Noble Lady

"Yes, yes, Auntie. Sister Suying sent a letter and I received the news. Miss Xue came back yesterday and wants to see you tomorrow."

"Okay, go reply to her. I'll be on standby here, waiting for Miss Xue to give me some news!"

She finally returned to Beijing!

Xiaocao was indescribably excited.

She had felt like she had lost her backbone in the past two months, and now that Miss Xue was back, she felt relieved.

Chunhua nodded and continued, "Ms. Xue's intention is to meet at the Jinyi Pavilion at 1:00 PM tomorrow. If it's not convenient for you, we can change the time."

Even the time has been set. Miss Xue really considers her in every way.

"No, there's no need to change it. Just tell them that Miss Xue's appointment is very good and I will definitely be there on time."

Chunhua hesitated and said, "But Auntie, those people in the mansion are not easy to deal with. When the master came back, he repeatedly ordered that no one be allowed to go out at will."

"If they knew you left the house at this time to meet Miss Xue, wouldn't they eat you up?"

"What are you afraid of them doing?" Xiao Cao fiddled with the pattern she had embroidered on her cuffs and said calmly, "Now that Miss Xue is back, they won't be able to achieve anything."

It's just a grasshopper in autumn - it can't grow.

Chunhua thought so too.

Thanks to Miss Xue's guidance, Aunt Zhao was able to jump from a maid who was not bullied by anyone in the mansion to the mistress of the He Mansion.

Although on the surface she is just a concubine, she is the concubine who holds the power of housekeeping and is in charge of the household expenses. Who in the He family dares not to give her some face?

Now even the old lady has to look at her face, not to mention that the concubine is pregnant with the He family's legitimate grandson.

"So what does Auntie want to do tomorrow? Find an excuse to go out, or disguise yourself?"

"There's no need to disguise yourself or find any excuse. I can't even go out, so how can I be in charge of the household?" Xiaocao snorted arrogantly.

Chunhua nodded, not quite understanding.

In fact, when Xiaocao went out the next day, she still disguised herself a little.

For example, dressing up as a maid.

Chunhua couldn't help but look her over and asked in a low voice, "...Didn't Auntie say, 'If you can't even leave the house, how can you manage the household?'"

Xiao Cao: "...What do you know? I'm just afraid of causing trouble for Miss Xue."

Chunhua nodded honestly, swallowing her inner complaints: "Auntie is always right."

Xiao Cao: “…”

Because it was Xiaocao that Xue Chenyu had made an appointment with, she arrived early.

Of course, she came to Jinyi Pavilion today not only to see Xiaocao, but also to bring the new manager over.

When Sanniang heard that Xue Chenyu was coming, she cleared her schedule early. She was thinking that she had made the boss wait for so long yesterday, and she couldn't let him wait any longer today.

In addition, without the noble ladies and girls that Manager Wang had to arrange for her, and the "newcomers" who had to be brought to the stage, her burden was suddenly relieved.

I feel relaxed and happy in my heart.

"Sanniang, this is Shopkeeper Qiu."

Xue Chenyu was still wearing a top and skirt today, with large sleeves lined with fine cotton.

A light-colored top, a green pleated skirt, and large sleeves embroidered with crabapple blossoms in a festive red. Luckily, last year's winter coat was a bit too big, so it didn't seem too big to wear.

Sanniang quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Boss, this is Shopkeeper Qiu."

Shopkeeper Qiu was about forty years old, a tall and thin woman with her hair tied up in a bun like a married woman, and there were some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

She was wearing a gray long jacket and a brown torn skirt, which looked a bit dull compared to Xue Chenyu's bright outfit.

But her expression was indifferent, giving off a sense of calmness and ease, which complemented the other.

For some reason, Sanniang always felt that she had a kind of otherworldly aura.

"From now on, Shopkeeper Qiu will be the new shopkeeper of Jinyi Pavilion. Sanniang, Shopkeeper Wang left in a hurry, so I'll have to trouble you with some matters."

"Of course, of course." Sanniang was delighted.

Although Shopkeeper Qiu had a cold and indifferent expression, he did not have the kind of short-sighted flattery that Shopkeeper Wang had, so he was much more comfortable to look at.

"Sanniang, don't agree too quickly. You are under time pressure and have a heavy workload." Xue Chenyu said with a smile.

Sanniang was immediately made uncomfortable by her laughter. "How, how do you say that?"

"Most of the daughters and wives of families in Shengjing have made winter clothes for the New Year at Jinyi Pavilion. Tomorrow is the Little New Year. You can take Shopkeeper Qiu to deliver them to each family. This will also allow Shopkeeper Qiu to show off his reputation in front of everyone."

"We go to each house one by one, not just a few selected ones." Xue Chenyu emphasized this.

After hearing this, Sanniang's face, barely thirty years old, wrinkled into a bun. "...Boss, this isn't right. I'll go to each house one by one, and at most three a day. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish delivering by the end of the year."

Xue Chenyu picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Of course, you can also find a way. As long as you deliver it personally and deliver it before the New Year, it will be fine."

"But you should know that once this is done, you'll be relieved. From now on, no matter which noble lady or lady comes to visit, you won't have to come and measure them yourself. You just need to make the dress according to their requirements."

Sanniang was a little confused.

Shopkeeper Qiu, who had been silent the whole time, said, "The boss's intention is that from now on, when people order clothes from Jinyi Pavilion, there will be a dedicated person to take their measurements."

"After the measurements are taken, if you have any requirements, a special artist will draw them first, and then give you the pattern and measurements. You will be responsible for completing it. If you don't like socializing, no one will force you to go."

"Really?!" Sanniang shrank excitedly.

Xue Chenyu: "Jinyi Pavilion, I have the final say."

Sanniang was ecstatic.

She has always hated socializing, but when Manager Wang was here, he forced her to curry favor with those noble ladies again and again.

If the clothes didn't fit, she could definitely be asked to alter them, but if she was asked to sit there for an entire afternoon just to listen to Manager Wang flatter her, she really couldn't do it.

She also had to take those who didn't really want to learn embroidery and tailoring and make them show off in front of the nobles, which made her feel itchy all over.

"If that's what the boss said, I'm willing."

Xue Chenyu tapped the table twice with her index finger, emphasizing, "I won't ask you to meet every customer who wants to order clothes, but your craftsmanship shouldn't disappoint those who trust our Jinyi Pavilion."

"Also, you must guide your apprentices appropriately so that they can each stand on their own."

"Don't worry, Boss! That won't happen!"

Sanniang was so eager to get such a promise that she wanted to work hard and would never refuse.

Xue Chenyu was thinking that the Jinyi Pavilion was growing bigger and bigger and that the demand was already exceeding the supply.

But she was greedy. In addition to selling clothes to the nobles, she also wanted to do business with the common people and wealthy merchants.

The needs of the noble class and the common people were completely different. She needed a group of embroiderers with good, but not necessarily top-notch, skills to do these things.

As for training such an embroiderer, she could only feel at ease if she was entrusted to Sanniang, a master embroiderer who was only 30 years old and had 28 years of embroidery experience.

After reaching an agreement with Sanniang, the rest was handed over to Manager Qiu.

Xiaocao brought Chunhua to the Jinyi Pavilion and was led in by Yumei.