Xicheng West Street.
Xikelai groceries.
Kyoto is prosperous, with many dignitaries living in the east of the city, the imperial city in the north, and the south and west of the city where ordinary people live.
Xikelai Grocery Store is located on the main street in the west of the city. The store comes and goes daily and the business is very good.
"Miss!"
Lu Lingjun's carriage entered quietly from the backyard of Xikelai Grocery Store. As soon as she landed, a girl wearing sleeves and an apron rushed up excitedly.
It was Lu Lingjun's confidant maid Zhiran who was let out.
"Can you adapt to being outside?" Lu Lingjun looked at Zhiran and felt very happy.
"Except for not being able to see Miss, I'm fine." Zhiran said excitedly.
Lu Lingjun saw that her face was rosy, full of energy, her eyes were bright, and her temperament had changed a lot since she was in the house.
More capable, more energetic, and a little more calm, Lu Lingyun couldn't help but be extremely satisfied.
This is the big housekeeper she cultivated with all her heart.
In this life, she did not have to pave the way for Li Wenxun like she did in her previous life, consuming herself as nourishment for him to grow. What she married into in this life was the Marquis Mansion, and what she entered was a rich and vast new world.
In a place like this, she no longer has to sacrifice herself to work hard. As long as she stretches her body, she can absorb enough sunshine and strengthen herself.
Internally, she takes root in the Hou Mansion and firmly controls the Hou Mansion. Externally, she can use all resources to expand her own business.
Everything that can be hers must be hers.
Nowadays, Lu Lingjun has three shops in total, a restaurant, a satin fabric shop, and this Xikelai grocery store.
Each of these three shops has a monthly revenue of more than 300 taels, which is almost a thousand taels a month.
In addition, she has five villages with more than 20 tenant farmers, and the annual output is about 3,000 taels.
These were all taken from Lu Lingjun's private treasury and did not belong to the Marquis Mansion.
"Miss, we spent all the available money to buy charcoal fires this time. We bought ten thousand carts of charcoal fires at one time, with a total of 9,170 taels of silver, and piled them in the west warehouse. They are all here."
Zhiran excitedly reported the accounts to Lu Lingjun. It was almost November, the weather was getting colder, and the purchase price of charcoal fires had gone up. Fortunately, Lu Lingjun asked her to purchase it early, and it cost less than one tael per car. Now it has risen to one tael. Half done.
"very good."
Lu Lingjun inspected the west warehouse.
Half a piece of red yarn and one foot of silk are tied to the cow's head to fill it with charcoal.
In the dead of winter, a cart of charcoal fires normally costs twenty taels of silver. But this winter, the highest price of charcoal fires has soared to five taels of silver per cart, and even one cart is hard to come by. She has stocked up on these ten thousand carts of charcoal fires, and this year it will definitely be the best. Make a fortune.
Lu Lingjun read the ledger, checked the numbers, and then ordered Zhiran to do the moisture and fire prevention work in the warehouse.
Unexpectedly, she didn't need to say anything. Zhiran had thought of everything. The charcoal piles in the warehouse were neatly stacked, and fire and moisture protection were done.
"You little girl have really grown a lot." Lu Lingjun pinched Zhiran's face with great satisfaction.
Zhiran's pretty face turned red after being praised, her eyes filled with pride, "Of course, I can't let the lady down."
"I have to reward you well during the Chinese New Year this year."
Zhiran was overjoyed, it was enough for her to be praised by Lu Lingjun and satisfy her. At this time, she rolled her eyes and thought of one thing, "By the way, miss, I want to introduce someone to you. "
"Who is it?"
"Dongsheng! Sister Xia! Come out!" Zhiran shouted towards the front yard.
After a while, a thin young man of thirteen or so came out leading an eight-year-old girl.
Both of them are very young and skinny, but they both look energetic. They are wearing coarse clothes and have bright eyes.
"Miss, do they look familiar to you?" Zhiran said mysteriously.
"When you say that, it sounds familiar." Lu Lingyun looked at the two of them, and they both looked at Lu Lingyun, with gratitude surging in their eyes.
"I've seen them somewhere."
"It's the brother and sister who sold themselves to bury their mother the day you came back!" Zhiran said.
Lu Lingjun suddenly remembered that when he and Cheng Yunshuo came back that day, they gave him some money on the way.
"It turns out to be you."
"Thank you, Miss Benefactor."
"Thank you, Miss Benefactor."
The two and a half-year-old children all knelt down to Lu Lingjun with a plop.
"Miss, it's a coincidence that the two of them I met when I went to buy charcoal for you were the charcoal seller Dongsheng offered me. The price he negotiated was normally one tael of silver per cart of charcoal, but he gave it to me. For a quick buck, they both could have done it.”
Lu Lingjun smiled slightly after hearing this, "You two, get up quickly."
Dongsheng pulled Xia Mei to stand up, and Zhiran continued, "By the way, miss, you asked me to follow the Luo family a few days ago and it was Dongsheng who did it. He followed the Luo family's servants all the way to that place in the suburbs."
"It turns out it's you!" Lu Lingjun couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised when she heard this. She looked at Dongsheng, who was only thirteen years old, in surprise, "You did an excellent job in this matter."
"Miss Xie's compliments are nothing." Dongsheng's tone was calm, not too excited. He was rare for being calm and restrained at such a young age.
Lu Lingjun was even more satisfied with him.
Her eyes fell on the little girl next to Dongsheng, "Your name is Xia Mei?"
"Yes, miss."
"How old are you this year?"
"Eight years old." Xia Mei was young and a little timid when speaking, but her eyes were clear and she didn't dodge when she looked at Lu Lingyun.
Lu Lingjun reached out and touched her head, "I want to take you away. Are you willing to follow me back to the Marquis Mansion and work with me?"
When she said this, Zhiran and Dongsheng next to her were all surprised.
Especially for Zhiran, it would be great to go back and work with the master.
Xia Mei looked at her brother, and Dongsheng nodded seriously at her.
Lu Lingjun is the wife of the prince of the Hou family. His sister is just an orphan. Their parents are gone. It is not convenient for him to have a sister. If Xia Mei can follow Lu Lingjun, it will definitely be her great fortune.
From now on, she would have the lowest status as a maid in the Hou Mansion. Whether she continued to work in the Hou Mansion or asked Lu Lingjun to point her to a good husband to leave the house, these were benefits that they would never have been able to obtain in their lifetime.
Under the signal from her brother's eyes, Xia Mei hesitated and said, "I do."
"Very good." Lu Lingjun smiled, and she took Xia Mei back and kept her by her side.
Lu Lingjun gave Dongsheng some reward money and asked him to continue to keep an eye on the Luo family for her, and Dongsheng agreed.
This time is different from before. He will work more dedicatedly for Lu Lingyun, because his sister is by Lu Lingyun's side, and the two of them can be regarded as Lu Lingyun's real people.
Lu Lingjun walked around the grocery store again, gave some other instructions and left with the others.
