bookcurios Chapter 155 Shortage of Manpower
Chapter 155 Shortage of Manpower
Mei Xue used all her skills to cook a large and sumptuous dinner to welcome her master and her master's elder brother.
When their master returned from his travels, he didn't forget to bring gifts for the servants. The gifts were small, but the sentiment was deep; their master's kindness made everyone genuinely happy!
Shunzi polished the stables and carriages until they shone, just waiting for the day when he, who was practically bored out of his mind, would finally have a chance to put his skills to good use.
Xiao Juan followed Hua Rong and the others, going inside and out, carefully wiping every tile and wall seam clean with a cloth.
Yu Xiaoxiang only came home for half a month, spending the other half of the month doing nothing. She was afraid that her master would think she was too young and useless and sell her again.
Qiu Cui, on the other hand, exuded an air of shrewdness and competence. Holding the ledgers under her jurisdiction, she followed behind Zhong Yeliu, intending to report to her master after Zhong Yeliu.
Yu Wanran was more concerned about the opening of the new store, so she listened to Zhong Yeliu's explanation first.
"Ye Liu, how are those two boxes of Chengni inkstones selling at the new store opening?"
If even substandard products can sell well, then introducing colored Chengni inkstones in the future will give us an even better chance of securing a place in the market.
Zhong Yeliu presented the ledger to Yu Wanran, and without having to look at it herself, she selected the most important items from the new store's accounts to report.
"Master, on the opening day of the new store, I invited two well-known gentlemen from the city, as well as a manager who sells stationery, to the store to appraise the Chengni inkstones. Through their fair comments, we will promote the Chengni inkstones."
"Now our Chengni inkstones have become the first choice for poor students in the county. Of the 210 inkstones, most have been sold. The warehouse currently only has 30 medium-sized inkstones and 20 small inkstones left."
"A medium-sized inkstone sells for one tael and two mace of silver, while a small inkstone sells for one tael of silver. After deducting the cost of hiring staff for the opening and various other costs and labor expenses in the shop, we have made a net profit of one hundred and twenty-six taels so far!"
"Master, we need to replenish our supplies as soon as possible?"
Qiu Cui listened with excitement as these words were spoken. But Zhong Yeliu remained calm, as if she had done something utterly ordinary.
Yu Wanran quickly flipped through the ledger, quite satisfied with the neat and tidy records. Ye Liu had followed her for twenty years; once his abilities were nurtured and developed, his achievements in this life might surpass those of his previous one.
She put down the ledger and praised Zhong Yeliu.
"Ye Liu, you've done a fantastic job! You even thought of hiring people to help with the opening of the business. Our Chengya Inkstone Shop must have already made a name for itself in Huangshan County!"
Zhong Yeliu's eyebrows and the corners of her eyes showed joy.
"Master, it's a pity that no one has come to discuss wholesale so far; it's all retail sales."
"It's alright. This shop in Huangshan is a place that deals in both wholesale and retail."
Yu Wanran smiled and said, "The real take-off of Chengya Inkstone Shop will come when the colored Chengni inkstones are developed in Decheng. I have already found a sales channel in the capital."
Turning to Qiu Cui, who was listening intently, he said, "Learn from the head steward well. Our family's future development cannot be separated from your help!"
"Yes, Master!"
Qiu Cui was excited.
Is the master implying that she will have the opportunity to step out of the inner quarters and stand on her own in the future?
Compared to being sold to other families, where the male master coveted her and the female master treated her harshly and guarded against her, her fate is now truly beginning to favor her!
Next, Yu Wanran listened briefly to Qiu Cui's report.
It wasn't that she didn't trust the people in her family. Rather, she wanted to know the limits of Qiu Cui's abilities. Could she become Zhong Yeliu's right-hand woman, or even reach Zhong Yeliu's level?
It's a bit of a shame.
Qiu Cui's opportunity for education was limited to being sold to a wealthy family, which broadened her horizons and taught her to recognize a few characters. The steward's accounting skills were far inferior to those of Zhong Yeliu, who was born into wealth, raised with a noble upbringing, and had experienced many trials and tribulations.
