She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 120 - 119 Complicated Affairs

Chapter 120: Chapter 119 Complicated Affairs

Jiang Yifan swept a look at Jinrong with clear irritation and said, "A mere three hundred taels of silver, this official can still afford to take out." What does it mean to truly not want to be involved? He was truly afraid of this woman, even if she had changed a lot, he didn’t want to have the slightest bit to do with her, was that okay?

When Jinrong heard Jiang Yifan’s tone soften, he instantly felt relieved. As a friend, no matter what, Ye Xinyan was Jiang Yifan’s ex-wife. Getting involved with Ye Xinyan without dragging Jiang Yifan into it was indeed quite inconvenient.

He laughed and said, "I knew it, Yuanfan, you’re not a narrow-minded person who can’t see the big picture. What about the accountant? When will you send him over? Don’t tell me you trust me that much, ah, it’s better to keep business matters clear to avoid any future fallout over money. Although I, Sixth Master, don’t hold any special attachment to these silver coins, I can’t afford to lose face.

His Highness Prince Yu, in a cheerful mood, seemed to be speaking a bit off-kilter.

Jiang Yifan glanced at Jinrong with evident distaste, thinking it ridiculous to send an accountant over for such a petty amount of silver. Your Highness, has your brain gone haywire again?

He snorted coldly, "Isn’t it just three hundred taels of silver? To spend the effort of one person on three hundred taels of silver, such a loss-making transaction is something I cannot afford. Let Ye Xinyan keep her own accounts for now. Once more money is added, I will send someone then."

After dropping these words, Jiang Yifan no longer cared to deal with Jinrong, not even bothering with an excuse to leave, he turned around and left to discuss county affairs with the county magistrate, which had been previously interrupted.

As he walked out, he fumed in silence, contemplating these officials and runners who fed on the court’s official salary; sloppy in their work, without a shred of efficiency, it was the official salary that made them lazy.

And those scribes, some even holding positions of eighth or ninth rank but unable to write a proper document, turned out to be less articulate than a vulgar woman. What a waste of their exquisite calligraphy and years of strenuous study.

Jinrong watched as Jiang Yifan left the back hall with a face full of frustration, likely guessing why Jiang was upset, and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

The person whom Jiang Yifan originally kept at a distance, after several twists and turns, now lived right under his nose; and moreover, she thrived in a lively, colorful manner without a hint of decline or depression from leaving him or the capital—to the contrary, she seemed even more content and outstanding.

Jinrong snickered unkindly, thinking that marrying the legitimate granddaughter from Duke An’s Mansion, who lacked brains, was already bad luck for Jiang Yifan. Finally getting the chance for separation was like a turn of fortune. However, he could not have anticipated his luck was so terrible that even after traveling thousands of miles away to take his post, he would once again encounter Ye Xinyan, who had fled the capital. The once silly and ruthless ex-wife had now transformed, seeming clever and capable, indeed very remarkable.

This... even if Jiang Yifan was a rare genius, it must have been quite a blow to his confidence, right?

......

Since Jiang Yifan had given the go-ahead, Jinrong naturally did not dilly-dally. The very next morning, Liu Qing brought two freshly drafted documents along with an accountant to the snack shop.

After introductions, Ye Xinyan and the accountant named Nian Yongfu exchanged greetings and took their seats.

Ye Xinyan glanced over the documents that Liu Qing had copied anew. After signing and sealing the documents, she accepted the silver note of six hundred taels passed to her by the accountant.

With the funds for the first phase of the cattle farm project secured, Ye Xinyan was officially employed by Jinrong and Jiang Yifan and could begin to initiate the cattle farm.

Ye Xinyan asked the accounting room, "Mr. Nian, do you follow us every day, overseeing every entry of our income and expenses, or do we just handle our business and then present the financial records to you for review?"

She also felt that it was somewhat wasteful to tie up an accountant over six hundred taels of silver, so she asked an extra question.

Nian Yongfu clasped his hands together and said, "Lady Qi is too polite. The Sixth Master has given instructions. Right now, the cattle farm business is minor and the investment is not substantial. Lady Qi can handle things on her own. You only need to keep a detailed record of the expenses, and I can come by each month to compile the account books."

Ye Xinyan hurriedly returned the gesture and said, "Then I thank Mr. Nian for his trouble. I will definitely keep a detailed record of the income and expenditure items for Mr. Nian to collect."

With the funds in place, Qi Younian’s livelihood was secured. The old master had long been considering hiring craftsmen, a task that was quite straightforward—recruiting laborers from places where heavy workers gathered was all that was needed.

In his lifetime, Qi Younian had mostly worked as a mason, dealing with lower-class craftsmen and having served as the leader of a construction team, his eye for assessing people was naturally not lacking.

In a very short time, he managed to gather a team of more than a dozen workers. Among them were masons, carpenters, painters, as well as helpers and laborers.

Qi Younian led this temporarily formed team to the large expanse of gravel land to the north of Clear Water Village and began the construction work.

Indeed, the location of the cattle farm was north of Clear Water Village, as per Ye Xinyan’s plan. To avoid occupying arable land and for convenience, they chose the large area of ownerless gravel land just north of the second branch of the Qi family’s small courtyard.

The paperwork and such were naturally taken care of by the owner of the cattle farm... that is, Jinrong. The person handling these matters was the familiar Liu Qing.

Ye Xinyan and Liu Qing had dealt with each other twice before, and Liu Qing had some understanding of the cattle farm project. The two of them visited the site and discussed the scale of the cattle farm, which was quite routine for them and made things a lot easier.

...

Ye Xinyan and Qi Younian were busy with their respective work, leaving only Nanny Jin at the small eatery, who obviously couldn’t manage it alone. In addition, with the young Qi Jia needing care, these matters could not be ignored.

The family sat down to formally discuss the hiring of staff for the small eatery.

According to Ye Xinyan’s wishes, the eatery needed two waiters to take care of the guests. Despite her determination to not involve relatives in the business, Nanny Jin, who was born and raised in that era, could not accept such an idea.

When the family discussed the matter collectively, Qi Younian, though advanced in age, had experienced much and had relatively progressive thoughts. After Ye Xinyan analyzed the pros and cons, he agreed with her view.

However, Nanny Jin, who had worked in prominent households for many years, believed that rather than hiring unfamiliar people, it was better to employ reliable acquaintances. Duke An’s Mansion employed hundreds of family members and servants; the majority were friends, acquaintances, or even relatives, and there never seemed to be any inconvenience in management.

Since the small eatery was to be handed over to Nanny Jin, Ye Xinyan chose to let Nanny Jin take charge. Even if there were disagreements with relatives during the hiring process, at most they would dismiss the person and then come up with another solution.

On reflection, there wasn’t much to worry about; family-based business operations were the norm in ancient commerce. Nanny Jin had been shrewd and capable within Duke An’s Mansion. It was only because she followed the wrong person and was repeatedly implicated by the original Ye Xinyan that she did not advance further in the Duke’s Mansion. It seemed that Nanny Jin should have no problem managing a few younger relatives who worked as waiters.