Good luck with koi carp

Chapter 135 Buying a Shop

The carriage that Chi Xiucai brought home was hired separately. The carriage that was originally driven from home was still kept in the city for the use of his wife and daughter.


Chili used her family's carriage when she went to class. Although she felt that the two families were actually not far apart, they could actually walk there and take the opportunity to go shopping, but her mother did not agree.


If you want to go shopping, you can find another time to do it. Since you are going to class in the morning, don't waste time to avoid giving people a bad impression.


Chi Li thought it made sense, so she obeyed the advice and never mentioned it again.


The carriage is driving slowly on the streets of Fucheng. It is almost 06:30 in the morning. When you open the curtains, you can see that the streets outside have begun to become lively. Some vendors have set up small stalls, either selling food or selling food. Some other objects are very lively and full of human fireworks.


Chili only glanced at it twice before giving up her seat to the two children next to her, especially her little cousin. The little girl must have never been out much before. She was very curious about the outside world and always thought too much when she got the chance. Take a look.


When they first met yesterday, the two children followed their mother closely and looked a little shy. Today, when they were alone in the same carriage with Chi Li, they quickly revealed their lively and outgoing nature.


The more courageous elder sister would also take the initiative to talk to Chi Li. Seeing that Chi Li had a kind attitude, she responded almost every sentence. Maybe she was influenced by her sister's leading role, or she felt that Chi Li was an easy person to get along with. Then her younger brother also started talking to Chi Li. Get involved.


Then the interior of the carriage became a communication meeting for the three of them.


"Cousin, what is that little stall outside selling?"

"It seems to be an object like a toy."

"Cousin, cousin, where is that place?"

"It's a teahouse, a place where people can drink tea, listen to books and watch plays."

"Can we also listen to books and watch plays in the teahouse?"

"Some teahouses have it, and some teahouses don't. It mainly depends on how the owner's family operates."

……


To be honest, Chi Li had rarely seen such sunny and cheerful children. She thought that after suffering the hardships in life, they might be more calm and introverted. She didn't expect that the children were so optimistic, which made her confused at first. After a while, I almost didn’t know how to get along with them.


Fortunately, although the siblings Zhao Xiao and Zhao Jun are a little more lively, they are still very well-behaved. It is not clear whether they act appropriately or not. They have been together for such a short time, but their past experiences have taught them some skills.


For example, look at people's faces.


So they seemed to start chatting with Chi Li all of a sudden. In fact, they would look at the face of Chi Li, a strange cousin, while talking. Once they found something wrong, they would stop immediately, or think Find a way to make up for it.


Chi Li had noticed this little trick that she thought was hidden a long time ago, but she didn't expose it. She just smiled and accepted this kind of "pleasure" from her cousins.


Yes, the two children are trying to please Chili.


Chili noticed their little thoughts from the beginning, but they didn't show it clearly, and it was hard for her to stop them. Saying things like "no need to please me" would only make people think she was weird.


Some things can only be subtly changed after we get along with them for a long time. For now, we can just tolerate them silently.


The parents sent Zhao Xiao and Zhao Jun to their side for a very clear purpose. In name, they were to take care of the children of relatives, give them something to do, and make a living. In fact, they just found two companions for their daughter, or so to speak. It is more appropriate to be a book boy.


How to treat them is up to Chili herself.


If Chili only treats them as ordinary book boys, then they have a master-servant relationship. If Chili intends to train them to become her right-hand man in the future, then they are her subordinates for the time being. As for how to define their specific identities, it depends on their future. What a blessing.


It would be best if he could also make achievements in the imperial examination, so that he could help Chi Liyier and help her in the officialdom in the future.


After all, we are blood relatives and natural allies. Even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected.


But it's too early to think about these things now. No one can predict what will happen in the future. Chili should do the current things first.


When we arrived at Xue's house, we were already prepared.


As soon as the accompanying servants of the Chi family knocked on the door, the door of the Xue family was opened by a child who looked about four or five years old. The child's round and beautiful eyes turned around on the Chi family's carriage and pursed his lips. Too shy to speak, he turned around silently and led the way, leading Chi Li and others to his grandfather's study.


The Xue family lives in a second-level courtyard, which is much larger than the first-level courtyard of the Chi family. However, the house looks old and has not been repaired. Many places show signs of the weather. It looks quite old and dilapidated.


Stepping into the study, Chi Li looked up and found Xue Zhangming, who was already half-reclining on a recliner.


