eyes finally had sparkling tears, "At that time, in Nanjing, it was a family that had been prosperous for three hundred years, with old ladies who never married, living in the ancestral temple, passing their lives peacefully——but they insisted on sending me to Kyoto——I never thought I would leave my family's home, our entire family property is not even 2,000 taels of silver——my mother hugged me and cried, saying 'who made me a daughter? who made me so capable?'"

  Time's tears fell down and dripped onto the black lacquer table, under the lamp light, only a patch of water could be seen.

  Shen Mu Qing suddenly remembered the matter of Shi Zi Mo entrusting Shen Jian.

  It's been quiet for a while, I'm afraid it may never be possible to return home again?

  She gently grasped Jing Yu's hand, "Sister Jing Yu, I'm the only girl in my family. Sometimes when things happen, there isn't even anyone to discuss it with. I envy others who have sisters. Can you be my sister?"

  When Jingyu lifted her head, she was already in tears.

  Shen Muqing always believed that economically independent women can think independently.

  The next morning, after paying respects to Shen Zhen, Shen Muqing and Shi Jingyun returned to Tingyu Xuan and began discussing the matter of opening a wine shop.

  Then Shi Jingyu expressed her own opinion.

  She is preparing to open a wine house with wild vegetables as its specialty and talked about her ideas for the wine house.

  Shen Mu Qing listened to her words and understood that she wanted to open a high-end wine house.

  She couldn't help but feel sad.

  To open a high-end restaurant, it must be located on the prosperous Xidajie Street, but all the shops there are old brands and hard to find. Even if you use a lot of money to buy one out, I estimate it's still very difficult to move those owners' hearts.

  Before Shi Jing came, she had also done her homework. Seeing Shen Muqing frowning, she could guess a few points.

  "I don't have much capital in hand now, let's see if I can get a shopfront near Xida Street"

  Shen Muqing had other ideas.

  "Otherwise, we don't open a wine house, just an ordinary restaurant." Shen Muqing said thoughtfully "Opening a wine house, all sorts of people will gather, I'm afraid those rascals will come to make trouble."

  "Quite the opposite, everyone knows Kyoto's depth. The more you open a small restaurant, the more people will bully you for being weak; the more people come to stir up trouble. The more you open a large wine house, the less people know your depth. We'll be vague and real, real and vague, and people will be even less likely to come easily. If someone really comes, relying on the relationships of our two families, we can think of ways to deal with it once and for all, it shouldn't be too difficult."

  For some reason, Shen Muqing suddenly thought of Xiao Xiao.

  That guy is also like that, often doing things that are half true and half false, or half real and half fake.

  At this time, Jing Yu was indeed more courageous than herself - if it were herself, she would only dare to make a small move. For example, the tea shop, she was afraid of attracting attention and letting others focus on Shen Zhen.

  "Mu Qing, it seems we need to discuss this with Uncle Shen," said Shi Jingyu thoughtfully. "If we can get a few major shareholders to invest through Uncle Shen, the risk of this business will be reduced by several degrees."

  The most feared thing in doing business is not distinguishing between emotions and money. In the past, people liked to talk about emotions but not money, but because of this, many gaps were created, and in the end, both the money and the relationship were lost.

  At this time, Jingyu saw Shen Muqing quietly not making a sound, and guessed that she opposed her own opinion.

  At first when doing a tea shop, Shen Muqing had declined his own partnership.

  But she is a businesswoman and when faced with difficulties, she thinks of ways to overcome them.

  She said bluntly: "Mu Qing, what are you thinking again? Just speak plainly."

  Shi Jingyi is an open-minded and farsighted businessman.

  "--- Everyone should make a prior agreement, responsibility, righteousness, and authority must be clearly written ---"

  "That's natural."

  "We are business people and can understand this approach, but will others accept it?"

  "Mu Qing, do you know why big merchants like the Zheng family of Jinzhou and the Yue family of Lincheng can stand for a hundred years without falling?"

  Shen Mu Qing shook his head.

  She is not very familiar with this society.

  But when she heard Shi Jing mention Xiao Sa's maternal family, the Zheng family of Jinzhou, she couldn't help but perk up her ears.

  Because they know that relying solely on individual strength is not enough to make a family prosper for a long time. Shi Jing's eyes shone brightly, "Only when everyone works together can the family endure forever! They usually live together as a whole family. The wealthy branch of the family would set aside some money every year to maintain the clan school and ancestral land expenses, so that all children in the family could go to school and have an equal opportunity to learn. If someone from a poor branch wanted to start a business but had no capital, they could borrow money from their wealthy relatives within the clan, but it would be done under the witness of other clan members, with a written agreement specifying the amount borrowed, interest rate, and repayment terms. This gave them an opportunity to try. Therefore, families like the Zheng family in Jinzhou usually have one branch decline while another rises - regardless of which branch declines or rises, their descendants all have the same opportunities as others to receive education and borrow money. To outsiders, no matter which branch rises or falls, they are all considered part of the Jinzhou Zheng family.

  A real businessman should separate emotions from money. This is also why I want to find a partner through Mr. Shen's relationship - ordinary people may not be able to meet my requirements. Even Zhou has some unique insight as an official!

  Jing Xuan's eyes sparkled: "Qing Chen, it seems like you know a lot about the Zheng family in Jinzhou..."

  "Or we could partner with the Xiao family from Lincheng. Although they're a newly risen family and ranked last, I reckon they have the most money."

  Shen Mu Qing jumped up: "Why must we do business with the Xiao family? Can't we find the Yue family or the Wang family from Lake State?"

  Time stood still as she smiled and bowed her head.

  Shen Mu Qing was so angry that her eyes were welling up with tears: "I'm telling you the truth, but you're bullying me!"

  "No, no! I thought you'd agree to make a contract before doing business, that's why I made this suggestion. I'm really not laughing at you! Don't cry, I really didn't laugh at you!"

  Two of them were making a noise, and outside, a little maid reported: "Manager Pang requests an audience!"

  Made the usually quiet and reserved eyes curve into a smile.

  Shen Mu Qing fiercely stared at her and ordered Xiao Yai to summon Pang De Bao.

  Pang Debao stood far away, saluted Shen Muqing and said: "Auntie, it's almost spring. When spring arrives, there will be more people coming out to move around. Do you think we should sell tea at a flat price from Jiangzhe or try to find a way to directly purchase from the tea plantation to make some extra money?"

  Lin Rui Chun did not return home for Chinese New Year and stayed at his tea farm in Nanjing.

  It's no use going back now, and it doesn't make sense for Lin Rui Chun to stay there either.

  Shen Muqing glanced at Shi Jingyi.

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  Chapter 167: Jing Xiu's Opinion