Chapter 103: Terms Agreed, All Prepared

A girl of about seventeen or eighteen stood at the doorway, her features delicate and refined. Upon seeing Qin Wanru inside the room, she paused briefly in surprise. She had heard the voices and come over intending to offer assistance, only to find it was such a young lady.

“This is my daughter, Dong Xiuer!” Aunt Dong introduced her daughter as she stepped forward, then turned to Qin Wanru. “May I ask who this young lady is?”

Even now, she was still unsure of Qin Wanru’s identity.

Yujie glanced at Qin Wanru, and seeing her nod, took a step forward and said, “Our young lady is the second miss of the General’s residence in Ningyuan.”

“Second Miss Qin?” Aunt Dong asked uneasily, while Dong Xiuer curiously appraised Qin Wanru from head to foot. The recent commotion surrounding the Ningyuan General’s residence had been quite the topic.

“Exactly!” Qin Wanru smiled gently and spoke confidently.

“May I ask if Second Miss Qin has business with me?” Aunt Dong said, still not feeling any connection to the General’s residence and having never met this Second Miss Qin, growing increasingly puzzled.

“Yes, indeed. I heard that Aunt Dong had previously terminated her contract with the shop?” Qin Wanru did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

“That is true,” Aunt Dong said after a moment of silence.

“Then would Aunt Dong consider signing a contract with me?” Qin Wanru smiled. Considering the time, in her previous life, Aunt Dong and her daughter would still be in Jiangzhou for a while before eventually moving to the capital. If she acted now, it would be two or three years earlier than before!

“Second Miss Qin has opened a clothing and accessories shop?” Aunt Dong looked Qin Wanru up and down. She still found it hard to believe, as she appeared no more than a child.

“I intend to open one, so I wish to hire Aunt Dong as the shop manager. Would that be possible?” Qin Wanru smiled gently, her words simple and straightforward.

Her appearance made it difficult to believe she was someone who would actively open a shop—such a soft, delicate young lady hardly seemed the type. Yet her status as the second miss of the Ningyuan General’s residence carried considerable weight.

“Second Miss Qin means to have me assist you?” Aunt Dong hesitated. A childish young lady wanting to open a shop by herself—what did she really understand? Would she not cause chaos with reckless ideas and then blame others? One could not expect such a young child to be sensible, especially one raised with all the indulgences of a general’s daughter!

Not being willful or obstinate would already be a blessing.

“Yes. I will entrust all shop affairs to Aunt Dong. You may also contribute your skills as shares in the business,” Qin Wanru said with a faint smile. Her youthful face, framed by long lashes, lifted with a calm and poised demeanor, somewhat at odds with her youthful appearance.

But looking into her serene, bright eyes, Aunt Dong felt that this Second Miss Qin might truly be sincere.

“Mother, please agree to Second Miss Qin’s proposal. She really seems earnest about opening a shop!” Dong Xiuer had no such reservations. Being younger, she was more straightforward. She looked at Qin Wanru and found her quite likable—not only beautiful but seemingly kind-hearted and even steady.

Far better than those older misses who were still petulant and feigning knowledge beyond their years.

Aunt Dong’s previous employer had a young miss who, whenever she visited the shop, would mess everything up and boss everyone around despite not understanding anything, eventually scolding the staff as if she were someone extraordinary.

That was only the daughter of a merchant, yet she was already so spoiled—how much worse could a government official’s daughter be?

Yet this Second Miss Qin gave off an entirely different impression of composure.

“Well then!” Since her daughter had spoken, and considering she herself was looking for work anyway, with the previous shop about to close, Aunt Dong thought she ought to make some arrangements.

“Aunt Dong, I wish to bring you both with me to the capital. I plan to open a clothing and accessories shop there,” Qin Wanru said calmly, her eyes warm with a gentle smile.

“Second Miss intends to open a shop in the capital?” Aunt Dong barely had time to react before Dong Xiuer grew excited, her eyes shining bright as she raised her voice.

Ordinary folk knew nothing of the Ningyuan General’s impending departure from Jiangzhou.

“Yes, our young lady will follow the general to the capital. We will leave soon and are currently organizing our affairs,” Yujie explained methodically.

“Mother, we can go to the capital now! We can go!” Dong Xiuer beamed with excitement, turning to Aunt Dong with tears in her eyes.

Aunt Dong lowered her head, silently contemplating.

Qin Wanru, with graceful composure, lifted the large porcelain bowl and took a sip of plain water, her movements natural and elegant, without any hint of grievance or discomfort—as if she were savoring the finest brewed tea.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling softly on her face, imbuing it with a peaceful serenity.

