Chapter 331
Chapter 331
Time passed quickly, and Mobei grew cold again.
Snow came early here. One morning, everyone woke to find the entire landscape wrapped in silver and white.
With no moon and the weather so cold, Jiang Yunsui did not even want to cultivate outdoors.
Bundled in thick, fluffy clothes, she had no desire to leave the house.
“That won’t do. We’re dividing the profits today. How can you stay inside?”
Liu Huan entered her room with a smile in her eyes.
“The textile workshop’s earnings are ready to be distributed today. Don’t you want your share?”
Jiang Yunsui hugged a hand warmer.
“Just bring me my share.”
That was what she said, but she still went out with Liu Huan.
“Sister-in-law, how much did we make?”
Once every soldier in the camp had received his uniform, the textile workshop began selling its cloth and wool yarn to the public.
Most of its sales, however, came from woolen fabric.
After all, no one else knew how to knit sweaters yet.
Only a few of Jiang Yunsui’s maids had learned to knit garments with yarn under her guidance, and they later taught the women at the workshop.
The technique had yet to spread widely.
As a result, the yarn was mostly bought by the women workers themselves.
Yarn cost considerably less. With little to do during winter, knitting sweaters at home was an excellent way to pass the time.
“We only began selling cloth outside two months ago, but sales have been excellent. We calculated everything last night. Our total profit for the two months was fifty-three thousand taels of silver, and that’s only from Beizhen City and the surrounding counties. If we transport it south, we’ll sell even more.”
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes lit up. More than fifty thousand! Her share would be enormous.
Jiang Yunsui held the largest share of the textile workshop’s profits at forty percent. The remaining sixty percent was divided among all the Ji women except Second Aunt.
Jiang Yunsui alone would receive more than twenty thousand taels of silver.
Everyone gathered in Old Madam Ji’s rooms. All the Ji women were present, chatting and laughing together.
Second Aunt had come as well, but only to pay her respects. She still did not know that everyone was here to divide the profits.
After all, she had not participated in the venture.
Once everyone had finished paying their respects, Old Madam Ji began the proceedings.
Jiang Yunsui had barely involved herself in the textile workshop afterward. Ji Yan’an’s three older sisters and Liu Huan managed it.
They kept account books using the double-entry bookkeeping method Jiang Yunsui had later introduced, so the figures could not be falsified.
Old Madam Ji had already checked the accounts. Several of the young women now stepped forward and announced the total profits from the past two months.
“Fifty-three thousand taels of silver. That is our net profit.”
Everyone remained composed because they had learned the figure yesterday, though they too had been badly startled when they first calculated it.
This was no small sum.
“What?!”
Second Aunt was the most shocked of all.
She nearly dropped the teacup in her hand.
“H-how much?”
She suspected she had misheard. Fifty thousand? Fifty-three thousand?!
Liu Huan smiled. She had known Second Aunt would react this way.
“Second Aunt didn’t hear clearly? Then listen carefully. The textile workshop earned fifty-three thousand taels of silver over the past two months. That is the net profit after deducting the cost of raw materials and the women’s wages.”
The three other Ji daughters exchanged glances, each seeing amusement and excitement in the others’ eyes.
This was the first money they had ever earned themselves.
It belonged to them.
The feeling was even more satisfying and exhilarating than being the wife of a man from some lofty noble household.
Liu Huan said, “Little Yunsui owns the largest share, so she receives twenty-one thousand two hundred taels of silver. Grandmother owns a twenty-percent share, so she receives ten thousand six hundred taels…”
She read out the figures they had calculated the day before.
As she finished, young male servants entered carrying chests.
Most of the chests were placed in front of Jiang Yunsui.
The servants thoughtfully opened them, revealing neatly arranged silver ingots inside.
Second Aunt’s eyes went wide and fixed on the silver.
The Ji daughters had invested little. Youngest Aunt came from poverty and had brought very little money with her. In the end, she had invested all her silver in the textile workshop.
She had not done it out of trust. She had simply thought there was no point keeping the money anyway. The household provided all her food, clothing, and daily necessities, so she would not be left wanting. She might as well take the gamble.
She had never expected to earn so much at once.
And this was not a one-time payment.
They would continue receiving shares of the profits in the future.
This time, she received more than two thousand taels of silver, the same amount as the Ji daughters.
Ji Yang also received more than two thousand taels of silver.
Second Aunt was the only person present who received nothing.
Her expression darkened slightly.
Ji Yang was a filial granddaughter. After repaying the silver she had borrowed from Jiang Yunsui, she wanted to give the rest to Second Aunt.
Second Aunt was competitive and always wanted the best, but she sincerely wanted what was best for her only granddaughter, so she refused the money.
Once the silver had been distributed, everyone went their separate ways.
Second Aunt was still somewhat dazed.
“It actually makes that much money.”
She was filled with regret. If only… if only she had invested as well…
“Thank goodness Yangyang was clever enough to invest some silver. Otherwise, our branch of the family wouldn’t have received a single tael today.”
She still needed to save up a dowry for Yangyang.
Ji Yang said, “Little Aunt lent me the money.”
Although Second Aunt did not want to admit it, her opinion of Jiang Yunsui truly had changed.
“She merely got lucky.”
She stubbornly refused to concede.
Ji Yang said, “But the wine Little Aunt brews makes an incredible amount of money.”
That was right!
Even without knowing exactly how much the wine earned, anyone could tell it must be enormously profitable from the frenzy with which people bought it and its high price.
Second Aunt could no longer deceive herself by claiming that the wine belonged to Ji Yan’an.
Although she had not helped when Jiang Yunsui brewed the wine, she knew how the entire process had unfolded.
Jiang Yunsui had grown the ingredients herself and directed the brewing process herself.
Second Aunt deflated slightly. How was this child so capable?
Who knew where she had learned the brewing method?
It certainly had not come from Ji Yan’an. If Ji Yan’an possessed such a method, he would have used it himself. Only a fool would hand the recipe to a child.
“Yangyang, from now on… spend more time with Jiang Yunsui.”
Silver was still extremely important.
She had no intention of treating money like dirt.
Having endured hardship since childhood, she knew that only silver in one’s own hands could provide true confidence.
She wanted to raise Yangyang as a refined young lady and marry her into a powerful noble family when she grew up, because only those with sufficient power and standing could ensure that Yangyang would not suffer mistreatment.
In households like those, at least one generally never lacked food or clothing.
Ji Yang nodded. “Grandmother, don’t worry. I’ll study hard with Little Aunt. She knows so many things.”
Second Aunt said, “There are some things you still shouldn’t learn from her. You need to be more ladylike. Jiang Yunsui is always making a commotion. She doesn’t act remotely like a young lady from a great family.”
Ji Yang’s eyes gradually went blank, and she gave an occasional perfunctory nod.
The moment she turned away, however, she tossed every word her grandmother had said straight out of her mind.