Chapter 052 Business always needs to be discussed

"Everything has a first time, and as the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar. If you practice a few times, you will become familiar with it. Besides, we have never done business before, but Fourth Aunt's family is in business, and the Fang family also has someone in charge. It won't be difficult to start a soap business."

Xu Qingying coaxed Miao slowly and patiently. She intended to let Miao have more of her own ideas, so she became more patient. "Besides, when we get to Qianzhou, what's the cost of food, clothing, and other necessities? We don't even know if the exiled prisoners have houses and fields. I remember the people from the Fang family said we'll have to do corvée labor when we get there, and we'll have to do heavy labor like repairing city walls and digging canals. Who among our family, the elderly, the weak, and the disabled, can withstand such hardship? If mother doesn't feel sorry for herself, she should at least feel sorry for brother. His shoulder has been bruised and swollen for the past few days, and he can't sleep in the middle of the night, but he just endures it... Without money, we can't move an inch in Qianzhou..."

Speaking of her beloved son, Miao was finally moved. "Then... how much does it cost?"

"The cost isn't high. The biggest expense is the pig pancreas and the mold. We'll ask in the next town tomorrow to confirm."

"But will Team Leader Zhao agree? Will he think we're stirring up trouble again?" Miao had never come up with such a big idea behind Xu Deyuan's back, and she began to feel anxious again. "And what if... he demands all our money... or... or forces us to hand over the recipe?"

"Don't worry, mother." Xu Zhenying held Miao down. "These are things that need to be discussed. Nothing in business is smooth sailing. If we really can't reach an agreement, the worst that can happen is that we won't do it."

Miao finally calmed down and said, "Yes, we have to talk, we have to talk."

Looking at her calm daughter in front of her, Miao covered her chest with her hands, always feeling that as an elder, she was not as calm as a thirteen-year-old girl.

Looking at her daughter's demeanor and her dignified speech, she now believes more and more in what Xu Qingying said before.

She secretly vowed in her heart that she would kneel down whenever she saw the Buddha and burn a few incense sticks devoutly to thank the Buddha for sending her daughter back.

"Mother, please keep the silver safe and don't give it to anyone. This will be the capital for our business in the future."

Miao quickly agreed. The mother and daughter were silent for a moment, then Miao suddenly said, "You...don't blame your father...When he was little, your second uncle taught him to read and write, but he was stubborn and believed in his second uncle."

She understood that Xu Degui was so used to being PUA that he couldn't stand up. He always felt that he was inferior to his brother, so he naturally obeyed Xu Deyuan's words.

"It's not been easy for your second uncle these years, raising such a large family—"

Xu Zhenying countered, "What about Liu Jieshi? He didn't have it easy. He was sentenced by my second uncle, all his money was stolen, he was slandered as a bastard, and his mother hanged herself to protect his reputation. He and my second uncle are mortal enemies, and there's also a murder case between them, and yet my second uncle has never paid a price for it."

She sighed, her eyes dimmed, as if filled with unspeakable anger, "Human life is worthless."

"If I had known this would happen, I'm sure Second Uncle wouldn't have done this."

Xu Qingying's anger grew even stronger, but she concealed it very well. Miao simply could not understand. In her worldview, as long as an official did not kill people indiscriminately or force the people to suffer, he was considered a good official.

She could even understand Liu Jieshi; if someone forced Old Man Xu to death, she would surely kill them. However, due to their different perspectives and the constraints of family etiquette, she could only side with Xu Deyuan, even defending him and cooperating with him. Who knows, she might even end up helping him get rid of Liu Jieshi.

She was forced to become a hypocritical bad person, a hypocrite who sympathized with Liu Jieshi in words but wanted to kill him in actions.

She had to admit that Liu Jieshi was a huge hidden danger. She could feel his deep hatred from the way he looked at Xu Deyuan.

He hated Xu Deyuan, and she could understand.

Even if Liu Jieshi killed Xu Deyuan in private, she would have nothing to say.

But Liu Jieshi was like a cold snake, lurking behind the Xu family, waiting for anyone in the Xu family to relax, and then he would bite off the other person's neck.

Regardless of whether that person was Xu Deyuan or not, as long as he was a member of the Xu family, he seemed to be able to calm his anger a little.

Miao knew her explanation was untenable, so she just said something random: "In short, we are a family, and there is no overnight hatred. Your father will gradually understand..."

Of course, Xu Zhenying didn't have time to argue with Xu Degui.

