The cruel little princess

After seeing off Master Yu, Shen Youyou and the others had nothing better to do, so they went to Deshanlou for dinner. After dinner, Shen Youyou took Chuntao and An Er to the pharmacy to order a batch of medicinal herbs, which made the shopkeeper very happy. The reason was that the amount they ordered was too astonishing!

An Er said to the shopkeeper in a tone that was half warning and half serious, "These medicinal herbs are what General Shen's mansion needs. If we find out you're trying to be cunning and pass off inferior goods as genuine ones, you'll have to clean your neck and wait for a round of inspection in the Ministry of Justice! Let's see if you can come out with everything intact!"

"I understand! I understand! Don't worry, sir. I will definitely send you the best quality herbs! I also hope you will take good care of me in the future! I will definitely not use shoddy materials to fool people!" The shopkeeper promised tremblingly. "I wonder when you will need them? Where can I send them? This time, you need a large quantity. To be honest, it will take me ten days or half a month just to prepare them."

"It takes so long..." Shen Youyou frowned. She thought it would be ready in three days at most.

The shopkeeper quickly explained, "Miss, this is already pretty quick! The herbs you requested are rare and hard to find, and some even need to be sourced from other places. We're doing our best and hope to get them ready for you as soon as possible."

Shen Youyou thought about it and felt that she had to solve the problem at hand first, so she asked, "Is there any way for me to get some medicinal herbs first?"

The shopkeeper looked embarrassed, but still replied, "Miss, if you are in urgent need, we can first send you some common and easy-to-find herbs. However, rare varieties like those do require time to prepare."

"Okay, let's arrange it this way for now. Send me some of the usable herbs as soon as possible, and send the rest when they're ready." Shen Youyou sighed helplessly, "Quality must be guaranteed, there can't be any mistakes."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely do it! Please rest assured, young lady and sir!" The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, indicating that he would do his best.

As she left the pharmacy, Shen Youyou still felt a bit worried. Although she knew the shopkeeper would do his best to accommodate her request, this matter, after all, concerned the preparation of her own herbal remedies, and she couldn't afford to be careless. After returning to the General's Mansion, she decided to find other ways to find the herbs she needed to avoid delaying the opening of her herbal remedy shop. At the same time, she began to think about how to deal with any unexpected situations to ensure a smooth opening!

Shen Youyou led them back home, and saw Liu Jianye's family of four neatly arranged in front of the mansion gate! It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Their family had just arrived and happened to meet Shen Youyou returning home, otherwise they would have missed it!

Shen Youyou smiled as she welcomed them into the mansion and walked straight to the main hall in the front yard. After everyone was seated, Zeng Bo quickly ordered tea to be served, and then, like An Er, he stood respectfully behind Shen Youyou, waiting for her instructions. The five or six-month-old babies were in their active and playful stage, and even though they were held in the arms of two wet nurses, they kept turning their little heads to look around. Shen Youyou was very happy to see the two little guys so clever and cute, so she asked Zeng Bo to select some toys suitable for children from the storeroom as a gift. After all, this was the other party's first official visit. When they were at the border, the conditions were difficult, and it was really difficult to find suitable gifts; but now that they were back in the capital, the situation was different. In any case, there should always be some toys or supplies suitable for children in the storeroom of the general's mansion! Zeng Bo immediately sent someone to prepare them.

At the same time, Liu Jianye had his butler produce a long list of gifts and respectfully hand it to Uncle Zeng. This was his first visit to General Shen's residence, so naturally, he had to be courteous. As the saying goes, "The more courtesy, the less blame!" Besides, while he had already established a relationship with the current Ninth Prince, it was only just beginning, and the future was full of uncertainty. General Shen was a first-rank general, and Shen Youyou was a second-rank princess of Rui'an County. These were both substantial positions and power. More importantly, their relationship was a partnership. How could such a tightly held relationship be easily relinquished?

