Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 28 A bold move
After finishing his work that day, Tan Huaike went back and looked through the account books of the pharmacy and the cloth shop.

The pharmacy's accounts were in disarray, and she spotted the omissions immediately. In the six volumes she had brought back alone, several batches of purchased herbs were missing, not in the warehouse, not sold, simply vanishing into thin air.

Tan Huaike knew with his toes that the shopkeeper must have taken the money to resell somewhere else and enriched himself.

However, the account book from three years ago was still quite clear, and there was no sign of tampering for money. Judging from the handwriting, it was still recorded by the current shopkeeper. Perhaps he was forced to do so after being exploited by Tan Li in the past two years... Tan Huaike decided to test his true strength again and give him a chance to reform.

The accounts of the cloth shop were clear and every item was traceable. Even the amount of money Tan Anfu owed for cloth was clear at a glance, and there was no mistake or omission. However, Tan Huaike couldn't help sighing after reading it.

Pei'er made a pot of tea and said with concern, "Madam, you are tired today. You should take a rest."

"I'm not tired." Tan Huaike pulled her to sit down. "Pei'er, you accompanied me to see these two shops. What do you think?"

"Shop? Madam, I don't understand this..." Pei'er said awkwardly.

"Just tell me what you see and what you think. Feel free to say it." Tan Huaike encouraged, "This is related to the future livelihood of our small courtyard."

"Okay, okay, let me think about it." Pei'er recalled what she had seen during the day and said, "I think the owner of the medicine shop is not doing his job. A good medicine shop has been run down to this point. It's definitely not going to make any money. Madam, as the owner, you have to be careful and don't let the owner cheat you out of your money."

"Well, you're right. I'll keep an eye on it." Tan Huaike put some wolfberries into the teapot. "Anything else?"

"Also, I think the cloth shop is doing well, and the owner is very capable, but for some reason, business is still not good... Madam Ji said last time that the cloth shop is about to close. Is that true? Madam, is there any other solution? It would be a shame to close such a good cloth shop."

The tea soup emits a faint fragrance, which makes people feel calm and peaceful.

Tan Huaike sighed, "Although it seems that the pharmacy's business is worse, the problems at the cloth shop are actually more serious. I'm afraid the Zhiyun Cloth Shop is really going to close down."

"Ah? Madam, are you going to give up the cloth shop business?"

"Of course not, it's just that the only two shops I own need drastic changes." Tan Huaike analyzed, "The biggest problem with the medicine shop is the poor cash flow. After a gap in the middle, it was never replenished. As a result, we can't afford to hire doctors, and the purchase of medicinal materials has become a problem. The shopkeeper has to come up with ideas through crooked means.

"Revitalizing the pharmacy isn't difficult. We just need to talk things over with the owner, fill the gaps first, and then reorganize it step by step. But the problem with the cloth shop isn't the business itself, but the location of the shop."

"Location selection?" Pei'er was puzzled. "Isn't that place very prosperous? People come and go, but it's a bit noisy..."

"I've checked the accounts of the cloth shop for the past three years. Business was booming two years ago, but it's been declining since last year. Originally, that street was indeed suitable for a cloth shop. There were rouge shops, jewelry shops, and other cloth shops around it. They all served young ladies, and everyone prospered together. But then the county changed the layout of Xiangling Street, moving the restaurants, wine shops, and Lanying Pavilion there, and this place is no longer suitable.

"Perhaps the current county magistrate had good intentions, thinking this would make the street more lively, but unfortunately, the opposite has happened. Although Lanying Hall is a major customer of rouge shops, jewelry stores, and cloth workshops, this business cannot be limited to Lanying Hall. If the streets were full of people of all kinds, drunkards and prostitutes would often cause trouble. Respectable women would avoid them, so how could they have the leisure to browse the shops?" (Note: Prostitutes refer to prostitutes.)
"We happened to encounter a disturbance today. Judging from the way Shopkeeper Du handled it, I'm afraid this kind of situation happens to our shop all the time. Customers naturally don't want to get into trouble unless they absolutely have to, and gradually they've stopped coming to our shop to buy things."

Pei'er nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Madam, what you said makes a lot of sense! So, should we move our cloth shop to another location?"

Tan Huaike scooped out two cups of tea, handed one to her, and said, "Yes, the rouge shop next door just became a teahouse, so we should think about changing it too. I will look for a suitable shop soon and move the cloth shop out. This shop can be converted into a bakery or a restaurant. I haven't decided yet."

Pei'er was full of admiration for her mistress. As she sipped the sweet tea, she said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Tan Huaike said, "Do you know why I am telling you this?" "Why?"

"Because you are the person I am closest to and most trustworthy with, Pei'er. I have many things I want to do, but I will have to endure a lot of hardships before I can accomplish them. Are you still willing to follow me?"

"Of course! Being able to follow the Madam is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to Pei'er in my life! I'm not afraid of hardship. No matter how hard it is, can it be harder than being beaten, scolded, and sold to a trafficker by my grandfather?"

"In that case, starting today, you'll learn how to keep accounts with me," Tan Huaike said. "Right now, we only have two struggling shops, and we have to start from scratch. We're short on manpower and capital, so we have to be vigilant. Otherwise, if we're not careful, all our efforts will be wasted. The Tan and Shentu families won't help us, but will only add insult to injury."

"Madam, do you want to be a big merchant in the four counties of Hexi?" Pei'er's eyes were burning with fighting spirit.

"No." Tan Huaike shook his head, "I want to be the royal merchant of Daxuan traveling to the Western Territory."

Only by reaching this level will he have the opportunity and ability to avenge his father and brother, fulfill Princess Alan's last wish, and no longer become a plaything for others to manipulate.
-
The next day, Zari brought firewood to the side yard.

Tan Huaike was finally able to light a fire and cook his own meals. Although Old Lady Liao complained about this, she could do nothing about it. The old lady supported the entire Shentu Mansion alone and was busy smoothing over relationships everywhere. How could she have the time to care about the trivialities of the side courtyard?

Taking this opportunity, Tan Huaike lived a good life.

Taking into account the rent collected from tenants, the meager profits from the two shops, and the two silver ingots that Tan Anfeng inexplicably gave her when she got married, she was a little better off.

However, there was still a lot of money needed to open a new shop, and this matter could not be rushed. Tan Huaike planned to reorganize the management of the herbal medicine shop first and accumulate more cash.

Thinking of this, she went to the pharmacy again, ready to have a good chat with the shopkeeper.

When passing by Guangde Pawnshop on Xiangling Street, Tan Huaike was suddenly startled.

She saw a familiar figure coming out from inside. It was none other than the human trafficker who brought her to Yangguan and confiscated and sold all her personal belongings.

Any evidence proving her identity was probably long gone, and what about the sapphire beads Princess Alan had given her? It was likely sold to a pawnshop by a trafficker.

That was an important token of marriage...

For a moment, Tan Huaike wanted to go to the pawnshop and ask if they had ever received the sapphire beads. But then he thought, the marriage had undergone a dramatic change and was kept secret, and he didn't know if anyone was keeping an eye on everything. It was best not to act rashly.

It would be better to wait until the time is right and she has enough money to redeem the beads before considering it.

Tan Huaike didn't stay for long and walked straight towards the herbal medicine shop.

At this moment, someone brushed past her, and she could faintly smell the faint scent of incense. After walking more than ten steps, Tan Huaike turned around in surprise, but could no longer find the person she had just crossed paths with.

This incense is...
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　Next chapter: The lingering fragrance of antiquity.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)