The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Jia Huan was lucky; when he arrived, Ping'er, Wang Xifeng's trusted lieutenant, had already returned.

"Hey, isn't this Third Master Huan? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

Ping'er spoke with a tone of surprise, but it didn't offend anyone.

At least, Jia Huan could tell that the tone of this trusted lieutenant of Wang Xifeng did not carry any ill intent.

"Sister Ping'er, I need to speak with Second Sister-in-law about something!"

Jia Huan chuckled and asked, "I wonder if Second Sister-in-law has returned yet?"

"He's not back yet, just wait a bit!"

Ping'er was a little curious, but she didn't ask any questions.

Jia Huan was practically invisible in the mansion; sometimes his presence was even less noticeable than the few parrots kept in Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

I've heard he's quite domineering at the clan school, a complete spoiled brat.

As Wang Xifeng's right-hand woman, Ping'er naturally didn't care about Jia Huan's character; she just hoped that the boy wouldn't cause Wang Xifeng any trouble.

After all, Jia Huan's biological mother, Aunt Zhao, was notorious in the household for being unruly and unscrupulous.

Life has not been easy for Wang Xifeng since she took over managing the household.

Before Ping'er could bring Jia Huan tea and snacks, Wang Xifeng returned, looking exhausted.

"Huan San, what are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Jia Huan, Wang Xifeng revealed an undisguised look of surprise, and when she spoke, a hint of displeasure was unconsciously revealed.

"Second sister-in-law!"

Jia Huan didn't get up and went straight to the point: "I want to go into business with my second sister-in-law!"

"Going into business together?"

As if she'd heard something amusing, Wang Xifeng pursed her lips and asked, "What do you have to offer for this business partnership? What kind of business do you want to start? Will it be profitable?"

If Jia Huan weren't a man in the household, and even though he was young, she couldn't go too far, she would have kicked him out immediately.

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Of course we can make money!"

"Even if business is just average, you can still earn several hundred taels of silver a year!"

"If you do well, it's possible to earn thousands of taels a year!"

"so much?"

Wang Xifeng's eyes lit up, and the way she looked at Jia Huan changed.

Don't get the wrong idea. For a child like Jia Huan, several hundred or even a thousand taels of silver is already a considerable fortune.

The fact that Jia Huan could mention profits of several hundred or even a thousand taels of silver is at least more reliable than if it came from Phoenix Egg.

Don't think that Wang Xifeng wouldn't care about such a small profit!

In fact, she was already quite tempted at this point.

Since taking over the management of the Rong Mansion's inner courtyard, Wang Xifeng's life has been very difficult.

The once abundant public treasury has almost reached the point of being unable to make ends meet after nearly twenty years of mismanagement by her aunt, Madam Wang.

If Wang Xifeng hadn't been power-hungry and fond of seizing power, someone else might not have taken over the management of the public treasury.

If she hadn't been forced into this situation, would she have risked lending money at exorbitant interest rates and getting involved in lawsuits in Guanzhong for just three thousand taels of silver?

If you have enough money to spare, everyone likes to do good deeds and act like a good person.

"This business is only successful in the capital; it wouldn't work in other cities!"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "But I'll need to borrow Second Sister-in-law's dowry shop!"

"What kind of business is it exactly?"

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but ask directly, "Will you still need to use my dowry shops?"

"Pouches, handkerchiefs, and some small trinkets woven from silk thread!"

"that's it?"

Wang Xifeng said disappointedly, "You still want to earn hundreds or thousands of taels of silver a year? Have you lost your mind?"

"Second sister-in-law, don't be discouraged, let me finish!"

Seeing Wang Xifeng's listless demeanor, Jia Huan hurriedly explained, "Don't think that purses and handkerchiefs are worthless; it depends on how they're sold!"

"With our manor's reputation, as long as the wealthy merchants in the East City know that the purses and handkerchiefs sold in the shop are not only from our manor, but also used by the young masters and ladies of our manor, how could they not fetch a good price?"

