Blossom

After seeing Dou Zhao off, Dou Xiuchang immediately went to Dou Shibang and told him about Dou Zhao's plan to open a stationery shop. He added, "If it were a small amount of money, and since the capital is all Fourth Sister's anyway—I’d just be overseeing things for her—it wouldn’t be a big deal. But she’s asking for ten thousand taels right off the bat. I’m afraid she might be swindled, yet I couldn’t say it outright for fear of offending her. So I gave a vague response, but if she really does get cheated, how am I supposed to explain it to the Dou and Zhao families? People might even think I had a hand in it."

"Why would Shou Gu suddenly want to open a shop?" Dou Shibang was surprised, but with his experience, he quickly came up with a solution and said with a laugh, "Shou Gu won’t personally go around selecting shop locations or ordering stationery. Just have the stewards report the accounts to you, and that’ll settle it."

"Right!" Dou Xiuchang clapped his hands. "Why didn’t I think of that? Even if someone is scheming against Fourth Aunt, at least we won’t lose everything at once. And by getting familiar with the stewards helping her, we might spot any clues early on."

Dou Shibang nodded with a smile.

Dou Xiuchang tactfully relayed Dou Shibang’s suggestion to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao smiled but said nothing.

Managing half of Western Dou’s assets wasn’t so easy!

She asked Dou Shibang to help her hire a chief manager.

The chief managers under Dou Zhao’s name were all well-established in their positions, each with their own responsibilities. There was no need to disrupt them. Moreover, not just anyone could be a chief manager. From apprentice to clerk to manager to chief manager, it took at least twenty years of experience. No family would lightly let go of someone they had spent twenty years training, and if a chief manager who had spent two decades in one place suddenly sought employment elsewhere, there was bound to be a problem—one that would be hard to uncover.

Rather than exhausting herself to find someone of uncertain quality, it was better to recruit directly from the Dou family—someone trustworthy and loyal.

Dou Shibang chuckled. "How big a scale are you planning for, that you need a chief manager? I think a regular manager would suffice."

"Since I’ve already asked Third Uncle for help, I might as well ask for the best," Dou Zhao said playfully. "I don’t care how you do it, but my shop will open after the New Year, and I’ll come to collect my manager then. Otherwise, I’ll drag the chief manager of your Capital bank to Zhen Ding myself."

Of course, that was impossible.

Dou Shibang stroked his beard and laughed heartily. After careful consideration, he selected a manager from the family for her: "...His name is Fan Wenshu. He started as an apprentice at eight and is now thirty-two—already the deputy manager of the Accumulated Fragrance Pavilion."

The Accumulated Fragrance Pavilion was the Dou family’s antique shop in the Capital.

Dou Zhao reluctantly nodded. "Even if he’s not in the stationery business, it’s at least somewhat related. Fine, I’ll take him."

Dou Shibang could only shake his head.

If even someone like this was being looked down upon, no wonder none of the family’s managers, big or small, wanted to work for Dou Zhao when they heard she was the one hiring.

Dou Zhao had no idea how hard it was to become a manager.

He had no choice but to promise Fan Wenshu, "If the shop fails, I’ll make you the chief manager of the Accumulated Fragrance Pavilion’s Nanjing branch."

Fan Wenshu gave a bitter smile.

Was becoming a chief manager that easy?

He’d have to be capable of it first!Having been away from the antique business for several years, even if he returned to the Accumulated Fragrance Pavilion now, his lack of experience over those years would likely leave his judgment far from what it once was. Moreover, Fourth Miss Dou was an unmarried young lady—who knew where she might be married off to in a few years?

But since Third Master Dou had already spoken to this extent, what else could he say?

After handing over the account books, he put on a smiling face and headed to the western residence.

Gan Lu muttered, "Didn't they say they'd give us a chief shopkeeper?"

"Be content with what you have!" Dou Zhao laughed. "How many chief shopkeepers does the Dou family even have? Our little assets aren’t even worth their notice." She had deliberately left room for her third uncle to negotiate with her.

Gan Lu sheepishly went to fetch Fan Wenshu.

When Dou Zhao saw him, she found him of average height, with regular features and a naturally amiable expression before he even spoke—a typical businessman. She felt an initial goodwill and briefly explained the matter before sending him to her third cousin to collect the silver.

Fan Wenshu stood dumbfounded for a long while.

The main shop was in the Capital, and within five years, they were to open ten branch stores between Zhen Ding and the Capital. But the scale, the funds, and who else would be involved—none of these were specified.

"Does Fourth Miss have any further instructions?" he asked respectfully.

"I only have this one requirement. The rest is up to you—you’re the shopkeeper, after all," Dou Zhao replied with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Oh, you’ll also have a deputy shopkeeper, a man named Cui Shisan. He won’t be able to join the shop until next September."

After Fan Wenshu withdrew, he immediately began inquiring about Cui Shisan.

The Dou family’s stewards and shopkeepers were all shrewd, and word quickly spread. Someone joked, "So Fourth Miss is trying to elevate Consort Cui’s relatives. Fan Wenshu, you’re just here to keep the Crown Prince company in his studies!"

"Keeping the Crown Prince company is fine," Fan Wenshu grumbled. "What I fear is the Crown Prince pretending to understand and giving orders when he doesn’t."

The others laughed. "You’re an antique dealer—do you even understand stationery?"

Cui Shisan, meanwhile, was asking Dou Zhao, "You’re having an antique dealer sell stationery? And you want me to be your deputy shopkeeper?"

