Chapter 80 - 80: The Rich Get It
“Father is right. We must study hard, practice martial arts well, and protect mother and sister when we grow up.”
“Yes, wipe your tears. We are men. Men don’t cry easily, understand?”
“Understood!”
Finally, Qiao Mai could have some peace. Without them around, she was free. She placed Ling ‘er on the bed and sat by the table. She took out some paper and paintbrushes and sketched the blueprints for her new home.
Ling’er, who was almost a year old, could already walk. However, she spoke a little late and still could not call her mother.
However, she was obedient. When her mother worked, she would play with balls, blocks, and boxes on the brick bed. She would put things in, take them out, put them in again, and take them out again. She did not feel bored at all.
Qiao Mai would occasionally turn to look at her. They would always smile at each other when their eyes met.
A hundred acres of land. The first five acres would be used to build ten shops. The house at the back would have a large living room at the front and a penthouse on both sides. The surrounding empty area would be planted with cold-resistant flowers and plants.
After entering the main entrance, Qiao Mai didn’t need a shadow wall. Instead, she wanted some large stones to make a pose and have a large pool at the bottom. It didn’t need to be deep. There were children at home. Whoever came to play in the future wouldn’t have to worry about falling into it.
In this way, there were mountains and rivers, which were in line with Feng Shui.
The house in front occupied ten acres of land. There were four children at home, and each had to have a courtyard. They were still young now, but they would use it when they were older.
If there were guests, she had to build a guest courtyard. Yuan Jiaqi could stay in the same courtyard as his son.
As the head of the household, Qiao Mai wanted to live in one courtyard. She would build six courtyards, two in a row, three in front and three in the back, and one in the main courtyard. The residence would be in good shape. The front hall and the main courtyard would occupy two ends to suppress the corners of the array.
If the row of shops in front were included, the house would have a good meaning behind it, although she did not know anything about Feng Shui.
However, based on her intuition, such a design should be good.
After she finished the design, Qiao Mai began to draw. Soon, the people from the Broker Center arrived.
She carried Ling’er to open the door. It was the young man who had traded with her.
“Hello, Madam Qiao. This is your title deed. When you want to build a house, you can come to me with the blueprint. At that time, we will divide these lands.
After it is settled, I will have to take the title deed and go to the court again.”
“Then I’ll leave it with you for now. I’ll send the blueprints to you in two days.
After we settle this matter, I’ll pay the deposit.”
“Alright, then I will take my leave. Please come to the Broker Center as soon as possible to finalize the blueprint.”
After the worker left, Qiao Mai was about to turn around when Madam Chen asked a question from her doorstep. “Madam Qiao, is your husband not going to teach anymore?”
“Yes, didn’t he tell Chen Hao yesterday?”
“Where did he go if he didn’t teach?”
“He went to school in the prefecture with the children and will only return once a month.”
“What? He went to school in the prefecture?”
“My husband is also learning with them, so he can’t teach Hao’er. Don’t delay him and quickly find him a school. My husband said that if he studies hard, becoming a scholar won’t be a problem.”
“Got it.”
Madam Chen turned around and returned to her courtyard with some disappointment. Qiao Mai also returned to her room after saying that. She would not take such a person to heart at all.
Shopkeeper Lu came over on the 16th day of the first lunar month after she opened her shop. Qiao Mai gave her a screen, four palace fans, and a set of fashionable clothes that were not embroidered.
Shopkeeper Lu was so happy that she immediately sent someone to the county town to tell her sisters.
She had opened her shop on the same day Yuan Jiaqi and the kids left.
Therefore, Shopkeeper Lu did not know and did not come over.
It was only at night, when she delivered the silver to Qiao Mai, that she found out that her husband and sons had gone to the prefecture.
“The teacher is Miss Wang’s grandfather?”
“Yes, I heard that he was a Tribute Scholar.”
“Oh my god, you’re too capable. In the future, I’ll have to rely on you to protect me.”
