lcionline Chapter 608 Little girl, that's immoral.
Chapter 608 Little girl, that's immoral.
Qian Zhenyun held the heavy money bag, feeling as if it weighed a ton.
"Qingchen, do we really have to do this?" His little face scrunched up like a bun, his heart pounding with anxiety. "This money... I... I'm afraid to even close my eyes when I sleep at night."
"Get out!"
Gu Qingchen rolled her eyes at him, but still reached out and patted his back as a gesture of comfort.
"It would be foolish not to make money when it's available. The money from the congratulatory gifts has already been distributed; what's left is our capital for doing big things!"
Lin Jiayou carefully put away the accounts and IOUs and placed them in his book bag before looking up at Gu Qingchen.
"We have the capital, but the most crucial aspect of the jewelry business you mentioned hasn't been resolved yet."
He pointed out incisively: "Where are you going to find a craftsman who is both highly skilled and able to keep his mouth shut?"
“The famous brothels and entertainment venues in the capital all have their own masters who would never take on outside jobs, let alone let you use their masters for private work.”
Qian Zhenyun nodded repeatedly: "Yes, and we don't know how to draw patterns either!"
This is indeed the biggest challenge.
Gu Qingchen crossed his arms and paced back and forth in the pavilion with a furrowed brow.
She had envisioned countless grand plans to make money, but she overlooked this most fundamental step: execution.
Top-notch skills, desperate need for money, and a reliable person.
Where can you find someone like that?
Her mind raced, the ledgers she'd seen flashing back page by page: purchasing, expenditures, warehouse, repairs…
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and her eyes lit up.
"I thought of it!"
Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun immediately looked over.
"Uncle Qin Fang!" She clapped her hands, her voice filled with the excitement of sudden realization, "How could I have forgotten about him!"
Lin Jiayou looked bewildered: "Who is Uncle Qin Fang?"
"He's the head steward of all the shops and estates under my mother's name!" Gu Qingchen's mind raced. "He must know exactly which craftsmen in the capital are skilled and which jewelry stores have connections!"
Qian Zhenyun: "Steward Qin is Aunt's confidant. He always puts Aunt first. How could he help us do this kind of... 'private work'?"
"So we can't say it outright." Gu Qingchen's lips curled into a sly smile. "We need to think of a way to... no, to ask him for help!"
Her eyes lit up, and an idea immediately formed.
She sidled up to her two friends, lowered her voice, and mysteriously revealed her entire plan.
The next day, in a private room of the Treasure Pavilion, Qin Fang was facing the account books, his hand clicking on a string of purple-gold rat abacus beads.
"Manager Qin." A respectful voice came from outside the door.
"Come in." Qin Fang said without even looking up.
The door was pushed open, but instead of the waiter, three teenagers walked in.
Gu Qingchen was in the lead, followed by Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun.
Qin Fang paused in his abacus work, looked up, and upon seeing the person who had arrived, his sharp gaze instantly softened into a gentle smile.
He put down the abacus and stood up: "Miss is here."
"Uncle Qin!"
Following her mother's manner, Gu Qingchen walked steadily to the seat opposite him and even picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.
Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun stood respectfully to the side, looking somewhat awkward.
Qin Fang had seen countless people, and he could tell at a glance that something was wrong with the three little ones' expressions.
Especially Gu Qingchen, with her serious expression as if she were "handling something important," paired with her still-childish face, was quite comical.
He didn't point it out, but simply asked with a smile, "Miss, what are your instructions for coming here today?"
"Ahem," Gu Qingchen cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calmer, "My mother... has been testing me recently. She gave me a task to complete."
"Oh?" Qin Fang showed a look of great interest. "I wonder what important task Madam has assigned to Miss?"
“My mother said that the tastes of noble ladies in the capital change quickly, and the jewelry styles in the shops are somewhat outdated.”
Gu Qingchen brought out the words he had prepared last night.
"She wanted me to design some novel pieces of jewelry, and to find a trustworthy craftsman to make a prototype first, to test the waters."
"If it sells well, we'll invest more."
