34 - Chapter 32
It did not take long for them to reach the bank. Sa Bina, along with Lou Sie, was escorted in to see Jang Ko, the bank manager.
“Greetings Lady Sa Bina,” said Jang Ko. “How may I help you today?”
“Greetings Jang Ko. I need to ensure that everything is fine with the estate account and that my butler and secretary have been given the appropriate access.” said Sa Bina. “I also need to make some withdrawals. Lastly, I need to potentially open another set of accounts.”
“Yes, everything is set up for your retainers to manage the household account. The only question is how much money do you wish to transfer to the account?” replied Jang Ko. “Also how much do you need to withdraw?”
“Can we set up a monthly transfer to the household account, instead of a one off lump sum?” asked Sa Bina.
“Yes we can set up an instruction for that.” replied Jang Ko. “However, please be aware that if the funds are not in the initiating account then the transfer will fail.”
“Of course.” replied Sa Bina. “Let us transfer 3 tier 3 spirit stones now, then set up a transfer of 2 tier 3 per month for the next year. I can review the spending at that point and reassess.”
“Of course my lady,” replied Jang Ko. “I will get that done for you now. How much did you want to withdraw today?”
“I will take 4,000 gold.” replied Sa Bina. “Also I will take 18 tier 2 and 200 tier 1 spirit stones.”
Jang Fo spent a few minutes instructing his subordinates to get that all organised, then returned to Sa Bina.
“You mentioned another set of accounts, my lady.” asked Jang Fo. “Can you give me further details?”
“First, I am designing and opening a high end restaurant,” said Sa Bina. “ I need a separate account to manage the build costs, and then accounts to manage the day to day operations of the business once it is open.”
“How much do you want to provide for the original costs?” asked Jang Fo.
“I think 20 tier 3 spirit stones should be a good start.” replied Sa Bina. “If I need to spend more, then I can always come back and add to that amount.”
“I will ensure that the account is set up and ready to be used by tomorrow,” said Jang Fo. “I assume you want your butler and secretary to have access for now?”
“Yes, let us start with that.” replied Sa Bina. “I will look at expanding that list once we have more staff.”
“Next, I need accounts to manage the spending by my military division.” replied Sa Bina. “The bills will be directed to a new division set up under the purview of Minister Hang Fo. Lastly, I need an account to deal with the income from the same division, but that account will only be used annually.”
“You have already managed to sign government contracts?” asked a surprised Jang Fo. “That is certainly fast.”
“The full details are still confidential.” replied Sa Bina. She was not going to be the one to give away her secrets. She knew they would come out sooner or later, but was determined to ensure that the secret held as long as possible. “I trust you will keep the details confidential and ensure none of your employees leak any details?”
“Of course, my lady.” replied Jang Fo. “You can be assured of our absolute discretion.”
With that they made small talk until one of the attendants returned with Sa Bina’s funds. Once she had secured them in her storage rings they departed the bank.
“Lou Sie,” said Sa Bina, as they entered the carriage. “I hope you made a note of the funds I have allocated. I also need you to book a training session with the scribes and accountants. I need to train them in my preferred method of book keeping.”
“I will make the arrangements and also inform Be Net, my lady.” replied Lou Sie. “Shall we go shopping?”
“Yes, let’s,” replied Sa Bina. “Also send a message to minister Hang Fo that his staff should also attend the training. I would like the records to be kept in the same format for the guild.”
With that they headed off towards the shopping district. Sa Bina needed to ensure that she had the requisite ornaments to properly manage her hair, as well as to ensure that Dian Fu could look after her nails. She did not want a repeat of that morning.
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They were soon stepping down in front of a modern looking beauty parlour. Sa Bina had learnt that women’s accessories were sold directly by the parlours, as well as the personal care services. They were generally not available elsewhere.
The shop was restricted to ladies only, and the guards had to wait outside as Sa Bina and Lou Sie entered. The massive venue was a genuine mix of a showroom and a beauty parlour. On one side of the shop were displays with a range of products for hair and nails. On the other side was the beauty parlour where ladies were being worked on by a gaggle of female attendants. There were also a few private booths in the back for more personal services. The center of the venue held comfortable seating. The staff were providing a range of refreshments to those who were waiting for their appointments. Sa Bina made a note to approach the owner with a deal once her premises were ready. This would be an excellent venue to show off some of her more delicate pastry ideas.
As they entered, they were approached by an attendant. “Greetings, how may we be of service today?” she asked.
