Chapter 116 - The Mystery of Xuetongs Embroidery Shop (2/2)

However, why didn’t Auntie Fang take such a good shop? Auntie Fang was very clear about what was in her mother’s dowry. She had given Mo Xuetong some bad business and also some that did not earn money. There was only Xiuning Workshop which earned Mo Xuetong several hundred taels of silver every month since she took the helm of it.

After that, the rest of her shops all ended up in Sima Lingyun’s hands no matter whether they made money or not. She only kept this shop through it all. Sima Lingyun had never asked about it. In her past life, she had been focused only on Sima Lingyun and never cared about these things. Now after she had been reborn, she was full of questions.

Why did Auntie Fang and Sima Lingyun leave such a money-making shop in her hands for no rhyme or reason?

The experiences of her past life had made her realize how vicious Auntie Fang and Sima Lingyun were. Why would they allow her a way out? The only answer was that they could not get their hands on it or they were shocked by something and did not dare to act. Then what exactly was the differences of this shop that her mother left behind!

Xiuning Workshop was in the south of the city and it was a specialty shop that sold products women used for embroidery. Manager Xing was the most loyal person to Mo Xuetong in her past life. He was very diligent and sent money to the Duke’s Manor on time and never once lined his own pockets. Mo Xuetong felt sad every time she saw his thin face.

She had lived two lives and had seen many things. And that was why she treasured the ties of friends.h.i.+p even more.

She brought Mo Lan and Mo Ye into the shop and made her ident.i.ty known. Mo Xuetong smiled and asked, “Manager Xing, it’s been hard on you. How is business here?”

She took a look at the patrons in the shop when she entered. Business was not bad and the products sold were varied from the low-end to the high-end. Most of the products were mid to high-end and the shop was meant for the common population.

“Third Miss, you are too kind. Business is alright and is considered slightly better than similar shops. I have been managing this shop since Madam went to Cloud City. I report to Old Sir in the manor every month and manage the shop the rest of the time.” Manager Xing replied respectfully, telling her all the things she wanted to ask without her having to.

Mo Xuetong curtsied and said with a smile, “You have played an important role in managing the shop so well. In the past, while we were in Cloud City, you had to deal with problems yourself. Now that Father and I are both back in the capital, go to the manor and have someone tell us if there is any problem.”

While she looked young, her words were gracious and she was humble. It made others have a good impression of her.

Manager Xing approved of her secretly and treated her with even more respect.

“Third Miss, you are too kind. Even though Madam had gone to Cloud City she would still take care of troublesome matters. In the past, when we encountered trouble…we also depended on Madam for help.”

Mo Xuetong was shocked by this and the doubts she had grew. Her mother had never taken charge of the household while they were in Cloud City. Her health was poor and she had always been taking medication and rarely had the energy to do these kinds of things. The holdings that they had in Cloud City had always been managed by her father, so how did her mother have the energy to manage the business in the capital, much less settle the trouble here?

“Manager Xing, has mother always been the one to take charge of the accounts?”

“Madam does not really take charge of the account often. She would send someone to Cloud City every half a year or so. She leaves me to make the decision the rest of the time.”

Her mother had sent someone all the way to Cloud City just for the accounts of one shop. Couldn’t she have entrusted it to her family!

“The people mother sent must have been smart and capable. I wonder if they are still in the manor?” She pretended to ask casually. However, she clutched on to her handkerchief under her sleeve and was slightly nervous.

“They were Madam’s senior maids who went to the Mo Manor with her from the General Manor. Sometimes, one would come and at other times, two. They would come and stay for four or five days to settle the accounts of the last six months.” Manager Xing smiled calmly.

Her mother’s four senior maids? Mo Xuetong was stunned. The four senior maids were either dead, injured, disappeared or mad. She could not get ahold of a single one to ask her questions. When she thought about it carefully, one of the four would always not be around. When she asked about it, her mother would always say that they were busy with something in their own family. She was still young then and had not cared about it.

Now that she thought about it, the whole situation was dubious. Her mother came from the General Manor and in her dowry, this shop was not the largest nor the one that made the most money. So why did she care so much about it and even sent her personal servants to come and check the accounts? The time it took for them to travel back and forth was more than the time it would take to check the accounts.

Mo Xuetong did not believe that her mother had done that for no reason. What exactly was her mother hiding? She could not think of an answer right now!

The manager accompanied Mo Xuetong as she toured around Xiuning Workshop. She did not discover anything different about it other than that the business there was slightly better. Nothing else stood out. Even the signboard at the door seemed as if it was very old. While the characters on the board were written well, they had faded a lot over time.

Mo Xuetong boarded the horse carriage after she left Xiuning Workshop. She closed her eyes and thought carefully. There were many thoughts running through her mind, but there was no way for her to verify them!

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