After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 835 Asking
Ma felt that her granddaughter's words made sense.

She and her elder sister did business together, and they always kept clear accounts, and they were not vague about money just because they were sisters. The elder sister was lazy about the workshop and just wanted to wait for the dividends. When she was in charge of the overall situation, she never had the idea of ​​fooling around. In the past two years, the elder sister relied more and more on her daughter-in-law. She began to hand over the workshop affairs to Zhou Jinlin's wife and gave her daughter-in-law dividends. Zhou Jinlin's wife was not as careless as her mother-in-law. She always liked to ask about the affairs of the workshop. Ma never concealed anything, but told her nephew's wife all the business tricks.

Ma thought very clearly. She and her elder sister were both old. Sooner or later, she would have to go back to her hometown in Zhili with her husband and grandson. She could not stay in Chang'an for many years. She could only earn a few years' worth of money from the partnership business and save some private money. When she was gone, the workshop would still be handed over to her elder sister. Now her elder sister was impatient to manage the business, so wouldn't it be her nephew's wife who would take over? Since it would be handed over sooner or later, why should she fight with her nephew's wife? If she could teach Zhou Jinlin's wife well and let her be independent sooner, she, as an aunt, would have less worries and could live a leisurely life waiting for dividends like her elder sister sooner!

Ma had thought so at that time, and now that her husband was about to return to Beijing, she naturally could not change her mind. The workshop was originally built by her and her eldest sister, and it had paid off a few years ago. Now it has a profit of one or two hundred silver coins every month, which is already very good. Since she is leaving, she will hand over the workshop to her nephew's wife. As for the money from selling the workshop shares, it is just a token of appreciation. The main purpose is to shut up her sister-in-law from her natal family and not let the latter complain.

In fact, this workshop was not a dowry for the two sisters, nor was it opened with the dowry money. The good business in recent years was not due to the connections of the Ma family. Ma provided the technology, found the cotton producing areas to purchase raw materials, and found foreign merchant caravans willing to purchase cotton cloth. Zhou Ma found the families of fallen soldiers who were willing to work hard as weavers through the connections of her husband, son and her husband's family. Some of the cotton cloth produced could be sold to the army. During the whole process, their brothers and sisters-in-law from their natal families did not contribute at all. So what does the ownership of this workshop have to do with their brothers and sisters-in-law from their natal families?

Ma's wife shamelessly asked for the money because she knew the workshop could make money. But when the Ma sisters formed a partnership, they asked her about it. She didn't think it was a good business at the time. Not only did she refuse to invest in the shares, she also mocked them several times. Later, the workshop quickly recovered its investment and made good profits, so she changed her mind.

Thinking back to the humiliation she had suffered at that time, Ma felt more and more that her family's good property should not be given to her snobbish sister-in-law.

Thinking of this, Ma couldn't sit still anymore and immediately went back to the house to write a letter to her nephew's wife, Zhou Jinlin's wife, to explain the matter of selling shares.

She also called Ma Li's family and said, "The master may have to return to Beijing early. What is your family's plan? Discuss it quickly and report it to me. If you plan to return to the third branch of the Zhou family, you should also have an idea of ​​what you will do in the future."

"Ah?" Ma Lijia was a little panicked, "So fast?" She hasn't packed everything yet!

If Zhou Ma was still in charge of the third branch of the Zhou family, it would only take a word for her to go back and serve her old master. The problem is that Zhou Ma has gone to Beijing with her husband, and the one who is in charge of the family now is Zhou Ma's daughter-in-law, Zhou Jinlin's wife. The latter has been in charge of the household for a long time, and has already arranged important positions for her trusted people, and has also arranged a place for the senior staff left by her mother-in-law. If Ma Youli's family goes back at this time, I'm afraid they won't get any good job. They are not familiar with Zhou Jinlin's wife, and they can't ask for mercy even if they want!

