Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Chapter 264 Look at this

Shen Songhe arrived when everyone had almost finished shopping. At noon, Ji Nuan had the kitchen prepare a table of dishes not available outside to entertain everyone. Everyone was very satisfied with the food and praised it. With these dishes, Yingfang Garden could still be full of guests.

After dinner, during a tea break, Shen Songhe invited the three ladies to play mahjong. Suddenly, Chen Rong wanted to go fishing, so Ji Nuan took the other girls to the pond, where they fished and played mahjong under the shade of flowers.

The three ladies saw that Shen Songhe was friendly and had none of the arrogance of aristocratic ladies, so they felt relaxed and comfortable with her. After a game of mahjong, they actually developed a bit of friendship with each other.

It wasn't until after 3:00 PM that the Wang family sent someone to look for Madam Wang, and everyone finally ended the party with a sense of regret. Before leaving, Shen Songhe kindly invited them to play mahjong again when they had time.

After Ji Nuan sent everyone away, she finally had time to talk to Lou Zhongyu, who had just been promoted to manager.

Since Yingfang Garden hasn't found a suitable manager yet, Lou Zhongyu has to take care of all matters, big and small, by himself. Ji Nuan said, "I will find a suitable candidate to take over the management of Yingfang Garden as soon as possible. I'll need Manager Lou to take care of it in the near future. Once the new manager is familiar with the job, I can hand it over to him with peace of mind. In addition, there's a new inn in the future that Manager Lou will need to take care of."

"It's my honor to be valued by my boss." Lou Zhongyu bowed.

He never expected that his boss would promote him to manager and give him the management of Yingfang Garden. You know, there are still shopkeepers on half of East Street who are as capable as him.

Thinking that Ji Nuan would have to hand over his business to him in the future, he expressed his loyalty and said, "Boss, please rest assured that I will not neglect Fusheng Tower while I am here.

The staff at Fushenglou are all veterans who have served us for many years, and the newly promoted manager has also been under my wing for quite some time. They are fully capable of handling any situation. Furthermore, Yingfang Garden is not far from Fushenglou, and I will visit it frequently to ensure that the businesses entrusted to me by the owner are profitable.

"Xuemei and Xique, though still young, are capable people. They've meticulously renovated every detail of the garden and arranged everything so neatly that it's saved me a lot of trouble since I took over."

Lou Zhongyu really felt that the two girls were capable and couldn't help but mention it in front of Ji Nuan.

As he spoke, he pulled out a notebook from his pocket and handed it to Ji Nuan respectfully. "This is what Miss Xi Que made based on the owner's previous account book. It can record detailed information about guests who borrow the venue, including the borrower, purpose, duration of borrowing, and booking time. It's clear and organized at a glance."

Ji Nuan took the notebook and opened it. Inside was a hand-drawn table with each column clearly and neatly arranged.

I didn’t expect that the magpie’s little brain was so quick. It was a real surprise.

"This little girl is really smart and did a great job. Xueqing, remember this for me. Be sure to reward Xi Que well when you get back."

Goodbye Lou Zhongyu, it’s still early and there’s still time to go back for dinner.

Ji Nuan took Xue Qing and Xue Bi on the carriage. When they were approaching the South City Gate, they caught a glimpse of a familiar figure through the curtains lifted by the wind.

The man was his cousin Jin Deshun from his uncle's family whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He was always high-spirited, but at this moment he looked a little dejected.

"Cousin!" Ji Nuan quickly stopped the carriage. She looked at Jin Deshun's drooping eyebrows and called out worriedly.

Jin Deshun heard the shout and slowly raised his head. When he saw that the person standing in front of him was Ji Nuan, he forced himself to cheer up and forced a smile, "Cousin? Why are you still in the capital at this time?"

Ji Nuan didn't answer directly, but asked, "Cousin, you don't look well. Did you encounter any difficulties?"

"Is it so obvious?" Jin Deshun scratched his head a little embarrassedly. He originally wanted to hide it from his family for the time being so that they wouldn't worry, but he didn't expect that his cousin would see through it so quickly.

Ji Nuan glanced at him sideways, her tone full of concern, "Anyone with eyes can see that if you go back like this, your uncle and aunt will definitely be worried. Let's talk about what happened first. If it can be solved, don't let the elders at home and your cousin's wife know, so that they don't worry too much."

Although Ji Nuan didn't offer direct comfort, her concern and worry were evident. Jin Deshun's eyes welled up as he listened, like a child who had been wronged and found his loved ones. "Cousin, the grain store won't let me work anymore. The owner's nephew embezzled the money from the grain sales and then turned against me, accusing me of stealing the money. He not only kicked me out, but also made me pay them twenty taels of silver."

Jin Deshun felt bitter. He had previously worked as a shopkeeper at the grain store, earning only two taels a month. These twenty taels were almost his annual income. Furthermore, since Gou Gui arrived and took over his position as shopkeeper, his salary had been reduced from two taels to eight hundred wen. It would take him years to save up these twenty taels. And now, with his reputation tarnished by the slander, finding work would be difficult.

Ji Nuan looked at the young man in front of her, who was about the same age as her eldest brother. He was so aggrieved that tears were about to fall. The slight joy she had felt at his job loss, like "just crying out for hunger, pie in the sky" was instantly thrown out of her mind, replaced by a fierce expression that showed she was not to be messed with.

It’s okay to fire Jin Deshun, but it’s absolutely not okay to bully her family.

"Don't be sad, cousin. I'm going to help you deal with those who bullied you. Come on, get in the car with me."

Although they haven't seen each other for a long time, her cousins from her uncle's family have always been very kind to her. Now that Jin Deshun is in trouble, and she has money and strength, she certainly can't allow herself to be bullied.

Ji Nuan walked to the car and turned back to see Jin Deshun still standing there in a daze. She couldn't help but urge him, "Cousin, hurry up! You still have to help me find the way."

Jin Deshun hesitated. He had just wanted to confide his frustration to his cousin, but she looked like she was ready to fight him. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. Didn't her know that he was just a little girl? Wasn't it like delivering food to her?

"Cousin, the guys in the grain store are all young and strong men. You can take two maids with you... Cousin is really fine. I will take you home. Let's not go there." Jin Deshun thought that Ji Nuan was impulsive and wanted to avenge him because she saw him being bullied. He was afraid that Ji Nuan would suffer if she went, so he hurriedly coaxed her to go back.

Ji Nuan seemed to see the concerns in Jin Deshun's heart. She smiled lightly, took out a copper coin from her waist, and said, "Cousin, look at this."

As she spoke, she shook her wrist, and the copper coin in her hand flew out like an arrow and embedded deeply into the city wall.