Too high to reach

Chapter 147 Spending Money Right Away
This is such a big deal...

Mo Yi decided not to tell her family yet.

There's been so much good news lately, it's making me worry a lot...

Anyway, the wedding date hasn't been set yet, so the dowry details won't be revealed.

Later, I told my father and uncle that we should wait until autumn, after my brother finished his exams and my sister got married, before we talked about my affairs.

Let's postpone it...

She went straight inside after entering the house. Mo Yuan was lingering outside her door, waiting. "Yi Yi, where did you go today... Huh, why do you look so serious?"

"Granny Zhao has given me something, and I need to think about it carefully."

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?" Mo Yuan discovered that she could do this too.

"Look at the ledger." Mo Yi knew exactly how to manipulate Mo Yuan.

Sure enough, the light in Mo Yuan's eyes dimmed immediately. "Oh. Then take your time looking at it. Call me if you need anything else!"

Mo Yi smiled and went back inside.

Now that she lives in a spacious house, one of the maids that Granny Zhao gave her will always be by her side.

Today, we're following the greenery.

Upon entering the house, Xiangye greeted her: "Miss is back!? Sister Lvyi, the bird's nest soup is ready!"

Xiangye learned manners from Granny Zhao and then taught them to Xiangzhi when she returned.

Now the two sisters can cook sweet soup and steam bird's nest.

"Bring it up to the girl!" Greenery is very gentle.

Mo Yi was extremely satisfied with Zhao Mama and her maids. She couldn't see a trace of disrespect on their faces. They were even very kind to Xiangzhi and Xiangye.

You know, these girls used to have a better life than I did.

After washing my hands and changing my clothes, the bird's nest was at the perfect temperature.

Actually, Mo Yi doesn't like to eat this. She always lets it cool to the right temperature and then gulps it down in one go.

I finally got over how boring it was today... and then I remembered to go see some greenery.

Sure enough, Greenery had a reproachful expression on its face.

Mo Yi chuckled awkwardly, "I'm not really used to the taste, it's not as comforting as jujube tea..."

"Young lady, bird's nest is a top-grade beauty and skin-nourishing product. Do you think those beautiful ladies from wealthy families are all naturally beautiful? Wrong! They are all meticulously nurtured. They can't be exposed to wind and sun, they can't do housework that makes their hands rough, and they have to apply good oils. In particular, they can't use those cheap perfumes... You have to eat more bird's nest and white fungus! Granny Zhao specifically told you to eat it every day!"

"But I see that the Zhao family girls aren't afraid of the wind and sun!"

"..." She blocked the greenery's view. "Hmph! If Granny sees you eating like this, she'll spank your hands!"

Mo Yi laughed, "I'm quite good at pretending in front of Granny Zhao."

"Girl!" Greenie stamped her foot. Why does she always speak the truth?

Xiangye said, "Sister Lvyi, our girl is much more lively now!"

"Sigh!" Greenery shook its head and sighed.

Mo Yi sat down, opened the ledger, and began to study it carefully.

She used to keep accounts, but she wouldn't have done it this way. Even her mother probably wouldn't do it.

Her bookkeeping method was something she came up with herself; it was very simple.

It was a small business to begin with; my father doesn't even remember how much the raw materials cost...

So sometimes it's by guessing, and sometimes it's by estimating how much money you've made based on the amount of money you have.

The small stall is alright for the time being.

If there are many items or a large amount of money involved, then recording them in that way will be inaccurate.

This is probably the difference between a small workshop and a large shop, right?

The accounting system that Manager Zhao and his team set up... is troublesome to keep, but if you record it carefully and completely, you can see at a glance how much inventory there is, how much cash there is, and how much profit is made each month!
This is last month's account... Manager Zhao said it's real...

Hehe, they really don't treat me like an outsider... They even showed me this!
...Detailed inventory of the goods, including variety, description, purchase price, and total.

And then there's the general ledger... "The warehouse manager's signature, the steward's signature..."

The warehouse holds a small inventory every ten days and a large inventory every month. This is how silver is stored…

This is last month's earnings statement...

Sold... Wow, so many?!
This is the purchase price? The price difference... she calculated... wow... what a profit!
It made me so angry!
Next comes the taxes and fees...tsk, no wonder Manager Zhao said last time that the cost of opening a shop is really quite high!
The monthly wages and commissions of the shop staff alone amount to a considerable sum, and the shop assistants all earn quite a bit.

Song Jiafu and his group couldn't earn that much; they were far from it.