All she could think about was the soap.

If possible, she would like to hire some girls to work so that they can be paid. As long as the girls have money in their hands, they will have confidence and some security.

This is what she can do for Li Zhaodi.

The next evening, Xu Zhenying found Zhao Bantou at the post station and told him his plan straight away.

Zhao Bantou was a little surprised: "Doing business?"

He was washing his face at this time, wiping it casually with a handkerchief, as if he didn't take Xu Qingying's words to heart. What kind of business does a little girl want to do?

Do you still think she was in Bianjing City?

Could it be that she thinks she is in charge?

Logically speaking, when he first discovered her standing alone outside the door, he shouldn't have even let her in. The sixth daughter of the Xu family was neither old nor young, and Yunying was unmarried, so it was time to avoid suspicion.

Fortunately, Xu Qingying seemed to be sensible enough. She only took half a step into the house and kept the door open.

Otherwise he really has no way of explaining himself.

"Why are you doing business when you're fine? Where's your master?" Zhao Bantou wanted to send her away casually, but he was afraid she might have some uneasy thoughts, so he threatened her, "You are exiled prisoners now. If you are found doing business, you will be imprisoned at best and beheaded at worst. Go back quickly and stop having these nonsense thoughts."

Seeing that Zhao Bantou didn't listen to her at all, Xu Qingying knew that she had suffered a loss because of her young age. If she had known earlier, she would have asked Lian to be the middleman.

But she didn't trust the Lian family, and at the moment she had no one who could help, so she had to come in person.

Xu Zhenying smiled slightly. "Why bother scaring a little girl like me, Captain Zhao? I'm barely familiar with the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If I remember correctly, there's no provision in the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty that forbids exiled prisoners from engaging in business."

In the past few days, Xu Zhenying went to the old man of the Fang family to borrow a copy of "The Law of the Great Zhou Dynasty". It must be said that the legal system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was extremely imperfect, and many legal provisions were crudely written. How to judge a case mostly depended on the subjective factors of those in power. Therefore, there were many areas for manipulation, and it was also very easy to produce false and wrongful convictions.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bantou couldn't help but take another look at the person at the door.

She was a little girl, very thin and small, wearing a coarse linen dress, with her hair simply tied up. She had a pretty face and pale skin, and it was obvious that she was lacking in energy and blood.

Only those eyes, indifferent, calm and composed, did not seem like those of a man of his age.

Without waiting for Zhao Bantou to refuse, Xu Qingying decisively began to make plans. "Zhao Bantou, listen to me first. The Third Branch of our Xu family is the Third Branch, and the Second Branch is the Second Branch. We can make our own decisions about the Third Branch, and I've already convinced my mother. So, you're not working with my Second Uncle, but with me, Xu Qingying. We're businessmen, so we have to be upfront about the ugly things."

Zhao Bantou was intrigued by the young girl's lively conversation. He wanted to tease her a little, so he pretended to be very interested and said, "Go on..."

"As for me, I got a recipe from my grandfather. It can make something with superb cleaning power and as delicate as jade. Let's call it soap."

When he heard that there was a prescription, although he didn't know whether it was true or not, Zhao Bantou still had that nonchalant smile on his face, but his expression inexplicably restrained itself.

Having a recipe on hand is no joke.

The ancients hid their skills, and if there were recipes, they would be passed down as family heirlooms.

"I plan to mobilize some people to make soap and sell it along our exile route. The initial investment for the first batch of soap will be funded by the third branch of my Xu family. The profits will be divided into ten parts. You and the officials below will take 30%, and my third branch will take 30%. The remaining 40% will be used to purchase raw materials for the next batch of soap, 10% will be distributed to the people who come to work for us, and the remaining 40% will be used to accumulate funds for emergencies."

When Zhao Bantou heard this, he knew in his heart that Xu Qingying was not just talking casually, but was really planning to do this business.

Zhao Bantou was still not sure about the profit of this soap, but Xu Qingying asked to keep only 20% of the profit to buy raw materials, which means that the gross profit of this soap could be doubled.

At this time, Zhao Bantou's original two or three points of teasing turned into two or three points of affection.

Zhao Bantou concealed his inner shock and pretended to be unmoved. "This... no merit, no reward. From what Miss Xu said, I didn't contribute anything, but I can get 30% of the profit? Is Miss Xu kidding me?"

This is the bait.

