Chapter 198 Pie in the sky

After dinner, the second aunt came to sit in her room again. Qiao Xi whispered to her that Chunyu had taken people to the farm and said he would be back later.

Ye Jiayao was surprised. Chunyu was really anxious. It was already dark. Couldn’t they go tomorrow?
"Jinxuan, what happened?" Xia Peishan asked with concern.

"It's just a small matter. There are a few servants on the farm who are not very honest. Chunyu will solve it." Ye Jiayao said lightly.

"It will be troublesome if the people below are unreliable. If we catch one, we must punish him severely. Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, and kill one to warn the hundred." Xia Peishan has always adhered to the principle of combining kindness and severity and using thundering means.

Ye Jiayao smiled and expressed her agreement.

Qiao Xi served tea, and Jiang Yue brought two exquisitely made cream cakes.

"Second aunt, I made a fruit-filled dessert today, please try it." Jiang Yue said.

Xia Peishan felt her mouth watering as she looked at the delicious food. She was not a greedy person, but the food here by Ye Jiayao was so delicious that she had never seen many of them before. After a few days, her taste had become spoiled.

"What a clever idea! What should we do if this continues?" Xia Peishan sighed.

Ye Jiayao didn't understand and looked at her second aunt blankly.

Xia Peishan sneered and said, "I'm worried about where to find these delicious foods when I get back to Taiyuan."

Ye Jiayao suddenly realized and laughed: "That's easy. Let Yue'er teach Tingchan how to do it. Once she learns, she can make it for you anytime."

Tingchan is the second aunt's personal maid.

"Really?" Xia Peishan was a little surprised. Liuli also mentioned this matter yesterday, but Chunyu's wife pretended to be stupid and didn't agree. Moreover, Zhou had been thinking about the cake.

Ye Jiayao said with a smile: "How dare I make fun of you, Second Aunt? Otherwise, let Jiang Yue teach her now."

Ting Chan quickly thanked her: "Thank you, Second Young Madam."

Jiang Yue took Ting Chan away.

Xia Peishan scooped the cream with a small silver spoon and tasted it carefully. It had a rich milky aroma and a smooth texture. The soft cake also had sweet and sour orange flesh with the film removed. It was so delicious that she couldn't stop eating it.

But in front of the younger generation, you still have to be more relaxed. Xia Peishan put down half of her meal and said, "I will leave in a few days, but I am worried about you. Zhou and Liuli are together every day now. These two are not easy to worry about. Liuli is easy to deal with. She will go to the fiefdom in three years. The trouble is Zhou. You offended Zhou badly last time. She never remembers the money she owes others. If you offend someone, she will remember it for the rest of her life. Even if she moves out, there is only a wall between them. You should be careful."

Ye Jiayao nodded gratefully: "I will. As long as I can save face, I won't break up with her."

"Alas, there is a saying that it is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain, but villains love to cause trouble, and you have no choice but to offend them." Xia Peishan sighed.

Ye Jiayao felt the same way. There are some people and things that you don't want to provoke, but others may not let you go. When I signed the contract, I thought the interpersonal relationships in the Marquis' Mansion were not complicated, but who knew that there were so many top-notch people.

"Fortunately, your mother-in-law is very clear-headed. If you have any problems in the future, please discuss them with her. If you really encounter something that you can't handle, just write to me. At worst, I can come back."

Although Xia Peishan looked cold, her heart was warm and chivalrous. Ye Jiayao knew she was serious and it would be great if Second Aunt could be closer.

"Don't worry, Second Aunt. I will be careful and cautious. If there is something I can't handle, Chunyu will not watch me suffer." Ye Jiayao smiled.

Xia Peishan smiled with relief: "Chunyu is just like his grandfather, with a stern face all day long, like a piece of wood. I thought he couldn't smile, but I didn't expect that he would feel sorry for others."

Ye Jiayao thought to herself: Isn't it? Back then in Heifenggang, whenever his expressionless face appeared, everyone in the village was afraid of him. He would yell at her at every turn, and was as hateful as he could be. Now he is completely a different person, always so frivolous. It can be seen that he is a repressed and sultry person at heart.

"As for Chunfeng, he used to love to laugh and make you laugh all day long. But now he has become like a wooden man. It's depressing just to look at him. I heard that he stays in the study every night. How can the relationship between husband and wife be good if this continues?" Xia Peishan said sadly.

Staying in the study? Ye Jiayao was stunned. She just realized it! Liuli has been very active recently, talking and laughing. She thought that Chunfeng’s relationship with her was not that bad.

"Well, does mother know?"

Xia Peishan said: "I also heard from my sister-in-law, but she didn't have any good ideas, so she could only persuade Chunfeng."

For a moment, both of them were in a low mood.

Xia Peishan sighed: "Forget it, everyone has their own fortune. By the way, Jinxuan, are you interested in investing in a mine?" Investing in a mine? That's a good way to make a fortune. As long as there is enough mineral resources, it's a treasure trove!
"Second Aunt, is it a coal mine?"

"Shanxi has the most coal mines. I have more than a dozen small coal mines, and all of them are profitable. Now we have discovered a large coal mine. Another thing we came here for is to get the mining rights of this mine. It's almost certain. If you are interested, you can take part in it. The profit is yours, and the loss is mine." Xia Peishan said.

