Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

Sixteen women crafted three finished garments from fabric, using Guoguo's drawings. Three cheongsams, the four beauties looked incredibly alluring when they tried them on! There were also drawings for trench coats, and Guoguo purchased the fabric—thick cotton in coffee, khaki, and khaki. There were trench coats for women between 5'6 and 5'7, with sizes provided by Little Milk Bag. There was also a men's trench coat, and Ye Heng looked so handsome in it that everyone around him was stunned. Little Milk Bag stared blankly. It took a long time for someone to call her back to her senses. "That's so handsome, Brother Ye. This one's for you." The women took the measurements and made several more. A navy blue one for Ye Heng, and a khaki one for the Emperor. Several people took a carriage to deliver the finished garments to the shop. Ye Heng stopped by to check on the second floor and suggested finding two more people to help Guoguo look after the shop. Little Milk Bag jumped for joy. After checking out the shops, Ye Heng took Guoguo to his house and led her to his warehouse, saying, "Guoguo, pick out whatever you like." The little kid wandered around the warehouse, looking here and there, but in the end, he didn't take anything. "Brother, use it," he said sensibly. Ye Heng found the jade bracelet his mother had left him and gave it to Guoguo, saying, "This is what his mother left for his wife. I'm giving it to you in advance. And the necklace you're wearing, Guoguo, wear it." Guoguo placed the jade bracelet on her bed in the space. She was only wearing a necklace and a bracelet. Guoguo had received so many gifts that day, and they were still lying on her bed. A bed full of treasures, and she hadn't had time to sort them out. Now she had received more gifts.

Ye Heng gave Guoguo two large boxes of gold ingots to spend as she pleased. He also gave her the deed to over a thousand acres of land behind the Chai residence. Guoguo was overjoyed when she received it, staring at it with wide eyes, speechless with excitement. Ye Heng picked her up and took her out to play. They had lunch at a restaurant. The two of them had a delicious meal. In the afternoon, they returned to the Chai residence and slept all afternoon. They were called to dinner.

Ye Heng: "Sleep well!" Little Milk Bag: "Sleep soundly!" Chai Zhen: "Guoguo, come out for dinner."

Ye Heng carried Guoguo to the living room for dinner. Thick millet porridge, steamed buns, seasoned potatoes, and braised pork. Cucumber. Simple and delicious. After dinner, fruit: durian and apple.

Ye Heng had to review the memorials, and Little Milk Bag sat aside to study. Chai Zhen took a shower and rested, as he was tired these past few days.

At dawn, Yeheng, Guoguo, Chai Zhen, and the four beauties went to the shop together after dinner. Yeheng also changed into a windbreaker. The four beauties, some in cheongsams and some in windbreakers, stood outside the shop. Little Naibao, wearing children's clothes, stood at the shop entrance, standing out in all directions. They were handsome, well-dressed, and stylish. Soon, a large number of people arrived. Jiaxing said, "The shop's second floor is open today. Please don't crowd in. Ten people in, ten in, and one out, one in." A huge crowd of people lined up, waiting. Everyone stared at the four beauties, Yeheng, and Guoguo. Yeheng stood for a moment before carrying Guoguo inside. In the backyard, Yeheng and Guoguo sat on the sofa, watching people shopping on the screen. They drank tea and watched a video. On the second floor, Yingchun was the cashier. Someone asked, "Where's your dress?" Yingchun replied, "It's custom-made. If you want it, I can make it for you." "Okay, I'm Li Min, the merchant. It's what I'm wearing." Yingchun took their measurements, wrote down their names, and collected a five-liang deposit to pick it up in three days. Li Min: "Okay." Yingchun said, "This cheongsam will cost a hundred taels of silver. Do you want it?" Li Min: "Yes, yes. I'll give you forty-five taels..." Yingchun: "Only five taels as a deposit. Come back in three days and if you find the dress fit, you can pay the remaining ninety-five taels." Li Min: "Okay." Li Min bought a lot more things and left happily. She spent forty taels of silver alone.

