General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Oh dear, this is just like a pillow sent to someone who's sleepy—it's exactly what she wanted!

She was short of money when the Fourth Princess sent her golden eggs.

Hmm, how can it not be considered a meeting of minds?

This time, Jiang Qiqi was completely free of her previous impatience and quickly called out, "Xiang'er, what are you standing there for? Quickly welcome Eunuch Xin in."

Xiang'er was holding a basket of golden eggs, her mouth agape with a wide smile, and only reacted when she heard her mistress call her.

"Eunuch Xin, please come inside."

Xiao Xinzi: Aren't these two, master and servant, being a little too obviously snobbish?

After returning home that day, Chen Zhizhi was so angry when she heard what Xiao Xinzi, the messenger, had said that she almost fainted.

The treasures she carefully selected were actually less valuable than two bags of rice and a basket of eggs in Jiang Qiqi's eyes!

Ha, she really is a lowly housewife, completely unworthy of her brother Shen Luo!

Chen Zhizhi thought she might as well just deliver it according to her wishes, but then she thought again that Shen Luo would definitely know what she delivered to the General's Mansion. What if he found out that he had only given his savior two bags of rice and a basket of eggs and mistakenly thought that she was an ungrateful person?

On second thought, maybe Jiang Qiqi did it on purpose! Saying she wanted two bags of rice and a basket of eggs was actually an attempt to ruin her image in Shen Luo's eyes!

Shen Luo is such an upright person, he definitely doesn't like people who are ungrateful.

The more Chen Zhizhi thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. She felt as if she had seen through the truth of the matter.

"You little devil Jiang Qiqi, I won't fall for your tricks!" She immediately rejected the idea of ​​sending two bags of rice and a basket of eggs.

But Jiang Qiqi specifically asked for this, and wouldn't accept anything else.

Chen Zhizhi racked her brains for several days but still couldn't find a solution.

Later, it was her maid who gave her an idea, saying that since the general's wife wanted rice and eggs, then silver rice was still rice, and gold eggs were still eggs.

And so, Jiang Qiqi saw the basket of golden eggs and two bags of silver rice that had almost exhausted Xiao Xinzi and the two guards.

Jiang Qiqi had no idea about the story behind it. After inviting the person into the house, she offered them a seat and served tea, her attitude completely different from the last time.

This made Xiao Xinzi uncomfortable. He swallowed hard and forced a smile: "General's wife, please don't be like this. This servant is flattered."

Having been a servant for so long, being treated with such great respect all of a sudden feels a bit strange.

Jiang Qiqi: ......What masochistic constitution?

"Alright." Jiang Qiqi slammed her hand on the table, her face arrogant: "Go back and tell your princess that I've accepted the gifts, and that next time something like this happens, send the gifts earlier."

"Yes, madam." Xiao Xinzi sprang up from his seat and bowed. "This servant will certainly convey the madam's words."

That's it, now it's just right.

After Xiao Xinzi and the others left, Jiang Qiqi and Xiang'er looked at the basket of golden eggs and couldn't put it down.

“Miss, we’ve struck it rich! We don’t need to pawn the dowry left by the lady anymore.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Having money in your pocket gives you confidence.

The next morning, Jiang Qiqi took Xiang'er out.

I spent the whole morning shopping, visiting almost every store with high foot traffic in Dongcheng.

Even for lunch, the two of them didn't go back to their residence for lunch. Instead, they found a restaurant that looked popular and ordered a few dishes at random.

"Xiang'er, what are your thoughts after visiting all these places this morning?"

Xiang'er was engrossed in eating her rice when she looked up, her eyes filled with innocent naiveté, and asked, "Harvest? What harvest?"

Jiang Qiqi: "...It's okay, eat."

Xiang'er had never eaten such delicious food before. While eating heartily, she praised indistinctly, "Miss, this lotus root starch ribs and Jiangnan silver carp are really delicious. They are even better than what the kitchen in the mansion makes."

......

Jiang Qiqi sighed, "If you like it, then eat more." Even if the child doesn't grow a brain, at least he can grow a body.

After strolling around all morning, Jiang Qiqi discovered that there were quite a few large shops in the East City. Among them, two brothels and one casino were the largest, followed by restaurants, teahouses, and pawnshops.

Brothels and casinos are gray industries, needless to say. Doing these requires a very strong background and identity. Jiang Qiqi didn't plan to use the General's Mansion's name, so these two were immediately ruled out.

