Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

The reputation of Chixia Rouge gradually grew, and many people in Yongzhou also asked where to buy it. Before she knew she was pregnant, she had not planned to stay in Yongzhou for long, and she was a little hesitant about whether to open a store here. Now that she can't leave in the short term, there is no reason to hesitate.

Business can be done everywhere. Since there is a demand in Yongzhou, why should she miss this opportunity?

Shen Nankui simply thought that she would start the business while she was still pregnant. After everything was going smoothly, she would retreat behind the scenes to take care of her pregnancy and continue to be the boss.

Before forming a caravan, she had gotten a feel for the market in Yongzhou City, so finding a shop went smoothly and it was settled in just a few days. However, having a shop was not enough, manpower was also of utmost importance, so she spent several more days screening the staff.

By the time everything was ready, it was already mid-July.

The name of the shop is still Yanxia Pavilion. In addition to the owner Shen Nankui, there is also a shopkeeper and two employees. The shopkeeper's surname is Chen, a middle-aged man with a friendly face and good at accounting. As for the two employees, one of them is an old acquaintance, Ding Liu.

Not long ago, he accidentally offended an important guest and became the target of anger. In order to appease the guest's resentment, the innkeeper had to kick him out of the inn. When Ding Liu was looking for another way to make a living in the city, he happened to come to Yanxia Pavilion. Shen Nankui thought that Ding Liu was smart and kept him.

As for the other waiter, she was a woman named Chun Xing.

When Shen Nankui was hiring people, she had already announced that no matter whether they were men or women, as long as they were down-to-earth and capable, they would be qualified to work in Yanxia Pavilion. Chun Xing was the female employee she chose. Although she was a woman and had married with children, she was just as smart as Ding Liu.

After completing the preliminary preparations, we can now choose an auspicious day to open the business.

Shen Nankui set the opening date as July 22nd, and there are still three days left. She has been busy for most of the month and now she can finally take a break.

Tao Ru's birthday was approaching. That morning, after breakfast, Shen Nankui took He Hua out, intending to go to Yongzhou's largest treasure house to pick out a pair of exquisite jewelry to give her as a birthday gift.

The place was not far away, so Shen Nankui did not ask Zhongshan to harness the carriage and chose to walk there.

Hehua held an umbrella for her to block the sun, and the two walked slowly on the road.

Maybe it was because he hadn't been out for a stroll for a long time, but Shen Nankui always felt that the atmosphere on the street seemed a little strange. Whether it was pedestrians or roadside vendors, they all gathered in twos and threes, as if they were discussing something, and they all looked very secretive.

He Hua muttered, "What happened?"

Shen Nankui shook his head, "I don't know, but it looks like it's a big deal, and it's already spread throughout the city."

For more than half a month, she has been busy preparing for the Yanxia Pavilion in Yongzhou and has not paid attention to anything else.

"Ma'am, how about I go to the front and ask?"

Shen Nankui waved his hand and said, "Forget it, it's probably something irrelevant."

The last time Tao Xin was sentenced to death by lingchi, it caused an uproar in the city. I guess it will be the same this time. Either some strange case or some strange thing happened in the city, which caused people to talk about it like this.

When they arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, which was indeed the largest jewelry store in Yongzhou, it was already packed with people before noon, leaving Shen Nankui with almost no place to step.

She was pregnant now and was afraid of being squeezed, so she asked Hehua to find the shop assistant directly.

In her previous life, as the mistress of a marquis's mansion, she also owned a jewelry store. She knew the rules of these places very well. The hall on the first floor only sold ordinary goods, while the mid-to-high-quality jewelry was displayed on the second and third floors. Of course, if you wanted to go to the second and third floors to view the jewelry, you had to reach a certain consumption threshold, otherwise the clerk would not let you up at all.

"Ma'am, please take care. What are your instructions?"

The guy saw that she was pregnant and greeted her with concern.

Shen Nankui directly stated her purpose, "My friend's birthday is coming up soon, and I want to pick out a piece of jewelry as a gift for her. Can I go to the second floor to choose?"

The waiter said, "Madam, please know that guests who go to the second floor must purchase jewelry that costs more than 100 taels of silver, and those who go to the third floor must purchase jewelry that costs more than 1,000 taels of silver."

Shen Nankui nodded, "Of course, take us to the second floor."

Seeing her extraordinary demeanor, the waiter stopped talking and respectfully led her to the second floor. "Madam, there are other waiters on the second floor to entertain you. Please take your time."

The shelves on the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion were divided more finely. Shen Nankui looked at them one by one, feeling dazzled, but she didn't pick anything she liked. She walked straight to the last row of shelves, where she saw a ruby-inlaid gold hairpin that was well made. She was about to ask the clerk to pick it up for a look, but someone else got there first.

"Wrap this up for me."

The person's voice sounded quite absent-minded, and she didn't even notice Shen Nankui, who had already taken a fancy to the hairpin before her.

The clerk at the Treasure Pavilion looked a little embarrassed and glanced at Shen Nankui, "This..."

Shen Nankui had already recognized the voice as somewhat familiar. After seeing the other person's face clearly, he called out in surprise, "Mrs. Zhang?"

The person who fell in love with the same hairpin as her was none other than the wife of Zhang Tongzhi.

However, Zhang Tongzhi once said that he would leave for the capital to report on his work by the end of June at the latest. Now it is mid-July and Mrs. Zhang is still in Yongzhou. Does that mean that Zhang Tongzhi has not left either?

Mrs. Zhang came to her senses when she heard the shout, "Oh, it's Mrs. Gu?"

She turned her head and saw the waiter was at a loss, then she understood what was going on. She waved her hand and said, "Look at me, I was so confused. I was so busy that I didn't notice that Madam Gu had already picked out this hairpin. I'm sorry, but you picked out this hairpin first. I'll give it to you while I look for something else."

Shen Nankui smiled slightly, "Mrs. Zhang, why are you so polite? I am just taking a look. Since you have already chosen it, how can I steal it away from you? Please go first."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang's expression softened a lot.

"Mrs. Gu, you are so polite."

Speaking of which, the last time they met at Zhang's house, this wife of the newly crowned number one scholar was very well-mannered and made people feel very comfortable when talking to her, so Mrs. Zhang had a good impression of her.

"Madam Gu, since you have said so, I will not yield to you."

She nodded at the guy and said, "Wrap it up."

Although she said so, she didn't even look at the ruby ​​hairpin, and there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

As if she noticed Shen Nankui's gaze, Madam Zhang forced a smile and said, "Excuse me, Madam Gu, my niece is about to reach the age of marriage, and as her aunt, I have to express my gratitude no matter what, so I came here to choose a gift for her, and I took advantage of your convenience."

Shen Nankui smiled and said, "It's okay. There are still many ruby ​​jewellery here. I'll take a look at the others."

Mrs. Zhang nodded at her and said, "Thank you very much."

Shen Nankui smiled amiably and suddenly asked, "Excuse me, Madam Zhang, you don't look very well today. Did you encounter any troubles?"