"I'm afraid a brocade purse sewn with gold and silver thread could sell for tens of taels of silver!"

Jia Huan didn't go any further; in fact, reality is more surreal than fiction.

He knew that it was not impossible for wealthy businessmen to spend lavishly in pursuit of 'trends'.

However, it was not appropriate to say this in front of Wang Xifeng, for fear that she would think he was bragging.

Given Wang Xifeng's background, she had seen and used far too many fine things. How could small trinkets like purses and handkerchiefs possibly catch her eye?

"You plan to sell it to a wealthy businessman in the East District?"

Wang Xifeng looked thoughtful, thinking that giving it a try might not be a bad idea.

"That's my business!"

Jia Huan asked, "Second sister-in-law, are you interested in partnering with me?"

"Where did you get so many purses and handkerchiefs to sell?"

Instead of answering, Wang Xifeng asked, "Could it be that you intend to steal things from the sewing room?"

Towards the end, his voice became stern and his face became serious.

The embroidery produced in the needlework workshop was all high-quality stuff for the household's own use.

The embroidery bears the Rong family's mark; if it were to fall into the wrong hands easily, it could be exploited by unscrupulous individuals or hostile forces.

As the head steward of the Rong Mansion's inner courtyard, he absolutely cannot allow such a huge oversight to occur.

"how is this possible?"

Jia Huan felt bewildered and hurriedly explained, "There are so many maids and wives in the mansion, and none of them are bad at needlework. At least they are no worse than the needlework ladies outside!"

"The number of purses and handkerchiefs they make in their spare time is definitely not small, and they can produce them continuously, and they are separate from the needlework room in the mansion!"

Jia Huan said confidently, "In this way, the maids and wives in the mansion will have another way to earn money, and we can also get a fairly stable income from it!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng no longer hesitated and chuckled, "Huan San, aren't you afraid I'll shove you aside and take all the benefits for myself..."

Chapter 26 Casual Talk about Home-Born Children (Please continue reading)

Wang Xifeng had a beautiful smile, but her words carried a heavy threat.

If she had kicked Jia Huan aside, she could have actually accomplished this herself.

After all, in terms of connections and influence within the household, Jia Huan could hardly match him.

But Jia Huan showed no concern whatsoever. Seeing the provocative look in Wang Xifeng's phoenix eyes, he couldn't help but chuckle, "Of course I'm worried!"

"However, if my second sister-in-law were to run this business alone, I'm afraid it wouldn't last long!"

Are you threatening me?

Wang Xifeng's eyes sharpened, and she said coldly, "What right do you have to threaten me?"

"What threat?"

Just then, Jia Lian's voice came from outside: "Could it be that someone in this mansion dares to threaten Feng Lazi? That's really strange!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jia Lian lifted the curtain and walked in, followed by Ping'er carrying teacups and snacks.

"Huan-ge'er, what are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Jia Huan, Jia Lian was also quite surprised and asked directly, "Were you talking to Feng Lazi just now? What made her angry?"

"Second Brother Lian!"

Jia Huan stood up to greet her, and seeing that Wang Xifeng had no intention of explaining, he simply recounted the conversation they had just had.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian also showed a look of surprise: "I didn't know you had this skill?"

"There's no other way, it's really tough to be broke!"

Jia Huan explained, "My aunt doesn't really approve of me going to the clan school!"

"So, even if I want to buy some books to read, I have to figure it out myself!"

"Before, I helped my aunt and Sister Tanchun buy cosmetics and face powder, which earned me about three taels of silver a month. But the price of books is just too expensive!"

"Besides, it was just helping someone buy cosmetics, and it already caused such a huge uproar!"

"This time, we're going to have to mobilize all the maids and wives in the backyard. The profits involved are in the hundreds of taels of silver. Who knows if it might cause an even bigger commotion?"

"I can't take any more stress, even my aunt couldn't handle it!"

Jia Lian's eyes lit up: "Is it really that profitable?"