Aunt Dong looked up at some point, watching Qin Wanru set down the bowl, then nodded firmly. “Second Miss Qin, I agree.”

“Good. Within this period, Aunt Dong should settle her affairs. In five days, I will have Yujie bring you to the residence. When the time comes, we will depart for the capital together,” Qin Wanru said, arranging everything perfectly. “I wonder if five days will be sufficient?”

“That’s enough,” Aunt Dong said after consideration. She had few belongings, and even the courtyard she lived in was rented.

Qin Wanru rose and glanced at Yujie, who reached into her sleeve and produced three pouches of money—this was all the money Qingfeng had given her.

This time, Qin Wanru did not ask Yujie to hand it over but took it herself and placed it on the table. “This silver is to help Aunt Dong settle her affairs first. Once we arrive at the residence, I will negotiate further payments. Please rest assured, Aunt Dong, I will not treat you unfairly. Regarding shares, I will clarify now: I will divide the shop into one hundred shares, and you can earn five shares with your skills.”

To contribute skills in exchange for shares, receiving even one share was commendable, let alone five—especially for a shop in the capital.

No matter how small the shop, even in a less central location, being in the capital meant rents and supply costs were high. Opening a shop required no less than ten thousand taels of silver. Five shares equated to five hundred taels. Aunt Dong’s previous monthly earnings were only a few taels, far too little to buy in.

She had never dreamed of such a five-percent share. Seeing the sincere offer laid before her by Qin Wanru, she was deeply touched.

“Second Miss, please rest assured—I will not let you suffer any loss!” Aunt Dong said emotionally. She had almost lost hope of going to the capital, with no funds to support herself and her daughter. Now, not only could they go, but such a good opportunity had come. She was truly grateful to Qin Wanru.

With matters settled, Qin Wanru took her leave with Yujie. Dong Xiuer accompanied Aunt Dong to the door. As Xiuer moved about, Yujie noticed that one of her legs was somewhat off—she walked with a slight limp. It was unclear whether it was congenital or due to a recent injury.

Since Qin Wanru asked no questions, Yujie politely pretended not to see.

After leaving Aunt Dong’s home and exiting the alley, Qin Wanru felt quite tired. She looked around for a place to rest and happened to see a teahouse across the street.

“Miss, shall we go upstairs and sit for a while?” Yujie suggested, knowing by her appearance that she was weary.

“All right,” Qin Wanru nodded.

The two entered the teahouse, one following the other. A waiter greeted them and, seeing a young lady accompanied by a maid, quickly led them to a private room on the second floor. The upstairs rooms were all elegant private chambers, perfect for a young lady to rest and enjoy the street view after a tiring outing.

The small room they entered faced the window. The window was slightly raised, letting sunlight stream onto the table by the edge, warm and bright.

After ordering tea, the waiter left. Soon he returned with tea accompaniments and then brewed a pot of tea.

“Yujie, please sit down too. There’s hardly anyone here right now,” Qin Wanru said, noticing Yujie still standing.

“Miss, your servant is not tired. Back at Jingxin Nunnery, sometimes when things were busy, we wouldn’t sit at all, even standing was rare. I was always running around!” Yujie shook her head. She truly did not feel fatigued. Whenever there was a ritual at Jingxin Nunnery, and things got hectic, she would help by fetching and carrying things—she was used to it.

Walking this distance was nothing to her.

“By the way, Miss, I remembered that I’ve been here before. There’s a pastry shop nearby that’s said to make the best cakes in all of Jiangzhou. Would you like to try some?” Yujie looked out the window, recalling the few times she had been to Jiangzhou city. Her eyes lit up with eagerness.

Seeing the longing in Yujie’s eyes, Qin Wanru smiled, knowing that she herself was tempted as well. She nodded. “All right, go ahead and pick out some delicious treats to bring back. I want to taste them!”

“Good!” Yujie said happily and turned to leave. As she reached the door, she hesitated, then asked, “Miss, is it all right for me to leave now?”

She worried someone might disturb Qin Wanru.

“It’s fine. It’s just next door, won’t take long,” Qin Wanru replied casually.

“All right, I’ll be back soon!” Yujie thought it over and agreed. It was nearby, so the round trip wouldn’t take much time, and the place seemed quite peaceful.

Having made up her mind, she stepped outside, deliberately closing the door behind her before heading down the stairs in haste to buy pastries.

A few customers came upstairs, passing by her. Someone let out a slight “eh” in surprise, but she paid no mind. This was her first time venturing out since returning to secular life; no one here could recognize her.

That surprised exclamation wasn’t directed at her!