dognovel Chapter 120 - I've stolen them all!
Chapter 120 - I've stolen them all!
When Mu Xin Nuan heard the news, she smiled slightly and said, "It's time for us to make our move. Mu Qing, go and tell Granny Yu to bring Xing Wang here. I want to see him."
"Miss, are you planning to let Xingwang do it right away? Is he capable?"
"How could that be? I'm just having him go there to be an apprentice for a few days, to learn how to be a waiter. After all, he's a servant born into the Mu family, unlike others."
"Has Miss found someone she likes to take over those two shops?"
Mu Xin Nuan smiled faintly, "I mentioned it to my mother before, and borrowed two capable people from her. In addition, isn't Yu Mama's husband helping my mother manage the estate? He is also good at accounting, so we can transfer him to the jewelry shop to manage the accounts. As for the other employees, we can keep them."
"Isn't Miss afraid of them?" Mu Qing didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: she was worried that the people in the shop might harm her.
"Don't worry! The most important thing in running a business is that the accounts are clear and that the people are your own. In addition, remove the managers of these two shops and promote the original senior employees. They will naturally work hard."
Mu Qing understood this time. The master had promoted the shop assistant, so naturally the assistant would be grateful and work hard. Thinking back, it was that same shop assistant who had been bringing the news. It turned out that the master had bribed the shop assistants from both stores from the beginning and had never intended to work with the manager.
"Miss, who do you think would be the most suitable person to handle this matter of buying the shop?"
"It must be from Granny Yu's family. He always works on the estate outside and only comes here two or three times a year. Mu Xinyao probably doesn't have any impression of him."
"Yes, ma'am."
Sure enough, the jewelry shop also ran into trouble, and it was a big deal that required them to pay compensation! Since the jewelry shop didn't have much to offer, some of the gold and silver jewelry in the shop was looted without anyone's instigation!
When Mu Xinyao went to check again after avoiding the news for two days, only the shopkeeper and a few young apprentices were left there, looking worried.
"Miss, we can't keep this jewelry shop going. Not only have all the goods been looted, but our reputation has also been ruined. Miss, you should think of another way and find another business to make a living."
Other? Mu Xinyao frowned, thinking to herself, "In this era, running these kinds of businesses is the most profitable! What else could they do? A silk shop? But which of them knows anything about that? It's like crossing a mountain between different trades; how could they just switch professions so easily?"
“Miss, this isn’t the worst of it. Those master craftsmen are all waiting to collect their monthly wages. They haven’t received their wages for three months. In addition, the apprentices from both families should also receive nearly two hundred taels of silver. And that doesn’t even include the servants.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Xinyao exclaimed, "Two hundred taels of silver? It's just for a few employees, where would you get so much?"
“Miss, there are eight shop assistants in total, plus the two master tailors in the jewelry shop, the two embroiderers in the clothing shop, and the accountants in both shops. Their monthly wages for these three months are indeed this amount!”
The embroiderer's monthly salary was about the same as the apprentice's, but the two jewelry craftsmen's monthly salary was more than five times higher! If you also include the two shopkeepers, it would be at least two hundred taels!
Mu Xinyao bit her lip. It wasn't that she couldn't come up with that much silver, but the problem was that once she did, she'd have very little left. Plus, the decoration of the clothing shop was almost finished. But she'd need to get more fabric and attract business again, right? At the very least, she'd need another thousand taels of silver! But where was she going to get so much cash right now?
Just thinking about the stolen jewelry made her heart ache! How could someone just snatch it away when so many people were watching?
"Who were those people who started looting that day? If they were from wealthy families, that would be one thing, but if they were ordinary people, wouldn't we be left with nothing to say? Besides, this is the capital city. With such a big incident happening, is no one going to do anything about it?"
"Miss, someone is in charge, but the commander of the east city came, took a look, and left immediately. The carriage of the Duke of Anguo's mansion is parked there, and the guards of the Duke of Anguo's mansion are guarding it. Who dares to interfere?"
The shopkeeper had a few more words he dared not say outright. He knew they were in the wrong, and even if the authorities wanted to intervene, they couldn't let them! Passing off inferior goods as superior ones could land them in jail! Would the second young lady of the Mu family stand up for them then? In the end, wouldn't it be these people who suffered the consequences?
Mu Xinyao was at a loss. She had been full of confidence and wanted to achieve great things, but now? In just a few days, she had become like this? If Aunt Song knew, she would be heartbroken!
However, Mu Xinyao also had her own plans. Song Shi was a cunning woman. Since she was willing to entrust two shops to her management, it meant that she must have other businesses, or even cash, on her hands!
Mu Xinyao's eyes lit up instantly, as if she, who was originally deep in darkness, had suddenly seen a ray of light!
Mu Xinyao made a decision immediately, turned around and went back to the manor to find Madam Song in the Plum Garden!
It's just a pity. Last time, it was because Mu Xin Nuan deliberately let her into the Plum Courtyard to get some things out of Song Shi. Now, without Mu Xin Nuan's arrangements, it's really as difficult as climbing to heaven for her to see Song Shi!
Mu Xinyao wasn't without money, but those two old women wouldn't budge! They wouldn't let Mu Xinyao in no matter what, and they kept saying that this was the master's order, and if the second young lady wanted to see Song Shi, she should go and ask the master for permission first.
Mu Xinyao was furious. Little did she know that on the very day she learned of the incident at Mu Xinyao's shop, Mu Xinnuan had specifically sent someone to give her a warning, implying that Mu Xinyao had secretly sneaked in while the two of them were slacking off. The young lady had suppressed the matter, and any further negligence would result in punishment for both offenses!
After this warning, who would dare to be less alert? Even going to the outhouse, they'd run all the way.
Mu Xinyao was extremely anxious because things weren't going well with the Song family. She couldn't just keep dragging this out; it all cost money! The longer it dragged on, the more she would lose!
Before Mu Xinyao could come up with a good solution, a servant came to report that several people dressed as shop assistants were clamoring to see the second young lady. However, they were being kept out of the door, which was not a solution either!
Mu Xinyao knew that if she let them make a scene, her reputation would be completely ruined!