After An Ying finished speaking, he looked at Mrs. Shen. I thought to myself that it was either Uncle Shen or Mrs. Shen who could do such a thing. According to what I heard from the streets, Uncle Shen is very filial to his mother and very tolerant of his younger brother, and is unlikely to do such a thing. The only leader should be Mrs. Shen.
"That makes sense." Mrs. Shen nodded, "Tell me again, little girl, you listen to one ear and the other, but you can see through a lot of things. Your father only makes tea, and he doesn't know how to teach. Where did you learn this skill from all these things?" Mrs. Shen said, leaning over and looking at An Ying, with an indescribable aura about her body.
An Ying did not flinch, smiled and continued: "No one taught me. I have been running the shop by myself in the past few years, so I know a little bit. There are some things that I can figure out if I think about it more."
"If you know anything else, please tell me."
"As you said, I listen to one ear in the east and the other in the west to put the fragmented things together. Sometimes it may be right, but sometimes it is easy to fall into the misunderstanding of seeing something from the inside. I still need to check with you. "
Mrs. Shen nodded, and at this time the crisp sound of fireworks sounded at the door, "Madam, the sweet tea is ready."
An Ying picked up the tea bowl and saw that it contained dates, sugar cubes, wolfberries, sesame seeds, etc. It was very sweet.
"I walked around Batou Street over and over again this morning. It's strange that the shopkeepers in the silk and satin shops, woodware shops, bamboo shops, and the Beihuo shop on this street all like to use Suzhou code for accounting. This kind of code The method of keeping accounts is not easy to learn, but it is indeed very convenient once you learn it.”
"Why, you took a peek at the shopkeeper's account book?" Mrs. Shen raised her eyebrows.
"Don't worry, I didn't secretly look at other people's account books. I asked questions openly." An Ying said with a smile: "It stands to reason that shops in Beijing don't like to use Suzhou code for accounting, and prefer the old method. Every time I write down the words, there is a long list. The account book has a thick stack of entries and exits in a month. I didn't pay attention at first, but when I was in the silk shop, an old customer came to ask how many months he bought it. How much did the material cost? Unfortunately, the material had been sold out a long time ago, and the clerk didn't remember the price. The shopkeeper took a note of the book in his hand and flipped it forward to find out. As usual, this kind of thing I was not allowed to look through the account books in the warehouse for a while. I was standing nearby and asked casually. The shopkeeper said that because Suzhou code was used to remember the accounts, one account book could be used to record the accounts during the peak season. Last three months, or half a year if it's the off-season. I said this Suzhou code is not easy to learn, and the shopkeeper said that the new owner specially hired someone to teach it.
Mrs. Shen nodded, "You think very carefully. Did you just ask about other stores?"
"In other stores, I use the method I just saw and ask for things from a few months ago. Sometimes the shopkeeper can just remember it, so I don't force it."
"Although there are not many Suzhou code accounting here, it is also common in other places. Because it counts several shops here, it is a bit far-fetched." Mrs. Shen picked up a silver teaspoon hollowed out into a plum blossom shape and picked it. I picked up a date in the bowl and ate it slowly.
"The last time I came to you, I saw that your account books are all in Suzhou code. In fact, I have visited several tea shops here, and I also went to Fuya to check other tea shops. None of them use Suzhou code. Learn from it. This will take some time, that's one. Second, I also asked when these stores changed hands, and they all changed hands in the second half of eight years ago. After they changed hands, whether it was woodware, silk, or goods from Northern China, They are all doing well, business is quite good, and the Beihuo store has even expanded its storefront."
"That's why the business is so good after changing the owner. You can barely make up your first point." Mrs. Shen ate the jujube and spit out the core.
