Chapter 375 - 375 Discussion
375 Discussion
Although the Fourth Prince found it troublesome, he could not refuse the benefits this matter could bring him. Therefore, in the end, he agreed to this arrangement according to Pei Qian’s wishes.
However, there had never been a free lunch in this world. After persuading the Fourth Prince to agree to be the main priest, Pei Qian started complaining about their poverty in front of him.
Things weren’t easy for the families of the soldiers who had died in the war. Every year, the Cold Food Festival was a time for families to do good deeds. The rich families in the northern region would fork out some money to help the families of military households who had lost their fathers, husbands, sons, and so on.
After the Fourth Prince heard this, he originally planned to donate 10,000 taels of silver, but Pei Qian stopped him.
“Your Highness, I know you’re being generous, but you have to consider the situation in the northern region.
If you donate 10,000 taels of silver, what will the remaining noble families do? They’re not as rich as the noble families in the capital. If they don’t keep up with your donation, the others will think that it’s because you don’t have any prestige that these noble families won’t give you face. However, it’ll be a little difficult for everyone to donate according to the same amount as yours.
Although those people won’t say it on the surface, they’ll feel troubled deep down.”
The Fourth Prince had always been more amenable to Pei Qian’s advice. Although he felt that it was a little embarrassing to only fork out 2,000 taels, he accepted Pei Qian’s suggestion to donate 2,000 taels in his name to support the families of military households who had lost their family members and were living in poverty.
After Pei Qian settled everything on the Fourth Prince’s side, he left Duke Huai Yang’s ministry and went back to report to Lin Suisui and the others.
After receiving the letter, Lin Suisui sent Bai Guo to arrange for someone to tell the county governor’s wife that the Fourth Prince had agreed to be the head priest and had even donated 2,000 taels of silver.
With this confirmation, the county governor’s wife heaved a sigh of relief and a smile finally appeared on her face.
Although it was very good that the Fourth Prince agreed to be the head priest, there were many drawbacks.
What worried her the most was the amount of money donated.
If the Fourth Prince followed the rules of the capital, they, who were not rich to begin with, would probably suffer heavy financial losses.
Fortunately, he only donated 2,000 taels of silver. Although donating 1,000 taels of silver was a lot for them, they could still afford it.
Therefore, the county governor’s wife began to organize this year’s Cold Food Festival without delay.
Although the weather in the northern region was still cold, every family would still prepare some sweet green rice balls to worship their ancestors. If they found it troublesome to make, they would go out to buy them from the vendors outside.
Mrs. Luo was good at making sweet green rice balls. This was the first Cold Food Festival in the northern region this year, so after learning about the customs in the northern region, Mrs. Luo began to make preparations.
Aunt Luo’s sweet green rice balls were selling very well.
Lin Suisui sat in the backyard of the Fang family’s eatery as she watched Fang Liu and Fang Rui’er make sweet green rice balls.
“We’ve been very busy these past few days. Fortunately, you let my father and husband come back. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
As Fang Liu was busying, she didn’t forget to thank Lin Sui.
“It’s fine. Many workers have to go home for the Cold Food Festival, so we might as well stop work for a few days. It’s better to work with peace of mind after everyone is done busying.”
Lin Suisui was teaching Fang Rui’er how to recognize herbs. When she heard Fang Rui’er’s words, she smiled and replied, “But this isn’t a long-term solution. This eatery is getting more popular every day, so have you considered hiring a few assistants to help?”
The restaurant had been getting busier every day recently. Mrs. Luo was old, and Fang Liu was pregnant. Although Fang Rui’er could also endure hardship, she was still an unmarried woman, so there were many things that she could not take care of.
Mr. Fang and the Fang family’s eldest son still had to work outside. It was rare for them to have time to help in the shop, so Lin Suisui thought of this method to relieve their pressure.
“I’ve mentioned this to my mother, but she can’t bear to.” Fang Liu thought of Mrs. Luo’s previous response and sighed helplessly. “My mother said that hiring people will cost money. Our shop hasn’t been open for long. Although business seems to be doing well now, who knows what will happen in the future?
Therefore, she would rather tire herself out than spend additional money to hire people, which would increase the cost.”
“That won’t do.” Lin Suisui shook her head gently and said disapprovingly, “Your health is much more important than money. How about this? Leave this to me. There’s no need for too many people to work in the shop at the moment. I’ll get Bai Guo to go back to the brokerage and hire two reliable people first.”
Lin Suisui could understand why Mrs. Luo was unwilling to hire people.
It was because she had a stake in it. If she lost money, even if she didn’t mind, with Mrs. Luo’s personality, how could she be at ease?
Therefore, Mrs. Luo was very careful with every cent she spent managing the business.
This was not what Lin Suisui wanted to see. However, she didn’t want Mrs. Luo to worry too much, so she finally thought of this method.
“As you know, Yanxi Hall is about to open for business. I can use the eatery to test people. If they’re reliable, it’ll be convenient to use them in the future.”
Lin Suisui noticed Fang Liu’s hesitation and worry, so she explained things.
Fang Liu knew very well what kind of customers Yanxi Hall was targeting and what kind of customers their restaurant was targeting. Even if they worked in their shop for the rest of her life, they might not have the chance to serve those noble ladies.
Fang Liu knew this very well, but she didn’t expose it. This was because she knew very well that this was Lin Sui’s good intentions. She could not let her down.
Fang Liu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Alright, we’ll do as you say, Madam Liu!”