Third Sister You has never negotiated much with Mrs. You, so after hearing this, she didn't know what Mrs. You meant for a while. I had to laugh but didn't say anything.

Chen smiled and said: "The two of them are siblings of the same mother, so they are naturally close to each other. Besides, the third sister likes to wear red, and there are children who like fresh colors. ”

After that, he ordered Chunlan to take Brother Bao out of Third Sister You'er's arms, and still smiled in her mouth: "Take it quickly." The third sister is still young, but she doesn't have much strength, don't tire her out. ”

Old Lady You smiled slightly, as if she suddenly remembered something, and instructed Ruyi: "I remember that a few years ago, Ziyu's Xiafeng came to visit, but he paid tribute to two big red feather yarns. Since the third sister likes to wear red, let's pull some rulers to make a cloak for her......"

After thinking about it, he added another sentence: "Let's make one for each of the eldest girl, the second girl, and the fourth girl, and also make a small dress for Bao Ge'er to wear outside." If there is anything left, make a cloak for your wife. ”

The old lady Chen might as well say these words, and hurriedly got up and smiled: "Oh, this can't be helped." I've heard that this big red feather yarn is very expensive, and it costs sixty or seventy gold for a horse on the market. And it is soaked in rain and not wet, and it is luxurious. Wouldn't it be a pity to give such a good thing to the second sister and the third sister? After all, those two children are still growing, and they can't wear them after these two years. Let's make a cloak for the old lady. ”

Old Mrs. You smiled and said, "I'm a man of heaven, I can't compare to you young daughters-in-law and girls, where can I still wear red and green." Listen to me, and that's it. Tell each of them to cut a cloak, and it will look good when they go out. ”

Seeing this, Chen had to thank him.

For a while, the third sister handed over Brother Bao to Chunlan, and she had to get up and thank her. The mother and daughter accompanied Mrs. You to laugh again, until they had dinner, and then they took Brother Bao and the two big red feather yarns back to the main courtyard. Chen looked at the two yarns that were slightly floating under the light, and said with a smile: "This old lady, I don't know what kind of crazy thing I smoked, but now I am generous." ”

He also ordered Qiu Ju Ming'er to pass on the most famous tailor master in the ready-to-wear shop outside, and still said with a smile: "Since it is the old lady's order, we have to do it." Wait for Ming'er to ask the girls to come to my yard to tailor their clothes. ”

After that, he still smiled and said to Third Sister You: "You have a life." I don't know what's wrong with the old lady's spleen and stomach. As far as I know, even if she treats her own granddaughter, she is not so generous. But there is nothing to do...... I'll just see. ”

Third Sister You looked at Chen's complacent appearance, groaned for a while, and asked suspiciously, "Could it be...... The old lady has the idea of a dowry shop? ”

When Chen heard this, he was stunned. Hurriedly turned his head and asked, "How do you say that?" ”

Third Sister You smiled and said: "The old lady is young and widowed, and she has been raising her son and raising her grandchildren for so many years, and she has to deal with the relatives of the You family and make friends with the old ones. is only a widow and widow, but he can keep the You family up and down in order, not to mention in an orderly manner, but there is no big mess. Mom doesn't really think the old lady is a fool, right? ”

When Chen heard this, he couldn't help but be silent. Banrifang smiled: "It's nonsense, it doesn't matter." Wait for the old lady to make a move. Anyway, it's cheap, don't take advantage of it. It doesn't matter what she wants to do, I'll take the benefits in first, and I'll talk about the rest when the time comes. ”

When Third Sister You heard this, she smiled and said, "I didn't expect my mother to have some Wei Jin pride of 'having wine today and getting drunk today'." ”

Chen pursed his lips and smiled at Third Sister You, "Don't drop your bookbag in front of me." I don't eat this. ”

The next day, Chen's family invited a skilled tailor from outside to measure the girls' sizes, because after making the cloaks of the four girls and the small clothes of Bao Ge'er, it was not enough for Chen to cut again. Chen simply wrapped the rest of the rulers and gave them to the eldest girl as a dowry, and still smiled in his mouth: "If these rulers are brought up alone, they are not enough to make clothes." After you marry into Ning Guofu, you can use it to deal with people. It's generous and generous. Keep it. ”

Seeing this, the eldest girl hurriedly got up and excused herself. Chen didn't wait for the eldest girl to speak, and pressed his hands on the eldest girl's shoulders to ask her to sit, and said with a smile: "Listen to me." That's it, what more are you going to say. The rambling gives me a headache. ”

When the eldest girl saw Chen like this, she had to get up and thank her, and accepted it with a smile. Because he said again: "It's a good thing in our house." ”

Chen smiled and said: "Since it is our family, who will we give it to if we don't give it to you." ”

The next few days were trivial matters in the house, and there was nothing to describe.

In the blink of an eye, it has entered March, and the world is fragrant, and a hundred flowers are vying for beauty.