His legs haven't healed yet, so he should stay in bed for a long time, but today, in order to teach Chi Li, he was moved to the recliner in the study, so as not to affect Chi Li's reputation.


After all, as a woman, Chi Li was quite inappropriate to enter the dormitory of an elder of the opposite sex without the guidance of an elder in her family.


In this regard, they need to keep the door of the study room wide open when teaching, so that people outside the door can clearly see what people in the room are doing, and the siblings Zhao Xiao and Zhao Jun will also follow the class in the study room.


In other words, listening to Chili and Xue Zhangming exchange learning experiences with each other.


"Junior Chi Li, I have met Xue Shibo."


Chili shouted the greeting ceremony, but what she performed on her hands was the apprenticeship ceremony.


She knew that Xue Zhangming did not want to accept the name of her mentor, but she would never succumb to the courtesy and respect that a teacher should give him.


"There are chairs over there. You can sit wherever you like. What don't you understand about reading in your daily life? Let's talk about it in detail. We may discuss it with each other and maybe we can answer your questions."


Xue Zhangming put down the book in his hand and really treated Chi Li as an equal student.


Seeing this, Chi Li didn't waste any time. He dug out the book of questions he had compiled urgently yesterday from the book box he brought with him, and took out the questions he had encountered that he didn't understand one by one to discuss with Xue Zhangming.


Her learning mode with Xue Zhangming was not like following Chi Xiucai, which was step by step from easy to difficult, from low to high. They just learned whatever they wanted while chatting.


Maybe one moment they were discussing "The Analects of Confucius", the next moment they were arguing about "The Book of Changes", and the next moment the topic had turned to "Historical Books". The span is so large and the content jumps so much that those with insufficient foundation are simply overwhelmed. People were confused, and even Zhao Jun, who had read a book, didn't quite understand what his cousin and Mr.


Who am I, where am I, what am I doing?

The expressions of the siblings vividly illustrate these three questions.


Chili took the time to look at them, and simply took out a copy of "The Thousand Character Classic" and "The Book of Songs" from her bookcase and handed them to her sister and brother, asking her sister to continue to read and ask her brother if she encountered something she didn't understand. The younger brother continued to read, and he didn't expect to be able to memorize it, let alone understand the explanations. He just had to read it well first.


The siblings have something to do, and they are finally not so confused. They also know not to disturb Chili's study. They read silently as much as possible. If they really have no choice but to speak, they will deliberately keep their voices to a minimum for fear of disturbing them. people.


After they worked so hard to reduce their sense of existence, after a long time, and indulging in the intellectual debate with Xue Zhangming, Chi Li really forgot that there were still these siblings present.


She found this learning method with Xue Zhangming very novel.


The two of them are almost on a completely equal footing to discuss a certain knowledge point. They have different views, different thoughts, and different perspectives on problems. Therefore, even if it is the same sentence in the textbook, they have different views.


Therefore, the intellectual discussion between the two people is the collision of their respective opinions. Some can create better sparks of inspiration, some are simply defeated by the other party, and some occupy the high ground of debate and triumphantly let the other party admit their own opinions. More accurate.


This kind of learning will not only make the process more interesting, but also make the impression more profound. You can also learn from the strengths of others, make up for your own shortcomings, and discover your own mistakes so that you can make corrections in time.


Once people are immersed in something, they lose their perception of time.


When the little granddaughter of the Xue family came to tell their grandfather that it was time to eat, Chi Li and Xue Zhangming suddenly realized that it was already noon, and they didn't know how long it had been before the end of get out of class was agreed upon.


Both of them had some unfinished thoughts, but they also knew that it was time to call it a day. Chi Li took the initiative to get up and led the Zhao siblings to say goodbye to Xue Zhangming, then left the Xue family and went home for dinner.


It was not inconvenient for them to stay at Xue's house and disturb them. After all, the adults at home had limited legs and feet, and the children were too young to entertain the guests.


So they had better be sensible and retreat as soon as the point is reached.


When Chi Li arrived home, she saw that the meal had been prepared and waiting for them to go back to eat.


Afraid that her mother would be worried, she took the initiative to admit her mistake and said: "I'm sorry, mother, but my daughter was too absorbed in studying, forgot the time, came back late, and kept you and her cousin waiting for a long time."


"It's okay, we won't have to wait long, come and eat quickly, don't starve yourself."


Ms. Xu also knew that her daughter was serious about her work, and she easily forgot everything around her when she started reading. She had nothing to blame, so she just greeted the children to sit down and eat.


Today, there is my cousin's aunt's family on the dinner table, which makes it a bit more lively.


