A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

When the group returned to Zhang's General Store in high spirits, Manager Zhang and Grandma Chen had been eagerly waiting for them.

Upon seeing them return and hearing Chen Yancheng recount the events, Manager Zhang clapped his hands and laughed, repeatedly praising them. Grandma Chen, Mr. and Mrs. Chen also smiled broadly, praising Youcong incessantly.

When she heard Youcong specifically mention how useful the sentences his aunt had taught him had been, Grandma Chen took Chen Wanxing's hand, patted it gently, and joked:

"Good, good, Wanxing is our family's lucky star, she knows how to plan ahead."

Her tone was full of joy, and the small back room was filled with laughter.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Manager Zhang, beaming with joy, proposed: "My dear in-laws, today is a joyous occasion as Cong'er's enrollment in school goes smoothly."

When the child changed his surname and was included in the family genealogy, a simple ceremony was held at the ancestral hall without any fanfare. Some of the neighbors who knew about it also talked about it.

So much time has passed, there's no need to bring it up again, but it just so happens that Youcong has entered school, which is a good start, and it brings honor to both our Zhang and Chen families.

I'm thinking that April 23rd, which is half a month from now, will be an auspicious day. Once the child has settled into school, our two families can hold a joint banquet.

Firstly, to congratulate him on entering school, and secondly, to formally include Youcong in the Zhang family genealogy, to make a good impression on our friends and neighbors, and to celebrate a bit. What do you all think?

Grandma Chen exchanged a glance with Mr. and Mrs. Chen. The in-laws had already planned out the date, so it couldn't have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. But thinking about it carefully, it was a good idea, so they both smiled and agreed.

However, the specific details still need to be discussed carefully by both families. At noon, they had a simple meal at the Zhang family's house.

After the meal, Chen Yancheng and Manager Zhang took Youcong to the school to formally complete the enrollment procedures, get to know their classmates who were also enrolling that day, arrange their seats, and thank the teacher again.

Once everything was settled, the sun was already setting in the west, and the Chen family took their leave.

On the way back to the village, the atmosphere was more relaxed and pleasant than on the way there. As dusk fell, the fields were bathed in a gentle glow.

After the initial excitement, Zhang Youcong leaned against his mother's chest, listening to the creaking of the wheels, and felt somewhat drowsy.

Seeing that his eyelids were barely open, Chen Qinghui also felt sleepy and simply nestled into her mother's arms and closed her eyes as well.

As soon as the mule cart came to a stop in front of the courtyard gate, Chen Wanxing saw Liu Shi waiting for her at the door. Upon seeing her, she went up to her and whispered:

"Girl, you're finally back. Miss Lin from the county town has arrived and has been waiting for you for a while. She's having tea in the main room of your new house."

Chen Wanxing was somewhat surprised. Lin Wei hadn't told him beforehand, so why was she here at this hour?

She greeted Grandma Chen and the others, then hurried toward the new house.

As soon as she moved to the new house, Liu quickly planted a row of small green vegetables, which have now grown to the size of a palm.

Perhaps because the seedlings were still small and she had never seen them before, she was curious and picked two of them.

So as soon as Chen Wanxing entered the yard, he saw Lin Wei squatting on that small patch of vegetable garden, holding up the two seedlings and trying to identify them.

Upon seeing Chen Wanxing enter, she immediately broke into a smile, stood up, and said, "Sister Wanxing, you're finally back! I came straight here to find you. I hope I didn't bother you."

And what is this? Is it a flower? I've never seen this variety before.

"How could that be? Please sit down." Chen Wanxing smiled and gestured for her to sit. "These aren't flowers; they're vegetables that Liu's family specially grew. They've only sprouted a few days ago. What brings you here today? Is the shop not busy?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei nodded as if suddenly understanding, then straightened her expression and took out a small brocade pouch and a thin account book from her bosom, placing them on the table:

"Sister, there are two things. First, our Qiaoxinzhai has been open for a month now, and here are the accounts for the first month, which I have already settled."

Our shop made a profit of ninety-seven taels of silver this month. This is your share of the bonus, twenty-nine taels and one mace. And also…”

She pointed to the brocade pouch, "This is a reward for my sister's drawing. Those ingenious pastry designs are the foundation of the shop, and their value goes far beyond simply coming up with an idea."

I hadn't even thought about it before and just accepted it without a second thought. It was only when my father couldn't stand it anymore and specifically pointed it out to me that I realized it.

Therefore, I specially prepared this gift. We previously launched six new types of pastries, and I brought thirty taels of silver for you, sister, at a price of five taels of silver for each type. Please be sure to accept it.

Chen Wanxing was slightly moved; the Lin family was indeed thorough and kind in their dealings. However, she still pushed the brocade pouch back, saying gently,

"Drawing was just something I did casually. Since we're partners, it's only right that I contribute. I appreciate the extra reward, but it's really unnecessary..."

"Sister!" Lin Wei interrupted hurriedly, her attitude firm. "This is not just being polite. Even brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone us, who are partners."

"You see, I didn't pay for this myself; it came from the shop's public account. This is rightfully yours, sister, and of course, I hope you'll put in more effort in the future."

Her words were sincere, yet carried the coquettish charm of a young girl. As she spoke, she pointed to the account book for Chen Wanxing to see, a gesture that made it hard for anyone to refuse.

Seeing her reaction, Chen Wanxing knew that further refusal would only create distance, so he stopped insisting, put away the brocade pouch, and said with a smile, "Then I'll take it. I'm very relieved to have you looking after the shop."

After she finished speaking, she picked up the account book and carefully looked through it. The account was very clear, with each item clearly marked. The reason and time for the thirty taels she had withdrawn were also clearly stated.

Looking at it roughly, the income was most considerable in the first few days, with seven or eight taels a day. In the middle, it was about four or five taels a day. In the last half month, after the novelty wore off, it was only about three taels of silver.

Although profits decreased significantly in the latter half of the month, the income was still considerable after a month, even far exceeding expectations.

"Wei'er, you've worked very well. This account is excellent." Chen Wanxing closed the account book, and Lin Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief, her playful smile returning to her face.

She then remembered something and took out a series of sealed letters from her sleeve: "The second thing is that a letter has arrived from the prefectural city. This time, Young Master Wang sent it together with my brother and Young Master Zhou."

She handed the letter to Chen Wanxing, saying, "This is a letter from Young Master Wang to my sister."

Chen Wanxing took the thin letter. The handwriting on the envelope was neat and elegant, and it was Wang Yanning's handwriting.

"My brother wrote to say that the academy examination has been completed, and all of them felt that they had performed well. However, according to the rules of the prefectural school, they had to wait until the results were announced and they obtained the qualification of students before they could be considered to have truly passed this test."

So they all decided to stay in the prefectural city and return after seeing the results and determining their rankings; it would probably take some time.

As she spoke, she winked at Chen Wanxing, "Young Master Wang should have mentioned it to you in his letter, but since it was a letter written specifically to you, there must be other private things he wanted to say, right?"

Chen Wanxing's face flushed slightly, and she spat lightly, "You talk too much."