Originally, if the Hai family hadn't left so soon, the Ma family could still make some moves and try to return to the manor where they used to live to become the head of the manor. The current head of the manor is old and sick, and may have to retire at the end of this year. With Ma Youli's qualifications, he can definitely take over. At that time, they only need to consider the future of their children and grandchildren. But now the Hai family is leaving early...

Ma Youli's wife recalled the news that the couple had heard privately: the master of the Hai family was going to Beijing for a promotion, the young master Hai Jiao was favored by a nobleman, and his future was bright, and the young lady Hai Tang would definitely marry a good family after going to Beijing. It would be fine for the older generation to return to Zhou's manor to retire, but if it delayed the future of their children and grandchildren, wouldn't it be a shame?

Or... let the children follow the Hai family to Beijing? They can just stay in Chang'an. Their eldest granddaughter, Grape, has married a good husband, and their eldest grandson's son-in-law, Zhou Xiaojian, has already entered the Zhenguo Mansion. They will have a good future in the future. With them and their daughter and son-in-law taking care of them in the third room of the Zhou family, they don't have to worry about anything. There is no need to force the children to stay with them... Ma Youli's wife took the letter that Ma had just written and left with something on her mind. Ma didn't know what the trusted maid around her was thinking. She just wanted to take advantage of the early morning to quickly call the manager of the weaving workshop to ask questions and check the accounts. Since the shares are to be sold to the nephew's wife, the accounts must be clear, and there must be no unclear places left, so that they can't argue back and forth in the future.

Grandmother Ma was busy with something, and she was ordering Aunt Cui, Mother Li, and Ma Youli's family around. Seeing this, Hai Xiya hurriedly left the upper room and planned to go to the next door to find his cousin Xie Wenzai. Grandson Haijiao also wrote a letter to Xie Wenzai. He went to ask and discuss with his cousin how to handle the handover. He also had to tell his cousin about the good intentions of his old friends in Beijing, and persuade his cousin to stop being upset and do something practical while he was still young.

The emperor might die anytime soon. Once he dies, the new emperor will be young, and Elder Sun may not be willing to retire, and may even cause trouble. Elder Tao is having a hard time holding on in the court, so old friends should lend a hand...

Haitang originally planned to go back to her room to continue writing. Since she had decided to persuade Jin Jiashu to return to Chang'an within this year to deal with the family's funeral, there was no need to say many of the things in the draft letter. She could wait until he came back and talk to him in person. She saw her grandfather off all the way, and when she heard his mumbling, she immediately changed her mind.

There was no need to rush to write the letter, as it would not be mailed soon after it was written. She wanted to find out what the letter from her uncle said, whether there was anything she did not know.

Haitang was just seeing her grandfather off, but now she was helping him walk to her cousin Xie Wenzai's residence. She acted very naturally, and Hai Xiya didn't suspect anything. He smiled and patted her hand, saying, "Grandfather is not too old to walk, so he doesn't need your help."

Haitang smiled and said, "I know, I just want to be closer to you, Grandpa."

Hai Xiya's heart softened, thinking that his granddaughter was already seventeen years old, and that she would have to meet someone after coming to Beijing, and that she would have to get married next year, and by then the two of them would never be able to be so close again. So he said no more, and took his granddaughter into his cousin's study. The two sides exchanged greetings, sat down and served tea, and the granddaughter had no intention of avoiding him, and Hai Xiya did not ask her to leave.

Xie Wenzai knew that Haijiao had never concealed anything from his sister, so he often mentioned the political affairs in the capital in his letters to his sister, some details of which were not even known to the elders. Therefore, when Haitang wanted to stay and listen to the conversation between the two cousins, he did not stop him.

After comparing letters with Xie Wenzai, Hai Xiya realized that the contents of the letters Hai Jiao wrote to them were similar, but with slightly different emphases. He also told his cousin everything he could tell his grandfather, with one exception.

Shortly after Haijiao assisted General Gu in checking the old accounts of Shanhaiwei, Lord Tao summoned him privately to meet him. He asked him about the process of checking the accounts, his family situation, and his experience in the border town. He asked very carefully and even took out an account book and asked him to calculate the accounts in person.

(End of this chapter)