Ji Lan smiled awkwardly, “Your Sister Wang probably doesn’t know that your Cousin Cheng is staying with us, so she didn’t send an invitation. Once everyone becomes more familiar, such oversights won’t happen.”
“That can’t be,” Shen Cui said, waving the invitation in her hand. “Sister Wang saw Cousin Cheng at Great-grandmother’s birthday celebration last time.”
Ji Lan glanced at Ji Cheng, who remained unperturbed, and inwardly sighed. It was truly frustrating how some people were so much better than others. It seemed that when arranging a marriage for Shen Cui, she would need to find someone from a family with few relatives and a gentle-natured husband. She had harbored a faint hope that Shen Cui might marry into a prestigious family, but today it appeared that was just her wishful thinking.
“Cheng, why don’t you go back to your room and rest? You must be tired after a full day at the academy,” Ji Lan said.
Ji Cheng nodded and left without further comment. As soon as she was gone, Ji Lan pulled Shen Cui close, “Why did you say those hurtful things about your cousin?”
Shen Cui pouted, “What’s wrong with saying it? It’s not like she’s anyone important.”
Ji Lan wearily rubbed her forehead, feeling regretful. It was clear that her behavior had set a bad example for Shen Cui. She would need to be more careful in the future. “You think Sister Wang looks down on your Cousin Cheng, and that makes you feel better about yourself?”
Shen Cui hesitated, then frowned. Indeed, it wasn’t something to be proud of. It was all because Ji Cheng’s background was too low.
Seeing Shen Cui’s expression, Ji Lan became even more agitated. “What’s with that look? Do you also look down on your mother for her humble origins?”
Shen Cui exclaimed, “Oh, Mother! What’s gotten into you? Every time you talk about Uncle’s family, don’t you also…” Her face showed disdain, but this time Shen Cui was smart enough to stop speaking when she saw Ji Lan’s expression.
Ji Lan felt both angry and frustrated, but half of her anger was directed at herself. She hadn’t realized that her accumulated complaints had led her daughter to look down on her and the family she came from. In truth, Ji Lan’s thinking was simple: she could disparage her own family and brother, but no one else was allowed to say a word against them. It wasn’t out of love, but purely to maintain face in front of others.
“That’s your uncle’s family, where your mother grew up. Without me, there would be no you. If you look down on them, you might as well not have been born to me,” Ji Lan’s voice grew shrill.
Shen Cui, who had rarely encountered such anger from her mother, said, “Mother, what’s wrong with you? Just because of Ji Cheng, you’re displeased with me? Do you think she’s better than me in every way?”
Ji Lan felt overwhelmed, finding it impossible to explain clearly to Shen Cui. “When did I ever say you were inferior to Ji Cheng? How are you not better than her in every way? What I’m saying is that you’re not using your head. Ji Cheng is your cousin, and that can’t be changed. I don’t care how you treat her in private, but in front of others, if you join them in looking down on your cousin, you’re looking down on yourself and me. Do you think others will respect you more for this? They’ll only despise you more. You need to understand, in others’ eyes, that she’s your cousin, part of your family. If you look down on your own family, how can others think highly of you?”
Shen Cui wasn’t without intelligence, and after Ji Lan’s explanation, she understood the reasoning. However, she couldn’t bring herself to admit her mistake immediately. Still, hearing Ji Lan say that Ji Cheng was inferior to her in every way made her feel much better. After a while, she approached Ji Lan sheepishly, “Mother, I was wrong.”
Ji Lan stroked Shen Cui’s head and sighed, “Cui’er, don’t be estranged from your cousin. You’re cousins, and in the future, you might need to support each other.”
Shen Cui made a noncommittal sound, but in her heart, she felt she hardly needed Ji Cheng’s support. If anything, she would be the one supporting Ji Cheng. Even if Ji Cheng managed to marry into a noble family, it would only be because she had latched onto the Shen family’s high status. If they hadn’t taken her in, she would have been stuck in that backwater Jincheng for life.
In truth, Ji Lan and Shen Cui shared similar thoughts, both underestimating Ji Cheng. They felt that Ji Cheng owed them a great debt of gratitude, and if she had any sense of loyalty, she should be willing to endure any treatment and work like a servant to repay them.
However, Ji Lan’s cunning far surpassed Shen Cui’s. Her approach to Ji Cheng was to give a sweet after a slap, guiding and controlling her with a firm hand. Shen Cui, being less experienced, worried Ji Lan. Fearing that Shen Cui might become too estranged from Ji Cheng, Ji Lan advised her further, “Your cousin’s future is uncertain if she marries in the capital. Don’t underestimate the young and poor. Moreover, your father and I are not skilled in business. Even though we received many shops from your uncle, we still rely on their family to manage them, which will ensure your future dowry is substantial.”
“I understand, Mother,” Shen Cui replied perfunctorily.
Ji Lan’s words were indeed correct. Although she had received many shops from her brother, she lacked capable people to manage them. So they remained under the supervision of the Ji family’s managers, and she only received the profits annually. What she didn’t know was that most of these shops were now under Ji Cheng’s management.