On that day, Chen was gossiping at home with the eldest girl, the second sister and the third sister. As soon as I said that the fried quail I ate yesterday tasted good, and I wanted to tell the kitchen to make another plate today, I heard someone outside the door reply, "He Cai's family came to ask his wife for peace."

Chen's heart moved, and he knew that He Wangsheng must have an eyebrow about looking for a shop outside. Busy people brought in He Cai's family.

The little girl who passed the word agreed to go. came back for a while, and sure enough, he Caijia entered the door.

The He Cai family first bowed down to the Chen family and the three sisters, and then flattered a few good words, and then turned to the topic.

Sure enough, as Chen expected, He Wangsheng searched for several months in Chang'an City, and finally found two shops that met Chen's requirements.

The two shops are on Gulou West Street, and the other is near the east section, which is engaged in the silk and satin cloth business. The monthly input is not bad, there are purchase channels, and the source of customers is relatively stable. The big proprietor behind the scenes wanted to go to the south with his husband's family to take office, so he tried his best to send away the property in Chang'an, so that he could exchange some cash to make preparations after taking office. There is also the meaning of being afraid that the whip will be out of reach, and the steward here will make ghosts.

The other is a shop that sells rouge gouache and spices, near the middle of Gulou West Street. The size of the shop was about the same as that of the silk shop, except that the young proprietor of the spice shop was forced into debt because he owed money for the loan. Therefore, if you want to get rid of it and exchange it for silver in a hurry, the price should be higher. However, it is better than the location, but there are also people who are interested.

He Caijia explained the situation of these two shops as it was, and then stood aside with his hands tied, waiting for Chen's instructions.

Chen glanced back at the eldest girl, and said with a smile: "What do you think?" ”

When the eldest girl heard this, her face turned red, she hurriedly lowered her head and fiddled with her clothes, and said shyly and timidly: "I will listen to my mother's orders." ”

When Chen heard this, he smiled. He Cai turned around and asked, "What price do these two shops cost?" ”

When He Caijia asked, he hurriedly replied: "The silk shop with the inventory inside is priced at five hundred and sixty taels, and the spice shop is priced at seven hundred taels. ”

This price was a little higher than Chen thought, and he frowned unconsciously. Silent and silent.

Seeing this, Third Sister You knew that the Chen family wanted to talk to He Caijia in private, so she hurriedly got up and said with a smile: "Didn't Mom say that you still have to eat fried quail at night, I will order the kitchen to do it." Now that the days are warm and the days are long, I feel a little sleepy if I don't sleep in the afternoon. I'm going to go back and catch up on sleep. ”

When Second Sister You heard this, she smiled and said, "What's the fun of sleeping in the daytime." I read a book yesterday, and there is a sentence in it that I don't have a big east, you come over and I will read it to you, and you can help me explain it. ”

The eldest girl got up busily and smiled: "Sisters, you want to discuss books? Then I'll have a good time with the past, and listen to the elegant words. ”

Seeing that the three sisters were so clever and transparent, Chen couldn't help but smile and said, "In this case, you should go first." Come back when you have dinner. I'll tell the kitchen to make two more dishes of your favorites. ”

The eldest girl, the second sister, and the third sister all laughed and said yes. For a while, Yuguan withdrew from the main room. At the time of arrival, only the Chen family, He Cai's family and his henchmen were left in the room. Chen had to ask about the trading business, and asked if there was room for the price to be lowered. He Caijia's questions were answered one by one.

Not to mention how the Chen family and He Caijia discussed, only said that the eldest girl followed the second sister and the third sister to the second sister's bedroom, and she was still hanging in her heart about running the dowry shop, which was inevitably a little absent-minded.

When the second sister and the third sister saw it, they couldn't help but look at each other and smile. Chat with the big girl about some interesting things in the boudoir.

By dinner, You Ziyu returned to the house and happily finished the meal. The Chen family ordered several sisters and aunts to go separately, and explained in detail what He Caijia had mentioned before in front of Mrs. You and You Ziyu. In and out of the words, it is difficult to choose, and it means to buy both shops.

Old Lady You and You Ziyu only thought about taking out 1,000 taels of silver to buy a dowry for the eldest girl, and when they heard that the price of the shop that the Chen family was looking for was obviously beyond the budget, they didn't feel that they were in a difficult position.

However, both the You mother and son knew the truth that it was worth the money, and they did not complain about the Chen family because of this matter.

Chen smiled and said: "If I have my idea, we have spent a lot of money like water, and it is not worth it for the sake of three or two hundred taels." What's more, I haven't seen those two shops with my own eyes, but I know the location of Gulou West Street. It's not like there are shops in that place. I'm afraid that after this village, there will be no such shop. ”

When Mrs. You and You Ziyu heard this, they didn't feel a little moved.

When Chen saw it, he couldn't help but say: "What's more, the dowry for the eldest girl will also be shown to Ning Guofu in the future." is so decent, not to mention the big girl, even our You family is also good-looking. At that time, the eldest girl is afraid that she will be more and more grateful to the old lady and the old man for their compassion and love...... The eldest girl has a face in Ningguo Mansion, and she can speak, and she will not have to be a good student to help her mother's family in the future. ”

The reason why Old Lady You and You Ziyu talked about this family affair for the eldest girl was just to take this opportunity to cling to Ning Guofu. Hearing what Chen said, he became more and more excited.

