She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 107 - 106: The Shop Full of Various Guests

Chapter 107: Chapter 106: The Shop Full of Various Guests

Jiang Yifan certainly didn’t care about the reputation of the woman outside; he glanced sardonically at Jinrong and said, "No one knows who brought it upon herself, as to what that little lady is thinking, who can say? She might have approached because of your, Sixth Master, identity."

"Nonsense, how would she know my identity? I doubt Zhou Bingyi has the guts, and even if someone from the Liang family is his nephew, he wouldn’t dare disclose my identity to the Liang family. Not to mention that young girl, what could she possibly know?" Clearly, Jinrong was unwilling to take the blame.

"All right. She may not know your identity, but with the Prefectural Magistrate treating you so respectfully and being so secretive about your status, she isn’t foolish. As long as she understands that your identity is no simple matter, that’s enough; she doesn’t need to know more."

Jinrong snorted coldly; so what? Who would dare pursue him asking about his status?

"Enough, enough, let’s not talk about these useless things," Jinrong said impatiently, waving his hand and turning to Qi Younian, "Father-in-law Qi, I was thinking of asking Lady Qi if she has any preliminary thoughts on setting up a cattle farm. It stands to reason that your family is lacking cow’s milk, which is already restricting your small shop’s business, so she should have some initial ideas."

Qi Younian didn’t have Ye Xinyan’s cautiousness in dealing with Jinrong and Jiang Yifan and answered candidly, "Sixth Master is asking about what that girl thinks? I do know a bit about that. My family has limited silver and manpower. She thought in the past that we should first buy two cows that produce milk for current use. Gradually, we would find trustworthy villagers and initially fund them with Silver Coin to raise dairy cows, using the produced cow’s milk to repay the silver used to buy the cows. By doing this, it would be worry-free and ensure a supply of milk. The downside is that it’s hard for us to control the stable output of milk."

Is there actually such a method?

Jinrong interjected in astonishment, "Was this Lady Qi’s plan before?" It was indeed a good idea; no wonder Ye Xinyan just gave him a cold look, it turns out she already had a plan, and a good one at that.

Qi Younian nodded, "If the milk from the cows can be sold, I think the farmers would be quite willing to raise them; after all, cow’s milk can compensate for Silver, and the calves, once grown, can either be sold for money or used for plowing the fields."

Jinrong nodded repeatedly, "Hmm, do go on, Father-in-law Qi."

Qi Younian recalled Ye Zi’s words about breeding and calving, which were blunt, definitely not something a woman should be saying casually. If he were to repeat them exactly as she had said them to these two gentlemen, it would likely be exceedingly detrimental to Ye Zi’s reputation as a woman.

With this in mind, he rephrased it in his own words, "I was thinking that it is also possible to raise a few less cows, if we could stagger the cows’ birthing, that would ensure a continuous supply of milk." To stagger the cows’ calving times, plainly speaking, was to stagger the timing of their breeding.

"Then Sixth Master talked about the cattle farm business, which would be even easier. We wouldn’t need to find villagers anymore. We could simply buy several more cows, and for bulls, just two strong breeding bulls would suffice. Start with a modest dozen cows, and if it goes smoothly, we can expand the breeding of working cattle. In time, not only will we have milk, but also calves. After three to five years, when the cattle farm’s working cattle population grows, they can be sold or rented out to farmers, and there will be milk for sale, which is another source of income. I can’t say how much Silver it will bring, but it’s definitely beneficial for farming."

What Qi Younian said resembled what the Chief Finance Officer told Jiang Yifan, the difference being that the cow’s milk produced by the cows could be sold. The milk might not fetch large coins, yet it was Ye Xinyan’s primary purpose behind cattle rearing. However, this difference didn’t affect the reproduction at the cattle farm.

Jinrong nodded and said, "Father-in-law Qi has explained very clearly, much more detailed than what your granddaughter said. In this case, let Lady Qi write up a charter as soon as possible. The autumn harvest will be here soon, and it would be best to sell as many cows as possible before the harvest. As for the Silver needed to set up the cattle farm, once Lady Qi’s document is ready, Lord Jiang and I will immediately arrange for the Silver to be brought over."

Jiang Yifan was still pondering Qi Younian’s words, and he didn’t have much of a reaction to Jinrong’s arrangements.

Jinrong hadn’t expected that the entanglement with the Liang Family’s daughter outside would actually make things go much smoother. It looked like the Ye family girl, no, Lady Qi, was quite cunning despite her young age. She probably didn’t want them meddling too much in the cattle farm affairs, so she wasn’t eager to reveal her hand to the two of them so soon.

Outside, Ye Xinyan was dealing with the Young Miss of the Liang Family, naturally unaware that Qi Younian had already spilled all her secrets to Jinrong. All she knew was to respond patiently to the myriad inquiries from several servant girls and women.

Meanwhile, the Miss Liang herself sat aside with a warm smile, quietly observing the scene, looking very gentle and virtuous.

It wasn’t until Ye Xinyan finished introducing the food from her little store that a wife beside Miss Liang asked, "The Lady Qi mentioned earlier by the gentleman, that’s the eldest sister-in-law, isn’t it? I wonder if it’s presumptuous for us to address the eldest sister-in-law as Lady Qi?"

Ye Xinyan replied with a smile, "This mother is too polite, the acquaintances here all call this little woman Lady Qi."

Your whole family is the eldest sister-in-law! At such an age, still calling people eldest sister-in-law, don’t you find it embarrassing? Although my luck in transmigrating isn’t great, at least the original host was a young girl who had just passed twenty-nine, wasn’t she?

"Oh..." Mother Yang nodded, pretending to understand, "So that gentleman and Lady Qi are quite familiar?"

"Is this mother asking about Sixth Master Rong? We are not acquainted, how could a little woman like myself be familiar with such a noble person? Sixth Master Rong is only interested in our business and has patronized the store a couple of times, that’s all."

Mother Yang’s brows furrowed slightly, Sixth Master Rong interested in such a tiny shop? Could it be that this man, whom the Prefectural Magistrate treats with such respect, is just a merchant? Yet Lord Jiang is the Imperial Top Scholar from the last examination, a top-tier talent. What brings Lord Jiang here then?

While the Liang family’s servants were deep in thought, Ye Xinyan was already becoming impatient. It wasn’t that she was tired of socializing, but they had delayed for quite some time. If Jinrong and the others left soon, and these women, both young and old, hadn’t ordered any food and followed suit, wouldn’t her efforts in entertaining them be in vain?

Ye Xinyan didn’t intend to continue endlessly indulging them. Instead, she asked, "Is mother perhaps interested in Sixth Master Rong? If so, this little woman could invite Sixth Master Rong out to exchange some pleasantries with mother?"

"..."

Mother Yang’s face darkened, "Lady Qi, mind your words. My family’s Young Miss has never dined in such a modest little store. That’s why I asked you a few more questions. Even if Lady Qi is impatient, you shouldn’t speak such impolite words. Being of humble origin, you must have heard of the strict separation of sexes in prominent families, haven’t you? How can you speak so recklessly?"

Ye Xinyan hurriedly apologized, "Ah, there’s an issue? My apologies, my apologies, I’m from the countryside and was only aware of the favor our distinguished Young Miss of the Liang Family showed by gracing our humble and busy store with her presence. I truly was unaware of this matter raised by mother. I’m truly ignorant; please forgive me, mother."