Reborn in a Noble Family - Chapter 28
Chapter 28 It’s Time to Open Branches and Loose Leaves
Second Fang and Third Fang didn’t have to talk about it. Although Changfang was also a direct descendant, the matriarch wouldn’t interfere with Qiao Xi’s marriage. The only granddaughter of the Qiao Family was Qiao Jinwen.
Xue Tao’s vision was extremely high. Her daughter had to marry a high-ranking family, the kind of family that was from an official family.
It was no wonder her mother was so angry when something like this happened to San’er.
“Mother, San’er is only twelve, young, and Fourth Sister-in-law is not in a hurry to show her. This matter will slowly pass. Besides, when the time comes, the one who shows San’er is not necessarily from Jincheng.”
According to the speed of the Qiao Clan’s development, when Qiao Jinwen was about to look at each other, Xue Tao’s high eyesight and the officials of Jincheng could no longer satisfy her.
“Not small. It’s twelve. We’re engaged. We’re getting ready one after another. We’re almost going to get married soon.” As Old Madame Qiao spoke, she became worried.
Qiao Linzi chuckled and said, “Mother, you’re worrying too much. Don’t worry, fourth sister-in-law won’t just let this matter go. At that time, there will always be something more dirty than San’er.”
Thinking of something, Old Madame Qiao’s expression became calm.
Qiao Linzi hurriedly changed the topic, “Big brother won’t leave this time, will he?”
“Everything is going smoothly in business. The north of Sichuan Province has stabilized as well. We won’t be leaving until the year before.”
Qiao Linzi curled her lips and said, “Big brother is quite capable. You’ve earned quite a bit this year, haven’t you?”
Old Madame Qiao squinted her eyes, “What, are you short of money?”
When Qiao Linzi got married, Shili Hongzhuang was endlessly talked about in Jincheng for half a year. Whether it was the Li family or the Qiao family, both of them had a lot of face.
There were three dowry shops alone, not counting the two that Old Madame Qiao had privately given them. In addition, there was also one dowry to the manor.
Although these shops weren’t the most profitable, they were the best to earn a living. As long as they were properly managed, they would be worth a large sum of money every year. In addition, Old Madam Qiao had to give her little daughter a sum of money in private every year for the past few years.
She said that she was privately taking money, but it was all public money. Old Madam Qiao was not so foolish as to use her own personal money to support her daughter. As for the public money, it was drawn from the profits of the Qiao Family industry. Qiao Family would do business, and even if only 20% of the profits were handed over to the public, it would still be a large sum of money.
As long as Zhongfei’s ledger was even, it would be Old Madam Qiao’s mood to take as much as possible.
“What did you buy?” Old Madam Qiao frowned.
Before the end of this year, she had already given 5,000 taels of silver to her daughter one after another. It wasn’t because she felt sorry for the money, but because she was worried that her daughter would do something she shouldn’t have done with the money in her hand.
Qiao Linzi smiled embarrassedly. “Qian’er, Yu Linglong, brought over a few sets of noodles from the capital. It’s said that the empress in the palace secretly took them out, so I bought them all.”
“You” Old Madame Qiao glared at her angrily.
It was normal for a daughter’s family to love beauty.
After the birth of her youngest daughter, the Qiao Family was at its peak. She had never treated her daughter badly on these things. She had never treated her daughter badly before, and she would never treat her daughter badly now.
Nanny Gong winked at the nanny beside her. Nanny Gong turned around and entered the room. A moment later, she came out with a square sandalwood box in her arms.
Qiao Linzi’s eyes lit up.
Old Madame Qiao took the box and took out two silver notes from it. She handed them to Qiao Linzi and said, “This is 3,000 taels. Save some flowers and leave some for the two brothers to buy what they like.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Qiao Linzi hurriedly used her housekeeping skills to act coquettishly in front of Old Madam Qiao.
Qiao Linzi didn’t leave the middle courtyard until she saw the old lady’s tired expression and walked towards the north courtyard.
Old Madame Qiao did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, she lay on the soft couch. Mammy Gong half-squatted on the ground and helped her beat her legs.
“Osmanthus, just let this little maidservant do it.” Old Madame Qiao said thoughtfully.
Mammy Gong smiled, as if getting Old Madame’s sympathy was a favourite matter. “This old servant is worried about those little girls. There is no weight in his hands, let alone any rules. This old servant will do it himself.”
Old Madame Qiao heaved a long sigh of relief. “The people beside me belong to you.”
“Old Madam, this is my duty.” Mammy Gong’s wrinkled face smiled flatteringly.
“You’ve been with me for 30 years, haven’t you?”
“Madam, it has been 32 years. This old servant still remembers that she bought this old servant from Granny Ya and brought it with her. She taught this old servant a lot of things. This old servant was able to have the current glory. This old servant was all given by this old servant.”
Old Madame Qiao smiled without saying a word.
The Qiao Clan regarded themselves as a merchant aristocratic clan. Actually, they were only the second generation when they arrived at Qiao Xingbang. It was just that the Qiao Clan had a prosperous fortune and Old Master Qiao had made a fortune. In just a few decades, they had become famous merchants in Jincheng.
Before the Qiao Clan became rich, they were just farmers in a village near Jincheng. Although they weren’t worried about three meals, they weren’t rich either, so Old Madame Qiao also came over bitterly. It wasn’t until the Qiao family moved to town that I bought a few maids and servants from Grandma Ya.
