Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 522 - 198 Business (Part 2)

The more Yueyao thought about it, the better the idea seemed. She shared her thoughts with Zhuang Ruolan, "Cousin-in-law, think about it, good clothes naturally bring repeat customers; if the rouge and powder are good, they will come back to buy more. The two shops can drive business for each other, I think it’s a great idea." Yueyao felt that as long as their products were good, they wouldn’t have to worry about business.

Seeing that Zhuang Ruolan was still not persuaded, Yueyao finally added, "If cousin-in-law thinks it’s risky, then I’ll take a seventy percent share. How does that sound?"

Zhuang Ruolan wasn’t very keen on the business, mainly because she felt that rouge and powder weren’t very profitable, possibly because the profit margins at the cloth shop were so high, she looked down on the lower-profit businesses. However, Zhuang Ruolan found Yueyao’s sequential business plans amusing; she had always thought of Yueyao as a lofty person who disliked mundane tasks and especially disdained doing business. This revelation opened her eyes; Yueyao hardly seemed like someone who disdained business, but rather like an experienced merchant.

Seeing that Zhuang Ruolan was still not enthusiastic, Yueyao felt somewhat disappointed, but then Zhuang Ruolan looked up, smiling, and said, "You girl, I thought you could only paint! I never expected you to know how to do business. Fine, let’s open both the ready-to-wear shop and the rouge shop." The ready-to-wear shop would be easy to set up, but the rouge and powder were trickier, requiring procurement from Jiangnan.

Zhuang Ruolan remembered that her brother’s fiancée’s brother was an official in Jiangnan, and her eyes lit up. When her sister-in-law was married into the family in October, it would be a good idea to invite her to join the business venture, not for profit, but to strengthen family ties.

Zhuang Changhe’s arranged marriage was to the legitimate eldest daughter of Lord Hong, the Libationer at the Imperial Academy. Although a Libationer was only a fourth-ranked position, it was immensely prestigious. Furthermore, although the Hong Family wasn’t among the most renowned families in the Capital City, they were very supportive; the legitimate eldest son was a Second Place Scholar from the previous sessions, and the legitimate second son was also a Palace Graduate. Both had married daughters from prestigious families, which was advantageous for Zhuang Changhe.

Zhuang Ruolan had seen the young lady from the Hong family too; she was beautiful and her manners and etiquette were top-notch, what satisfied Zhuang Ruolan even more was that this young lady had been managing household affairs since she was fourteen under her mother and the steward. A girl capable of managing a household was not easy to fool, and Zhuang Ruolan was not worried that her future sister-in-law would be oppressed by Madam Bao. The marriage pleased not only Zhuang Ruolan but also the Duchess.

Zhuang Ruolan shared her plans with Yueyao and then proposed, "Yueyao, how about this: you hold a thirty percent share in both the ready-to-wear shop and the cosmetic shop. What do you think?"

Yueyao had no objections: "That works."

After Yueyao left, Cai Yun sighed and said, "Young lady, why can’t I see through the Third Young Lady?" She had thought the Third Young Lady was aloof, viewing money as dirt, yet when it came to business, the Third Young Lady was thoroughly proficient, which left her astonished.

Zhuang Ruolan felt it was a pity: "It’s a pity Yueyao’s heart isn’t in it; otherwise, she could really do a lot in business." Zhuang Ruolan realized that it wasn’t that Yueyao didn’t understand mundane tasks; she just wasn’t interested in spending her energy on them. After all, if she were inclined, she would excel at anything.

Cai Yun chuckled; not everyone was like her master, enjoying business and making money. Cai Yi chimed in, "Young lady, do you think these two businesses can really be successful?"

Zhuang Ruolan, a very astute person, had naturally noticed Yueyao’s confident demeanor, "What do you think?"

Cai Yi blurted out without a second thought, "I think they can work; Miss Yao is a dark horse. You didn’t notice, young lady, but her eyes were twinkling just now, as if there were mountains of gold and silver before her. I think she’s so sure it’ll make money because she’s got something up her sleeve." Yueyao had momentarily let her emotions show, and both Zhuang Ruolan and Cai Yun had noticed.

Zhuang Ruolan said with a smile, "Since Yueyao is so confident, it’s worth a try." Successfully running the business was sure to be profitable, it was just a question of how much.

That day, Zhuang Ruolan sent a card to Madam Ping, and soon someone returned the card.

The next day, Zhuang Ruolan went to Marquis Jingning’s residence, originally intending to take Yueyao with her, but Yueyao shook her head and declined, "Cousin-in-law, the Lady of Marquis Jingning says my presence is too commanding, overwhelming others. The last time I visited her, she had a headache that very night, so I better not go."

Zhuang Ruolan was unaware of this. If it hadn’t been for Xiang Wei, Yueyao wouldn’t have known either. Yueyao actually thought the Lady of Marquis Jingning was making a fuss over nothing, but since she considered her a stranger, she preferred not to engage further.

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