Chen's mouth still kept talking, and he chattered: "Old lady, don't blame me for being honest. As the saying goes, if you can't bear the child, you can't trap the wolf, and our You family has spent thousands of taels of silver for the eldest girl. Are you still reluctant to make this small amount of money......"

Before a word fell, Old Lady You and You Ziyu glanced at each other and had already made up their minds. Old Lady You smiled and said, "My words are really good." You, the stepmother, are not only virtuous and aware of the overall situation, but also full of satisfaction with the plan for the big girl, which is better than her own mother. I already said that this matter is up to you, and since you have decided so, we naturally have no opinion. ”

When You Ziyu heard this, he also echoed it. smiled at Chen and said, "It's hard work for you this time." ”

When Chen heard this, he said with a smile: "I don't deserve the praise of the old lady." That's what I should have done. ”

After getting the consent of Mrs. You and You Ziyu, early the next morning, Chen really took the pair of cards to the account room to open a ticket, paid the silver, and ordered He Caijia to take the silver and deliver it to the owners of the two shops.

After a few more days, He Wangsheng finished all the trivial matters, and had to come to the door again to say hello and submit the two house deeds.

Chen accepted the deed, and ordered Chunlan to prepare a first-class reward for He Wangsheng, and prepared another fifty taels of silver, which can be regarded as a reward for He Wangsheng's hard work in the past few months.

He Wangsheng took the reward, and he had to kowtow to thank him. Chen asked a few more questions about the business in his shop, and then ordered someone to send He Wangsheng out of the house.

At this time, the Chen family took the two house deeds to the upper room and replied to Mrs. You. When Mrs. You saw the deed, she couldn't help but smile. praised Chen's neatness, and he was really a housekeeper.

When Chen heard this, he had to say a few words of humility. Mrs. You said again: "This shop has been purchased, can the daughter-in-law think about who will be in charge?" ”

Chen was stunned for a moment, and was just about to open his mouth to reply, when he heard Mrs. You say seemingly casually: "I also heard that you ordered someone to take Wu's companion back from Zhuangzi, and □□ it for a while, specifically to marry the eldest girl to Ningguo Mansion." This is also your delicate mind, and there is nothing wrong with it. It's just that Wu's mind is simple, and she is from a small family, and the companion she brought doesn't know these economic ways. It would be inappropriate to suddenly ask them to run the two shops of the big girl on Gulou West Street. It's not that I doubt their loyalty, it's just that they don't have the ability. ”

Chen Shi heard the meaning of Mrs. You's words, and immediately pondered for a moment, and asked with a smile: "This is my negligence. I wonder what the old lady is planning? ”

When Mrs. You heard this, she smiled and said, "I'm old now, and I don't want to pay attention to these trivial matters. If it weren't for the big girl, I wouldn't have thought about these things. is also a loving heart, just afraid that she will suffer. You also know that the big girl has a compassionate temperament and a soft face, and when people say a few good words, she doesn't know what to do. Wu's dowry is closer to the big girl than others. But whether they can be used or not is not a matter of certainty. I'll be honest...... If they really had to use it, they wouldn't have been driven to Zhuangzi by Aunt Lan in the first place. You tell me? ”

Chen lowered his eyes and groaned for a moment, so he had to smile and say, "The old lady's words are very true. ”

Old Mrs. You smiled: "I know your heart, and I understand your difficulties." You came in from behind, the big girl is big, you are neither near nor far, the size of this is really difficult to grasp. So you want to call the Wu family's companion back, and even if something goes wrong at that time, it will be the first person's business, and it has nothing to do with you-"

When Chen heard this, he hurriedly got up and confessed: "The old lady said this, the daughter-in-law is really wronged to death. I only regard the eldest girl as my own daughter, where do I think so. ”

When Mrs. You saw Chen like this, she didn't care. Still smiling, he said: "You also said that you treat her as a daughter, but she is not a real daughter." It's a bit hidden, and that's human nature. What's more, as a stepmother, you have already done a good job in your every move, and there is nothing to fault with anymore. I'm not talking to you about it. ”

When Old Lady You said this, she pondered for a moment and said, "I have someone here, who is the youngest son of the comprador Zeng Wu family in the outer courtyard. His name is Zeng Guodong. I'm also thirty years old this year. On weekdays, he followed his father to work on an errand in the outer yard, and he also knew about these trading businesses. Do you think...... Dial him to the big girl to manage the shop, okay? ”

When Chen heard this, he didn't know what to do. I only heard Mrs. You smile again: "I remember that there is a shop in the big girl's dowry shop that sells silk and satin fabrics?" I don't know if there is a big red feather yarn to sell in the silk shop...... By the way, you said before that how much money did you spend to buy these two shops? I'm old, I don't have much energy, and I can't remember. ”

Chen: "......"