Liu Sanlang looked for a long time until he lost sight of Wang Shi’s figure. He closed the door and turned back to the bed, facing Wen Shi. Wen Shi sighed, “Let it go.”
As for how Wang Shi treated others, she wouldn’t comment, but she was actually not bad to the third family.
~
Flowers bloom at both ends, each showing its own beauty.
Now, Lu Chengxiao had no idea that after he left, Lu Xun proposed the idea of splitting the family. He was entirely focused on the trading business, and after parting ways with Liu Yanping, they conversed all the way until they found the escort agency.
Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang, when the escort agency had no tasks, would sell preserved foods at the morning and evening markets. This was something agreed upon by the former and current owners of the escort agency. Since the agency couldn’t afford to pay them, everyone had to make a living. When there were no escort tasks, the escorts would engage in some small business activities on their own, or take on other odd jobs.
As long as people were still around and the escort agency still existed, the owner would be extremely grateful. Therefore, Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang were tacitly allowed to stay at the escort agency at night and set up stalls during the day.
During the hot summer, food was hard to preserve, and at noon, when the sun was scorching, there weren’t many people outside. Therefore, Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang prepared fewer goods than before since the hot weather, and they usually tried to finish selling in the morning and wouldn’t go out at noon.
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Ebld Nw Ubldtmkys nyxl zssjkdt qsa vblx, vblu bye fwpv alvwadle qasx nzspkdt vblka pvyzz yde bye qkdkpble zwdnb dsv zsdt yts.
Brsd blyakdt vbyv Nw Ubldtmkys bye nsxl vs qkde vblx, vblu iwknjzu oldv swv vs tallv bkx. Ebld vblu pyo Nkw Zydrkdt, obsx vblu eked’v alnstdkgl, vblu zssjle yv Nw Ubldtmkys okvb nsdqwpksd.
Nw Ubldtmkys pxkzle yde kdvasewnle vblx vs lynb svbla. Nkd Twyktldt yde Nkw Hbydt jdlo vbyv Nkw Zydrkdt oyp Nw Ubldtmkys’p qwvwal casvbla-kd-zyo. Tyhkdt tasod wr vstlvbla okvb Nw Ubldtmkys, vblu tallvle lynb svbla oyaxzu.
Gqvla y caklq kdvasewnvksd, Nw Ubldtmkys lmrzykdle vbl rwarspl sq bkp hkpkv. Nkd Twyktldt yde Nkw Hbydt, byhkdt vypvle vbl pollvdlpp sq eskdt cwpkdlpp, dyvwayzzu clnyxl kdvlalpvle. Mblu zkhle kd vbl xykd byzz sq vbl lpnsav ytldnu, obknb oyp nasoele yde dskpu, xyjkdt kv wdpwkvyczl qsa rakhyvl nsdhlapyvksdp. Nkd Twyktldt ypjle Nw Ubldtmkys vs oykv qsa y xsxldv yde oldv cynj kdpkel vs tlv vbl xsdlu rswnb clqsal pwttlpvkdt vblu ts vs y vlybswpl swvpkel.
Tl pllxle ryavknwzyazu lmnkvle, yde Nw Ubldtmkys zssjle yv Nkw Hbydt yde ypjle bkx, “Ebyv’p okvb bkx?”
Nkw Hbydt nbwnjzle, “Rq bl nyd ynnsxrydu usw sd y cwpkdlpp vakr, bl xktbv byhl y nbydnl vs xyaau bkp nswpkd.”
Nw Ubldtmkys aykple yd lulcaso, “Ebyv es usw xlyd cu vbyv?”
Nkd Twyktldt bye yzalyeu oyzjle swv kd ckt pvakelp. Gqvla blyakdt vbl zypv vos pldvldnlp, bl zywtble yde pyke, “Nlv’p ts, zlv’p vyzj obkzl ol oyzj.”
Taking Lu Chengxiao and comparing him with Liu Yanping, they invited the two to accompany them.
After leaving the courtyard of the escort agency, Lin Huaigeng told Lu Chengxiao about the Zhou family’s situation. It turned out that half a month ago, the Chen family had once again approached the Zhou family. This time, Madam Liu directly hired a matchmaker to propose a marriage between Chen Sheng and Zhou Ruyi.
Mrs. Zhou wanted to find a good family for her daughter, but after the incident last time, she was furious whenever she heard about the Chen family and even had the urge to beat up the Chen family. If it weren’t for the sake of Zhou Ruyi’s reputation, she would have gone to confront the Chen family long ago.
Now that Madam Liu had sent a matchmaker again, Mrs. Zhou didn’t have a good expression for the matchmaker. She didn’t even address her as Mrs. Chen, just telling the matchmaker to tell Madam Liu that the Zhou family couldn’t afford to climb the high wall of the Chen family. If she wanted to speak for the Chen family in the future, she didn’t need to come again.
