How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

At the end of the month, Xia Chu sat opposite the accountant sent by Jia Qingwu to look at the account book.

The accountant was a member of the Jia family surnamed Qin, said to be the granddaughter of the old lady's wet nurse. She had been bright and clever since childhood, and the old lady loved her so much that she allowed her to study with the other young ladies at the Jia family academy for a period of time. She was found to be quite skilled in the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, and later joined the accountant to learn accounting. She was originally a needed elder in the family, but before Jia Qingwu left, the old lady allowed her to stay with them.

Qin Ning's husband died young, and she had no children. Her parents were both old servants of the Jia family. Her entire family was made up of Jia children, and her mother was well-regarded by the old lady, so everyone in the mansion gave her some face.

Before the old lady sent her along this time, she had asked her willingness. After all, she was here to help her daughter. If she wasn't willing, she would be resentful and indignant, unable to help and causing more trouble.

Qin Ning knew that this was the old lady's trust. Her elderly parents were taken care of by her brothers, so she had nothing to worry about and it didn't matter where they were.

Unexpectedly, she was sent to her cousin's place by the eldest lady. She began to grumble in her heart, thinking that her cousin was opening a shop for the first time and grew up in a small family. Not only could she not understand the account books, but she also had to dictate the accounts when they were a mess.

But after arriving, she was greatly surprised. Not only did her cousin keep clear accounts, she also taught her a new, simple and easy-to-use accounting method. Furthermore, her cousin trusted and respected her greatly. The maids here were all smiling every day, which was a joy to watch. She felt more and more at ease here.

"Aunt Qin, what did you do with this money?" Xia Chu asked, pointing at the account book.

"This one was brought to me by Hongniang. I bought it..."

The two of them checked the accounts and calculated the profit.

But in the first month, we actually made nearly a thousand. This money was pure profit, after deducting the expenses of the garden and the monthly wages of the maids.

If the income remains at this level, the initial investment will be earned back within a year. This is quite good. Xia Chuyi was delighted and said to Qin Ning, "Everyone in the garden will have their monthly wages increased by half. They have worked hard this month. Accountant Qin will double their monthly wages. We will close the door and take a day off the day after tomorrow to pay them their monthly wages."

"Then thank you very much, Miss." Qin Ning knew that the garden had made money, which was almost what she expected.

Xia Chu's eyes were swollen from looking at the account book. Now he finally finished it, calculated it with an abacus and left.

This month, thanks to those talented people, we've made a good profit, but next month, I'm not sure. Now that everyone has gotten to know us, let's roll out the membership card next month.

As for membership benefits, all purchases are 10% off. Plus, the latest novels from Mo Qingmei's bookstore are included. That should be enough.

But she felt that the entertainment activities in the garden were not enough. People would get tired of listening to storytelling one day, and there were not so many stories.

Why not set up a music room and hire a few musicians? You can spend your time listening to music. If you want to choose the music yourself, you pay. If you don't want to pay, you can just listen to whatever is played.

Xia Chu admitted that she wanted to include some personal material, such as a piece of music she composed herself.

The girls in Yin Ge Garden were so happy that they received their monthly salary and had a day off. They went out shopping in groups of three or five, carrying money with them.

After Xia Chu decided to close the restaurant on this day every month, as long as the time was fixed, the customers would get used to it.

"Close the shop?" Dong Xiaohuan couldn't believe what she said. "If customers come but the shop is closed, then we won't make any money."

"Mom, there's no end to making money. But with a day off, the sisters in the garden can relax and have a good rest. Only when they are happy can they entertain guests well." Xia Chu explained.

Dong Xiaohuan still didn't understand. She felt that it was inappropriate to close the store during the holidays. How much money would that cost?

But she had one good point: she didn't like to butt in on things she didn't fully understand. If my daughter wanted to do this, then so be it. Even if she earned less, then so be it. Maybe she was just tired and wanted a break? Running a business wasn't an easy task; it was sometimes quite demanding.

Of course, what’s more annoying is that I often encounter some strange and difficult guests.

After closing for the day, everyone was in high spirits. Xia Chu took advantage of the morning meeting to get out her membership card. There was no membership fee; you could get one by paying. The starting price was three hundred taels, and the first batch only had twenty cards. It was first-come, first-served, while supplies lasted.

Xia Chu had seen a lot of hunger marketing before, and she knew firsthand that people like to be special. The rich were especially fond of privilege, of separating themselves from the rest of the world.

Applying for a membership card can, firstly, quickly bring in money, and secondly, stabilize your customer base.

Three hundred taels sounds like a lot, but the cost of living in Yin Ge Garden is not low. If you come here often, this money will not be spent for long.

There is a fee for using the separate small courtyard. The tea and snacks they serve here are made of high-quality ingredients, so the prices are naturally higher than those outside.

Although entertainment doesn’t cost money, every sip of water is not free.

If all the membership cards in this batch are sold, the money Xia Chu invested in the early stage will be recovered.

Mo Qingmei had paid for the business upfront, but she had other shops to look after, so she wasn't involved in the day-to-day management. She also had to keep an eye on Li Yunlinlang's books, so she didn't come to Yin Ge Garden very often.

After sorting out the account books, Xia Chu brought the money to share the profits with her and discussed his next plan with her.

Mo Qingmei flipped through the book briefly, not looking at it further. She trusted Xia Chu not to play any tricks on her, but she was very interested in her membership card. "If you're short on money, this method of yours is perfect for collecting money. Can it be used in my shop?"

"Yes." The membership card can be used in any store, but the discount depends on the store's situation. Xia Chu thought of another model of "bookstore". "Qingmei, are there many people in your bookstore who can't afford to buy books?"

Mo Qingmei nodded. "A lot. Reading costs money. Some people are poor and can't afford to buy books, so they browse in the store. I've told the shopkeeper that as long as there's no malicious damage, he usually doesn't care."

"Have you ever thought about trying another way?" Xia Chu said with a smile, "For example, renting books."

"Renting books?" Mo Qingmei had never heard of this term before. He had heard of renting houses and carriages. However, these books were precious and fragile after all. If they got wet or dirty, they would be ruined. "Is it okay?"

"I can try." Xia Chu thought back to the shops she'd visited before, the memory was so long. But when she was in school, she often went to rental bookstores. Of course, she didn't rent textbooks, but mostly novels and comics. "You have to pay a deposit to rent a book, which is the selling price of the book. If it's damaged, the deposit is non-refundable. If it's returned intact, the rental fee will be deducted and the rest will be refunded."