"The best way for these stores to do well is to have better purchasing methods. I heard the old woman at the Leicha stall said that she first bought wolfberries in your Shen family's Beihuo store. The price was affordable and the quality of the wolfberries was good. The tea soup and so on were delicious. Later, I could no longer buy such wolfberry. Later, the Shenjia shop changed hands, and the Beihuo store had the best wolfberry again. The owner of the Leicha stall also said that his daughter got married. , I also bought rabbit fur muffs in the Beihuo store. I said I bought three pairs for my husband’s family and only spent one or two silver. These wolfberries must be of the same quality and only come from the same origin. I guess, this The new owner has the same purchasing method as the original Shen family. There is a purchasing method in the Northland, and it cannot be done in one or two days. It is a method fed by money. In addition to this Beihuo store, the Shen family silk and satin store is the same. Yes, the new materials are all newly produced in Suzhou. In the intervening years, no new goods were available, and the business plummeted. After changing to the new owner, girls had to go to the original Shen Family Silk Satin, which is now Furui, to buy dowries. Silk and satin, I heard that you can buy the most fashionable material in Suzhou. The largest silk weaving workshop in Suzhou was Zhenxia Villa, which originally cooperated with the Shen family. After the second master took over, the cooperation was broken for some reason. Now look at this Furui silk and satin, It should be through cooperation with Zhenxia Villa again that we can get the latest products."
An Ying took a sip of tea soup, looked at Mrs. Shen and said, "The fundamental reason why the new owner's business is so good is that the Shen family's original purchase channel was used."
Mrs. Shen smiled slightly, nodded and said: "You are really interesting, little girl. I thought you were Xiao Mu. Back then, your mother was also bold, but steady. Now it seems that you are smarter than your mother."
An Ying's memory of the original owner's mother is very vague. He always feels that there is a hazy veil around the mother in his memory. He cannot see clearly. Some things seem particularly far away. An Ying didn't answer, just lowered his head and drank tea.
When Mrs. Shen saw this, she sighed in her heart, thinking that Sister Min had gone long ago. This girl was still a child after all. When she heard that her mother would inevitably be sad, she softened her tone and continued: "You can't provide any solid evidence for these inferences. , but I won’t hide it from you, and it’s not an unspeakable secret. I did buy these shops, and they did use the Shen family’s original methods. As for the money bank, haha,” Mrs. Shen chuckled, “ Everyone in the bank business should know that the reputation of the capital city is also that of Xielong in the northwest, and everyone knows it tacitly. After I drained all the money from the second master, I opened the Hengsheng Bank. On the second day of opening, The big shopkeeper of Xielong came to see me. At that time, I couldn’t hold my breath and was frightened by the big shopkeeper. Looking back now, the big shopkeeper was just testing me.”
An Ying said: "Madam, it's not easy. I can imagine how thrilling it was back then. These things are easy to say now, but they take a lot of effort to do."
Mrs. Shen lowered her head, picked up the small silver spoon on the white handkerchief on the tray in An Ying's hand, scooped out a big red date from the tea bowl and handed it to An Ying, and said with a smile: "Eat a fruit. At this time The soaked fruits are delicious, but after a while they become soft and fall apart, making them unpalatable."
An Ying thanked Mrs. Shen and ate the date from Mrs. Shen's hand. He spit out the core and said, "You are so particular. I never paid attention to the soaking time of this fruit before. Indeed, the taste is just right. It's sweet and delicious. The pulp is not loose either.”
Mrs. Shen smiled and shook her head, "Everyone makes this sweet tea, and there is a lot of emphasis on how to make it taste the best. You will know how to eat the fireworks next time."
At this time, the cheerful sound of fireworks sounded at the door again, and soon she opened the door and came in, followed by three maids.
"Miss An, your clothes and jewelry are ready. See if you like it. I saw that you have fair skin, so I specially picked this yellow goose gauze skirt. The inner double-breasted shirt is made of this light silver red. Plain yarn with piping. This is Furui’s latest product. This plain yarn has ripples when facing the sun, which is very beautiful.”
An Ying felt relieved. Madam Shen had prepared outfits for the banquet. Originally, he had planned to shamelessly come to Madam Shen to borrow clothes. He didn't refuse, stood up, and made signs with fireworks on his body.
