Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

Deep in Jiang Huaiyu's heart, she felt a profound sense of guilt towards Wei Fenghui and her son, while at the same time she was moved by Wei Fenghui's thoughtfulness in working hard to support the family.

She was relieved that there were finally signs of improvement in her relationship with Wei Fenghui.

“Madam, please accept this money. I will continue to supplement our household income by selling calligraphy and paintings.” Wei Fenghui still addressed her as “Madam.” Jiang Huaiyu was not in a hurry for him to change this form of address because she understood that the growth of feelings needed to be gradual.

Jiang Huaiyu is very satisfied with the current changes, and her heart is filled with joy.

“Feng Hui, I have some savings, and the Marquis’s family is not in dire financial straits. This is just a temporary predicament. I recently opened a new shop, and once the new shop’s business is on track, our finances will be much better.”

I heard that you had a conflict with the second son of the Marquis of Jing'an today. I'm afraid they will hold a grudge. Don't go out to sell your calligraphy anymore, lest they try to sabotage you in secret.

"This should be the first time you've earned any money. Take this money and buy some things for Aunt Wei. Treat her well." With that, Jiang Huaiyu gently placed the purse containing the silver into Wei Fenghui's hand.

As Wei Fenghui listened to Jiang Huaiyu's words, a deep contemplation appeared in his eyes.

"Very well, thank you for your kindness, Madam. I will take my leave now." He spoke solemnly, gripped his purse tightly, turned and slowly left, leaving Jiang Huaiyu standing there.

In the evening, Jiang Huaiyu instructed Zhang Mama, the head of the kitchen, to resume the food supply for the masters.

He then summoned Feng Xu and solemnly instructed him: "Starting tomorrow, you will lead two guards to secretly escort the eldest son to the academy. I am afraid that the second son of the Marquis of Jing'an may use improper methods to bully Feng Hui."

"As ordered."

Wei Fengyao learned that his second brother had resolutely decided to join the army for the sake of the family's honor and had won the honor of a first-class soldier. He would also be taking the test for the Fujian Division the next day. Meanwhile, his eldest brother took to the streets to sell his calligraphy to supplement the family income with his meager earnings, even at the cost of making enemies with the second son of the Marquis of Jing'an.

Thinking about his inaction, Wei Fengyao felt a surge of shame.

"Aunt Qi, I need to write a letter to my father immediately."

……

At dawn the following day, Wei Fenghui embarked on his journey to the academy, while Wei Fengyun and Steward Zheng went together to the Sword Subduing Division to participate in the test.

In his spare time, Jiang Huaiyu began to think deeply about how to increase income and reduce expenses to improve his family's finances.

In addition to the newly purchased shops waiting to collect rent, Jiang Huaiyu also plans to purchase two more small shops on the bustling Kowloon Street.

He foresaw that the brothel would become famous and the whole street would become bustling, and that opening a snack shop at that time would surely bring considerable profits.

At the same time, he was also planning ahead, devising a grain supply strategy for a year from now. In addition to the newly purchased shops, he currently owns seven other businesses: two cloth shops, a restaurant, a grain shop, a cosmetics shop, a pawnshop, and a jewelry store.

The restaurant's annual net profit is close to 3000 taels of silver, while the cloth shop, jewelry store, and rouge shop each bring in 1,000 taels of silver annually. The grain shop earns 500 taels a year. Together, these shops generate a profit of 7500 taels annually.

However, the Marquis's mansion's annual expenses amount to 10,000 taels, which means an additional subsidy of 2500 taels is needed each year. Currently, Jiang Huaiyu has 4500 taels of cash on hand, which is only enough for the Marquis's mansion's daily expenses for at most half a year.

She knows full well that the task is arduous and the road ahead is long, and that the path of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure still requires unremitting efforts.

Currently, the pawnshop is not doing well. Jiang Huaiyu already has a plan in mind. She intends to transform the pawnshop into a grain shop and then go to the outskirts of Beijing to purchase more fertile land to stockpile grain.

Next year, the south will experience a rare drought, leading to food shortages and rice becoming extremely scarce.

Jiang Huaiyu was secretly delighted. She planned to sell the stockpiled grain to the southern caravans that were eager to purchase it, and she was sure to make a hefty profit from it.

Jiang Huaiyu suffered greatly from poverty in his previous life, and although he has not yet escaped the shadow of poverty in this life, his desire for wealth has become increasingly strong. As if possessed, he racks his brains to find ways to make money, single-mindedly focused on accumulating wealth.

Just as Jiang Huaiyu was meticulously paving his way to wealth, Cuiying entered the house.

"Madam, a customer wants to buy our shop." After Jiang Huaiyu acquired the restaurant, she arranged for people to stay there and wait for the buyer to appear.

Unexpectedly, the buyer showed up so quickly.

Jiang Huaiyu was glad that he acted in time; if he had delayed for two days, he would have missed out on this good opportunity.

"Invite the guests inside immediately," Jiang Huaiyu instructed.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes and with a plump figure strolled into the house.

"I am but Dou Shiqi, and I have come to pay my respects to Lady Hou," the man said politely.

Jiang Huaiyu smiled slightly, "Mr. Dou, there's no need for such formalities. Cuiying, please find a seat for Mr. Dou."

"Mr. Dou, let me be frank. I have only recently taken over this restaurant and am planning to run some new businesses, but unfortunately I don't have any concrete plans yet."

After hearing this, Boss Dou's eyes flickered, as if he was pondering something. "Then, does Madam have no intention of selling this shop?"

Jiang Huaiyu noticed a slight change in Boss Dou's tone and felt a little uneasy. "Not at all, it's not that I'm unwilling to sell. However, I'd like to know how Boss Dou plans to run this shop?"

Jiang Huaiyu had to confirm whether the Boss Dou in front of her was the one who ran the brothel in her past life; otherwise, if she mistook him for someone else, all her plans might fall apart.

In the grand scheme of business, Boss Dou remained remarkably calm and unconcerned about Jiang Huaiyu's potential imitation. After all, his business philosophy was like an unstoppable sword, and he had powerful backers; even Lady Hou might not dare to easily offend him.

He stated bluntly, "I plan to open a brothel here."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu's doubts vanished instantly, confirming that the person before him was indeed the one he had been searching for.

"Boss Dou, what do you think about leasing this restaurant to you?" Jiang Huaiyu did some thinking and decided that leasing it to him would be more worthwhile.

A monthly rent of 500 taels accumulates to 6000 taels a year, allowing the cost to be recovered in less than a year. In the long run, the fixed annual income is clearly much more worthwhile than selling it all at once.

Boss Dou hesitated for a moment, his face showing a hint of hesitation. "If we open a brothel, we need to carry out a large-scale renovation of this building. If we just lease it, the risk is not low, and I'm afraid my backer will not agree."

Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly.

Indeed, if you change your mind and don't rent to the other party after the renovation is completed, they will suffer huge losses in manpower, resources, and time, and the risk should not be underestimated.

However, Jiang Huaiyu did not give up easily. After all, selling the restaurant would only earn him a maximum of 10,000 taels of silver. Although the profit was substantial, it was still not as worthwhile as the annual rent of 6000 taels of silver.