The Pretty Wife of General Jinxiu Huanian

Chapter 40: Revitalization of the Marquisate

At daybreak, Yunxi jumped up, wearing her light blue dress, and walked quickly and hurriedly to the account office of the Marquis's mansion.

Mr. Liu Fu, the accountant, was thin and emaciated, his head bowed, buried in his account books. He wore round-framed glasses and his hair had turned a lot grayer.

As soon as Yunxi entered the door, she spoke, "Mr. Liu, how are the accounts these days?" Her voice was soft and crisp.

Upon hearing this, Liu Fu quickly stood up, cupped his hands in a bow, and bent his waist like a shrimp. "Miss Yunxi, the accounts are much clearer than before, but the expenses are still shockingly high."

When Yunxi heard this, he frowned slightly, reached out to take the account book, stared at it closely and examined it carefully.

"Why are the expenses of this kitchen so high?" Her voice was raised a little, with a hint of questioning.

Liu Fu raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and with a cautious look on his face, he quickly said, "Miss, you don't know, there are so many people in this mansion, and they all talk a lot, so it's inevitable that there will be some waste."

Yunxi slammed the account book shut, stared at Liu Fu, and said loudly, "No matter what, from today on, the kitchen expenses must be strictly controlled. There must not be any extravagance or waste!"

Liu Fu was startled by Yunxi's momentum, and his body trembled unconsciously. He nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Miss, I understand."

Yunxi glared at Liu Fu again, then picked up the account book again and flipped through it again, muttering, "This won't do. Absolutely not."

Liu Fu stood aside, not daring to breathe. He glanced at Yunxi from time to time, his heart pounding.

Yunxi threw the account book onto the table and put her hands on her waist. "Mr. Liu, you have to keep a close eye on this matter. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible!"

Liu Fu quickly responded, "Don't worry, Miss. I will do my best."

Yunxi put down the account book, her eyes determined: "From today on, the kitchen expenses must be strictly controlled. There must not be any extravagance or waste."

Liu Fu nodded in agreement.

Yunxi left the accounting office and walked quickly towards the garden. As soon as she stepped into the garden, she saw several maids sitting in a circle, their laughter audible from afar. Tools for pruning branches were scattered all over the ground.

"What are you doing?" Yunxi shouted, with his hands on his waist, his brows tightly furrowed, and his eyes full of severity.

The maids shuddered with fear and stood up quickly. Cui'er, the leader, lowered her head and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum: "Miss, we...we just finished pruning the branches and are taking a break."

Yunxi's face instantly darkened, his eyes widening: "The Marquis' Mansion is now in the process of revitalization, how can we tolerate you being so lazy!

Go clean up the garden, don't leave any corner untouched. If there's even a little bit of dirt, you'll be in trouble!"

The maids didn't dare to delay. They hurriedly picked up the tools on the ground and started working.

Just as Yunxi was about to turn around and leave, Wang Wu, the steward of the Marquis' Mansion, came jogging over, panting and with beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Miss Yunxi, there are several businessmen outside who want to see you. They say they want to cooperate with the Marquis' Mansion in business."

Yunxi's eyes suddenly lit up, and a hint of excitement flashed across her face: "Hurry up and invite them to the living room." As she spoke, she quickened her pace.

Arriving at the living room, I saw three businessmen sitting there. One of them, named Zhang, was obese, his belly bulging like a large watermelon, and his face was as smiling as the Maitreya Buddha. "Miss Yunxi, I've heard of the Marquis' Mansion for a long time, and I've come here today to discuss cooperation."

Yunxi smiled and said, "Boss Zhang, you're too polite. How would you like to cooperate?"

Boss Zhang cleared his throat and said, "Miss Yunxi, I'm interested in purchasing a batch of silk from the Marquis' Mansion. Could you offer me a better price?"

Yunxi thought for a moment and said, "Boss Zhang, the price is negotiable, but the quality must be guaranteed."

Upon hearing this, Boss Zhang's smile deepened, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Ms. Yunxi, don't worry, our business is all about integrity, and there will be absolutely no ambiguity in quality.

You see, this silk material is all top-notch quality. If there is even a tiny flaw, feel free to contact me!"

As he spoke, he took a piece of silk from the waiter beside him, unfolded it and handed it to Yunxi.

Yunxi walked forward, reached out and touched the silk, her eyes focused and sharp, "Boss Zhang, although that's true, this cooperation is not something that can be done in a day or two. If something goes wrong in the future, don't blame the Marquis' Mansion for being ruthless."

Boss Zhang patted his chest and assured, "Ms. Yunxi, don't worry. I, Zhang, have been in this business for a long time and will definitely not ruin my reputation."