Mrs. Shen picked up the jewelry on another tray and looked at it, and said: "This is the jewelry your mother made back then. This necklace was specially given by your mother to my little daughter. Unfortunately, the jewelry was not blessed. This pearl hairpin was originally It was my dowry. Later, the beads turned yellow, so your mother took them apart and added jade stones to make it look like this. It is not that expensive, but it is very ingenious. It is just right for you to wear now."
An Ying lifted up the gold necklace and looked at it. It was not heavy in weight, but it was made finely. Even the movable locks on both sides were carefully made into the shape of a lotus flower, and a vivid little fish was carefully carved under the lotus flower. The pearl hairpin is surrounded by jade stones of various colors, and inside are half-embedded large pearls. The pearls are white in color. Although there are not many beads, the color combination is extremely exciting.
An Ying picked up the hairpin and said, "The pearls in this hairpin are semi-embedded, and the jade stone is very cheap, so it is certainly not expensive jewelry. It is really rare to have such ingenuity."
The fireworks here said with a smile: "I just said that my estimate of the size is very accurate. I have packed these clothes for Miss An and put the jewelry in the box. I will ask Mother Liu to send it to Miss An later."
Mrs. Shen nodded and said to her grandma who had just opened the door curtain: "Grandma Liu, you will send some furniture to the An family later, and then some daily household items. You rented a house yesterday, so you must have all these things." Not settled yet.”
An Ying thanked her quickly and turned around to talk to Granny Liu about the location of the new house in detail. Mrs. Shen said: "I know that place. It's a good place. It has Dipu Street in front and the Neli River in the back."
It was almost noon after all this fussing. The mothers-in-law came in and asked about the meal. An Ying wanted to refuse, but then he thought about it. He had already asked for this, so there was no need to be pretentious about the meal. He smiled and said, "Then I won't." You're welcome. I'm not picky about food, I love eating everything."
Seeing this, Mrs. Shen also said with a smile: "You can be more delicate with me at noon. This person still has to eat and drink well. If you eat well, you will be in a good mood."
The richness and exquisiteness of Mrs. Shen's lunch far exceeded An Ying's imagination. The boneless lamb is torn into small pieces and served with a variety of dipping sauces. The mutton soup has skimmed off the fat and is paired with some cabbage and radish, which is refreshing and fragrant. The bracken is blanched and served with sauce and sesame seeds. The hand-long river fish was fried to a crispy texture. There were also larger unknown river fish steamed with perilla. The fish was tender and fresh.
An Ying ate two bowls of rice in a row, and there were still some things he still wanted to eat, especially the fried fish, which An Ying particularly liked. Mrs. Shen smiled and arched her eyebrows, stopped the firework nearby to serve An Ying a third bowl of rice, and said, "You can't eat like this, it will hurt your spleen and stomach. Go and make some tea soup for Miss An."
After Mrs. Shen finished a bowl of rice, the old woman and the maid came up and cleared the table. While drinking tea, An Ying said to Mrs. Shen: "The dishes at your home are so delicious. In fact, I also like to make these dishes at home. But they are not as exquisite as yours."
Mrs. Shen was eating melon. When she heard An Ying's words, she smiled and said: "I like to make money and I also like to spend money. I like to be more careful with my food. Otherwise, what will I do with the money? My husband Look at how much food and clothing I have, I always shake my head and sigh."
An Ying responded with a smile and said: "If I had money, I would also think about eating well and using it well. When I had no money, I would think about how to eat well. I was in Xinshi Town before, although I still had a little money at home. Assets, but it is still very difficult to eat well. It costs one or two silver to buy a leg of Hu mutton, and it can only be bought occasionally to satisfy the craving."
"Yes, who doesn't want to eat more carefully? Spend your own money and live happily. If you like it, come to my place more often." Mrs. Shen cleaned her hands, "I will send someone to deliver some food to the prison in the afternoon. Give the things to my master, do you want to go in together? I have packed everything."
An Ying nodded, she could finally see her father.
