Tianliangyuan

Chapter 53 If she doesn't listen to the rules, she'll be confined to her quarters!

Wang Ruolan explained with a smile, finally convincing Madam Fan.

Xu Zhaozhao finished organizing everything and then personally handed the booklet to her mother.

Wang Ruolan simply kept her behind to talk.

If Fan had some doubts before, after hearing Xu Zhaozhao's eloquent speech, he was completely impressed!

"Zhao Zhao is truly amazing!"

"Stop praising her! This child has been hearing too many compliments lately. I'm afraid if you keep praising her, she'll get all cocky!"

The Fan family genuinely wanted to find a stable way to make money.

The family had land granted by the imperial court, which was enough for them to eat, wear, and use.

However, they couldn't afford other expenses.

For example, the eldest son's marriage almost emptied the Fang family's coffers.

Then there's the second son, plus a son born to Concubine Song, the expenses are just too great.

Now that the Fan family is in charge, how could they dare to live like the Marquis's mansion, where chicken, fish, and meat are served every day?

She had only ever heard that officials and wealthy families were meticulous about their food and cuisine. But when it came to her own family, she realized it wasn't so easy.

The master's salary and the output of those estates alone are simply not enough to support this large family.

"Zhaozhao, your aunt isn't trying to steal your business, she just wants to ask you for some advice. What kind of business can our family start?"

"Does Auntie own a shop in the capital?"

Mrs. Fan smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Yes, yes, but we are not good at managing things, so we have rented them all out, and we haven't made much income at the end of the year."

Xu Zhaozhao nodded: "Where is Uncle Fang's estate? How far is it from the capital?"

Madam Fan immediately shook her head: "It's not far, it's in Wannian County."

"Well, I know that Xiangpiaopiao's business is booming. If it's possible, I'd like you to have your people raise some chickens and ducks. That way, besides eating them yourselves, you can also supply them to Xiangpiaopiao. What do you think, Auntie?"

Fan's eyes lit up. This was a brilliant idea!

She's an expert at raising chickens and ducks!

Moreover, the cost is not high, and the key is that it's cheap to eat meat yourself.

"It's all thanks to my clever niece! If it were me, I couldn't have come up with such a good idea. On our farm, we only raise enough chickens and ducks to feed ourselves. Besides chickens and ducks, what about eggs?"

"Don't worry, Auntie, Xiangpiaopiao buys all kinds of eggs, both chicken and duck. We'll take as many as you have!"

Madam Fan was overjoyed. She clapped her hands and said, "Oh my, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much. I'll send someone to the village to count them carefully and see how many chickens and ducks there are."

“Okay. Besides that, Auntie can also open a pond on her estate to raise fish and grow lotus roots. If there’s no market for them, they can be sent to Xiangpiaopiao.”

Mrs. Fan was grinning from ear to ear.

If she had known her niece was so capable, she should have come sooner.

“Aunt, there’s just one thing: whoever you want to be the steward must be honest and dutiful, preferably a servant with a life-or-death contract, so you can trust him.”

If it were anyone else, Xu Zhaozhao wouldn't have said that.

Because it is not necessary.

However, I must remind Madam Fan that she is afraid that Aunt Song might get involved again.

Fan was a smart man; he quickly understood the deeper meaning and thanked him repeatedly.

With things looking promising, Madam Fan didn't linger any longer. When she left, Xu Zhaozhao even had someone bring her some of the braised dishes she made at home, so she could compare them and see how they differed from Xiangpiaopiao.

After returning home, Fan began to make arrangements.

The land deeds, house deeds, and servants' indentures were all in Fan's hands, so Fan's position as the head mistress of the household was relatively stable.

Of course, Madam Fan also told Fang Dazhuang about Wang Ruolan not seeing Aunt Song.

"This matter was originally Song's fault. How could a concubine have the audacity to visit the Lady of the Marquis's mansion? If word got out, wouldn't people laugh their heads off? You too, in the future, you should try to stop her from doing these things. If you can't stop her, just confine her to her quarters!"

Madam Fan chuckled: "Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you say, sir."

Didn't Madam Fan know she was to be confined to her quarters? Didn't she know how much authority her mistress held?

she knows!

But she also knew that Aunt Song had something to rely on, and that Aunt Song was young and beautiful, unlike herself, who was old and faded.

Even after several years of living in luxury, Madam Fan knew that her beauty had faded and she could not expect her husband to favor her.

However, she felt relieved to hear the master say those words.

Lady Fan was also unwilling to share her husband with others. Look at Lord Xu, he is so powerful and influential, but he only lives with one legal wife.

But this cannot be said, especially not to the Fang family.

Ms. Fan already felt she had too much free time, and she was always worried about the family's expenses.

Now that she has connections, she has become very busy. Every day she is either looking at the account books or arranging for people to go out and inquire about information. Occasionally she also has to go to the estate herself.

Ms. Fan began learning to read with her son when they were in their hometown.

By then, the family's life had improved somewhat. With the silver that Fang Dazhuang had sent back through someone, the family was living a more comfortable life, and she also began to learn to read under her son's guidance.

But she was too busy at that time, so she didn't know many characters.

Later, after arriving in the capital, he studied under Wang Ruolan for several months before he could barely understand the commonly used characters and some basic arithmetic.

But it's not easy!

Fan never imagined that at his age, he would still have to write like a scholar every day.

Now that she's busy, she's glad she stuck with Wang Ruolan back then; otherwise, she'd be completely clueless and wouldn't even know if she was being scammed.

Aunt Song also found out some information and naturally wanted to get involved.

She knew how profitable Xiangpiaopiao was.

Since the Fang family and the Marquis's mansion had found a way to make money, she couldn't miss this opportunity.

Aunt Song tried everything to keep Fang Dazhuang in her room, using gentleness and flattery, but in the end, she couldn't get Fang Dazhuang to agree.

Fang Dazhuang knew his own limitations very well, especially after being reprimanded by his eldest son yesterday, so he dared not let a concubine interfere in the affairs of the mansion.

"Alright, I'm tired, I should go to sleep. There's a court assembly tomorrow."

Aunt Song was so angry she wanted to punch him, but she didn't dare.

"master!"

Two words can be pronounced in countless ways.

Fang Dazhuang rolled over and said impatiently, "Alright. These matters will be handled by Madam. You just stay home and take good care of the children. If you find taking care of the children too boring, then send them to Madam Fan's place. Anyway, she has raised both of her sons very well, so one more won't make a difference!"

Aunt Song choked. Her son was her greatest support. Could she really hand him over for a little money?