“This is Lady Sa Bina.” responded Lou Sie tersely before Sa Bina could respond herself. “We are here for a range of hair accessories that would be suitable for my lady while she attends the academy. We also need a range of nail care products, and we are in a hurry.”
The attendant gulped, she had been far too casual with a noble. She was surprised that she was being let off with just verbal reprimand. “Of course, if my lady would like to follow me, I will ensure she is served straight away.”
A few other ladies noticed Sa Bina getting served first, and were clearly not happy. However Lou Sie ensured they all understood that Sa Bina was a noble and in a rush.
Still it took them some time to pick out a selection of accessories and nail varnishes in a range of colours. The attendants were very happy to run around and get the things that Sa Bina asked for. Sa Bina just assumed that they were working on commission, and hence her habit of spending a lot was getting her exceptional service.
Around a bell later, and 2,000 gold poorer, Sa Bina made her way out of the parlour and back towards her estate. She had been surprised by the cost of items that were well beyond the ability of the normal citizens to afford. At first she had been concerned that she was being ripped off, but after watching other shoppers and being reassured by Lou Sie, she had accepted that the price range for the items was reasonable.
In her life, Sa Bina had never been one to show off with expensive items. This would be her first time spending so much on accessories. A part of her had fun during the purchases process, yet another part was horrified at the waste.
With the carriage loaded up with her items and properly secured, Sa Bina, instructed the driver to make his way back to the estate.
Once they were back, Lou Sie organised for her expensive purchases to be delivered to Dian Fu, her maid to arrange.
Sa Bina needed to take a bath and refresh herself before the evening meal. She also wanted to be fresh to review the progress made that day. She left instructions for everyone to assemble in around 1 bell, as she went to refresh herself.
Sa Bina returned to the dining room after her bath and change of clothes. Back on Earth, even after spending the whole day out and about, her clothes would hardly be spoiled. Here the bath and change of clothes were mandatory. Even after living in such opulence, there was still the lack of cleanliness and convenience. It was, she ideally noted, another major difference between the modern world she had left and this one.
The table had already been set, and her new retainers were waiting for her. Most look uncomfortable at the notion of dining with a noble. Not for the first time, Sa Bina wondered how the other nobles would react to her actions and perceived lack of decorum. She also had to ask herself if she actually cared about what the nobles would think. In truth, she did not care, had never cared about what others thought about her. However, she was stuck here for the foreseeable future. She would have to start giving weight to the opinions of others, especially when it could directly impact her and her interests. Being branded uncouth would be hugely damaging to the high class brand she was attempting to create. Perception is king was a motto she would have to keep at the forefront of her thoughts and apply to every action if she truly wanted to succeed. She could not move forward whilst alienating the majority of her peers.
“Greetings,” said Sa Bina, taking her seat at the head of the table. “Please be seated. I would like to keep this meeting short. So the format we are going to follow is somewhat different to what you are used to. We will go around in a circle, starting from my left. Each person will tell us if they have managed to achieve anything today, if they are having any problems that are preventing them from making progress or any decisions they need made. You don’t need to provide a lot of detail at this stage. If you have nothing you need to bring up, then it is fine to skip your turn.”
“I will start.” continued Sa Bina. “I have opened an account for the new business and transferred the funds into the account for this project. Be Net please speak to Manager Jang Ko to gain access. Lou Sie?”
“Thank you, my lady.” replied Lou Sie. “We will be holding classes in a new way to maintain account books. While the class will be for the accountants and scribes, we encourage anyone with an interest to take part.”
“We have started to collect the white crystal from wine casks and pass them on to our alchemist,” said He Mai. “We have also sent runners to the other large wine makers to ask about acquiring all the crystals from them. Some already provided them to us. We have managed to acquire more than 20 Jin already.”
More than 10 kgs in the first day, though that pace was unlikely to last, Sa Bina was still impressed with the amount of cream of tartar He Mai had managed to procure. It was a very good start.
“We have ordered additional animals to start to increase production of milk,” said Su Niu. “We should be able to increase our capacity by 10 fold in the coming year. I have also been asked by other dairy farmers if we would be interested in buying them.”
“We can look at that on a case by case basis.” replied Sa Bina. “There are many uses, so a surplus would not be an issue. Liaise with Be Net to work out good deals.”
“I have started grinding down and refining the white crystals that He Mai has procured.” said Liu Wen. “We should have at least 2 Jin of the finished product for you by tomorrow.”
“I am impressed by the quick production.” replied Sa Bina. “Keep up the hard work.” While she truly was impressed, she wanted to see what the smiths and artificers had managed.