Bai said: "Yes, the land prices in the capital city and the provincial capital are more expensive than those in our Ancheng, and it costs so much money." Although we didn't have any money left, we didn't lose money and bought an industry. It seems that the silver is earned quickly, but it is not spent. ”

Chen Yuanheng said: "This is much better than when we first came out of Beijing. At least we have an industry, and we have also cured Hui'er's disease, and we have established a foothold in Anseong. A few days ago, a letter came from Beijing, and the gift we sent to Beijing was praised by Manchuria. My father also wrote to me personally. The eldest brother and the second brother also wrote to me. ”

Bai said: "Yes, the eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law, as well as the second and third sisters, have all written to me. In fact, it's all about a day's routines, asking if the child is healthy or something. It's perfunctory, but it's always like that. My mother's side also wrote back to me. ”

Chen Yuanheng also said: "These are actually irrelevant, just to remember that there are still people in our three rooms." What matters is the reply from the big sister. ”

Now the Bai family came to the spirit: "Did the eldest sister give you a letter?" How can she give you a letter in the palace? ”

Chen Yuanheng whispered: "It's a secret letter, let the people around her send it to Princess Lichuan." Princess Lichuan also came with a letter, all of whom had just arrived today. Princess Lichuan's letter is very ordinary, but the eldest sister's letter is concerned about my future. said that I asked in the palace, and there was news to tell her that my performance this year was excellent. It can be seen that it was the money I gave to the prefect that played a role. The eldest sister was surprised that I could do so well, saying that she was very optimistic about me, and she would find an opportunity to re-establish the emperor's premise, and also said that she had several good ministers, all of whom had a good relationship with Princess Lichuan's husband, Jinghai Hou Shizi, and she had already explained that these people were going to promote me to the prefect next year. ”

Bai Shi was very happy when he heard the news: "Master, is it true? Why is the Hou Shizi of Jinghai so capable? Chen Yuanheng said: "Madame can't tell others, in fact, a small official position like mine can be promoted as long as you are familiar with the people in the ministry." The Marquis of Jinghai is the minister of the emperor's trust, and the prince of the Marquis of Jinghai is very open in the ministry, otherwise why do you think the eldest sister can stand up again in the palace? ”

Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The people in the palace have more hearts and eyes than us. The eldest sister has endured for so many years to find a mother-in-law for Princess Lichuan, and sure enough, she found it. Of course, I also heard at home that Princess Lichuan is beautiful and intelligent, and she is the most favored by the emperor. ”

Chen Yuanheng also said softly: "Yes, who said that it is useless to give birth to a girl, the eldest sister's son did not bring her power, but her daughter brought her glory, this is really unexpected." ”

Bai Shi sighed and said: "What about bringing glory, there is no son waiting for the crown prince to succeed to the throne in the future, and the eldest sister will not be sent to the royal temple yet." ”

Chen Yuanheng said: "That's not necessarily, now the prince's faction and the three princes' faction are fighting very much, and I don't know who will kill the deer in the future." ”

Bai snorted and said: "Heng and Zhu are not the sons of the eldest sister, how to fight how to fight, our Chen family has long been squeezed out, so we don't care about this." ”

Chen Yuanheng smiled: "Yes, in fact, we also have a good daughter, our Hui'er is so smart, if it weren't for her good idea, how could we be so tired of settling accounts?" ”

The Bai family who said it also laughed: "Yes, when I go back, I will buy more good noodles for Hui'er, although I can't use it now, I can use it in the future." What about the money we have to open a branch? ”

Chen Yuanheng said: "Don't worry about this, some people are willing to lend it to us, we just have to open it, and it's not that we can't pay it back anyway." Opening branches in Fucheng and provincial cities is to spread my network to Fucheng and provincial cities, so that I can ask my eldest sister for the position of Deqing prefect next year. ”

Bai said: "Yes, this is a big deal, we have to do it quickly, money is still secondary, the problem is people, I have to hurry up and let them train the shopkeeper of the branch." ”

After speaking, Bai Shi remembered another thing: "By the way, when it comes to people, I think of another thing." In the morning, Hui'er had an idea. After speaking, he told me how to use fruit trees and flowers to open an incense workshop.

Chen Yuanheng was very happy: "Okay, I'm worried that the silver is not enough, this is good, and there is a new way to make money." In fact, the spice business has always been the most profitable business. It can also create new income for our tenants, and they will soon become rich, and my county magistrate will look good. ”

Bai laughed.

In the next few days, Bai Shi brought Chen Wenhui to prepare for the New Year.

Chen Wenhui just went to the supermarket to buy it for the New Year in his previous life, but now he can't do it here, first he wants to buy some gifts, because he has to distribute some local friends during the festival, and then he is ready to give a return gift to his subordinates.