The young women were all lined up. Little Milk Bag saw the cashier on the second floor and called Xia Hua up to help. Xia Hua said, "Miss Wang, the deposit is five taels of silver, and the goods are fifty taels, a total of fifty-five taels of silver and three cents." "Here." Yingchun said, "Zhang Hua, the deposit is five taels of silver, and the goods are forty-six taels, a total of fifty-one taels of silver." "Goodbye, dear guest. The bags are free. The promotion lasts three days. After three days, each bag will cost three cents." ...

After dark, when the second floor was closed, Yingchun and Xiahua carried their bags of money to the backyard. It took them two trips to collect all the money. They dumped it all on the ground, then laid a cushion on the clean floor. They sat on it and began counting. Yeheng carried Little Milk Bag to the warehouse. Guoguo had bought a lot more things to restock, putting them in the warehouse first. Underwear was the biggest seller; the duvet covers were gone. The shelves were almost bare. Yeheng asked, "Guoguo, did you pay for these things?" Little Milk Bag: "Guoguo paid for them and then resold them, making a profit. I bought them in bulk, which is also cheap, but I'd definitely pay more for them." Yeheng asked, "Can we produce them ourselves?" Little Milk Bag: "Sure, Guoguo can teach everyone, but Guoguo is still young and doesn't have the energy to teach. When I'm older, we'll open a factory." Yeheng: "Okay, tell me what you need." Little Milk Bag: "Of course. Guoguo will definitely trouble Brother Ye." Little Milk Bag unloaded half the warehouse's worth of stuff, and the two carried it upstairs to arrange the items. ...

When the first floor closed, Jiaxing closed the window, bolted it from the inside, lowered the outer cover, closed the door, and locked it with bars. After collecting the money, he carried the large bag to the backyard to count it. He dumped it all in one place, and when Xiao Naibao came down, he saw people sitting on the ground counting their money. ...

The total was 14,589 taels of silver, with the copper coins strung together in strings of a thousand. The cost was about 400 taels. Little Milk Bag: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone! Each of you will get a silver ingot as a reward. Let's all have dinner at the restaurant tonight, and the boss will provide the meals!" Jiaxing said happily, "We'll provide the meals. Let's go to the restaurant." Jiaxing put the money away and handed it to Guoguo, saying, "Guoguo, keep this 14,000 taels of silver. You can keep it as insurance. Uncle Er will take the loose change, or exchange it for silver notes." Little Milk Bag: "Okay, sure. Keep the amount in the account book." Jiaxing: "I will." Little Milk Bag added, "Let's pay the salaries every two weeks so it's easier to account." Jiaxing: "Okay." The salaries would be paid in four days. Jiaxing took the money to his office, put the whole amount in a bag, and took it home, locking the door. What remained were the broken silver coins that hadn't been strung together. He also took the strung copper coins away. He took the silver home before going to the hotel for dinner, and asked Zhang Baohua to pick up Little Second. Ye Heng and Guo Guo did not go to the restaurant for dinner, but went back to Chai Mansion to drink rice porridge.

In the evening, Xia Hua handed all the orders to Guo Guo, who gave them to the leader of the female workers and said, "Look carefully, these are all custom-made. I won't let you work for nothing. The prince will give you money, and I will give you rewards. One or two taels of silver for one finished product. Don't think it's too little. If you work more in half a month, it will be a lot." The leader of the female workers said, "The prince has paid us wages, and we can't ask for more." Little Milk Bag: "I know, this is a business, we can't do it for nothing. It's too hard, and we still have to get the rewards we deserve. Work hard!" "Okay, we will work hard." said the female workers.

The windbreaker wasn't custom-made yet, but it will be made in three days. Ye Heng: "Looks like there's a lot of money to be made from the clothes. Let me talk to my brother and ask him to get all the tailors and embroiderers in the palace to come and make them." Little Milk Bag: "Well, you can help us for half a month a month. I have to build a workshop quickly." Ye Heng: "Don't worry, Brother Ye will take care of it." "Okay."

Ye Heng dealt with the memorials, then went back to the space to practice swimming at midnight, with Little Milk Bag watching. An hour later, the two of them showered and went to bed. Ye Heng once again held Guo Guo in his arms as he slept. As dawn approached, Guo Guo finally moved him outside. When Ye Heng awoke, he was in his room, in his bed, holding Guo Guo in his arms. Ye Heng's face curled up, and he was in a good mood all day!