She paused, then looked at Qin Fang with a sincere expression: "My mother said that this matter must be handled secretly, without involving the shop's chefs, so as not to alert the enemy."
"She said that in the entire capital, the person she trusts most is Uncle Qin, and she wants you to help her find the best craftsman."
After listening, Qin Fang understood.
The lady is so shrewd, how could she entrust such a matter to the young lady's frivolous antics?
This little girl clearly had ulterior motives and was using the madam as a shield.
However, if the little girl wants to play, we have to coax her.
He pretended to ponder, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "It is truly commendable that Miss has such a kind heart. However, finding a craftsman with superb skills and who can be trusted will not be a task that can be accomplished overnight."
"Moreover, from drawing to producing the finished product, it takes a lot of time and effort, which may delay Miss's important business."
Gu Qingchen's eyes lit up when he heard there was a chance: "No delay, no delay!"
Qin Fang smiled and changed the subject: "Since Miss wants to test the waters and see which styles sell well, I have a faster way."
He stood up and led the three of them through a moon gate to a storeroom.
“Here,” Qin Fang pointed to rows of neatly stacked brocade boxes on the shelves, “these are some of the styles that have been stockpiled in our Treasure Pavilion.”
"The items are all good, but the styles are not novel enough, or the quantity is too small, so they are not easy to display and sell on the shelf."
He casually opened a brocade box, inside which was an exquisitely crafted plum blossom hairpin.
"If Miss really has a talent for business, why not pick some items from here and try selling them?"
"I will sell them to you at the purchase price. If you can sell these things and make a profit, then come back to me."
"At that time, I will personally search for the most renowned craftsmen in the world for Miss, what do you say?"
These words not only thwarted Gu Qingchen's idea of taking advantage of the craftsmen for nothing, but also gave her a chance to prove herself.
Gu Qingchen's little scheme was seen through, and her cheeks flushed slightly, but she was immediately drawn to the suggestion.
Sell your own goods and make a profit! That's much faster than hiring craftsmen to make things!
“Okay! It’s a deal!” she immediately agreed.
The three of them had long forgotten what gift they were supposed to buy for the Crown Prince; all their attention was drawn to the glittering trinkets in front of them.
Gu Qingchen is a clever little devil. Since she's going to choose, she'll naturally choose the most beautiful one.
She believed that she had gained some understanding of the preferences of noble ladies after spending half a month studying the account books with her mother.
"This butterfly hair ornament is too tacky, I don't want it."
"This gold hairpin is too heavy and tiring to wear, I don't want it."
"Oh, this is beautiful!" She pulled out a small silver wire bracelet from a pile of brocade boxes. It was decorated with tiny rice beads strung together in the shape of a bunch of grapes, making it unique and refreshing.
"And this one, these earrings are made to look like two ginkgo leaves, perfect for autumn!"
She picked and chose, and soon a small pile of what she considered to be "high-quality" items had accumulated in front of her.
Qian Zhenyun and Lin Jiayou stood aside, looking at the jewelry that seemed almost identical to them, their faces full of confusion.
"Qingchen, what's the difference between this hairpin and that hairpin?" Qian Zhenyun picked up the two hairpins and asked Lin Jiayou in a low voice.
Lin Jiayou looked at it carefully and shook his head.
Gu Qingchen heard this, turned around and glared at them: "There's a huge difference... What do you know!"
In the end, they used 150 taels of silver as "capital" to "buy" a large bag of jewelry from Qin Fang.
Clutching their spoils, the three excitedly found the most crowded place in the entire capital—under a large locust tree not far from the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion.
They imitated the roadside vendors, spreading out a cloth and displaying the jewelry piece by piece.
Inside the Treasure Pavilion, Qin Fang looked through the second-floor window at the three furtive little figures under the big locust tree, picked up his teacup, and shook his head with a helpless yet amused expression.
They take the things they bought from me and come to my shop to steal my business, selling them at a lower price than I do.
Qin Fang took a sip of tea, a slight smile curving his lips.
Little girl, that's immoral.