Bai didn't want to lose her reputation for greedy money, and she prepared a return gift for all the people who gave gifts. Chen Wenhui asked: "Mother, since we don't want to take advantage of others, how good is it to just stop accepting it, and save the trouble of returning gifts?" ”

Bai said to his naïve daughter: "Hui'er, have you read the book 'When the water is clear, there are no fish'?" ”

Chen Wenhui replied: "Of course I have seen it." Oh, I see, did my mother say that being a clean official would make my father lack help? ”

Bai Shi said with satisfaction: "Hui'er is smart, if we don't accept gifts, we will be said by others to be fake Qinggao, and there will be no friends to help us when we have something." Now it's just right, there are send-offs and returns, there is a coming-and-going, there are more contacts, these people's hearts are like your father getting closer, and we have more friends. ”

Chen Wenhui nodded in understanding. It seems that there is a lot of knowledge as an official.

In addition to preparing these, Bai also instructed the kitchen to prepare some New Year's food. This reminded Chen Wenhui of a lot of food for the New Year in her previous life. I soaked in the kitchen all day and taught the cook to make a lot of fried things, such as steamed dumplings, hemp leaves, fried dough sticks, fried fish pieces, fried chicken pieces, and fried meat pieces. These can be put for a while without fear of being bad.

Some steaming bowls are also prepared, such as tamales, steamed fish, steamed chicken, and the like. Anyway, the chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep in his farm are all big, and he killed a lot of them during the New Year, so the house is rich in meat.

Bai Shi was very happy to see that Chen Wenhui had made so many festive foods, and he was also very satisfied with this taste, so he let Yin Hong learn it and put it in the restaurant.

At this time, Chen Wenhui remembered the practices of some restaurants in his previous life, so he asked Yin Hong to take people to make a lot of fried things, as well as steamed bowls and the like, and asked Chen Qing to make a list of the big customers who often come to Qinghe Building, and each family sent some to thank them.

These customers are very happy to receive the gifts, and the taste is also very special, which increases the loyalty to the restaurant. Because these are all fried in soybean oil, the sales of soybean oil have increased a lot.

Busy until the twenty-nineth, the business in the house is closed, and there is no business during the Chinese New Year. The Bai family deliberately asked the account office to prepare silver in advance, and in addition to the normal payment of wages, he also gave additional rewards. Several big shopkeepers in the business office like Feiguang, Ziyu, Chen Fu, Chen Qing, and Li Huan all gave out a reward of one hundred taels. Qingjian took over Pushou late, but he earned a lot of money, so he gave a reward of fifty taels.

The chief housekeeper Chen Cai gave a reward of one hundred and twenty taels, and the inner housekeeper Chen Cai's family gave a reward of twenty taels. Yin Hong also sent a reward of one hundred taels.

The rest of the workers were paid two taels and some were paid five taels. The ordinary ones also have five hundred big money. The maids and maids in the house also gave rewards of five taels, two taels, and one tael according to their ranks.

For a while, there was joy inside and outside.

Chen Yuanheng's yamen was also sealed, Chen Wenjun and Chen Wenlin also took a holiday, and the next family got together.

A few days after the Chinese New Year, the Chen family first gave their children New Year's money. The two sons were each one hundred taels, and the daughters were two hundred taels.

Chen Wenhui wondered why she had more than her two brothers, so she asked her parents.

Bai said: "They boys can't give too much money, I'm afraid that if they have money, they will go outside to mess around, you will be different, and girls don't go out of the boudoir, even if they go out, they will go out with me to visit rouge shops and jewelry stores and the like, and they won't spend money indiscriminately, so they will give a little more." ”

Now Chen Wenhui understands, it seems that the ancients also believed in "poor boys, rich girls".

But Chen Wenhui is still very happy, who hates money.

For example, the first day of the first month is to reunite the family, the second day of the first year of the first month is to go back to the mother's house, the third day of the first month is to go to the uncle's house, and the fourth day of the first month is to go to the aunt's house. Because the Chen family lives here, there are no relatives and a family, which just saves trouble. Just get together as a family, eat, and chat.

Since they all have free time, Chen Yuanheng also showed off his talent and performed playing the flute, Bai was also very happy, he played the piano, the eldest brother actually has skills, he can play the huqin, and the second brother is not bad, he can play Xiao.

Chen Wenhui looked at it, no, she had to show her hand, so she found a pen and paper, and spent this picture of the whole family, of course, she also painted herself who was painting.

After the painting, the Chen family was very surprised, and even Chen Yuanheng, who has always boasted of his extraordinary painting skills, was very surprised. It turns out that Chen Wenhui knew Western painting in her previous life, those photo sketches, oil paintings and watercolors and the like, but she doesn't know much about Chinese painting, and she has been here for a year, and Chen Yuanheng teaches her Chinese painting every day.

She also created her own Western painting skills into Chinese painting, although the technology is not very mature, but compared to this era only like the shape of the painting is much more realistic. Chen Yuanheng was very happy and deliberately asked his eldest son to make a poem, and the second son wrote the poem in the blank space of the painting. handed it to Bai to put it away, saying that it was to be framed after the festival.