The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl

After seeing off the guests, the three siblings closed the door to tally their accounts.

There were no goods left in the store. Keeping the store open would be pointless, so they hung a sign outside that read, “Sold out. Shopkeeper has gone home for the New Year. Reopening for business on the 28th day of the first lunar month.”

In the store’s accounting room, Jiang Cheng clicked away on the abacus, finally calculating the profits of the past two months.

“After deducting the principal for the gold and Xue’er, the pastries, and all the expenses in the store, we have a total profit of one thousand six hundred and thirty-six taels of silver.”

Jiang Cheng had barely finished speaking when Jiang Quan screamed incredulously, “Heavens! That much?”

“Such exaggeration!”

Jiang Cheng gave his little brother a glance and smugly said, “That doesn’t even include the 120 leftover red lacquer boxes and over 200 bamboo boxes at home.”

In other words, the profit wasn’t just that much. It also included the many boxes left over.

“How did we manage to earn so much?” Jiang Quan couldn’t understand.

Jiang Cheng said, “The bulk of it was earned from the gold and Xue’er. Aside from those two, the rest isn’t that much.”

Then, he pulled out an account book and handed it to Yingbao. “Here’s the book for the incoming goods. Check if it’s correct.”

Yingbao flipped through it.

It recorded the quantity and amount of goods from each store. Some had been paid for, while others hadn’t.

The unpaid ones included the gold and Xue’er from home, the uncle’s gold and Xue’er, the second uncle’s, and Jiang Cheng’s own.

The purchase price for premium gold was calculated at fifteen taels per catty, while Xue’er was ten taels per catty.

Jiang Cheng said, “I’ve set the money for these goods aside. I’ll give it to you later. The rest, I’m thinking of depositing in the bank and then bringing back some silver notes to distribute to everyone.”

The money for these gold and Xue’er was no small sum, and it would be dangerous for him to bring it all the way home.

Yingbao nodded in agreement, “Okay, you handle it.”

As expected, their eldest cousin was skilled at doing business. His accounts were clear, and he didn’t muddle through things.

Then, Jiang Cheng said, “Next, let’s divide the profits. Yingbao gets half, which is eight hundred and eighteen taels. The remaining will be equally divided between me and my younger brother, each getting four hundred and nine taels.”

Jiang Quan let out another exclamation, followed by hearty laughter, “Haha! I can finally afford to buy a house!”

Some time ago, he had wandered through the town while collecting goods from the various stores, and had glimpsed several beautiful houses. He had long desired to own a nice mansion one day.

Now that he had the money, his dream could finally be realized.

Jiang Cheng said with a hint of annoyance, “Even if you buy a house now, it will need to be under Father’s name.”

Doused by cold reality, Jiang Quan huffed, “So what? Once you’ve distributed the assets, the house will be mine to inherit.”

Jiang Cheng ignored him and went to his room with the account book to get the silver.

When Yingbao and Jiang Quan helped their elder brother pull several large boxes of silver and copper coins from under his bed, they were astonished.

In one box, there were neatly stacked five and ten-tael silver ingots. Another box was filled with one-, two-, and half-tael pieces of silver, and there were also two large boxes of copper coins.

Jiang Cheng counted out over thirteen hundred large silver ingots and handed them to Yingbao, saying, “This is the profit and principal from your gold and Xue’er.”

He also counted out four hundred and nine taels and gave them to Jiang Quan: “You didn’t have any gold, so you just get the profit.”

Jiang Quan didn’t mind at all. Compared to the long days spent in the mushroom shed, he much preferred being on the go.

He cheerfully hugged the silver and repeatedly counted it. He even picked up a silver ingot and kissed it, saying, “Haha! I’m now the wealthiest person in the village!”

Who in the village was wealthier than him?

Yingbao said, “I’m richer than you, and so is our elder cousin.”

Not to mention, the principal from our elder cousin’s gold, plus the store’s profit, already amounted to one thousand taels.

Jiang Quan stiffened and huffed, “Our elder cousin isn’t from our village anymore, and you…” He glanced at Yingbao.

Did she count as a person?

