The abandoned concubine who transmigrated woke up shouting "Long live the widow!"

Jingxue didn't have time to deal with that. She went to the backyard and saw Manager Peng locking the storeroom door.

There was a beautifully woven little basket on the ground, containing some cosmetics.

Upon hearing the voice, Manager Peng turned around and saw Jingxue. Without even picking up the basket from the ground, he squatted down and bowed, saying, "Master, you've arrived!"

"Yes! I came here to ask you to help me find Prince Qin. See if you can find him."

"Oh, then we'll have to go to Mingyue Tower to ask first, and then see what the young master has been busy with these past two days. You wait here while I take these up to Zhelan and the others, and then I'll go find them; they're waiting to use them!"

"Alright! There are carriages outside. Have Fifteen drive one, and you go find them! I'll check the other shops and find Qin Jing. Tell him to come to West Street!"

As they talked, they walked forward. Jingxue left the beauty salon and told Ying Shiwu that she would go with Manager Peng to find someone. She then went to the general store.

It was almost noon when Qin Jing finally came to find Jing Xue.

Jingxue had already used this time to visit several shops on West Street and restock the two courtyards behind it. She would keep a record of each restocking.

"Sister-in-law, do you have any new goods this time? Didn't we just see them yesterday?" Qin Jing raised an eyebrow as soon as they met.

Jingxue was speechless. Did this guy only think about making money and nothing else?

"It's a matter for the academy."

"Oh!" Qin Jing quickly suppressed his slightly disappointed expression.

He then suggested, "Sister-in-law, how about this? It's almost lunchtime, let's go to Beicheng Hot Pot Restaurant. You haven't been there since it opened, so you can give us some pointers."

Jingxue didn't stand on ceremony with him and got into her carriage with Lixia.

Mingyue Hot Pot Restaurant is located on Beicheng Commercial Street, in the opposite direction from Jingxue's Liji Fruit and Vegetable Shop.

After getting off the carriage, Jingxue saw a large hot pot, taller than a person, made of yellow clay, placed at the entrance of the shop. Several red ribbons were tied to the hot pot, and when the wind blew, they looked like dancing flames.

The neighboring houses even set up hitching posts, similar to modern parking spaces.

The vermilion gate, with its gleaming copper nails, is flanked by lanterns hanging high on both sides. The gold-lacquered plaque bearing the five large characters "Mingyue Hotpot Restaurant" shines brightly in the sunlight, the characters both vigorous and graceful.

From the outside, the store looks high-end and sophisticated.

Jingxue nodded, "That's right!"

"Sister-in-law, you flatter me. Please come in!" Qin Jing gestured.

"it is good!"

Upon entering the building, a beautiful embroidered screen comes into view, with gold ingots on it that look incredibly realistic.

There are six private rooms on the first floor, and there are already guests dining inside. The waiters are carrying dishes back and forth.

Jingxue glanced around and saw that there was no special condiment area in the lobby. A waiter was carrying a tray with about seven or eight small bowls containing various condiments. The waiter then took the condiments to a private room.

When the shopkeeper saw Qin Jing arrive, he quickly left the counter and came out to greet him.

"Boss, you've arrived! Please come upstairs!"

Jingxue didn't recognize the shopkeeper, so Qin Jing introduced her, "Shopkeeper Sun, this is my cousin-in-law. She'll get a free meal from now on."

"Yes, Master, this servant remembers. Greetings, Master's cousin-in-law!" Manager Sun respectfully cupped his hands and bowed to Jingxue again.

Jingxue nodded slightly. "Manager Sun, you've worked hard! Don't listen to your boss. From now on, I'll charge you whatever price is due. Even brothers keep clear accounts! Don't make things difficult for the manager."

"Sister-in-law, we're family..."

Jingxue interrupted Qin Jing, "I don't own any shares in this shop, so you still have to pay. There are rules, otherwise I won't come here!"

Qin Jing sighed helplessly, "Alright! Alright! I'll listen to my cousin-in-law. You'll have to come more often then."

"Yes! But it's your treat today!" Jingxue said with a smile.

"please!"

There are only four private rooms on the second floor, which are relatively large, and each room can accommodate more than ten people.

Since the host was there, there was no need to order; the waiter served the dishes according to the highest standards.

After the four of them sat down, Jingxue said, "I went to the academy today. Lu Zijing said that the academy is going to close for the holidays early. He wants to cut down the trees in that grove and clear the grounds first. I'll have to trouble you with this!"

"It's not a big deal this season. We can still hire people if we spend more money," Qin Jing said after a moment's thought.

“There’s a kitchen at the academy. We’ll bring them enough meat, vegetables, and grains, provide lunch, and hot water. It’s hard work this season! What do you think?” Jingxue asked.

Qin Jing nodded, "No problem. I'll hand this over to the steward in our household. I'm sure he can handle it. I also need to go to the palace!"

"You can decide on the wages, accountant..." Plans can change quickly. The things that were originally planned to be done in the spring were suddenly brought forward, and she couldn't get away, so Jingxue was also a little troubled.

"Oh, that's no problem at all. I've already arranged for an accountant. He's currently helping out at the shop in the south of the city, so he can be transferred over!"

"I believe in your abilities, hehe!" Jingxue's words came from the bottom of her heart.

By this time, all the dishes had been served, and the water in the pot had boiled. Jingxue saw that there was plenty of seafood in the pot.

"Fifteen, don't worry about us, you've eaten!" Jingxue was afraid that Ying Shiwu would be nervous and embarrassed, so she specially prepared a bowl of dipping sauce for him and handed it to him.

Ying Shiwu quickly stood up and respectfully accepted the gift with both hands, smiling as she said, "Thank you, Miss. You don't need to worry about me."

Having served the young lady for so long, he knew that she treated her servants extremely well.

Li Xia, ever observant, picked up a plate and put the meat into the pot. Jing Xue, while helping with chopsticks, said, "We're all going to the palace. I don't know how long it will be before we can return home. I tidied up the storeroom again last night and found some new products."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jing's eyebrows immediately curved into a smile as he looked at Jing Xue expectantly.

Jingxue put down her chopsticks and said, "I will put the new products in the palace. You can send someone to pick them up. There will be more rouge products. I will leave you a description of the price and quantity. Even if I am not here, your people will understand."

"With the Lunar New Year approaching, every household needs to buy some New Year's goods. This time, we will launch some gift boxes suitable for visiting relatives."

Jingxue originally planned to launch the new product in ten days or half a month, but she didn't expect that she would have to go to the palace, so she had to take it out ahead of time.

"Lixia, you should come back to the manor with me this afternoon! We have to visit the palace tomorrow morning, so we can stay an extra hour this time."

"Yes, miss!"

Actually, Li Xia wanted to suggest that she stay at the shop, but she was afraid that her mistress would overthink it and think that she was scared because of the last assassination attempt.

The meat in the pot was cooked quickly, and everyone started eating.

The hot pot was alright, though not quite as good as modern ones, but it was already quite good for a restaurant in this era.

While eating and chatting, Jingxue gave the hot pot restaurant a few simple suggestions.

For example, they could make small hot pot dumplings, fried sesame balls, and even offer memberships; Qin Jing noted all of these down.

After the meal, Qin Jing escorted them downstairs to their carriage.