Jiang Yanyi pushed Chu Yanguo back to the courtyard of the Chu family.

Although they had moved out, Old Madam Chu had kept the courtyard for them, so they would have a place to rest when they occasionally came back.

Chu Jiabao came over to give Jiang Yanyi a pouch, which surprised Jiang Yanyi.

Chu Shubao laughed, “Every year on the eve of the New Year, Jiabao embroiders a pouch for the family. You’re the first to receive one this year, Ayi!”

She glanced at Chu Jiabao and pretended to be jealous, “In previous years, I was the first to get one.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yanyi smiled and thanked Chu Jiabao.

The embroidery on the pouch was exquisite, each stitch showing great effort, made using Su embroidery, which would be hard to find this refined in the market.

If she were a carefree and pampered young lady, she wouldn’t put in this much thought and effort to please her family every year.

Jiang Yanyi reflected on the status of the second branch within the Chu family and could somewhat guess why this young girl was making these pouches by hand.

Children who are not favored often have fragile and sensitive feelings.

Chu Jiabao huffed at Chu Shubao, wanting to approach Jiang Yanyi, but hesitated when her gaze fell on Chu Yanguo, who was sitting in a wheelchair, reading.

Chu Yanguo’s complexion was still pale, but the illness that had once plagued him was much better than before.

He was just too thin; the clothes that had once fit him well now appeared baggy.

He noticed Chu Jiabao’s small gestures but said nothing.

Chu Jiabao said to Chu Shubao, “Big sister, if you don’t take me with you to make rouge, this year’s pouch will end up being embroidered for you last.”

She looked at Jiang Yanyi, fidgeting with the hem of her clothing, and said awkwardly, “Second sister, I heard you have taken over the Ru Yi Fang teahouse. I want to follow you in doing business in the future.”

Chu Erye (Second Master Chu) had turned out to be useless, and her mother, having divorced him, could no longer plan for her future.

With no male heirs under Chu Erye, it was only a matter of time before he remarried.

He often vented his frustrations regarding her mother’s situation on her, and once he had a stepmother, it wouldn’t be long before her biological father became more like a stepfather.

Initially, Chu Jiabao had thought that she would live a straightforward life as a young lady in Xizhou, waiting for her family to arrange a marriage for her when the time came.

However, seeing that Chu Shubao, as the legitimate daughter of the Chu family, could disregard others’ opinions to do business with Jiang Yanyi and earn quite a bit of money, she couldn’t help but have her own thoughts.

Before marriage, women relied on their fathers; after marriage, they depended on their husbands.

But if one didn’t have a strong father or an ambitious husband, did it mean one had to live their life without purpose?

Among the Chu sisters, Chu Jiabao was the most perceptive, having received little care since childhood.

Every action she took had a purpose, even risking being scolded by her mother to play with Chu Shubao and the others.

This was because Old Madam Chu wanted to see her grandchildren get along harmoniously, and by doing so, she could earn Old Madam Chu’s favor.

Chu Shubao and her sisters indeed had no ulterior motives.

Although Chu Shubao sometimes seemed a bit careless as the eldest sister, she treated both Chu Jiabao and Chu Huibao equally.

What had begun as purposeful closeness had evolved into heartfelt bonds with Chu Shubao’s sisters.

Due to her mother’s situation, Chu Jiabao initially disliked Jiang Yanyi and her brother.

But now, perhaps out of sympathy, she sometimes thought of how her mother would cry herself to sleep at night.

Jiang Yanyi and the others would never be able to see their mother again, which must be even more painful.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi and Chu Yanguo move out and not only survive but also gradually grow their business, she genuinely admired Jiang Yanyi and wanted to live a successful life like hers.

Jiang Yanyi knew a bit more about the three Chu sisters, especially Chu Shubao.

When Chu Jiabao suddenly made this request, she was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Chu Shubao, who usually appeared carefree, knew her sisters’ natures all too well.

Half-jokingly, she said to Chu Jiabao, “Ayi runs a teahouse. Do you plan to help wash dishes? You should join me in making rouge instead. And look, the second pouch should be embroidered for me!”

Chu Huibao grew up pampered, but she did not carry the heavy expectations placed upon the eldest daughter of the family.

Compared to Chu Shubao, she lived more easily, her heart innocent, having not gleaned much from her elder sister’s few words, only remembering the pouch.

She immediately shouted, “The third one will be embroidered with Huibao!”

Chu Jiabao rubbed the little tuft of hair on Chu Huibao’s head, saying, “Alright, alright, the third one will be embroidered with your name.”