"That won't work. Doing business is definitely risky. If I invest, I will bear the profits and losses myself." Ye Jiayao said. Her second uncle has been mining coal for so many years, so there must be no problems with the mine he has chosen. She also absolutely trusts her second aunt's character.

"Second aunt, can you tell me how to participate in the shares?" Ye Jiayao asked with interest.

Xia Peishan said, "This mine is the largest one discovered so far, and it has the best quality coal, mostly anthracite. Just getting the right to purchase it will cost five million taels of silver, plus various costs, it will cost at least eight million taels of silver."

"Several giants in Shanxi were eyeing this piece of fat meat, but we got it." Speaking of this, Xia Peishan looked quite proud.

Ye Jiayao smacked her lips. The cost was eight million taels. Second aunt's family was so rich that it was an astronomical figure. Then Ye Jiayao became worried again. The cost alone was eight million taels. According to the percentage, one share would be eighty thousand taels. She only had a few hundred thousand taels on hand now, which was only three shares. How shabby!
Xia Peishan knew Ye Jiayao's difficulties. Although Tianshangju was doing well, it was still in its infancy. The young couple didn't have much money, so she said, "Let's take 50,000 per share. How much do you want?"

Uh, this is a 40% discount. Ye Jiayao gritted her teeth and thought that this God-given opportunity could not be missed. It would be a sin to miss it. At worst, she could borrow money from Zhao Qixuan.

"Second aunt, can I have one tenth?" Ye Jiayao felt embarrassed to ask for too much, after all, the other party had already given her a great discount.

Xia Peishan said readily: "Okay, why not? Even 20% is fine."

She asked Chunyu's wife to invest in the business. Firstly, she liked Chunyu's wife very much and they got along well. Secondly, there were too many people who were jealous of this treasure mine. Although she was born in the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion, she was not a marquis after all. With the participation of the Jing'an Marquis's son, those people would be afraid of the power of the Marquis' Mansion and would be more obedient.

"Then...then I will discuss it with Chunyu."

If it was 10%, Ye Jiayao could handle it herself, but 20% was too much and it would be difficult for her to make the decision alone.

"Okay, just give me an answer before I go back."

After seeing Xia Peishan off, Ye Jiayao was filled with emotions. Opening a coal mine and opening a restaurant were two completely different things. If she wanted the restaurant business to continue to be prosperous, she had to think of new things from time to time and not let the customers get bored or tired of it. As for the coal mine, she only had to put in the capital and then wait for the dividends every year. It saved her both time and effort.

Ye Jiayao waited anxiously for Chunyu, hoping to settle the matter today. However, the hour of You had passed, and Chunyu had not returned yet. She was not worried about the city gate being closed, because Chunyu had a token on him and could enter and exit the city gate at any time. She was just worried that things would not go smoothly for him.

After waiting for a long time, it was not until three quarters past midnight that Xia Chunyu finally came back. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he was chilled by the night wind.

"Yue'er, go make a bowl of noodles for the prince, and Qiao Xi go get some hot water." Ye Jiayao gave the order.

She personally loosened his clothes.

She asked softly, "Why are you doing this so late?"

Xia Chunyu washed his face, held the hot tea, and said, "I'm almost mad. You can never imagine what these two people have done. Not only did they cheat me, they also used my name to cheat the tenants and ruined my reputation. It's my fault that I didn't find out earlier, otherwise I would have killed them a long time ago."

Ye Jiayao wanted to say, of course it's your fault, who else should I blame? But seeing that he was almost furious, she stopped teasing him.

"Now that everything is clear, the tenant farmers won't blame you." Ye Jiayao comforted.

Xia Chunyu said, "I have moved all the account books back. I will give them to Manager Bai tomorrow and ask them to sort out the accounts. I want them to pay back all the money they have cheated me out of. As for the tenants, I have already agreed today to reduce the rent by half next year. They have been oppressed for the past few years and it is really pitiful."

"That's as it should be. Life is not easy for ordinary people." Ye Jiayao fully agreed with this point. Anyway, they don't lack this little money.

Seeing Ye Jiayao being so reasonable, Xia Chunyu's expression eased a little, and he said sadly, "Knowing that I had arrested Manager Lu and his nephew, the tenants nearby all came and accused them of their crimes. All along, the tenants thought it was me who instructed them to do it, and they were afraid of my identity, so they could only swallow their anger. In the end, they all knelt down in front of me. It was a huge crowd. That scene was really heartbreaking."

"Okay, don't blame yourself. What's done is done. I'll be more careful in the future." Ye Jiayao tried to persuade him kindly.

After a while, Jiang Yue made a bowl of shredded chicken noodles.

Xia Chunyu was holding back his anger before and didn't feel hungry. After talking to Ye Jiayao, his anger subsided. When he smelled the aroma of noodles, he felt hungry. However, he was used to being elegant, so no matter how hungry he was, he would still eat slowly and not wolf down the food.

Ye Jiayao waited until he was full before talking about investing in the coal mine.

(End of this chapter)