While eating, Chili listened to the chatter of her elders and realized that her mother and her cousin had also left early in the morning and ran around to look at shops. They finally settled on a few good shops and were hesitant about which one to decide on. .


"Li'er, do you have any good suggestions?"


Noticing that her daughter was listening to them, Xu simply asked her daughter the question.


Her daughter once learned to be a housekeeper from her, and she also knew some things. Now she could take the opportunity to test her.


"My daughter has never seen those shops with her own eyes. I just heard you and your cousin talk about them, and I don't know the details. If mother is not tired, please take your daughter to see them again in the afternoon. Only after seeing them can you know which ones are good and which are bad. "


If she can go on an on-site inspection, she can also help her mother find out which shops have good Feng Shui. Then she only needs to pick two of them that are more profitable and recommend them to her mother.


"Are you free this afternoon?"


Mrs. Xu didn't mind taking another trip, but she was worried about delaying her daughter's study time.


"It's okay. I originally made an appointment to visit the Zhang family this afternoon. I still have time to accompany my mother for a walk before going."


Chili and Zhang Dabao had made an appointment before to visit each other's home after the exam. However, she was taken out by her father to visit relatives and friends every day a few days ago, and she really didn't have time. Today, she had a little free time, so she went to Zhang Dabao early. I sent a greeting card to my family, and they responded that I would be welcome at any time.


It was rare that her daughter had time to accompany her after studying, and she also helped manage the family's livelihood. Although it was just incidental, Ms. Xu was very happy and naturally would not refuse.


After the family had eaten and rested for a while, Mrs. Xu took her daughter to the carriage and went out.


This time, only the mother and daughter and the accompanying maid and wife were traveling. The cousin and aunt's family stayed in the courtyard to pack their luggage. They were in a hurry yesterday and hadn't packed their things yet, so they were left to do their own thing today.
On the carriage, Mrs. Xu asked her daughter: "How are the Zhao siblings doing today?"


"Although my cousin is lively, she behaves well. She looks pretty good so far." Chili commented simply.


It's hard for her to say how much. After all, in reality, they are not very familiar with each other and they don't understand each other well enough.


"Let's take a look again," Xu said.


"Mom, what do you think of my cousin?" Chili asked her mother in turn.


"Don't talk about your elders." Mrs. Xu nodded her daughter's forehead and scolded her gently, and then said: "My cousin is a responsible person, hard-working and able to endure hardships, but she is not very clever. I will teach you from now on." As a teacher, I can also share some chores for my mother."


"Has the mother already planned to keep her cousin and her family?"


"Look again."


Mr. Xu will not jump to conclusions on things that are still uncertain.


Although they specially invited the person here, if they find it is not suitable after trying it, they can also arrange for the person to go elsewhere.


For example, some fertile land was leased to the three of them, mother and son, so that they could farm and not only become wealthy, but at least they could have enough food and clothing.


If you ask for more, it will be gone. After all, they have already given the opportunity. Whether they can seize it or not is their business.


And whether it is the Chi family or the Xu family, there are quite a lot of relatives on both sides. It is not that there are some who live worse than the Zhao family mother and son. It's just that their family happens to be more suitable. If it doesn't work, the Chi family is not unable to replace them.


The carriage carrying the mother and daughter of the Chi family slipped around the street. In less than two quarters of an hour, they visited all the shops that Mr. Xu had chosen.


Shops that could be chosen by Mr. Xu naturally had good locations and environmental conditions, and their prices were basically within the affordable range.


What troubles Ms. Xu now is that she can't buy all the shops she likes at one time. She can only choose one or two to buy from them, and she has difficulty choosing.


Chili is not as troubled as her mother.


After looking around, she pointed at two of them and said, "Mom, let's buy this one and this one."


The two stores she mentioned are located near Fucheng Pier. There is a large flow of people here. As long as the type of business is suitable, there will never be a shortage of customers. The only drawback is that the shop is relatively small, less than ten square meters.


"It just so happens that this place can be used for food business. Our family has a lot of land, and the food we produce cannot be sold at a high price just by selling it directly. It is better to hire two people who can make some simple food to run this shop and sell some steamed buns. Steamed buns, noodles, porridge, pancakes, etc., as long as the price is affordable and the quality and quantity are maintained, even if the profit is low, if more people buy it, you can still make a lot of money."


Who has the most cargo terminals?