After breakfast, Ye Heng went to the palace. Little Naibao followed Simei to the shop. Chai Zhen took a carriage with his entourage to Xiaowangzhuang to check on the house. Zhang Baohua and Jiaxing's second son also took a carriage to the shop.

The national examinations were approaching, and candidates from all over the country flocked to the capital. Restaurants and shops were packed with people. Little Milk Bag saw this and thought of renting Ye Heng's house to make some money. Because both the civil and military examinations were held, there were so many people. When Ye Heng heard about this, he burst out laughing. The emperor said, "This child is obsessed with money and thinks about it whenever she can." Ye Heng: "Not entirely. She knows how to make money and can see business opportunities. Just like the glass factory, she only wants 10% of the profit, and I get 70%, but I give it all to you and put it into your private treasury." The emperor laughed and said, "Well, this child is very insightful. She loves her country and the people. She is a rare person in a thousand years! Give her a promotion! It will be good for her to go out and see the world. The older she gets, the better she will make money." Ye Heng: "That's fine. A position without real power is fine." The emperor: "How about making her a princess?" Ye Heng: "Okay, if she makes contributions to the country, I can give her a higher title." The emperor: "That's right. And it will be easier for me to talk to the front court. I'll write the imperial edict right away. General Manager Ma, take someone to read it." "Okay, I'll prepare it right away."

Soon, Ma, the steward, arrived at the Chai Mansion with a team of eunuchs and guards, beating drums and gongs. The gates were locked, save for a single gatekeeper, who ran to find Guoguo. Guoguo was collecting money in the shop when the gatekeeper announced, "Master, hurry back home! An imperial decree has arrived." Jiaxing, Guoguo, Zhang Baohua, and the second child were returning home in a carriage. From a distance, they saw a group gathered at the Chai Mansion gate, and the gatekeeper ran back. Taking the reins, Jiaxing, Zhang Baohua, and Guoguo knelt. Little No. 2 was held in her mother's arms as Steward Ma read the imperial edict. "The Imperial Edict has arrived. By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Chai Jin, a daughter of the Chai family, is insightful and intelligent, a distinguished figure for the people of the land. She is kind and beautiful. She drew a blueprint for a waterwheel, created a modern home, donated grain, and rendered meritorious service to the state, alleviating hunger among the people. This is deeply gratifying to me. Therefore, I hereby proclaim her as a role model for all to follow. She is granted the title of Princess Joy, a life of wealth and happiness for the monarch. The whole world celebrates!" "Thank you, Lord!" "Thank you, Lord!" "Thank you, Uncle Emperor!" The four stood up. Guoguo took the edict, and Jiaxing presented each of them with an ingot of silver. "Have a drink of water." "Have a drink of water." An ingot of silver cost ten taels, far more than even her errands. The eunuchs and guards happily returned to the palace. Along the way, they recounted their curiosity. They heard that this child could earn money, having learned to sell things and collect money from them from the earliest moment. "Also, I heard that the blueprint for the waterwheel was donated by this child. My family's crops were short of water, so now we have a waterwheel. With water, the land grows very well, and we have surplus food at home. My mother saves all the money I earn for me, and will use it to marry me off in two years." "This child is really kind-hearted. The disaster has been serious over the past year, and the food he sells is almost free. It's too cheap. My family didn't starve, let alone die of starvation." "My family is the same. When we didn't have a penny, the old man of the Chai family gave us half a bag of food for free. Later, when I made money, I also got food, and vegetables and food were cheap. My family's life is much better. Today, he gave me a silver ingot, which I have never seen before. It's the first time I've seen such a big piece of silver in my life." "Friends, we must not forget our benefactors." "We all know it, do you still need to tell us?" You don't know as much as I do. The emperor gifted the young princess a mountaintop, and my mom and dad went up there to work, with food and lodging provided, plus money. My younger siblings all live there, even with quilts. My little sister earns two cents a day weeding and collecting firewood. I heard the children will all be able to go to school soon, and they're planning to build a school. Life is getting better and better." A guard heard this and said, "Is there such a good news!?" "Yes, go ask around when you're off duty. My mom told me she's going to ask her relatives when she comes home. Those who don't eat nearby will be given an extra two cents. Go quickly and recruit enough people, or we'll stop accepting them." "Okay, okay, I'll go ask around after get off work." ...