Ji Cheng’s eldest brother, Ji Yuan, was the family’s hope, buried in his studies daily and completely uninvolved in shop affairs. Her second brother, Ji Ze, had a rash and impulsive nature, making him unsuitable for important tasks. Ji Cheng’s younger sisters and brother were still too young to shoulder responsibilities. Her father, Ji Qing, had no choice but to entrust many matters to his daughter, Ji Cheng.
Ji Qing often lamented that if only Ji Cheng had been born a son, it would have been perfect. With her elder brother striving for an official position through diligent study, and her managing the Ji family’s business, the Ji family would surely have prospered.
The next day, when the academy was closed, Ji Cheng asked for leave from Ji Lan to return to the Ji family’s residence in the capital for cleaning and maintenance. Although Ji Cheng now lived with the Shen family, the Ji family’s wealth easily afforded a three-courtyard house in the capital. This was intended for Ji Yuan’s future use if he stayed in the capital, or as part of Ji Cheng’s dowry if Ji Yuan didn’t enter officialdom. Ji Qing occasionally stayed there when he visited the capital.
For now, this place served as Ji Cheng’s base for receiving reports from the managers of the Ji family’s shops in the capital region. In recent years, Ji Qing’s health has deteriorated, and his energy has waned. He had essentially handed over most of the authority to Ji Cheng, focusing solely on educating Ji Yuan’s eldest son at home, hoping that this grandson would one day uphold the Ji family’s business.
Because of this, the managers didn’t dare to slight this young lady who had taken charge of the Ji family’s affairs at just thirteen years old. Moreover, this young lady had a discerning eye; even the most convincing false accounts would be exposed before her. Combined with her ruthlessness at such a young age and her lack of sentimentality, she was even more difficult to serve than old Master Ji. However, this young lady was also very generous. Under her leadership, capable individuals lived increasingly prosperous lives, even more so than under most other employers. Therefore, those willing to work hard were very eager to serve under her.
In the morning, Ji Cheng checked the accounts at the residence, reviewing the books of the twenty-odd shops under Ji Lan’s name. She said to Manager Mei, “As the exchanges between the Western Regions and our dynasty are increasing, Manager Mei, I want to send you to establish a foothold in the West. We can’t easily penetrate the southern market, so the northwestern route will be our main line. We must strengthen it, otherwise, if others control the route in the future, we’ll be at their mercy.” The “west” Ji Cheng referred to wasn’t just Dunhuang or Zhangye, but further west to countries like Kucha, Shule, Tokharestan, and India.
Mei Changhe hadn’t expected Ji Cheng to suddenly bring up this matter. “What about the six shops under my management? And how do we explain this to the Madam?”
” Aunt has long been uneasy about leaving the shops under our management. Haven’t you been training some people for her?” Ji Cheng said.
“But they haven’t completed their training yet,” Mei Changhe replied.
“How will you know if they can handle things independently if you never give them the chance?” Ji Cheng smiled while thinking to herself that it would be even better if they couldn’t handle it. Ji Lan now had money and backing, so she was putting on airs.
Ji Cheng didn’t mind giving her aunt some trouble, to let her know that the Ji family wasn’t to be taken lightly. Otherwise, Ji Lan would get used to treating the Ji family members like servants.
Ji Cheng knew she owed Ji Lan a debt of gratitude, and she would certainly repay kindness with kindness. But she also couldn’t allow Ji Lan to become as demanding as an emperor. Ji Cheng could also guess Ji Lan’s intentions: on one hand, she wanted to win Ji Cheng over for her use, but on the other hand, she wanted to tame Ji Cheng, to make her obedient. However, Ji Cheng’s character had been forged through years of managing the family business, and she couldn’t tolerate Ji Lan’s approach.
Mei Changhe, being a perceptive person, immediately understood that Ji Cheng intended to withdraw the Ji family from Ji Lan’s shops. “I understand, Young Lady. But if I go west alone, we might be short-handed.”
Ji Cheng appreciated smart people like Mei Changhe. “Then I’ll assign you a few assistants.” Without hesitation, Ji Cheng named several managers who had been running shops for Ji Lan.
“However, we can’t just leave Aunt’s side abruptly. You all will have to work harder for a month or two, giving more opportunities to those under you. Once Aunt sees their abilities, she’ll naturally let you go,” Ji Cheng said with a smile.
Seeing the slight smile on Ji Cheng’s lips, Mei Changhe and the others quickly responded, “Of course.” Being intelligent people, they instantly grasped Ji Cheng’s meaning. Those incompetent replacements would have to be dressed up to appear capable so that Ji Lan would be willing to let these managers leave.
“Also, don’t mention that you’re going west to open new shops. Find your excuses to leave, to avoid Aunt resenting us in the future. The shops are already hers, and it’s not right for us to keep managing them indefinitely. She’s probably not comfortable with it either,” Ji Cheng said.
“Don’t worry, Young Lady. We know how to handle it,” Mei Changhe replied.
Among clever people, not everything needed to be spelled out.