Nanny Gong was one of them. At first, these maids were not divided into different levels. Apart from serving her, they also did some rough work and kitchen work. Only when the Qiao family moved from the town to Jincheng did I gradually learn to be a wealthy family and arrange the people around me.
Nanny Gong was the nanny who had followed Old Madam Qiao the longest and most loved by her. She married a servant who was originally bought by the Qiao Clan, and later became the Qiao Clan’s butler, Chen Guangqing, and Manager Chen. Therefore, Nanny Gong’s words weren’t exaggerated at all. Everything she had now was indeed given by Old Madam Qiao.
“You still remember,” Old Madame Qiao said, dragging her long tail. “You’ve been with me the longest and most. I entrusted you with many things. I’m worried about others.”
Mammy Gong’s heart skipped a beat, and his hand that was hammering his leg paused.
To be able to climb to the current position, apart from flattery, one must also be good at judging people’s hearts.
She rolled her eyes and suppressed the anxiety in her heart. She said respectfully, “Being able to help the matriarch solve her problems shows that this old servant is still of some use.”
Old Madame Qiao smiled with satisfaction, “Xing Bang will not leave even if he comes back this time. It is time for the Eastern Campus to open branches and loose leaves.”
Mammy Gong hurriedly said, “The matriarch loves me the most. I’ve been so busy for Qiao Family that I’ve delayed my children. It’s Qiao Family who owes me a debt to the Eastern Campus. If I don’t do anything for you and the Eastern Campus, it will chill my heart.”
Before Qiao Yunxi could wake up, the matriarch called everyone to the middle courtyard.
In a daze, she followed Qiao Xingbang and Gu Jingshu to the flower hall of the middle courtyard.
Because she fell into the water, Qiao Jinwen was “sick” when she came back.
Old Madame Qiao immediately called the manor doctor and took a lot of good medicinal ingredients from her warehouse to send to Qiao Jinwen. The two granddaughters were treated differently, so it could be seen that they were average.
Old Madame Qiao casually asked about the situation in the various academies and arranged some unimportant matters before slowly asking, “Xing Bang, how is business in northern Sichuan?”
“Mother, don’t worry. The situation over there is stable, and our business is well established.”
Old Madame Qiao nodded her head at ease. “Although our Qiao Family has some prestige in Jincheng, it is an outsider in northern Sichuan. Jincheng is the hub of the northwest and controls the economy of the northwest region. However, the development of the northwest region cannot be underestimated. The economy there has just started, so it will not be easy for us to intervene in the future.”
“Mother is right,” Second Master Qiao said. “Northern Sichuan has a vast territory and a large population. If it weren’t for the strong folk customs and the exclusion of outsiders, it could be said to be a very good place to develop. Unfortunately, for so many years, the merchants there only do business with the locals. The good things there can’t come out, and the things outside can’t go in.”
“Fortunately, in these two years, the Imperial Court will vigorously develop the north of Sichuan. We can be considered to be the first to succeed in the near future.” Lord Qiao’s Third Son added.
The Dao of Shu was difficult.
This was also the reason why the resources of Shu Prefecture were being missed by so many people, but they were unable to reach in.
Since Jincheng was called the “Land of Abundance”, it could be seen that it was endowed with a unique geographical location. The riches here made many people covet it.
Shu Prefecture did not lack rich people, but compared to Jiangnan, it was a bit weaker. The reason was precisely because of Shu Dao.
The things from Shu Province could not be sent out, and the things from outside could not enter either. This kind of self-styled economy had long been in a saturated state, making it easier for merchants to get tired.
The greatest motivation of businessmen is interest.
Without new interests, there is no greater motivation.
Without motivation, how would it develop?
Therefore, when the Imperial Court ordered the repair of the Shu Dao, Qiao Xingbang immediately brought his men to the north of Sichuan, with the purpose of developing the Qiao Clan’s business there and occupying a favorable position. After the Shu Dao was repaired, the Qiao Clan’s business was on the right track. It would take time for businessmen from other places to intervene.
And no matter how tough the people in northern Sichuan were, they could not go against the Imperial Court and drive away or kill the foreign merchants.
It was precisely because of this that Qiao Xingbang dared to personally lead the caravan to develop without worrying about being ostracized by the people over there and secretly going to hell.
Although it wasn’t easy at first, after spending two years, it finally paid off.
The Shu Dao was about to be repaired. At that time, regardless of whether or not they wanted to develop outside Sichuan, the Qiao Clan’s business would rise to a whole new level.
“You’ve worked hard these past two years.”
“This is my son’s responsibility.” Qiao Xingbang’s reply was well-behaved. He did not feel complacent because of Old Madam Qiao’s praise, nor did he think that he had worked hard because of his business achievements.
Qiao Xi, on the other hand, had an interesting expression on her face, “What is this old witch going to do?”
Sure enough, Old Madame Qiao continued, “We owe you too much in the Eastern Campus these past few years. You’ve been away all year round, and Jing Shu has to worry about the backyard. Qiao Qiao can only follow Fourth Bedroom. Now that you’re back, it’s time to consider your children.”
Qiao Xingbang frowned.
Perhaps it was only natural for elders to interfere in the affairs of junior descendants, but Qiao Xingbang found it unacceptable to bring it up in front of outsiders.
This was no longer a matter of face.