MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 34

Glossary

· Qin Yuan: The female protagonist, Marquise of the household.

· Gu Shiliu: Gu Jinghui's personal attendant.

· Cuiming: Qin Yuan's maidservant.

· Hongye: Qin Yuan's maidservant.

· Wu Manager: Manager of one of Qin Yuan's shops.

· Lin Manager: Manager of one of Qin Yuan's shops.

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Chapter 34: Greatly Shocked

The locations of Qin Yuan's dowry shops were not particularly good, scattered in various corners of the West Market. The only one near a prime spot was very small and couldn't handle large business.

Gu Shiliu pondered that he should mention this casually to the Marquis later.

Looking at these shops, Qin Yuan was quite satisfied.

Compared to her previous life, this was already much better.

The shop managers were all old hands arranged by Madame Cui. Their attitude towards her was respectful enough but lacked a degree of loyalty.

Qin Yuan didn't mind.

After listening to their general reports, Qin Yuan asked for the account books from previous years to review.

If Qin Wan had received these shops, the old matron accompanying her as dowry would naturally help manage them, sparing her the need to personally inspect the shops and face these managers.

But Qin Yuan only had her two maids who grew up with her.

Cuiming and Hongye hadn't yet weathered any storms; their faces still looked youthful and inexperienced. She had to handle things personally.

After reviewing the account books, Qin Yuan already had an idea.

She asked Gu Shiliu, "Is Meixiang Zhai nearby?"

Gu Shiliu was startled. "Is Madame craving their pastries?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

Gu Shiliu said, "It's not far. Their hibiscus cakes, mung bean cakes, and cloud slice cakes are all quite good. It's been some time since I last went; I don't know if they have any new items."

Qin Yuan said, "How about you run an errand for me? Buy a few of the popular kinds. You can skip others, but the hibiscus cakes are necessary. If you know what the Old Madame prefers, that would be even better."

Gu Shiliu immediately agreed cheerfully.

He had already thought about how to report this to make the Marquis happy.

The Marquis, having grown up in wealth and luxury and gone to the military camp to make his way since his youth, was utterly indifferent to money and could be extremely generous when in a good mood.

Gu Shiliu wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

Once Gu Shiliu left, Qin Yuan heavily dropped the account book in her hand, her face turning cold as she addressed the managers. "Remake these account books. Deliver them to the Marquis' household in three days. If I find any flaws again, you needn't manage these shops anymore. Return to the Qin family to work."

From their shifty eyes and doubtful expressions, Qin Yuan knew they didn't believe she had spotted the tricks in the account books. They thought she was bluffing, trying to scare them randomly.

"Here, here, and here... the totals and the itemized accounts don't match. Small amounts add up over time; who knows how much money has leaked out? You can't even balance the books properly. How can I trust you? Do you think the Marquis' household accountants won't find out?"

Qin Yuan's move greatly shocked them.

Few women were skilled in abacus calculations, and even fewer could do mental arithmetic. For Qin Yuan to spot the problems in the account books just by looking like this was truly astonishing.

Mentioning the Marquis' household made them even more hesitant to act presumptuously.

The lead manager, Manager Wu, shakily stood up, his hand trembling as he picked up the account book, his goatee quivering. He said hoarsely, "We will have the account books remade immediately. But these are books from many years; it will take time to check them all. We beg the Marquise for a few more days' grace."

The other managers chimed in, smiling ingratiatingly. "The recent years' books shouldn't have major issues, but the older ones are harder to redo. Actually, the income and expense details for this year are all recorded. The young assistants weren't careful when bookkeeping; mistakes during transcription happen sometimes. Usually, we check carefully at year-end closing, otherwise Madame Qin wouldn't have kept us managing the shops all this time."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan sipped her tea for a while before saying slowly, "In that case, first carefully reorganize this year's account books. You've already settled the older accounts with the Qin family accountants, so I won't pursue those further. But from now on, you must be extremely careful. No more mistakes."

Manager Wu quickly led the promise: "Rest assured, Madame, it shall be done. We were just in a hurry because you urgently requested them and didn't check carefully before submitting. It won't happen again."

After intimidating them, Qin Yuan asked, "How much funds can each shop currently mobilize?"

The managers whispered among themselves for a discussion before each reported a figure.

Combined, it was only five hundred taels of silver.

Qin Yuan knew they were worried she would withdraw the silver, affecting the shops' operations, and would inevitably hold back. But she didn't expect the amount to be so far from what she had in mind.

Five hundred taels could only buy about ten jin of pepper.

Seeing her frown, Manager Wu asked, "Does Madame have an urgent need for the funds?"

Qin Yuan didn't hide it from him: "I intend to buy and stockpile some pepper."

Manager Wu said hurriedly, "That item is so precious. If you buy it to sell, it's hard to find buyers. Ordinary families can't bear to use it."

But Manager Lin asked, "Has Madame received some news?"

The other managers also reacted. Since Qin Yuan had married into the Marquis' household, she might have received some news, hence her actions.

Facing their expectant gazes, Qin Yuan said casually, "Not really. I had a dream a few days ago where the price of pepper in the capital soared, and it became unavailable everywhere. Many wealthy households couldn't even use pepper for meat dishes during sacrifices, complaining incessantly, worried their ancestors would blame them."

Manager Lin was somewhat disappointed and smiled, saying, "How can dreams be accurate? Madame, you may not know, pepper came from the Western Regions before and was always expensive. These past two years, fewer Western merchants have been bringing pepper."

"It was already a rarity, now it's even rarer. Nowadays, barbecue shops have started looking for other spices to replace it, otherwise few customers could afford to eat there. However, some have inquired that there are many places in Western foreign countries passed by sea voyages that produce pepper and are raising funds to go to sea to ship pepper back for sale. So whether the price of this thing will rise or fall is truly hard to predict."

Manager Wu also said, "We must be cautious. If you buy too much and can't use it all, storing it risks depreciation if the market changes. Ordinary families can't bear to eat this; only wealthy households use it."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "My dream felt very vivid. Why don't you diligently inquire for me where pepper is sold, preferably in large quantities. Buying scattered amounts results in uneven quality and makes pricing difficult."

Manager Wu could only agree.

They all saw the disapproval in each other's eyes.

Qin Yuan noticed this and added, "I won't use this five hundred taels then, for your convenience in turnover and stocking goods. But the account books must be remade. If problems are found in the shops during future spot checks, don't blame me for using the Marquis' household's card to send you to the Capital Prefecture's office."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, repeatedly saying they wouldn't dare.

Manager Lin suddenly said, "I heard a Persian merchant in the West Market has a sick mother and is preparing to pack up his stall to rush home. I'll go inquire later to see if he has any pepper in stock."

Qin Yuan nodded. "Then I'll trouble you."

Gu Shiliu had already returned with the pastries, several packages large and small hanging on his arm. He asked with a surprised expression, "Madame wants to buy pepper?"

(End of Chapter)

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