Chapter 201 Getting Bolder (Part 1)

"This is a gift box snack from our Zhuangji. I brought it here today for Sister Su to see."

At Furong Cloth Shop, Zhuang Wan and Su Zhiyan sat together drinking tea and talking about things.

"The last time I collaborated with Sister Su on handkerchiefs, the response was very good, so I thought of placing an order with Sister Su again, with an estimated price of 20,000."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhiyan raised her eyebrows and jokingly said, "Ah! You've quietly become the biggest guest of my Furong Cloth Shop."

Zhuang Wan smiled.

Su Zhiyan said, "To be honest, I didn't know that snacks could be sold this way before. Compared to me, you are simply a business genius."

These compliments made Zhuang Wan embarrassed. What genius? Business collaboration and resource integration were already overused methods in modern times. She was just picking up ready-made experience.

"I'm not a genius. Compared to Sister Su, I still have a lot to learn," she said.

"Don't be so polite to me," Su Zhiyan picked up the gift box on the table and asked her, "Well, how do you plan to cooperate?"

Zhuang Wan said, "I'm not afraid of Sister Su laughing at me, but Sister Su is a household name in the capital, especially among the ladies of high-ranking families. I wanted to take advantage of her influence. This gift box is part of my plan to collaborate with Sister Su. For example, if a customer spends over thirty taels of silver per month with Sister Su, I can give her a gift box of snacks."

"Gift?"

"Yes." Zhuang Wan nodded. "Sister Su, just consider it as a token of appreciation for the guests. Of course, Zhuang Ji will also provide these snack gift boxes to Furong Cloth Shop free of charge."

Su Zhiyan didn't understand: "You're providing it for free, so aren't you losing money? I think such a big gift box must cost a lot of money."

Zhuang Wan smiled, "How can it be a loss? Sister Su's guests can spend over thirty taels a month, so they're all wealthy people. These wealthy people are the most gift-giving people on a daily basis, whether they're hosting a banquet or welcoming guests. My snack gift box looks high-end and beautiful, making it a very impressive gift. It's also not expensive, so even if everyone gets one, it won't cost much, and the host will still feel very proud."

"I'm offering it for free. I'm using Sister Su's place to make a name for myself. How can I be at a loss? In fact, I'm even making a profit."

She had already considered Zhuangji Snacks' positioning as a mid- to high-end product, targeting the dignitaries of Beijing as their primary customers. However, simply selling snacks in one or two kilograms seemed too limited, so she decided to create custom snack gift boxes tailored to these customers' needs.

Snack gift boxes might sound novel, but they were incredibly common in the past. The capital was filled with high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and these families consumed large quantities. If they could expand their business and not oversell, they could produce tens of thousands of gift boxes annually. If one box earned 40% profit, tens of thousands of boxes combined would represent a significant profit.

It's just some gifts provided to Furong Cloth Shop, this little money is totally worth it.

Su Zhiyan was good at business, so she naturally thought of the huge market for gift boxes. She immediately looked at Zhuang Wan with admiration.

"You really amaze me," she said. "To be honest, I've heard rumors about you back home, but now I see they're simply unbelievable. You're not some delicate, effeminate young lady at all! You have a brilliant business acumen."

Zhuang Wan smiled.

After the two of them finished their discussion, the maid happened to report that a carriage had come downstairs to pick up Zhuang Wan.

Zhuang Wan was stunned for a moment, then remembered something and immediately said goodbye to Su Zhiyan and left.

When I arrived at the main door downstairs, I saw Pei Xingju's carriage parked there.

After the Lantern Festival, Pei Xingju had been busy for two days and hadn't returned home, only sending someone to let her know he was safe. Zhuang Wan couldn't wait any longer and simply went out to attend to her own affairs.

She originally thought that Pei Xingju would not be back for two days, but she didn't expect him to come here to pick her up unexpectedly.

After getting on the carriage, Zhuang Wan threw herself into his arms.

"Why are you here?" she asked happily.

Pei Xingju put his arm around her shoulders and said, "I heard you were here when I came out of the government office, so I came to pick you up."

Zhuang Wan saw that his left hand was placed loosely at his side and felt something was wrong. She quickly lifted up his sleeve and saw a bandaged hand inside.

"Are you hurt?"

"Um."

"When did it happen?"

"I went out of town on business on the night of the Lantern Festival and got hurt accidentally."

Zhuang Wan glared at him silently, with an expression that said, "Keep lying."

Pei Xingju was helpless and simply said honestly, "I was ordered to leave the city to dissuade the Red Wind Army. I was accidentally injured while fighting with them. But it's nothing serious, just a minor injury."

"Why didn't you come back home for two days after being injured? It's obvious that you were afraid that I would see you."

Pei Xingju said nothing, just looked at her innocently.

"Don't look at me like that. I won't forgive you even if you do." Zhuang Wan took his hand and asked, "How did you get hurt? What did the doctor say?"

"I was injured by a dart. The doctor came to see me and said it was just a little bleeding. He said it would be fine in a few days."

"real?"

"Yeah." Pei Xingju looked like he was being honest.

But what he didn't say was that the dart had been contaminated, and that night Pei Xingju's wound had festering, leaving her in a critical condition. Fearing she might worry, he waited until her wound had healed a bit before visiting her.

Zhuang Wan sat on his lap, carefully examining the man she hadn't seen in two days. There were dark circles under his eyes, and a hint of fatigue beneath his handsome face.

Thinking back to the dangers of the Lantern Festival and his resolute decision to leave the city, he couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps he had experienced countless such lonely and courageous days, but no one was by his side during those dark and difficult times.

"Pei Xingju." She called him softly.

"Um?"

"Don't hide it from me anymore." She said, "If you get hurt, come back and I'll take care of you and stay with you."

Pei Xingju's eyes darkened, and his right hand slid down to hold her waist, holding her tighter.

"Zhuang Wan." His voice suddenly became hoarse.

Zhuang Wan looked at him, confused, and suddenly he lowered his head. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, she heard him whisper, "What should I do? I want to kiss you."

I know I shouldn't, but I can't control my desire to like her and get close to her.

The wheels moved slowly, the streets outside were noisy, and inside the cramped car, the two hugged and kissed each other.

After a long time, Pei Xingju stepped back, his eyes misty.

Zhuang Wan found it amusing. He seemed to be particularly devoted every time he kissed Pei Xingju. Before she even did anything, he looked completely engrossed. After the kiss, he looked both obedient and lustful, making her want to bully him again and again.

He doesn't look like the decisive and ruthless male protagonist in political scheming novels at all.

She held his face in her hands and gently stroked the corners of his eyes with her fingertips: "Let me see the wound when you get back."

"good."

"Promise me that you won't hide when you get hurt in the future."

"good."

"besides......"

"What?"

"I like your straightforward feelings today. If you want to kiss me, you don't have to hold back. If you want to hug me, you don't have to hold back." Zhuang Wan blinked: "I am the person closest to you."

The words "I am your closest person" touched some nerve in Pei Xingju. His Adam's apple slid twice, and he lowered his head to kiss her again.

Zhuang Wan met his plump, cool lips and kissed him softly.

She thought that Pei Xingju seemed to be getting bolder and bolder.