She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 85 The insistent guest inquires

Chapter 85: Chapter 85 The insistent guest inquires

Well, now she was in a pickle. Her two carefully-selected, simple and elegant tables and chairs were far from enough, and the ambiance she had meticulously crafted was wasted.

...Well, not entirely wasted, haha. Two children took a fancy to the cloth patchwork paintings she had hung on the wall and bought three pieces at a high price. Each painting sold for two taels of silver, so three paintings amounted to more than a month’s rent, with almost zero cost.

Those six taels of silver clearly told Ye Xinyan that her meticulously made cloth paintings failed to resonate with the sophisticated tastes of the ancient literati; they only managed to pique the interest of children and earn their admiration.

After much contemplation, Ye Xinyan finally understood that her paintings were likely too straightforward, only appealing to untrained children. In other words, Ye Xinyan’s cloth patchwork was, to put it kindly, simple and childlike, or bluntly, lacking depth and too superficial.

Upon further reflection, the outcome was understandable. As a student with a background in engineering, her cloth paintings hadn’t sunk to the point of being scorned by everyone, but still proved likable to children. This result was actually not bad.

Despite the awkwardness, Ye Xinyan found solace in those six taels of silver. Such unexpected joys were welcome; she wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed for lacking refinement. After all, that was six taels of silver! Earning the same amount making rice tofu would mean a whole month of toil for an entire family.

Making money was paramount, and even if it was awkward, Ye Xinyan joyfully accepted it. If her high-end leisure snacks had become an acknowledged fast-food joint, then having an extra source of income was a good thing. Since there was a market for cloth paintings, then she would make several more to keep on hand, available to anyone who wished to buy.

Ye Xinyan rushed to produce a few more paintings, not only to replace the three sold but also wrapped the others tightly, ready for any other interested customers.

As for the shop’s positioning between fast-food and high-end... well, there was no choice. Since it was a business, the goal had to be earning money; selling at a high price and earning silver was what mattered most, wasn’t it?

Ye Xinyan pushed the two impressive tables to the side, and hurriedly sought out a carpenter’s shop to urgently make six four-seater modern fast-food tables and chairs to deal with the ancient, unpredictable diners.

Okay, it wasn’t an issue with the ancient patrons; it was she, the misfit daughter of the Duke’s Mansion, who had no real understanding of the consumption habits and refined tastes of the upper-class society of ancient times, leading to the current awkward situation.

All these were Ye Xinyan’s personal reflections. As for Qi Younian and Nanny Jin, high-end and refined tastes seemed to be less defined concepts for them; they only knew that the snack shop was doing very well, that the guests, though younger, were all generous, creating an exceptionally good and successful business.

The snack shop... the fast-food establishment... was gradually doing better, but the profits still weren’t enough to meet the supply demands of the Great Crane House. It wasn’t that Ye Xinyan wasn’t capable of producing sufficient goods; rather, the earnings from her snack shop and rice tofu stall were insufficient to procure the necessary ingredients to satisfy the demands of the Great Crane House.

Finally, after ten days since the snack shop’s opening, Ye Xinyan was completely out of funds.

What was she to do? After much deliberation, besides asking Shopkeeper He for a loan, she had no other option. She remembered how calmly she negotiated the deal with him. Now, just ten days later, she was out of liquid funds and embarrassingly coming to him for a settlement. It was mortifying!

It took quite a bit of resolve for Ye Xinyan to muster up the courage and approach Shopkeeper He... for a loan.

In the back hall of the Great Crane House, when she came face to face with Shopkeeper He, Ye Xinyan greeted him with a beaming smile.

Ye Xinyan’s smile made Shopkeeper He quite suspicious. Lady Qi’s expression was... what exactly did it mean?

He asked tentatively, "Lady Qi, do you need something from me?"

It seems her image in Shopkeeper He’s eyes isn’t good, a little more smiling and he becomes all cautious.

Ye Xinyan smiled awkwardly, "Well, Shopkeeper He, I really had no choice, you see, my family’s running a bit tight, could you, perhaps... settle some silver for our little shop in advance?"

It was a relief, having finally voiced the difficult subject, Ye Xinyan took a deep breath.

Shopkeeper He first paused, then chuckled, "I see. I was wondering why, when I first met you and your brother, I felt you didn’t come from wealth. But your shrewdness in business made me forget my initial impression, and I never considered your family’s financial situation. Great Crane House has indeed taken a lot of your pastries these days, it was my oversight."

Ye Xinyan was somewhat embarrassed; admittedly, she did put on quite an act to secure a favorable position at that time.

"So, what do you think?" Even though Shopkeeper He wouldn’t want her to run out of stock for Great Crane House, Ye Xinyan still asked very politely.

Shopkeeper He waved his hand, "No problem, your small shop supplying such a big business to Great Crane House, it’s normal to run into some cash flow issues. Let’s do this, no need to settle accounts for now, I will have my accounting office give you two hundred taels of silver in advance. Just write a note for the account book, consider it a prepayment. We’ll settle it together at the end of the month."

Ye Xinyan quickly bowed in thankfulness, "I am truly grateful to Shopkeeper He." With that two hundred taels of silver, she had enough capital for two months of business.

...

Shopkeeper He called over an employee and instructed him to have the accounts office come and to bring out two hundred taels of silver.

The employee had yet to return from his errand when a waiter came in to report: "Sixth Master Rong is dining in a private room upstairs, and someone from his party asked about the origin of our ice cream; is it stored in the ice cellar over winter?"

Shopkeeper He expressed his surprise, "Didn’t I tell you, if anyone asks, just tell them it’s from the neighboring snack shop?"

"I replied just as you said, but Sixth Master Rong insists on knowing whether it is stored in the ice cellar over winter," the boy said with a worried look.

Shopkeeper He looked at Ye Xinyan, "Lady Qi, perhaps you could go and explain to Sixth Master Rong? Sixth Master Rong is a regular here, a man of good character. I will accompany Lady Qi, and I’m sure there will be no trouble."

Sixth Master Rong? Ye Xinyan pondered and asked, "Which Sixth Master Rong? From Qingyuan County’s big families or some rich person from the surrounding area?"

"That?" Shopkeeper He was also unclear about the identity of Sixth Master Rong, who no one in Qingyuan County dared to provoke, "Sixth Master Rong is not a native of Yuyuan Prefecture, all I know is that he’s distinguished, not only acquainted with Qingyuan County’s Prefectural Magistrate but seems to be a guest of honor for the Prefectural Magistrate himself. I don’t know where he’s from."

It must be the Sixth Prince, Jinrong then.

Ye Xinyan made a troubled expression, "Shopkeeper He, given my status, and since the recipe for ice cream is critical to my family’s livelihood, it’s not good to casually tell others. Going there to explain won’t make much difference, and it would be more convenient for Great Crane House to fend it off. I’ll have to trouble Shopkeeper He to find someone else to handle it, thank you in advance."

Shopkeeper He felt that, given Lady Qi’s nature and courage, explaining the ice cream to a respectful customer shouldn’t be difficult, but if she wasn’t willing, he naturally couldn’t force her.