Qiao Mai rolled her eyes at her. “Don’t give me that. What ability do I have? I could only get some fresh food. It was a trading relationship with them.”
“No, no, you don’t understand. Once they start learning, there will be a teacher-student relationship. Relationships are established through frequent interactions. If someone likes your food, they have eyes for you. You must make good use of this relationship.”
“We’re just a small family. We don’t need to make use of each other, but we need to build a good relationship with them. After all, they can help us in the future.’
“That’s right. In the future, your husband, your sons, and your daughter will have more leverage with this connection.”
“I didn’t think that far ahead. No matter the relationship, it’s fine as long as we maintain a sincere heart.”
“You’re so kind. You’ll be the only one at home from now on. Why don’t I send
Xiu Yu to help you look after the child?” “No need. I’m not going to set up my stall.”
“Why?”
Qiao Mai waved the pen in front of her eyes. “Can’t you see that I’m drawing?”
“Are you doing something big?”
“D*mn, you actually bought land?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How big is the house?”
“The shop in front is five acres, the house behind takes up thirty acres, and the fertile land is sixty-five acres.”
Shopkeeper Lu gulped. “You bought a hundred acres of land?”
“Yes, I’ve seen it. At the end of my house, there’s a river. For watering, we only need to dig a ditch. It’s convenient.”
“Tsk, tsk. How long has it been? You’ve become the wealthiest in town.”
“Are you not? You and I earn the same amount of silver.”
“That’s not true. You earn more than I do.”
“I indeed profit, but it cannot compare to the embroidery work.”
“Here, this is the money for your embroidery before and after the new year.”
This time, Lu Sanniang gave her three thousand taels of silver. Qiao Mai accepted it without much hesitation.
“Do you still have embroidery work here?” Shopkeeper Lu asked.
“I’ve already given it to you. If you want more, you’ll have to wait for a month.”
“Your embroidery work is in short supply.”
“Raise the price. The rich will get it.”
“Is that appropriate?”
“Yeah. It’s best if you scare them away with the price.”
“Hehe, I can’t be ruthless.”
“Then you won’t make big money. Remember this. Truly valuable things are not afraid of burning a hole in your pocket. It’s better to chase after quality rather than settle for something low.”
“Next time, I’ll insist firmly.”
“That’s the right attitude.”
Seeing her busy with designing and the child playing with herself, Lu Sanniang left without staying for long.
Apart from Qiao Mai, there were four other embroiderers in her workshop. On top of that, Qiao Mai would occasionally come up with new design ideas for her.
Business after the New Year was much better than the previous year, to the extent that matchmakers practically wore out her doorstep.
Although Shopkeeper Lu didn’t openly mention that her daughter could do double-sided embroidery, the news about Ruyi Embroidery Manor producing double-sided embroidered products spread like wildfire.
The observant could easily deduce the situation, especially for those sharp-witted matchmakers.
Quite a few matchmakers even sneaked into the shop. Without a doubt, Lu Sanniang’s shop had double-sided embroidery. The two daughters and maidservants were often seen doing embroidery work in the shop. Who else but them could be responsible?
Matchmakers were constantly running to the Lu family. They worked diligently, and the matches they gave to Ruxin only got better and better. Lu Sanniang’s ears were practically calloused from hearing it so often. Whenever there was a chance, she accompanied the matchmakers to meet potential partners. However, she wasn’t satisfied.
Choosing a son-in-law was sometimes a matter of destiny. She wasn’t overly concerned about appearances, but she always felt a slight gap between her family’s fate and theirs.
After the Lunar New Year, she planned to take Ruxin along to meet prospective partners, but Ruxin was shy and refused, insisting that Lu Sanniang should make the decision.
This situation greatly vexed Lu Sanniang. Luckily, at this moment, her good friend came to see the double-sided embroidery and recommended a potential match. She said she would bring the person to the shop on another day..