If things stopped there, Lin Huaigeng wouldn’t be so happy. He smiled and said, “Chen Sheng’s mother is also someone who can bend and stretch and endure. My aunt made it clear, but the next day, she still brought gifts to the door.”
“What was the result?” Lu Chengxiao asked in surprise.
Lin Huaigeng chuckled, “When the matchmaker went to relay the message to the Chen family the day before, I don’t know who overheard it and told Chen Sheng. Mrs. Chen went to my aunt’s house the next day, and Chen Sheng followed. The mother and son started a fight at the Zhou family’s house.”
What were they fighting about? Lin Huaigeng suddenly remembered that Chen Sheng’s agitation was because of Liu Yu, and he suddenly stopped speaking. Seeing Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping looking at him, he felt embarrassed for a moment and said, “It’s Miss Liu. My cousin told me about it, and I guessed roughly. Chen Sheng probably thought Miss Liu had been sold and didn’t know why he had a grudge against her mother. It’s said that when his mother came to propose marriage to the Zhou family, he came to make trouble, and they were both thrown out by my aunt and cousin.”
Lu Chengxiao pondered for a moment and probably guessed Chen Sheng’s mindset. When Madam Liu agreed to go to Liujiacun for a marriage proposal, she secretly arranged for Chen Sheng to find Liu Yu privately, and then brought up the matter of the Zhou family. Chen Sheng probably felt that if the Chen family had gone to propose marriage earlier, there wouldn’t have been the incident where Liu Yu was sold later on, so he held a grudge.
Due to the discord between mother and son, Madam Liu was anxious to marry off Chen Sheng, slowly trying to pull her son’s heart away from Liu Yu?
Perhaps that was the case.
But the most unforgettable thing in this world is what’s lost and what can’t be obtained. Even if Chen Sheng were to marry, could the discord between mother and son truly be repaired? Lu Chengxiao didn’t think so.
However, all of this was the bitter fruit of Madam Liu’s own making. Her desire for control was too strong, her scheming deep, selfish, and malicious. The backlash was only a matter of time. He didn’t want to dwell on whether Chen Sheng still had feelings for Liu Yu, so he didn’t bring up the topic again.
On the other hand, Li Yanping, upon hearing about Miss Liu initially and then thinking she had been sold, combined with Lin Huaigeng’s expression, roughly guessed what had happened. He raised an eyebrow and asked Lin Huaigeng, “The Miss Liu you mentioned, is she my sister?”
Rubbing his nose, Lin Huaigeng nodded and glanced at Lu Chengxiao. Seeing that he didn’t say anything, he continued, “Chen Sheng runs a bookstore in our Changfeng Town. He likes Miss Liu.”
Afraid of causing trouble for Lu Chengxiao, he hurriedly added, “He’s not reliable, and his mother is even more difficult to deal with. They’re not a good match.”
Anyone who could go to Lin Huaigeng’s cousin’s house to propose marriage naturally wasn’t interested in his sister. Li Yanping couldn’t be unaware of this.
He could also guess to some extent that his sister was excellent in every aspect, but the Chen family didn’t value her. Coming from a family of merchants, they probably looked down on her humble origins.
Li Yanping pursed his lips. Such a family wasn’t a good match, but he still felt sorry for Liu Yu and glanced at Lu Chengxiao again.
Lin Huaigeng knew it, and being able to speak openly in front of Lu Chengxiao, it was clear that Lu Chengxiao knew about the situation between Chen Sheng and his sister.
Li Yanping was curious, unable to imagine what kind of entanglement Lu Chengxiao and his sister had in the past. However, he restrained himself from asking and only felt a few more points of satisfaction towards Lu Chengxiao in his heart. At least he had good judgment, and his family was upright.
Lu Chengxiao noticed Li Yanping’s scrutinizing glance and smiled without saying anything, instead asking Lin Huaigeng, “So has your aunt’s attitude towards you loosened up a bit?”
Lin Huaigeng smiled shyly. It was because of the incident where his cousin was drugged by the Chen family in the temple that his aunt’s attitude had softened somewhat. Although there was nothing inappropriate, his cousin had feelings for him. Although his aunt initially resisted and the Chen family didn’t consider it, Lin Huaigeng didn’t dare to think about it. But in the end, her attitude had indeed softened, and she wasn’t in a hurry to introduce his cousin to anyone.
These were not things to be spoken of to outsiders. Lin Huaigeng just nodded and said, “She’s still observing my behavior. Selling preserved foods can earn a bit of money, but it’s not very profitable. In my aunt’s eyes, it’s not very respectable either. But if I can go on a business trip with you, she should think better of me. If I make a few more trips and slowly accumulate more capital, once I have the ability, my aunt will naturally agree. So I’ll treat you to tea today.”
“Sure.” Lu Chengxiao was also happy for him. “You seem to have a brighter future ahead.”