She knew her words sounded a bit abrupt and explained to Jiang Yanyi, “Big sister can sell rouge at second sister’s antique soup shop, so I thought I could also go sell hairpins and jewelry.”

The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive.

After pondering the layout of future business circles and considering the structure of tea houses, Jiang Yanyi thought she might be able to create an ancient business district.

The tea house was a rare five-story building in Xizhou City, built in the shape of a hexagonal pagoda.

The wooden spiral staircase led upwards, and in the center of the first-floor lobby was an indoor pool with a stage above it.

It was said that this building was constructed by a rebel king from a previous dynasty, solely for his enjoyment.

When the Hu family was still thriving, this tea house served as a high-class entertainment venue, often featuring talented courtesans performing on the stage.

Now that this building was in Jiang Yanyi’s hands, she hoped to cater to female customers and naturally wouldn’t be hiring courtesans.

Jiang Yanyi contemplated that the first and second floors would sell food, the third would offer cosmetics and women’s clothing and jewelry, and the fourth would sell elegant items like stationery and folding fans commonly used by men.

Once it gained fame, she could even rent out some unused spaces, earning both rent and attracting business.

Having formed a rough plan in her mind, Jiang Yanyi said to Chu Jiabao, “If you want to sell jewelry, the capital required will be quite a lot.”

Selling ordinary hairpins would be one thing, but to sell gold, silver, or jade hairpins, you wouldn’t dare enter that business without several thousand taels of silver as a base.

But if she didn’t sell genuine gold and silver, the daughters of wealthy families might not even look at ordinary hairpins made of iron or copper.

Chu Jiabao only had an idea, having never engaged in business or calculated costs before.

Hearing Jiang Yanyi’s words, she felt a bit disheartened: “I must have been thinking too simply.”

Chu Shubao said, “Ayi has moved to a new place, and my rouge business has improved; I’m short on manpower. Are you unwilling to work with me in the rouge business just to avoid giving me a second embroidered pouch?”

Chu Jiabao knew that Chu Shubao was deliberately saying this to ease her mental burden.

This cousin, who seemed so carefree, had put all her thoughts into protecting their family of sisters.

With red-rimmed eyes, she agreed.

When Jiang Yanyi interacted with Chu Shubao, she had thought of her as a girl without a care in the world, someone who could cover a falling sky with a blanket.

Now she realized that this girl was quite thoughtful; she just saw through things clearly and lived freely.

Her mother, Liu, was someone who was easily influenced; Jiang Yanyi was rarely so perceptive.

The few of them chatted in the courtyard about the renovations for the shop after moving. Chu Huibao insisted on having sauerkraut fish, so Jiang Yanyi helplessly went to the kitchen, followed by the three Chu sisters.

The Chu family’s cook was already preparing dishes.

He had been stewing lamb in a clay pot for several hours; the broth had turned milky white, and the meat and bones could easily be separated with chopsticks, simmering gently over low heat.

In a large pot on the stove, glutinous rice dumplings were being fried.

The fragrant glutinous rice, mixed with freshly minced pork, was rolled into balls, dipped in egg wash and flour, then fried until crispy and golden.

Eating one was a delightful experience.

On the cutting board, the chef was slicing a roast chicken, its skin golden and shiny…

Chu Huibao’s eyes widened in delight as she looked around, wanting to eat everything.

Chu Shubao, helpless, worried that Chu Huibao would cause trouble, had to first take her back to the room.

Seeing Chu Huibao’s tearful expression as her sister led her away, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but chuckle.

She informed the cook that she wanted to make sauerkraut fish, and he cleared a pot for her to work in.

Having made sauerkraut fish many times before, Jiang Yanyi skillfully prepared a large bowl, showcasing such adept culinary skills that even the Chu family’s cook felt inferior.

Noticing a bowl of spare ribs soaking nearby, she asked, “What do you plan to do with those spare ribs?”

The cook replied, “Miss, I originally intended to make steamed spare ribs, but the assistant who went shopping came back late. I was worried we wouldn’t make it for meal time, so I planned to make a soup with dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula).”

With a lamb soup already being prepared, another spare rib soup would be too heavy.

Jiang Yanyi picked up a piece of rib to inspect.

The bones were fine, and the meat was firm.

She said, “Such good spare ribs would be wasted in soup; let’s make General’s spare ribs instead.”

The cook had never heard of this dish name, so Jiang Yanyi took over the cooking.

The ribs had soaked in cold water and released a lot of blood, but Jiang Yanyi still blanched them with cooking wine and ginger, eliminating most of the fishy odor.