Xu Zhenying deliberately revealed a flaw to sell to Zhao Bantou, just to let him know how huge the profit of soap is. How can he lure him into the trap without giving him some sweet treat?

"Captain Zhao, you're joking. You've taken on such a huge risk, how can you just sit there and do nothing?" Xu Qingying's words struck a chord with Zhao Bantou. Seeing his satisfied expression, she continued, "Although the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't explicitly prohibit exiled prisoners from engaging in business, if someone with ulterior motives catches them, the consequences are unpredictable. You're standing in the front, shouldering the greatest risk for us. Furthermore, the work requires removing the shackles and shackles, and you have to keep a close eye on prisoners who want to escape. Isn't that a lot of trouble for you? It's reasonable for me to take 30% of the profit. I hope Captain Zhao won't refuse..."

Only with sufficient profits can Zhao Bantou protect them.

Zhao Bantou pretended to be embarrassed, but his heart was already in turmoil. Xu Qingying's words sounded terrifying, but when he thought about it carefully, there was no risk at all.

Who would care about a group of exiles? Moreover, this group spent most of their time traveling in deep mountains and forests. As long as they were secretive enough, who would discover them?

If this little girl can really make soap, when we get to the town, the people she trusts will be selling it. Wouldn't they have the final say on how much to sell?

In the end, even the recipe could be snatched away.

After all, out of consideration for Xu Deyuan, Zhao Bantou would not do anything too drastic.

His heart was in ups and downs. Zhao Bantou thought about it and sat down on the rattan chair.

Zhao Bantou stroked his chin and said slowly, "You're right. If we were discovered, our brothers wouldn't even be able to keep their heads. Even though I don't care about this little bit of money, I have to consider the brothers below. This exile to Qianzhou, my brothers left their families and followed me for half a year. It's not easy."

Xu Qingying immediately nodded in agreement, but she was thinking in her heart that they were all thousand-year-old foxes, and Zhao Bantou was actually playing Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio with her.

Who would refuse something that has no disadvantages and only benefits?

"It's just..." Zhao Bantou pondered for a moment, and finally believed Xu Qingying's words, but hesitated to speak. He only winked and said, "The Fang family is still there..."

Xu Qingying immediately took matters into her own hands, narrowing her eyes as she spoke, "Don't worry, you don't have to speak for now. I'll go and convince Old Master Fang. I think he'll come to you in person within the next two days. Then you can pretend to disagree and explain the seriousness of the situation, saying that this matter is too risky and you don't dare to take the risk."

Zhao Bantou was stunned. Xu Qingying raised her hand to stop him from asking, "You'll know when the time comes. Don't worry, I won't embarrass you."

What else can be said? The recipe is free, the manpower is ready, and even the risks have been planned and avoided in advance. When Zhao Bantou thought about it carefully, he could not find any reason to refuse.

Besides, he didn't want to refuse.

Who would complain about having too much money?

Looking at Xu Qingying who was confident about what she was doing, Zhao Bantou was very excited. In the short conversation of just one stick of incense, Zhao Bantou was completely under Xu Qingying's control. From the initial contempt to the current caution, Zhao Bantou couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the sixth girl of the Xu family was really a character!

Seeing that the temptation was almost enough, Xu Qingying thought it was time to put forward her own conditions.

Xu Qingying said slowly, "It is precisely because I consider that the officials have taken so many risks that I think they should just hide behind us and not show up in public. Someone else will do the dirty work, and you can just focus on counting the money."

Zhao Bantou had never done business before, but he understood the implication of Xu Qingying's words. Did she mean that she didn't want them to interfere in the management?

"This recipe belongs to my maternal grandfather. Using it without permission is disrespectful. If anyone else gets a peek, my mother won't be able to explain to my grandfather. Therefore, she will personally gather people, assign tasks, and control quality."

This makes sense, after all, a prescription is worth a thousand gold.

Since I have to consider Mr. Xu's face, I naturally can't think about stealing the secret recipe. It's better not to interfere, so as to avoid not seeing the recipe and getting into trouble.

Zhao Bantou had completely put away his contempt at this moment and agreed immediately, "Of course."

"As for how to sell..." Xu Qingying remembered that the word "sales" didn't exist in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so she changed her words. "As for how to buy and sell, I hope that Zhao Bantou can leave it to us to handle. You just need to cooperate with us when necessary."

Zhao Bantou was a little unhappy, and his voice became a little heavier. "So, we don't know what the final selling price of the soap will be. How are we going to divide the profits?"