She was just a little monster… a little Fairy Child, and he couldn’t compare himself with her.

After dividing up the money, Jiang Cheng said, “The remaining money is for the goods from the various stores in the town. They will probably come to settle their accounts tomorrow.”

“Each of us needs to take out one hundred taels to put in the store as working capital. From now on, daily expenses will be paid from this working capital. This includes the monthly market tax, carriage tax, gifts for the government office, and money for dining with the shopkeepers. All of these will be paid from here. When we calculate the profits each month, we must first replenish this money before we start.”

Yingbao indicated her understanding.

Jiang Quan also nodded in agreement. He had learnt a lot during this period and understood that doing business required dealing with different people and also giving gifts to various government offices. It was not easy.

“Let’s go to the bank to deposit the money now. Once we’ve settled the payments for the goods tomorrow, we can go pick up Yuanbao and go home,” Jiang Cheng said, “At the same time, we need to buy some New Year’s gifts to take home.”

This year, he had earned so much money; he had to return home in glory and wash away the humiliation of his failed marriage attempt.

“Yes, I also want to buy some New Year’s goods.” Not only did Yingbao want to buy New Year’s goods, but she also wanted to buy more pastries, candies, and small items from the town to take home.

The next day, several pastry shop owners came to settle accounts, each bringing two boxes of their best pastries.

“May I wish you, Shopkeeper Jiang, prosperity in the coming year first. After the New Year, let’s gather at Tianxiang Restaurant,” a pastry shop owner said with a smile.

Jiang Cheng smiled in return, “Let me return the blessing first by wishing each of you prosperity in your businesses and lots of wealth in the coming year. When I return, I’ll bring some local specialties for you to try.”

“Sounds good, sounds good.” After settling their accounts, they took their leave one after another.

One of the shopkeepers, a portly man, hung back. He came up to Jiang Cheng and asked in a low voice, “Has Young Master Jiang found a spouse yet?”

Jiang Cheng honestly replied, “Not yet.”

The portly shopkeeper slapped his chubby hand and laughed heartily, “Excellent, excellent. It’s unbelievable that a promising youth like you, Jiang, isn’t married yet. Why not let me play the matchmaker for you?”

Jiang Cheng laughed awkwardly, “My parents are to decide in such a matter. I don’t dare accept such offers casually.”

The portly shopkeeper laughed, “What’s there to fear? As long as the two families are well-matched, and the children are of good character, endowed with both virtue and talent, it will be a good match. I believe your parents wouldn’t object.”

As he spoke, he sized up the young lad in front of him.

Clothed in an unbleached robe, handsome and aristocratic, indeed he was a rare delight. Add to that his ability to read and make money, he was truly a matchless gem of a young man.

Looking at the younger brother by Jiang’s side, he was equally handsome with clear, honest eyes. Even though he dealt with marketplace matters, he didn’t exhibit any sly or crooked demeanor.

Even the young sister was exceedingly clever, and anyone who looked upon her was filled with affection.

Judging by the demeanor and personality of these children, one couldn’t doubt the upbringing of the Jiang family.

If his daughter were to marry a young man like Jiang Cheng, it would indeed be fortune accrued over several lifetimes.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he felt.

What if such a good prospective son-in-law went back home and was engaged to someone else? His precious daughter could then miss out on a perfect match.

With this in mind, the portly shopkeeper slapped Jiang Cheng on the shoulder and laughed heartily. “Brother Jiang, why not today rather than another day? Why don’t we… I mean, why don’t you and I go to Tianxiang… to my home for a drink?”

Seeing Jiang Cheng’s hesitation, he immediately added, “Bring your younger brother and sister too. You haven’t been to my house before, so it’s a good chance for you to familiarize yourself. After all, we will have many opportunities to interact in the future. Ah, yes, our shop recently came up with a new type of pastry. Why not let your little sister come and learn how to make it?”

The little lass had apparently been secretly observing their bakery for a full morning earlier, probably trying to learn their techniques.

His wife, who was particularly fond of clever children, had deliberately made the chestnut cakes several times from start to finish, giving the little girl a clearer view.