This is definitely a big store. Song Jiafu…

If I take over in the future, I can't personally greet guests like Manager Zhao. After I get married, I'll have to take care of the Prince and manage household affairs. I probably won't be able to come every day like this anymore. I'll only be able to check the accounts at the end of the month…

So, is the character of Manager Zhao... Song Jiafu?
After thinking about it again, I realized it was unlikely. Song Jiafu didn't have the magnanimity of Manager Zhao. Not even close!

Her eyes darted around, and after thinking for a long time, she finally decided: I'll go to the shop tomorrow and see if Song Jiaxing can keep the business afloat.

If that's alright, then we'll call Song Jiafu's place Qizhenlou!
Associating with virtuous people elevates one's own character! Let him be influenced by them...

Oh dear, won't people think: I haven't even taken over yet, and they're already putting their own people in there?

...You could say it was given to me.
Then, of course I can arrange for someone to... right?
Don't rush, don't rush!
She regained her composure and continued watching.

I went through it again and again, then put my own little shop into the process, and I found that as long as the notes were clear, the checkout would be clear and accurate!

The next day, he first sent the carriage to his small shop.

The two Song brothers were both there. When they saw her arrive, they greeted her with a sweet smile, "Miss!"

"Come and see, what do you think?"

"Business is going very well. Don't worry."

"Jiafu, come here." Mo Yi asked in a low voice, "Do you think Jiaxing can manage keeping an eye on things here by himself?"

"Young lady, you mean..."

"If I have something else for you to do, can he manage here by himself?"

Song Jiafu scratched his head: "I hadn't thought about this before. How about we talk about it?"

"Alright. You two can talk more these days. There's no rush, but you should start preparing now."

"Yes." Song Jiafu was a little excited, wondering what the young lady wanted him to do.

From that day on, Mo Yi began to travel to and from Qizhenlou every day.

Her handicrafts were moved from Granny Zhao's house to the third floor of Qizhenlou. Every day, she would have a fixed time to do her own things.

However, she is different now than she was in the past.

In the past, she would caress a piece of material so much that her fingers would develop calluses.

Think about it horizontally, then vertically...

Now, the moment I pick it up and look at it, the image is already in my mind. I can draw extremely quickly, and I've already finished packing up the things my father brought back.

Manager Zhao picked it up casually, stroked his chin thoughtfully, and finally nodded: "I admire you! I could never do what you did, young lady!"

"Practice makes perfect!" Mo Yi said calmly. "I've already studied the ledgers and books you gave me. I'll understand everything once I start the month-end inventory check and work with the accounting department to process the accounts!"

"That's amazing?!" Manager Zhao exaggerated on purpose.

Mo Yi replied earnestly, "It's actually quite simple; it's all about following the rules. The difficult part, as you mentioned, is dealing with people and situations. How do you attract and retain guests, making them happy to spend their money?"

How to identify high-quality goods that are easy to sell, reduce inventory backlog, and minimize the amount of money tied up? This isn't something you can figure out in a short time. You're so important; I have a feeling... you won't be leaving anytime soon!

Before hearing the last sentence, Manager Zhao was quite smug.

After listening, he covered his face and smiled bitterly: "Miss Mo! You can't do this..."

Mo Yi and Greenery both laughed.

“Miss Mo, your little business does have a certain uniqueness. Why don’t you set up a section in the shop to sell it? That way, all kinds of customers can come in.”

Mo Yi thought for a moment: "It's good. But these things are a bit cheap. Won't that lower the store's overall quality?"

"Ha, who was it that said, 'Whatever people want, we have it,' and that made us the best shop?"

Mo Yi chuckled, then suddenly remembered, "What's the small room outside, the one between us and Wenxiang Pavilion, used for?"

"That was left over from the expansion, and the land belongs to us. The craftsmen at the time said that it should be built according to that area. The process is complicated, not only difficult to build, but it also increases the cost considerably."

I figured we wouldn't make much more money from those construction projects anyway, so I gave up on that part. I built a small storage room and threw in some unnecessary furniture and odds and ends.

"Land is so valuable! Why not rebuild that place, build a room, and put a door between it and the lobby on the first floor? Then we can sell these things there, killing two birds with one stone."

"That's a good idea!" Manager Zhao nodded in approval. "Alright, I'll call the craftsmen over right away and have them discuss it!"

"and many more!"

"what happened?"

Mo Yi hesitated for a moment: "If we really want to do it... then you should tell the Prince that this was your idea, okay? Don't let me come here and start spending money before I've even done anything!"

Manager Zhao laughed heartily and left...

"Does that mean he agreed?" Mo Yi watched his retreating figure...

(End of this chapter)