Talented people are not so easy to come by.
As a housekeeper, Qiu Cui is barely competent; she still needs long-term training.
After offering a few words of encouragement to Qiu Cui, Yu Wanran told her to go and rest. She then chatted with Zhong Yeliu about her trip to the capital and her collaboration with Yan Cheng'an in the spice business.
She'll be running several trade routes simultaneously, and she'll be desperately short-handed. Unfortunately, there's only one capable person, Zhong Yeliu, who can't be in two places at once.
After some thought, she decided to first train Zhong Yeliu to take control of the overall situation. As for the smaller shops and branches like Chengya Inkstone Shop, she could hire other managers or buy staff. She would free Zhong Yeliu to manage the general accounts for her.
So she asked Zhong Yeliu for his opinion.
"Ye Liu, would you be willing to travel long distances with me as a merchant in the future? Help me manage the businesses in various places and take care of the overall accounts. As for the managers of the various branches, we can hire or buy people."
Zhong Yeliu was naturally very willing, and was overjoyed that her master trusted and valued her so much! She used to be the housekeeper, managing several small shops in the family, and a bunch of people were jealous, dragged her down, and did everything they could to frame her.
Her master, a complete stranger, not only rescued her from dire straits but also granted her the utmost tolerance and rights, allowing her to realize her life's learning and ambitions. Even if she were to be shattered to pieces, she could never repay such kindness!
She immediately stood up, knelt down, and bowed to show her loyalty.
"My lord, I am deeply grateful for your kindness! I, Zhong Yeliu, am willing to give my life to repay your kindness!"
Yu Wanran pulled her up: "There are several people in the family, see who has the ability to be trained?"
Zhong Yeliu thought about it carefully.
"Xiao Si is clever, so I'll arrange for him to work as a shop assistant; Hua Rong is good at greeting and seeing off customers, and he knows a few words, so he can also be promoted."
"Then you should teach them more in the future!"
Yu Wanran nodded, making the final decision.
"Tomorrow we'll go to the dental clinic and buy a few people. Besides good character, it's best to choose literate ones. The day after tomorrow, my older brother and I will go back to Qingping Village, and then we'll go to Decheng together."
The others, already fast asleep, were unaware of the great changes about to occur in their home. Zhong Yeliu personally helped Yu Wanran change clothes and wash up, and the two, engrossed in their conversation, decided to sleep together in the same bed.
The next day, after breakfast, Yu Wenbin couldn't wait to go home. Yu Wanran had Shunzi hitch up a carriage to take her elder brother and a large amount of luggage back to the manor. She took Zhong Yeliu's hand, along with Qiu Cui and Xiao Juan, and headed to the dental clinic.
The veteran dentists at the dental clinic were already familiar with Yu Wanran, their major client. They rushed ahead of the rest of the staff to welcome the group into their offices.
After offering tea and exchanging pleasantries, he inquired about Yu Wanran's purpose for coming. Upon understanding Yu Wanran's request to buy someone, he hesitated slightly.
"Miss Yu, almost all the people our broker deals with are from impoverished backgrounds. It's extremely difficult to find literate people, unless it happens to be a case of officials selling off convicted officials' families!"
"Even if one or two people from wealthy families occasionally came out, they were mostly people who had made mistakes and were sold off by their masters."
Qiu Cui and Hua Rong are examples of people who were lucky enough to be picked up by Yu Wanran.
Yu Wanran hesitated.
Should we go to the capital to buy people again? The capital, right under the emperor's nose, has its own renowned brothels and various government-run brokerage firms. However, the journey is long, and we'll have to wait three months.
Seeing her hesitation, the old broker took the opportunity to offer his suggestion.
“Miss Yu, if you only want someone who is literate and talented, and don’t care about where the money comes from, I have a good recommendation!”
Hearing him emphasize the word "origin," Yu Wanran found it strange: "If someone is truly capable, I don't care about money. But what kind of origin? I don't want someone who was kidnapped from a good family!"