Hearing the news from outside, Hua Bolin said sensibly, "Eldest sister, I will go to pay my respects to my grandmother first, and then go to my mother's room."
"Go ahead, tell grandma something happy and spend more time with her."
"yes."
Butler Xu and Chen Liang, who were waiting outside, greeted him when they saw him come out. Hua Bailin put one hand behind his back and supported himself with the other hand, then walked away with big strides. He looked less impetuous than a young man and more steady.
The two men looked at each other and were happy for the eldest girl. They had also noticed in recent days that the Sixth Young Master, who was the most active among all the young masters of the Hua family and dared to disobey even in front of the eldest master, was very honest in front of the eldest girl. This kind of honesty was not out of fear, but respect.
Liu Xiang invited us at the door.
Chen Liang was half a step slower than Butler Xu and naturally fell behind. Although Butler Xu did not feel any emotion because the eldest girl had to lift someone up, he felt very comfortable at this moment and his thoughts became more thorough.
As long as the eldest son Xu Jie does his job well, the eldest daughter will naturally use him. Even the younger son Xu Ying has shown his face to the eldest daughter, so she will naturally remember him when she needs someone in the future. The eldest daughter has not treated him badly, so he should be content.
Thinking of this, his face became calmer. "Let the young lady know that the house has been sold. Because they were in a hurry to sell it, the other party lowered the price a bit. I took the initiative to agree to it. The total amount is 778 taels of silver."
It was a little less than expected, but it was acceptable. Hua Zhi saw Yingchun go over to take the banknotes and silver and said, "Butler Xu, please keep some money to buy some tuition. It should be twice as much as before. Try to get the best ones within the range that the Hua family can afford now."
"yes."
"Chen Liang, how is it going?"
"To answer the eldest lady, we have already bought all 25 shops, but there are still a few shops doing business, so we need to wait another two days before we can move them all out."
"We have already taken a hundred steps, so we don't need to make two more. But we should also prepare what we need. Go and measure the dimensions. All the walls of the shop need to be papered, and the outside needs to be repainted. I have already ordered the sign, and a carpenter will come to do the work in a couple of days. You need to cooperate with him."
After listening to the elder girl for a few days, Chen Liang knew that the elder girl was a person who would listen to him. He hesitated for a moment and expressed his opinion, "Isn't this a bit too expensive?"
"When doing food business, we must first pay attention to cleanliness. When the shops in the whole alley are neatly arranged and clean, people will feel at ease when they see them. Then they will be willing to buy some to taste the food. As long as our food is really delicious, business will pick up over time, and all the efforts will be worth it."
"Yes, I understand."
"Butler Xu, I have a few blueprints here. Take them and discuss with the glass workshop to see if it can be made. If it can be made, I can only give you half a month at most. You have to wait until these things are in place before you can open the shop."
Baoxia handed the blueprint to Butler Xu, who took a look and bowed in response.
There was glass in the Daqing Dynasty, but it was not very transparent and was not favored by the rich and powerful. The poor people also thought it was fragile and not durable, so not many people used it. Therefore, when making canned peaches, Hua Zhi did not consider using glass bottles. After all, the sales of canned food still depended on the rich, and using porcelain jars was more upscale.
However, it is still suitable to be used as a counter, placed at the door. When customers get closer, they can see what the raw materials are inside, so they know what they are eating. It is also more aesthetically pleasing than a wooden cabinet.
****
The reopening of the clan school was a big event for the Hua family. The old lady packed up early in the morning and was supported by Hua Zhi to go to the front yard. Several daughters-in-law also came, but they were a little further away.
If the men of the Hua family were here, there would be no need for a group of children to intervene in such matters. This is not in accordance with etiquette, but the current situation is special and the old lady is not bound by that.
Hua Bailin led the twenty-four brothers from the main branch of the family and stood in the front, with his body straight and his eyes determined. He wanted to look back at his sister, but finally he held back. He was now a role model for his younger brothers and he had to set a good example.
"Sir, please come in."
Mr. Mu did not expect that the Hua family would welcome him so grandly. When he walked out from the screen wall and saw the people in the yard, he paused.
Hua Bolin led his brother in bowing and said, "Student greets Mr. Mu."
The Hua family members behind also bowed deeply.
Mr. Mu hurried forward to help him up, "It's not the first time we meet, why are you so polite? Hurry up and get up."
"You deserve it, sir."
Seeing that this former mischievous student had grown into an adult in such a short period of time, Mr. Mu felt deeply moved and at the same time, he was greatly relieved.
Many people came to visit the old lady upon learning that he had accepted her invitation. All of them advised him to think it over carefully. Although they all had their own selfish motives and some did not want to be more exposed in comparison, some of their words did make sense.
One of the things that made him hold on and not waver was the attitude of the young masters of the Hua family towards studying. Even though Hua Bailin wished he could skip the family school every day, he would never be sloppy or perfunctory in the assignments. Those who were not talented would not give up on themselves. There were small contradictions and conflicts, but in terms of their attitude towards studying, the children of the Hua family could be role models for other families.
With the old man setting an example himself, the Hua family has the most upright ethos. Now that the Hua family is in trouble, he doesn't believe that the Hua family will really not be able to get through it. He doesn't believe that the many children of the Hua family will not be able to help the Hua family turn things around. He was a little worried before coming here, but now he feels relieved when he sees these children with determined eyes.
Moreover, he had received great kindness from the old man. If he just walked away at this time, wouldn't it be a waste of all the years of reading the sages' books
Patting Hua Bolin on the shoulder, Mr. Mu walked towards Madam Hua. Before he even bent down, she knelt first, and the women behind her also knelt down to salute. He hurriedly avoided them, "What is the old lady doing? I can't stand it."
"Sir, you have a noble character, so you deserve it." The old lady straightened up, "From now on, the descendants of the Hua family will trouble you."
"I will do my best." He knew it would not be easy, and he had prepared himself mentally before coming. In the past, there were fourteen teachers in the Hua family school. As he was good at Spring and Autumn, he would be the main teacher, and there were other people to teach the others. But now he had to take on all the responsibilities by himself.
"I don't dare to trouble you alone, sir. There is another teacher who will not arrive for some time." The old lady glanced at her granddaughter beside her, "Before that, Zhi'er will take over the teacher's position first."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Mu looked at Hua Zhi in surprise. He had been in the Hua family for four years and had seldom seen the women of the family. He knew that this was the eldest girl because she was Hua Bolin's biological sister. It was said that the two siblings were very close. Even if it was the second or third girl, he would not be so surprised. After all, those two had some talent, but he had never heard that the eldest girl had such talent.