Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 438 - 158: Shopping

Chapter 438: Chapter 158: Shopping

Yueyao waited for the materials to arrive and then had Xi Yu start to grind and mix them.

Bai Yi said gracefully, "Miss, you’re only ten years old, the prime time for your complexion to be good, no need for facial masks." Even without them, Yueyao’s complexion was rosy. Well, she had gotten a bit tanned from the sun, but as long as

Yueyao merely smiled gently, "I have a sense of measure."

Having spent over a month together, Bai Yi knew Yueyao was the kind of person who, once she made up her mind, wouldn’t let others easily change it, so she didn’t try to persuade her further.

When Yueyao had prepared the mix, it wasn’t for her own use, but for Nanny Hao. Nanny Hao was forty-six this year, looking older than her peers possibly because she’d been through more in life, which was precisely why Yueyao wanted her to try it, to prove the prescription’s practicality if it showed results.

Nanny Hao herself wouldn’t have chosen to use it, reasoning that someone halfway into the grave hardly needed such vanity. But as it was Yueyao’s order, she treated it as a task to be accomplished.

Bai Yi laughed, "Miss, I thought you were going to use it yourself!"

Yueyao shook her head, "Just as you said, I’m at my best age, I’m youthful and beautiful even without such things. If I avoid the sun, I can lighten my skin back again." Her mere tanning by the sun without turning charred black was testament enough to her fine skin.

Bai Yi couldn’t help but giggle; the idea of a ten-year-old girl declaring herself youthful and beautiful seemed quite peculiar!

Yueyao wanted to lease out the shop, which meant giving notice to the shopkeeper and then taking inventory. Originally, she wanted someone else to handle it, preferring not to show up herself. Whatever the stock count was, she wouldn’t quibble over the details.

Zhuang Ruolan, however, objected to Yueyao’s idea, saying, "That’s over a thousand taels of silver, not something to be so casual about." It was one thing to lose over a thousand taels, but what really mattered was the reputation it could damage. To the scholars, despising money might sound admirable, but for those running a household, it was abominable. Without money, they couldn’t even buy needles and thread, let alone food. Claiming high-mindedness was nonsense without a meal in your belly.

After being educated by Zhuang Ruolan, Yueyao agreed to go herself. After thinking it over, she also mentioned to Zhuang Ruolan the profits submitted by the two Shopkeepers from last year, "Cousin-in-law, I’ve noticed the large discrepancies in the profits they submitted, which is why I don’t want to continue running it." To recover the embezzled money from the two shopkeepers, external help was necessary.

Zhuang Ruolan snorted, "Don’t worry, we’ll make them spit out everything at that time." Those crafty slaves were the same everywhere.

Yueyao, accompanied by Bai Yi, Xi Yu, and Nanny Hao, first headed to East Street. As they left, Yueyao asked Bai Yi, "Will going out with me be inconvenient for you?"

Bai Yi smiled wryly, "There’s nothing inconvenient about it." She was not a notorious thief from Jiangnan on the Imperial Court’s most-wanted list to be caught just for walking the streets.

Yueyao was just worried about Bai Yi’s hidden identity and didn’t want to cause her any trouble, "That’s good, then."

Cai Yun was concerned and said to Zhuang Ruolan, "young lady, is it really alright to let Cousin Miss go to the shop like this?" Cai Yi thought it would be better for the Eldest Young Master to accompany her. The idea of the young lady going alone didn’t sit well with her.

Zhuang Ruolan shook her head, "We cannot let her husband accompany her, lest outsiders think we are plotting to take over Yueyao’s property. We’re letting Yueyao go by herself this time to broaden her horizons. She shouldn’t immerse herself solely in painting and calligraphy; she needs to learn that art can’t be eaten as food."

Cai Yun looked up at the painting of Begonia Flowers hanging in the bedroom and smiled, "young lady, with Cousin Miss’s skills, she could definitely live off her art." Cai Yun didn’t know much about painting but understood that this one was excellently done and could sell for a good sum of money.

Zhuang Ruolan gazed at the Begonia and smiled, "Yueyao has her pride, she wouldn’t bear to trade her paintings for money. Alas, everything about Yueyao is commendable, except she doesn’t care for mundane affairs and places little value on money. She needs to understand that without money, nothing can be accomplished. I just don’t know if there’s any use to it." Although Yueyao had been secluded in the Begonia Garden for the past two months without much company, Ruo Lan had grown ever fonder of her and genuinely sought her well-being.

Cai Yun also recognized this flaw in Yueyao.

Little did the two women know, Yueyao had initially planned to sell her paintings to support herself; they would be surprised at the thought. Having suffered through a lifetime of hardships, Yueyao naturally understood the importance of money. Of course, it was her last resort. As long as she had money, Yueyao was determined not to sell her artwork.