Shen Youyou saw that the two little babies couldn't stay here. Knowing that children are naturally active, she asked Chuntao to ask Mrs. Liu to take the babies to the east wing to sit for a while. This way, the babies could have fun and it wouldn't affect their discussion. The weather was still quite comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold, but in about half a month, winter would begin. By then, it would probably snow and the weather would become colder.

After they left, Liu Jianye pulled out the plan he'd written last night. This plan not only contained his plans for the beauty salon, but also incorporated some of his unique insights, making the entire plan even more complete. He handed the plan to Shen Youyou and said seriously, "This is the plan I wrote last night. It contains some of my ideas and suggestions. I hope you can take a look."

Shen Youyou took the plan and carefully read every word, nodding in approval. The two engaged in a lively discussion about the detailed store opening plan and profit sharing, each drawing on their wisdom and experience to find the most reasonable and fair solution. The discussion was like a brainstorming session, benefiting both greatly.

Zeng Boguang ordered two pots of tea, and the two of them finally concluded their discussion, still unsatisfied. Finally, Shen Youyou asked him to quickly select a female manager and waitress, employing only young women for the entire shop. Because the customers they would be dealing with were all high-class ladies or wealthy wives, looking at young, youthful women would brighten their moods and avoid embarrassment for the customers.

"I thought of this as well, which is why I said the female manager must choose someone with experience to manage these girls." Shen Youyou added, "And she must also have a certain authority to be able to control these girls."

"Okay, I understand." Liu Jianye nodded in agreement.

"Also, those girls must be carefully selected. They should be between 15 and 18 years old. They should be smart, but not too self-willed. They should be quick and nimble, but clean. They should be honest and loyal, but not too pedantic or cowardly." Shen Youyou finished her requirements for these girls in one breath. "It is best if they have a simple family background, so that we can ensure that they don't have any bad intentions."

"So many requirements?" Liu Jianye asked in surprise.

"Yes, after all, our shop has to face the noble ladies in the capital. These people are very picky. If our service is not good enough, it will definitely affect the business. If we are timid and cannot show our service presentably, they won't even want to look at us!" Shen Youyou said seriously.

"Okay then, I'll try to find a girl who meets the requirements." Liu Jianye agreed reluctantly. He thought he could just find someone loyal and reliable in the shop, but he didn't expect that this beauty salon would have so many tricks up its sleeve.

"It's not about trying, it's about having to!" Shen Youyou emphasized, "You have to find at least fifty girls like this. I'll personally interview them and select the most suitable candidates."

"Okay, I understand." Liu Jianye nodded, muttering to himself, this beauty salon is really different from any previous shop! For him, it was just like when he first took over the family business, no details could be missed, and he perfected it bit by bit.

"After I train these young girls, I will select the most suitable candidates from them. Once they become proficient in running the shop in Beijing, they can become masters. When we open a branch shop, we will select beauticians from these young girls to be our apprentices." Shen Youyou has already made plans, so she can free up her hands to do other things.

Liu Jianye nodded. Indeed, if they had to do everything themselves, they wouldn't be able to last long. All they had to do was grasp the direction of progress, and then everyone would move forward in unison.

After the deal was settled, the two began discussing the shop's location; she was familiar with it! Shen Youyou pulled out a map of Beijing shops she'd created specifically for her medicinal food shop. Xuanwu Street had the most entertainment venues, with clothing stores and jewelry shops all standing side by side. Placing the shop there would be the most suitable, a classic example of a prime commercial hub. However, the shops on this street were generally doing well, and generally weren't being resold or rented out. This required further consideration.

Upon hearing this, An Er came out and said that his prince owned a jewelry store on Xuanwu Street. It was three stories high and very large, with a front and back yard. It was the prince's mother's dowry shop. It could be used as the "Drunken Beauty" beauty salon that the young lady mentioned. Shen Youyou was amused when she heard this, "An Er, can you be your prince's boss?"

An Er said, "I can't, but Miss can!" Shen Youyou was speechless. "I'll ask about this shop after I meet His Royal Highness Prince Jin. If it doesn't work, can he use the shop as a share?" She asked Liu Jianye tentatively.