Naturally, they are not passers-by, but workers who come and go to carry goods for people. They work hard to make money. Naturally, they cannot let themselves go hungry, otherwise they will not have the energy to work. But they make very little money and the food is too expensive. If they can't afford it, the kind of high-quality, cheap and large-volume food suggested by Chili is the most suitable for them.


It's just that running such a food restaurant here is quite hard, and the money earned is hard-earned money. The only advantage their family has over others is that the food is all produced by themselves. Firstly, they can ensure the quality, and secondly, they can also enjoy a little bit of food. Reduce costs and increase profits.


Another shop is located in the center of Fucheng. The shop here is quite large. Not only does it have an interior area of ​​more than 60 square meters, it also has an upper floor. It is a two-story street-facing building with a total usable area of ​​about 120 square meters.


This shop can be used as an inn or a restaurant. Of course, Mr. Xu can also do other businesses if he wants to. What Chili likes is just its glittering feng shui, which is really good for making money.


Of course, the seller of such a good shop is not blind. If the other party was not in urgent need of money, he would not sell such a good shop. However, he was in a hurry, and his asking price was not low at all, even slightly higher than the market price by [-]%.


This also made Xu very hesitant. It was too expensive.


If she bought this shop, she would not have much money left on hand, and she might not even be able to buy the small shop on the pier.


The Chi family has some money, but the more valuable things are in the fields and shops. The most money they can take out immediately is about 500 taels. Any more will affect the family's life. This is Absolutely not.


In this regard, Chili said that it was not a big problem, she had money.


Facing her mother's surprised look, Chili took out 400 taels of silver and handed it to Mrs. Xu.


"Where did you get so much money?"


Although this question came late, Chi Li was too busy scolding Chen Shimei for her scumbag behavior with her parents, but she forgot to tell them that she met a noble person on the way. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she quickly told the young prince of the prince's palace who she had accidentally saved before, Then I was told something to be grateful for.


Chili didn't hide anything, and even told her mother about the dagger and token.


After going through these days, she had known that the only people in the world who loved her most were her parents. Anyone could betray her, but her parents would not, so she trusted them quite a bit, and there was actually nothing to hide about this matter. She He didn't do anything bad.


Sure enough, after hearing her daughter's explanation, Mrs. Xu's first reaction was to tell her: "Just talk to your mother about this. Don't tell others. We are not the kind of people who want to repay a favor, but we can't guarantee that others will not suffer because of it." You have some evil intentions, if some villain takes advantage of you, steals your token, goes to the palace to pretend to be a benefactor, and does some bad things, it will not be good if the nobleman blames us in the end."


"I know mother, my daughter must act cautiously. Just take these banknotes and don't be polite to your daughter. Anyway, my daughter eats and lives at home, and there is nothing to spend money on. If you really need money, my daughter will ask mother if you want it." , can you still refuse to give it to me?"


Chi Li also said a wisecrack later, which made Mrs. Xu couldn't help but smile.


"Then we have to see if our Li'er's reason for asking for money is serious or not. If we want to spend it randomly, my mother won't allow it."


"Mother~"


"Okay, okay, don't act like a spoiled brat. You, the money girl, will accept it. The shop I bought will also be in your name. But now you have to concentrate on your studies and not be distracted by mundane things. The shop girl will help you first. You're in charge, and we'll share the profits equally, okay?"


Although Mrs. Xu spoke to Chi Li in a negotiating tone, how could Chi Li not know how much advantage she had in it? She did not refuse her mother's kindness to her, but responded in a quite helpful manner: "Okay, thank you, mother." , you know that mother loves Li’er the most.”


The big one costs 620 taels, and the small one costs 80 taels.


Chili originally thought that her mother meant to give her the small shop when she said she would get a shop. Unexpectedly, after waiting for a while, she found that she had a big shop under her name, the more expensive one. .


The final transaction price of the two shops was suppressed by Xu. The larger one was sold for 590 taels of silver, and the smaller one was sold for 70 taels of silver. But even at [-] taels, it was still more than what Chili gave her mother. Much more.


What's more, buying a shop is only the first step. Later, you have to hire someone to decorate it, stock up on goods, etc. This is actually the bulk of the initial investment in opening a shop.


So this shop was actually used by Mr. Xu to subsidize his daughter, and I believe it was with Chi Xiucai's consent. After all, Chi Xiucai, as the head of the family, had to use so much money at once, and it was impossible for Chi Xiucai not to know.


In other words, this is the second large amount of property that the couple has given to their daughter. As for why it is said to be the second, it is because Chen Shimei was defrauded of a dowry earlier.