Yunxi nodded slightly, "Okay then, let's do as we agreed. I hope this cooperation goes smoothly."

After some discussion, the two sides reached a preliminary cooperation intention.

After seeing off the merchant, Yunxi went to the workshop of the Marquisate. The craftsmen in the workshop were busy working, and the air was filled with the smell of wood and paint.

As soon as Yunxi stepped into the workshop, he saw craftsmen sweating profusely, with tools in their hands flying up and down.

"Master Li, how is the progress of this batch of furniture?" Yunxi asked.

Master Li put down the plane in his hand, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and said, "Miss Yunxi, it will be finished in a few days."

Yunxi walked over to a piece of unfinished furniture, leaned over to examine it carefully, and frowned slightly, "Master Li, the mortise and tenon joints are not tight enough, they need to be polished again."

Master Li hurried over, took a look, and scratched his head embarrassedly, "Yes, yes, Miss Yunxi, I will ask my disciples to deal with it."

Yunxi stood up and looked around. "Everyone has worked hard, but this job still needs to be done with care. The reputation of the Marquisate rests on each piece of furniture."

It was already evening when Yunxi came out of the workshop. Just as she was about to go back to her room to rest, she saw Lin Yurou, the daughter of the Marquis's family, approaching her.

Lin Yurou was wearing a gorgeous pink long dress and an exquisite hair accessory on her head, but there was a hint of reluctance on her face.

She glanced at Yunxi with a sidelong glance and snorted, "Yunxi, you're busy all day long, aren't you tired?"

Yunxi smiled slightly, "It doesn't matter if I'm a little tired for the revitalization of the Marquis' Mansion. But my sister has nothing to do all day long."

Lin Yurou curled her lips and said, "I'm not like you, who loves to show off."

Yunxi still had a smile on her face, "Sister, what I said is true. I am just doing my part. There is no need to show off.

The current situation of the Marquis' Mansion requires hard work."

Lin Yurou rolled her eyes at her. "Humph, that sounds nice, but who knows what you're thinking."

Yunxi was not annoyed: "Sister, the Marquis' Mansion is gradually getting better now, you and I should work together."

Lin Yurou turned her head away: "Who wants to work together with you?"

After saying that, she flicked her sleeves, twisted her waist, turned around and left angrily, and the hem of her pink skirt fluttered up.

Yunxi looked at her back, sighed helplessly, shook his head, and continued to work hard for the revitalization of the Marquis' Mansion.

A few days later, the silk business of the Marquis' Mansion was booming, and the furniture was also well received.

Yunxi thought for a moment and came up with the idea of holding a flower-viewing banquet, inviting all the dignitaries in the capital to make the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion more famous.

On this day, the Marquis's residence was decorated with lanterns and was bustling with activity. Yunxi had risen early, and although her clothes were not fancy, they were neat and tidy.

She had a simple bun on her head, a few strands of hair swaying as she moved. She had her hands on her hips, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, and she kept muttering, "Here, here, be quicker."

The maid Xiao Cui hurried over, beads of sweat on her face, and panted, saying, "Miss Yunxi, aren't the flowers here arranged very nicely?"

When Yunxi heard this, she hurried forward, bent down, examined it carefully, and reached out to adjust the position of the flower. "That's much better."

Soon, the guests arrived one after another. Yunxi greeted each guest with a smile on her face and her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Madam Wang, welcome, welcome." Yunxi folded her hands in front of her and bowed slightly.

"Ms. Zhao, please come in." Yunxi turned sideways and stretched out her hand as a gesture of invitation.

At the flower-viewing banquet, everyone praised the changes in the Marquis' Mansion.

"This mansion looks brand new now." A lady dressed in silk said while waving a fan.

"Miss Yunxi is truly capable." Another lady echoed, her eyes full of admiration.

Yunxi was filled with joy when she heard these compliments, but she still said modestly, "It's all thanks to your kindness. The Marquis' Mansion is what it is today, thanks to your support."

However, just when the flower viewing banquet was halfway through, the weather turned bad and it suddenly started to rain.

As the rain pounded down, the guests clamored to hide inside. Yunxi frowned and immediately shouted to the servants, "Hurry up and prepare the rain gear. Move the flowers to a sheltered place. Hurry!"

She didn't even bother to hold an umbrella, and she just kept moving back and forth in the rain, directing everyone.

After the rain stopped, the flower viewing party continued. Yunxi was busy running around, adding tea and serving snacks, and she was so tired that she could hardly straighten her back.

But she gritted her teeth and didn't even complain about being tired.

After this series of efforts, the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion became more and more famous, and the business became more and more prosperous.

Yunxi stood in the courtyard of the marquis's mansion, looking at the prosperous scene, her heart full of hope.