MTL - My Stepmother is Soft and Charming

"You talk so bad! This time the General Mansion built the house, at least it cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. If you calculate it well, you can pocket tens of thousands of taels of silver. It's a fool's errand. Can you fly?"

“It’s useless for you to tell me this now, think about how to make up for it quickly!”

Shopkeeper Yao sighed, but soon had other thoughts. Since they didn't get this order, it must be those people from Cezhou introduced by shopkeeper Zheng.

Maybe there is still a distinction between closeness and distance here, so the general's wife left the good craftsmen unused and had to go to the Cezhou bumpkin who was not worthy of the stage, so she came up with a plan.

"I know the people Zhao Ping is talking about. Aren't they the people in Zhangjia Alley? They are really good at building houses, but it's a pity that they blocked our way to make a fortune. I can't blame him. His son is a frequent visitor to underground casinos. We just We need to catch him, it’s no wonder this business is not dirty!”

Shopkeeper Yao's words gave Master Deng hope again, so his eyes were much hotter than before, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"If this order is completed, I will give you another 10% of the profit!"

 “Easy to say, easy to say.”

Percent profit is also several thousand taels of silver. This is his ten years of wages, so why not give it a try?

It's a pity that the words of the two of them reached Du Jingyi's ears before they left the room. After hearing such things, Du Jingyi really wanted to laugh.

“The shopkeeper my sister-in-law has found is not an honest person. He is just trying to make money from the General’s Mansion. If he doesn’t care about it, he will definitely be in trouble in the future!”

“What the madam said is that my subordinates should find someone to deal with him.”

"That's not right. He's gone as soon as this happened. There's no way he can explain it. Didn't he want to use the underground casino to lure Zhao Ping and the others? Then treat him the way he wants."

　Steward He may not understand this, but Cherry beside him does.

Aren't they the fifth old man who used this method to deal with him at the beginning? So, just follow the example of the gourd.

 It's just that this time, they have to meet with the people in the casino.

The sun rose and the moon set, and three days passed quickly.

 Early in the morning of the fourth day, while Du Jingyi was still washing up and having breakfast, he heard that Zhao Ping had arrived, accompanied by a strange face. It seemed that the matter in Zhangjiaxiang had been resolved.

 So, after having a small bowl of fish fillet porridge in a good mood, she went to the front hall.

 After sitting down, a maid served tea.

Du Jingyi looked at the two people standing opposite and said with a smile.

“Master Zhao works really fast. It only took a few days. Are the drawings ready?”

“I know that my wife is anxious to repair it, so I am also working overtime to finish it. I have carefully calculated that if everything is in place, it will only take one and a half months to complete.”

"So fast?"

“I don’t know how outsiders do things, but we people are quick and hard-working, so we won’t delay the construction period.”

Du Jingyi nodded. Indeed, the landscaping may take a longer time, but it is not very laborious to repair the house based on the original layout, so Du Jingyi believes what Zhao Ping said.

So, he was asked to come forward and go through the drawings in detail. Du Jingyi only added some comments on some minor details, but did not make major changes to the rest. Zhao Ping even gave some good tips. This surprised Du Jingyi.

"Yes, the person introduced by Uncle Zheng is indeed reliable. Let's decide it like this. It is April now. Is it feasible to complete the project before June?" "Madam, don't worry, it's enough."

"That's good. I'll follow Butler He to the accountant to pay the money later. The rules of our General's Mansion are to pay in three installments. The first and second installments are both 30%, and the final 40% is the bottom. There is no problem with the acceptance of everything. Do you think it’s OK to pay it later?”

　　　“The lady has the final say, and the little ones will obey everything.”

Zhao Ping is now considered someone who has had good dealings with Du Jingyi, so he knows that she will not deceive him, so he trusts her very much.

There is no longer the panic and formality that I felt when I arrived. I just feel that the people in the General's Mansion are very polite from top to bottom.

Having determined the layout of the East Cross Courtyard, that was the matter for the West Cross Courtyard, so Du Jingyi turned his attention to the unfamiliar faces aside, waiting for Zhao Ping's introduction.

Cherry coughed twice before Zhao Ping finally reacted.

"Look at my brain. I'm so stupid. I almost forgot. Madam, this is Master Zhang. My ancestors built houses for aristocratic families in Jinling City. Therefore, many skills are passed down from family to family. They are well-known in Cezhou. He is also a first-class person. With him watching over him, even if this yard needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt, there will be no problem!"

 “Oh, it turns out to be Master Zhang.”

 “Young Zhang Yong, I have met the general’s wife.”

Zhang Yong looks much older than Zhao Ping, with a dark and weathered face, probably because he often works outside. His whole person has a sense of solidity, but if you look closely, There is still some redness between the eyebrows and eyes, probably because of the recent anxiety.

 Thinking of the news sent by the spies a few days ago, she knew something in her heart.

"I won't beat around the bush. Master Zhao must have made it clear about the Xikuayuan matter. What do you think? Can you take on this job?"

"You are sure that you can come today. There is a century-old tree in the west courtyard of the General's Mansion. Its leafy branches block a lot of sunlight, so my wife wants to change it into a pavilion to entertain guests. It’s not difficult to find a place. The only trouble is that it will get even colder in winter, so the West Cross Courtyard is basically unusable, so I came here to ask, are you sure you want to remodel it like this?”

"certainly."

"Okay, since Madam is sure, the smaller one can do it, but there is still a large open space behind the pavilion, how to deal with that?"

 He came well prepared and asked every detail clearly.

So Du Jingyi asked Butler He to come forward, handed him a few detailed drawings, and then said.

"These are the construction details of the greenhouse. They were drawn by the master masons in Sui'an City in the past. You only need to build them according to the proportions. You don't have to worry about anything else."

Greenhouse?

He had never heard of this, so he picked up the drawing and looked at it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more interested he became, and there was a little excitement in his eyes!

“Madam, did you buy this blueprint with a lot of money?”

"How to say?"

"The house built in this way will not feel cold even in winter. It is perfect for Cezhou, but it has never been seen in Cezhou before, so I am willing to give it a try, but... there is an unsympathetic feeling. please!"

Du Jingyi smiled faintly and listened to him continue talking.