Thinking of this Chi Li gets angry, she will one day want the scumbag to pay back double the amount!

But these are things that will happen later. Now, after accompanying her mother to the shop and giving her own suggestions, Chili first asked the carriage driver to take her mother home, and then sent her home. Arrive in front of the Zhang family gate.


The Zhang family is also a wealthy family. After all, there is a master in their family, so even if they want to be poor, they will not be poor.


Although Master Zhang was a classmate of Chi Xiucai, the relationship between the two was not very close, and they were only able to say hello when they met. Therefore, Chi Xiucai did not bring his daughter to visit Master Zhang later, and the daughters of the two families Friendship is also a matter for children, and adults are happy to see it succeed and will not interfere too much.


"Chili!"


Hearing that Chi Li was coming, Zhang Dabao didn't even wait for his servants to summon him. He trotted out with his skirt in hand and almost flew to Chi Li. He almost lost his footing and fell while braking. Fortunately, Chi Li was caught by Chi Li. With quick eyesight and quick hands, he gave me a hand.


"Be careful, I can't run, why are you in such a hurry?"


Chi Li supported the person in a funny way, and then let go after she stood firm.


"Hehe, aren't you so excited?" Zhang Dabao laughed innocently, took Chi Li's arm affectionately and walked home: "Let's go, let's take you to meet my parents first, and then we'll go to my house." Play in the house, I have a lot of interesting stuff over there..."


It’s not surprising that she was so excited. The main reason was that Zhang Dabao’s thoughts were different from those of ordinary women since she was a child. She seemed a bit deviant and could not always chat with girls of the same age. She often broke up without a word and ended up unhappy. Chi Li was considered the first. There was a girl of the same age who she could talk to, and they even took the same government examination together, so she regarded him as her friend early on.


It was the first time that a friend came to my house as a guest, so I was naturally a little excited.


"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, and junior Chi Li are here to pay tribute to the two elders."


The Zhang family's parents happened to be in the main hall. Chi Li was led in by Zhang Dabao and politely greeted the elders.


"No need to be polite. I have always heard Bao'er talk about you before. Now I look at it. It's no wonder that he is a scholar. He really agrees with the saying that he is full of poetry and literature. He is quite handsome and is more naughty than my family. The girl is much stronger."


Mother Zhang is round and round, with fair skin. She is a kind-hearted woman who looks very rich.


Father Zhang seemed to be older, with a black goatee and a slender figure, but he was not a serious person, but rather kind-hearted, and had the air of a scholar.


As soon as he opened his mouth, he greeted Chili's father kindly, and then asked about Chili's homework in a way that an elder would test a younger person.


Then Zhang’s mother took over the conversation, greeted Chi Li a few more words, and then waved her hand, seemingly driving people away, but actually letting the children go out to play: "Okay, okay, you young people stay in front of us old guys. You should be tired of it, so just go and have some fun by yourself."


"Then daddy, mommy, let's go."


Finally liberated, Zhang Dabao happily took Chi Li and ran back to his boudoir. Then he took out a bunch of his interesting things like a treasure and placed them in front of Chi Li one by one.


Chili knocked and found that these were small handmade objects. She turned around and looked again, and sure enough she found some scattered tools in the corners of the room. She smiled clearly and said, "Did you make these yourself?" ?awesome."


"You can actually see it?" Zhang Dabao was a little surprised at first, but then he was so excited that he couldn't help but happily showed his works to Chi Li one by one: "This is the little rabbit I carved myself. This is Look at the small wooden cart I made. It can still move if you push it on the table. And this one is the beaded flower I made myself. Do you like it? You can pick two to take away. This is..."


It can be seen that Zhang Dabao is a master of craftsmanship. She can make wood carvings, embroidery, and jewelry. The finished products are not only very exquisite, but also have their own unique ideas.


The other party was so enthusiastic that Chili couldn't bear it. In the end, she took two handmade beaded flowers given by them. After accepting the gift, she turned over it on herself, and in the end she only pulled off an embroidered brocade flower from her waist. The carp-patterned sachet was given back to the other party.


"This is a sachet I embroidered by myself. It contains soothing herbs. It can help me get rid of distracting thoughts and concentrate when I am studying. If you don't dislike it, please accept it."


"I don't dislike it, I don't dislike it, thank you Li'er."


Unexpectedly, there was a return gift. Zhang Dabao happily took the sachet and unconsciously became closer to Chi Li.


Seeing that the gift she gave was loved, Chili couldn't help but laugh.

(End of this chapter)