Meanwhile, after eating lunch, Yang Chuxia began to organize the gifts everyone had given her. She put them on the ox cart, ready to take them back to the village. She temporarily left Uncle Niu and a young man hired from the village in charge of the shop. After all, Uncle Niu had run a shop before and knew how to manage it. As for the accounting, there was no need to worry with Ye Zi’an around.
Normally, the shop wouldn’t need two people; one person could take care of everything, such as taking orders. However, Yang Chuxia was concerned that in case of any emergency, there wouldn’t even be someone to deliver a message. That’s why she chose an honest-looking young man with a particularly poor family background from the village to work as a shop assistant. In this way, the two of them could watch the shop and support each other.
As for Fugui and the others, they went back to the village with Yang Dayong to work on their crafts, as their technical skills were better suited to such work than hiring others, especially since they couldn’t hire people right now.
About an hour later, Ye Zi’an, Yang Dachuan, and their group came over from the restaurant. Constable Hong and Steward Xing, along with some others, had already been sent off.
Everyone then headed back to the village together.
Back in the village, Land Officer Yang and the others had a chat at Yang Chuxia’s house before they each went home.
When it came time for dinner, Yang Chuxia remembered the gifts from earlier and couldn’t figure out why the County Magistrate had sent them since he had already given her a plaque.
Hearing her question, Ye Zi’an replied, "I asked Uncle Hong about it in private, and he inquired with Steward Xing. Apparently, the County Magistrate’s mother loved the bean paste you sent last time. You know, people who have been in bed for a long time don’t have much appetite, but thanks to your bean paste, the old lady ate more. Since the County Magistrate is a filial son, he was happy to send Steward Xing on his behalf, right? Steward Xing is known to follow the County Magistrate’s lead, so if the County Magistrate sent a gift, how could he not do the same?"
Yang Chuxia suddenly understood. "It seems that I owe my good fortune to the County Magistrate, and that’s why all those wealthy families came to give me gifts. I bet I don’t even know who sent them, and they don’t know who they were sending them to."
Indeed, Yang Chuxia had guessed the situation correctly.
"No problem. Just make a note of it, since their names are all on the gift lists. If they ever need something in return, simply send a gift back. Most of the things they sent probably aren’t useful to us - it’s either porcelain or some other decorative item. Just store them, and when the Li Family needs something, take out the Zhang Family’s gift and send it along with some other things. When the Zhang Family needs something, take out the Li Family’s gift in return," Ye Zi’an suggested.
Yang Chuxia burst into laughter, "So without lifting a finger, I’ve gained all these people’s favors."
Ye Zi’an nodded with a smile, "Isn’t that right?"
These wealthy families’ gifts were not only useless but expensive as well. They were known for their generosity, and it wouldn’t be long before they expected gifts in return.
Returning gifts would have to be even more valuable than the ones received. With Yang Chuxia’s current financial status, she wouldn’t be able to afford that. So it was better to use the gifts from other families as a way to save money and effort.
Yang Chuxia had been very busy with the shop’s opening for several days, and she decided to take a day off the day after. As for the village banquet, she planned to hold it four days later.
After entertaining guests at the banquet, they would then start preparing for the New Year.
Nevertheless, she thought there would be nothing to do today, but surprisingly, her second uncle arrived. He was accompanied by her cousins and the mysterious cousin she’d heard about, and of course, the annoying Qian Xiaoqing.