By the time they finished speaking, they had arrived at the teahouse. It wasn’t the same one where Lu Chengxiao had treated them last time, but a smaller teahouse with lower prices. They chose a quiet place to sit down, ordered some tea and snacks, and then began discussing business matters.
Lu Chengxiao explained the details of the trip to Zhejiang to purchase summer cloth to Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang. He would cover the expenses on the way there, and he asked if they were willing to accompany him and bring some goods along.
There was no doubt that both of them gave an affirmative answer.
Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang had been selling preserved foods since April, and they had already earned two or three taels of silver. Combined with the money they had brought back from escorting over the past two years, they had seven or eight taels in total. Being from business families, they naturally had some capital they could use. They both expressed their intention to go back and ask their families for some support and prepare to bring twenty taels of goods each to go with Lu Chengxiao.
Twenty taels of goods. If there were no expenses on the road, they could earn six taels on the way there. If they brought back some goods on the return trip and could earn another six taels, they could earn a total of twelve taels for a round trip.
For Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang, this was extremely tempting, not to mention the opportunity to accumulate experience in doing business.
Upon hearing that each of them was only preparing to bring twenty taels, Lu Chengxiao thought for a moment and said, “Let me add ten taels to each of you as capital. Consider it a loan from me. Once you earn money, just pay me back. Making such a long trip also involves the risk of losing money and making losses. It’s not worth it if you earn too little.”
Upon hearing that Lu Chengxiao wanted to add capital for them, both of them were taken aback. Although it was a loan, it was still embarrassing. Neither of them dared to respond for a moment.
Lu Chengxiao smiled, “It’s not a lot of money, but investing more also means higher risks. Business is not always profitable. You decide for yourselves. Let me know if you’re sure.”
This was reasonable. Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang had been doing business for some time and understood this principle well. They thought about it seriously and momentarily forgot about the embarrassment. They had been childhood friends, so Lin Huaigeng quickly figured it out and said, “We’re brothers. If I want to marry my cousin, I really need to make some efforts. I won’t be polite with you.”
Liu Zhang was a bit more timid and inclined towards stability. He said, “I have a profit of around ten taels, which is enough for me. I’ll make this trip without borrowing from you. If I need it later, I’ll ask you.”
Lu Chengxiao smiled and agreed, “Okay.”
The details of this business trip were mostly discussed between Li Yanping and Lu Chengxiao. Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang didn’t understand much and mostly listened to the back and forth between the two, sometimes asking questions and sometimes not knowing the answers, brainstorming solutions together.
From renting a ship, buying goods, dyeing fabrics, choosing routes, to selling and how to sell, they spent over an hour in the teahouse discussing these matters. Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang understood most of it through Li Yanping and Lu Chengxiao’s questions and discussions.
The arrangements were made. Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang would return to Changfeng Town that day to ask their parents for some money. Each of them would bring twenty taels, and Lu Chengxiao would add ten taels to Lin Huaigeng’s. According to the plan, they would purchase raw cloth and dyes from the weaving workshop together.
Before purchasing the raw cloth, Li Yanping and Lu Chengxiao needed to make a trip to Yuanzhou City to visit the dyeing workshop, select colors and patterns, and determine the cost of dyeing. Li Yanping suggested taking Liu Yu along for this.
“Besides being related, she has excellent taste and is particularly sensitive to fabrics. The colors and patterns we choose as two men might not be as popular as hers.”
Thinking of the fabrics Liu Yu had chosen during her previous visit to the Lu family and her now burgeoning clothing business, Lu Chengxiao’s eyes lit up. “I forgot we could ask her for advice.”
But then he hesitated and asked Li Yanping, “Is your mother willing to let Yu’er go to Yuanzhou with us?”
The “us” here actually referred to him alone, as the marriage hadn’t been finalized yet, and he feared Mrs. Wei wouldn’t be at ease.
Li Yanping smiled, “I’ll accompany you with Yanan. My mother should agree.”
Lu Chengxiao couldn’t contain his smile. Thinking about the several days’ journey to Yuanzhou and being able to see Liu Yu, he truly felt the phrase “blossoming heart” applied to him.
With such joy, Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang chuckled inwardly while Li Yanping pretended not to see.
At this moment, Lu Chengxiao just wanted to hold Li Yanping. Although he was sitting down, he made a formal bow and said, “I’m counting on you, brother Liu!”
Li Yanping couldn’t help but laugh.
What “brother Liu”? He saw Lu Chengxiao eager to call him his brother-in-law right away.
Was it possible to be so obsessed with someone? Li Yanping found it amusing too. He waved his hand and said, “Alright, alright. I’ll discuss it with my mother and Yu’er when I get back today.”
Sansukini: I actually enjoy these slice-of-life/business genre. Sometimes, straight romances makes me cringe or bored. Lol. Also, I really like the characters, even the side characters. There’s a lot about overcoming obstacles.
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)
You can also check out my other translations Here
It’s cute to see these young men striking out on their own – it’s how the world grows!