Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun put their heads together and came up with a plan. Su Xiaoqi’s heart pounded with excitement as she listened, and she clapped her hands in approval.
Immediately, she returned to the back courtyard to execute the plan.
Shen Yun’s idea was for her to host a banquet at the hot spring estate.
She could invite various noble ladies from the capital through the Grand Princess, have them lend her their support, and deter Liu Yuanming from making any further advances.
Besides this, Su Xiaoqi also had her own ideas.
The hot spring was already available at the estate, and it would be a waste not to do something with it.
So, she stayed up late, not only planning the banquet but also a renovation and improvement plan for the estate.
She wanted the hot spring estate to fulfill its intended purpose.
Seeing Su Xiaoqi working late into the night, Shen Yun looked on helplessly.
Alas, he couldn't control himself for a moment.
If he had known she was such a serious person, he wouldn’t have been so eager to share the plan with her.
It would have saved her so much trouble, and he hated to see her work so hard.
In fact, he had his own intentions for bringing her to the hot spring estate.
But it was clear now that whatever he wanted to do, it was destined to fail.
He could only watch.
That night, Su Xiaoqi was filled with thoughts of her endeavors, contemplating reaching new heights.
Shen Yun, on the other hand, was filled with unfulfilled desire and harbored great hatred for Liu Yuanming.
If it weren't for dealing with him, his wife wouldn't have had to work so hard.
Meanwhile, Liu Yuanming, sound asleep at home with his concubine, felt his right eyelid twitch uncontrollably.
He was unaware that he was already being targeted.
On April 13th, Shen Yun officially entered the Hanlin Academy as a sixth-rank Remonstrant.
This was considered the highest rank for someone who had just passed the imperial examinations.
While Shen Yun was at his official duties during the day, Su Xiaoqi continued to refine her renovation plan for the hot spring estate at home.
Once the plan was complete, she sent for He Qiulei.
He knew many people from all walks of life, making him the most suitable person to entrust with the renovation work.
Coincidentally, He Qiulei had something to discuss with Su Xiaoqi during his visit.
“Madam Shen, I’ve found the place you asked me to look for,” He Qiulei said, his round, plump face beaming with excitement.
He was thrilled, as he had been tirelessly searching for a suitable location to build a playground for the past several days.
After nearly half a month, he had finally found a spot ideal for constructing a children’s amusement park.
“Xinghui Street.”
“Where is Xinghui Street?” Su Xiaoqi, being directionally challenged, paid little attention to streets that weren’t particularly well-known.
When He Qiulei mentioned it, her first instinct was to have Zhang Yu fetch a map for a closer look.
“It’s in the southern part of the city, isn’t it?” Su Xiaoqi said, examining the map.
He Qiulei nodded first, then shook his head in amazement, “This, this must be your own drawing, it’s too detailed.
Oh, isn’t this where my elder brother lives, Shadow Alley?
And this here, this must be Mao’er Hutong where we are now.”
He Qiulei pointed to various spots on the map with his thick, short fingers.
Although Su Xiaoqi couldn’t navigate, she understood maps perfectly. Hearing his words, she nodded and confirmed it was indeed the place.
She looked at the orientation, with north up, south down, west left, and east right, and pointed to the south, saying, “The Xinghui Street you mentioned must be here. The residential areas here are quite complex, and it seems a bit far from where the nobility resides, doesn’t it?”
Su Xiaoqi expressed her differing opinion.
“Madam Shen, you might not know this, but it’s precisely because it’s a bit farther away that it’s better. If it were too close, it wouldn’t really work,” He Qiulei explained.
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
“Ah, I forgot one thing. Madam Shen, do you know how many orders for custom-made slides I’ve received in this short period?”
He Qiulei’s face flushed with excitement. Su Xiaoqi felt it impolite not to inquire further, so she asked.
“How many?”
“A full thirty orders,” He Qiulei said as he pulled out an account book and a shining abacus from his chest, then began to fiddle with the beads according to the ledger.
“Two plus one makes five, one times three is three… a total of thirty-two orders, each costing between three hundred to six hundred taels of silver.
The deposit for each is one hundred taels. Excluding the twenty-five orders that haven’t started yet.
I’ve already received full payment for five of them. Here, this is six thousand taels, the income from the past half month.”
Su Xiaoqi watched He Qiulei as he magically produced an account book, an abacus, and then a stack of silver notes from his chest.
Su Xiaoqi looked at him in amazement throughout.
After listening to his explanation, she had to admit that He Qiulei was a born businessman.
He was experienced, perceptive, and possessed a flexible mind, handling everything perfectly.
He didn't put anyone under pressure, yet he could inspire complete trust.
“So, wealthy officials’ sons and rich merchants’ families have all installed their own slide playgrounds.
Presumably, they wouldn’t want to go out and play much anymore.”
Therefore, He Qiulei chose Xinghui Street, where commoners were most concentrated, as the location for the amusement park.
Of course, that street wasn’t exclusively for ordinary commoners.
They were also families with modest assets.
Either they had a shop or two that they rented out, or they were involved in business themselves.
Or perhaps they owned estates in the suburbs. In short, they were people who were not worried about food or clothing.
After listening, Su Xiaoqi evaluated the situation and felt that her initial concerns had been completely resolved.
She relaxed and let He Qiulei handle the arrangements.
After all, she had already given him the blueprints of modern amusement parks for reference.
He Qiulei was overjoyed, his eyes filled with pride.
Unexpectedly, Su Xiaoqi threw him another bombshell.
“I want to build a clubhouse.”
“What, what’s a clubhouse?” He Qiulei didn’t want to admit his ignorance, but he had indeed never heard these two words before.
“You can understand it this way: it’s built specifically for wealthy people to spend money. You can soak in hot springs there, have meals, escape the summer heat, and hibernate in winter.
When you’re tired, you can go for a sauna to relieve fatigue.
You can also go there for private conversations, as it’s quiet.”
In short, it was a place that encompassed dining, drinking, and entertainment.
“This is good, this is good. Is this the renovation blueprint? Let me see, wow, this is so novel. Alright, I’ll find people to start immediately.”
“Don’t rush. First, find reliable people. If there are any decisions that need to be made, you must come to me. Do not make any changes arbitrarily.”
Su Xiaoqi placed great importance on this clubhouse and didn’t want it to be a failure.
He Qiulei patted his chest and assured her that he would take care of these matters and would not mess them up.
With this matter settled, Su Xiaoqi was no longer anxious.
Taking advantage of her free time, she took out a few more modern pastries and asked Ziling to make them.
However, after calling Ziling over, Su Xiaoqi noticed that she seemed somewhat out of sorts.
“Ziling, what’s wrong?” Su Xiaoqi had never treated Ziling and the others as mere servants.
She considered them simply as people working for her.
They were responsible for the work, and she was responsible for paying their wages.
Therefore, she always treated them with respect and showed concern when appropriate.
“Mistress, this servant…” Ziling’s eyes reddened, and tears began to fall like a leaky faucet.
Su Xiaoqi’s heart tightened. She had only asked casually, not expecting Ziling to actually have something wrong.