Of the pawnshop, restaurant, and teahouse, the latter two are quite good, with a large number of people coming and going, and they are all places for conversation and storytelling.

Jiang Qiqi was conflicted for a moment, but still preferred the teahouse.

After eating, we continued strolling around the streets.

Jiang Qiqi bought two candied hawthorns, and the two of them each ate one, treating it like a digestive aid.

"Miss, what are we doing?" Xiang'er had been wandering around the streets with her mistress since early morning, but now it was afternoon and they were still empty-handed. She finally couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Qiqi frankly said, "Buying a shop means your young lady wants to start a business."

Of the three things—money, power, and people—money is the easiest to obtain.

Although the princess sent a lot of gold and silver, Jiang Qiqi was not in the nature of sitting around and spending it all.

Buy shops, make money work for you, and achieve sustainable development.

"But Miss, do you know how to do business?" Xiang'er asked.

Jiang Qiqi readily replied, "Absolutely not. But I've never heard of any boss having to be a top salesperson. We'll just hire a few laborers, and I, your young lady, will be good at management."

"It seems so." Xiang'er was momentarily taken aback by this confident answer.

The two were walking and chatting when they passed an inn. Suddenly, a bundle was thrown out of the inn.

The bundle was heading straight for Jiang Qiqi's head, but luckily Xiang'er pulled her back just in time, preventing her from being hit.

The bundle fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Get out, get out! What are you doing staying at a hotel if you don't have money?" someone shouted from inside the hotel.

Then a man was pushed out of there, staggered a few steps, and sat down on the street.

"You, you, you, I already told you I'm not broke, it's just that my money was stolen. I won't stay for free, I can help you with your work."

The person who chased him out stood at the door, holding a broom in his hand. Hearing his words, he looked at him with disgust: "You're as skinny as a chick, what kind of work can you do?"

The man's face flushed slightly upon hearing this, and he stiffened his neck and replied, "Don't judge a book by its cover. I can write, and I can even help you with accounting. I know a lot of things."

The only response he received was the sound of the door slamming shut.

Jiang Qiqi and Xiang'er exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows: Look, here comes the laborer, doesn't he?

The man sighed, stood up, dusted himself off, picked up his bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, a flute appeared in front of him, blocking his way.

Jiang Qiqi is dressed as a man today, looking every bit the dashing young master. To fit the persona, she even brought along the Flying Waterfall Flute.

"Brother, are you out of money for food?"

The man looked at her warily for a moment: "Yes, who are you?"

"The person who will help you." Jiang Qiqi shook her flute. "I have a job I'd like you to help me with. In return, I'll not only provide you with food and lodging, but I'll also pay you extra money. What do you think?"

Cheng Zixian became even more vigilant. Before he went down the mountain, his senior brother had told him that things that seemed like sure-fire ways to make money were all traps, designed to deceive naive young men like him.

But... that includes food and lodging, and they even pay you!

Cheng Zixian coughed lightly twice, and although he was tempted, he still pretended to be deep and looked Jiang Qiqi up and down a few times: "What kind of job is it?"

Let me make it clear first, he sells his art, not his body.

Jiang Qiqi chuckled lightly: "I want to open a teahouse, but I don't have a manager yet."

Cheng Zixian shifted the bundle that was about to fall to his elbow onto his shoulder, somewhat embarrassed: "I'm just a scholar, I don't know anything about business. You can ask me to be an accountant, but as for being a manager..."

He scratched his head and said, "Brother, you've probably misjudged me. I can't help you."

Sigh, he should just go back to washing dishes at a restaurant.

Jiang Qiqi was not annoyed when he refused, but just smiled and said, "Brother, how do you know you are powerless if you don't try? Look at me, I just bought this shop, and the people around me know nothing about doing business. They are worried about it."

Cheng Zixian stopped walking forward.

Jiang Qiqi continued her manipulative tactics without changing her expression: "I felt I should go out early this morning, and guess what? I ran into you as soon as I stepped out. The moment I saw you, I was amazed by your extraordinary appearance. With the aura of green smoke and gold surrounding you, it goes without saying that you are destined for great wealth and honor in the future."

Amidst the constant boasting, Cheng Zixian gradually lost himself: "Really? Do I look like someone of wealth and nobility?"

Jiang Qiqi said sincerely, "Of course, why don't you try my teahouse? It's okay if you lose money, it's on me."

Since the other party had already said so much, Cheng Zixian had no reason to disagree.

“Okay,” he nodded, “I promise you.”

"Great, Xiang'er, bring me paper and pen, let's sign the contract."