She had enough capital, people, and skills. The only thing lacking was someone who knew how to do business, someone who could hold down the fort.
Alright, in essence, she lacked a boss.
Now it was good. Lu Taobao had been kicked out by his father and had nothing to do. He could come and be her boss, allowing her time to slowly look for other candidates.
Even if she couldn't find anyone in the end, she could have Lu Taobao help train someone, right?
She wondered what Lu Taobao's mood would be if he knew what Shen Xiaoyan was thinking at the moment.
She had finally gotten some relaxation, but it hadn't even been a day before Shen Xiaoyan was thinking of him again.
Shen Xiaoyan wasn't worried at all that Lu Taobao wouldn't agree.
Firstly, Lu Taobao didn't need to do much. He just needed to help manage things, as neither she nor Zheng Wei had ever run a shop before.
Secondly, Lu Taobao was a foodie. When discussing matters with a foodie, all you needed to prepare was a table of delicious food, and everything would be settled.
It wasn't that Shen Xiaoyan looked down on Lu Taobao. For him, she could secure him with just one dish, let alone a whole table of food.
Poor Lu Taobao, he didn't know that his image in Shen Xiaoyan's mind had already reached such an irreparable state.
Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin spent the morning in the herb garden, sharing some of her insights with Fan Yong.
Yue Qingxin truly shared her own insights. After all, she had lived a life of luxury before, seen and used all sorts of good things, so she could naturally speak about them.
As for Shen Xiaoyan, she directly gave Fan Yong the things she had read or copied from books, telling him to study them carefully with his son.
Fan Yong and his son were both full of praise for some of Shen Xiaoyan's ideas, saying it was a pity she hadn't pursued medicine.
Shen Xiaoyan was helpless about this. She couldn't say that she had copied it all. She could only say that she didn't have time to study under their earnest gazes.
Fan Yong and his son were just giving compliments, and besides, Shen Xiaoyan didn't really need to learn these things. Therefore, they readily accepted Shen Xiaoyan's explanation and even added flattery, lamenting how hard it was for Shen Xiaoyan to take care of children and how busy she was with household chores every day.
Shen Xiaoyan blushed again at the compliments from Fan Yong and his son, and could only drag Yue Qingxin's hand and flee the herb garden.
After leaving the herb garden, Yue Qingxin burst into laughter. "You said you wouldn't study, but why are you blushing so much when they compliment you a few words?"
Shen Xiaoyan was embarrassed. She just stopped those compliments and felt very awkward.
Just then, Shen Xiaoyan cleared her throat and said, "I'm feeling hot. It's nothing, it'll be fine in a while."
As soon as Shen Xiaoyan finished speaking, Yue Qingxin was laughing so hard she could barely stand.
Lu Taobao was just walking in from the front yard at that moment. Seeing Yue Qingxin laughing so hard and Shen Xiaoyan looking embarrassed, he felt a little strange.
"What's wrong? Why are you laughing so happily? Tell me if there's anything fun."
"Are you awake?" Shen Xiaoyan said, looking at Lu Taobao.
Yue Qingxin straightened up, smoothed her hair with her hand, and nodded at Lu Taobao.
"Yes, I'm awake. I slept so comfortably. Sister-in-law, it's almost noon. Have you started preparing lunch yet? What are we having for lunch? Can I order a few dishes?" As Lu Taobao spoke, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily. Thinking about his favorite dishes made him drool.
"You do nothing but eat and sleep. Aren't you afraid of becoming a fat lump? If you want to get married then, but no woman is willing to marry you, what will you do?" Shen Xiaoyan said, half-jokingly.
Lu Taobao didn't respond to Shen Xiaoyan's words, mainly because he didn't know how to reply.
So, he could only change the subject. "What were you laughing about just now? Why didn't you tell me? Your faces are all red from laughing. It must be something very interesting."
As Lu Taobao spoke, he looked at Shen Xiaoyan with curiosity, waiting for her answer.
Seeing Lu Taobao like this, and considering what he said, Yue Qingxin found it even more amusing.
Her face was red from laughing, but Shen Xiaoyan's face wasn't red from laughing too much.
Yue Qingxin pursed her lips, smiling, and kept stealing glances at Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan felt a little embarrassed. Although being complimented and feeling shy wasn't something to be ashamed of, why did Yue Qingxin look like she couldn't get enough of laughing?
"Right, I actually have something to discuss with you." Shen Xiaoyan clapped her hands together gently, as if she suddenly remembered something, and said eagerly to Lu Taobao.
"What is it? Sister-in-law, just say it."
Lu Taobao heard the urgency in Shen Xiaoyan's tone and really thought something was wrong. He immediately put on a listening posture.
"Well... let's go to the kitchen first and have Aunt Qu make you a few of your favorite dishes. Today, we'll consider it a welcome feast for you."
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment and really didn't know what to say, so she could only change the subject like this.
This somewhat weak method might not work on others, but for Lu Taobao, it was perfect.
"Okay, okay. No matter what it is, we need to be full before we have the energy to talk."
Lu Taobao readily agreed to Shen Xiaoyan's suggestion and walked ahead, heading towards the west courtyard.
Shen Xiaoyan made a funny face at Yue Qingxin and followed behind Lu Taobao.
The two of them went to the kitchen. Qu Shi and Zhu Shi were cooking. They were a bit surprised to see them arrive but still bowed and greeted them.
"Aunt Qu, Aunt Zhou, please add a few dishes that Young Master Lu likes for lunch," Shen Xiaoyan told them.
Qu Shi and Zhu Shi were almost done cooking when Shen Xiaoyan suddenly asked to add more dishes. However, they immediately agreed.
Besides, Shen Xiaoyan only said to add a few of Lu Taobao's favorites. Wasn't that easy?
It wasn't that they, as servants, were disrespectful, but honestly, this Young Master Lu was not picky at all.
Not only did he like all the things Shen Xiaoyan and the others liked, but he also liked the things they didn't like.
In short, he wasn't a picky eater and was easy to feed.
Under these circumstances, after Shen Xiaoyan and Lu Taobao left the kitchen, Qu Shi and Zhu Shi quickly prepared two cold dishes and two hot dishes. Although the dishes were simple, they were absolutely delicious.
It wasn't until after lunch that Lu Taobao remembered that Shen Xiaoyan had something to discuss with him.
"Sister-in-law, you said earlier that you had something to discuss with me. What was it?"
Shen Xiaoyan no longer hesitated and directly explained the matter of opening a cosmetics shop.
Lu Taobao was silent for a moment after listening, then said, "This idea is not bad. The name sounds novel too."
"Yes, and more importantly, our products are much better than other blushes and powders," Shen Xiaoyan said seriously.
"Pfft..." Lu Taobao chuckled, and after a while, he finally managed to suppress his laughter. "Sister-in-law, I can compliment you, but how can you praise yourself like this? You have no humility at all."