Arguing with Cui Shisan was something Dou Zhao had long since stopped doing in her past life—it was thankless work. She cut straight to the point: "Consort Cui has already agreed to this."

"You’re bluffing, aren’t you?" Cui Shisan’s eyes darted around. "I’ll go ask Consort Cui myself."

Dou Zhao calmly sipped her tea.

Cui Shisan deflated.

Dou Zhao then asked him, "How are things with Boyan?"

"We’ve uncovered a lot of things no one else knows," Cui Shisan said, his face lighting up. "There’s a village in Xiping where the locals secretly cultivated over two hundred acres of wasteland—for six years, and no one noticed! And in Quyang Bridge, the land register shows only two hundred acres of fertile land, but judging by the village’s layout, it seems like there’s more..."

Dou Zhao was shocked. "You actually found all that out?" She hurriedly warned Cui Shisan, "You mustn’t speak carelessly about this—beware of trouble from loose lips."

"I know," Cui Shisan said dismissively. "If you cut off someone’s source of wealth, they’ll cut off your lifeline. I understand the stakes. I’m only telling you because you asked, just to pass the time."

Dou Zhao, remembering that Dou Qijun had once been a censor, couldn’t rest easy. When she went to pay her respects to Sixth Aunt, she made a detour to her third cousin’s wife to give Dou Qijun a warning."Don't worry, Fourth Aunt. I'm not some seventeen or eighteen-year-old lad who'd charge ahead recklessly just because of a surge of hot blood."

You're only two or three years older than those seventeen or eighteen-year-olds, aren't you?

Dou Zhao thought to herself sarcastically as she stood up to take her leave.

On her way back, she encountered Wu Shan and Dou Zhengchang.

The two were walking side by side, whispering about something with dejected expressions.

Dou Zhao went up to greet them.

Startled, they forced smiles and exchanged a few words with her before hurrying off to school.

Though puzzled, Dou Zhao didn't chase after them to inquire further.

Returning home, she found her grandmother along with Gan Lu and Su Juan wiping their tears.

"Shou Gu, Bie Gangyi has passed away," her grandmother said with red-rimmed eyes. "Those two young girls—what do they know? You should send someone over to help them."

Feeling heavy-hearted, Dou Zhao sent word to Zhao Liangbi in Zhen Ding to assist Bie Suxin and Bie Sulan with the funeral arrangements. She also invited Mr. Chen to accompany her to Zhen Ding the next day.

The Bie Family Martial Arts School was draped in white, with many people coming and going—burly men, frail elderly, and even a few vendors who had just delivered fish. Everyone wore solemn expressions, bringing either sacrificial offerings or simply a pair of elegiac couplets to pay respects at the mourning hall. It was clear Bie Gangyi had been well-liked.

After the steward presented the offerings, Dou Zhao lit three incense sticks. Bie Suxin, who had been receiving guests by the coffin, accompanied Dou Zhao to the main room.

"Miss," she said wearily, pouring Dou Zhao a cup of hot tea, "the weather is so cold—you could have just sent someone. There was no need to come yourself." She added, "After Father's first-week memorial, my sister and I will enter the household."

Entering the household meant abiding by the Dou family's rules. During the New Year, the sisters couldn't very well wear mourning clothes, could they?

"Wait until after the seventh-week memorial and the start of spring before entering the household," Dou Zhao said. "There's no hurry."

Bie Suxin thanked her gratefully.

Outside, someone called out, "The banquet is ready!"

Dou Zhao glanced over and saw Zhao Liangbi and Chen Xiaofeng busy helping the Bie family host guests.

With a faint smile, Dou Zhao didn't stay for the meal and returned to Zhen Ding early.

Second Madam was speaking with Dou Shibang.

"The second shopkeeper is from the Cui family," Second Madam mused, "but the main store is in the Capital... Could she be preparing for a standoff with the Wang Family?" She frowned. "Yet it was her own choice not to go to the Capital... Or perhaps she refuses to bow and acknowledge kinship with the Wangs?"

Dou Shibang shared her thoughts. "What do you suggest we do now?"

"What's there to hesitate about?" Second Madam chuckled. "The silver belongs to Shou Gu. If she wants to secure more income for the family, that's a good thing. We should support her!"

Zeng Yifen had cooled toward Wang Xingyi for years after he nearly caused a scandal by mishandling family affairs. But Wang Xingyi's luck was too good—he kept winning battles in Shaanxi, earning even the Emperor's praise as "impressive." With only so many high positions in court, if Zeng Yifen didn't promote his own men despite such achievements, he couldn't block others from doing so. If all the good posts went to others, it would be a blow to Zeng Yifen.

Dou Shibang understood his brother's predicament well.He smiled and said, "Fan Wenshu came to see me about a shopfront he's taken a liking to on Hanlin Alley in the southern part of the Capital. Shou Gu wants to purchase it. Coincidentally, we have a two-room silk shop there that's been doing mediocre business due to its cramped layout. I think it would be best to sell it to Shou Gu. It would suit them well for a stationery shop."

"You decide," Second Madam replied with a smile, then changed the subject to inquire about the New Year preparations. "How are things coming along?"

"Everything's ready," Dou Shibang answered cheerfully. "This year's harvest from the farmstead was excellent—we received four thousand catties more grain than usual."

Second Madam nodded with a pleased smile as a young maid entered to announce, "The Fourth Young Miss has arrived."

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Finally, a proper update for everyone to read!

(>_<)

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