The man agreed.

Buying all the candles would cost over three hundred taels of silver, but if sold, after deducting the cost of over three hundred taels, one could still make at least two thousand taels in profit.

The benefits don't stop there.

The gimmick of this candle burning forever can not only make money, but also win back lost customers.

Isn't the Yang family's incense and candle shop across the street just attracting customers with low prices?

This method cannot last.

Since the He family can't compete with low prices.

Then he'll compete on high prices and sell expensive candles, only catering to high-ranking officials and wealthy people!

In Shuxian County, a regular candle costs 100 wen.

Even the cheapest and lowest quality ones sell for 20 coins each.

The lowest price for ordinary candles at Yang's shop was only 60 coins, so they couldn't make any money at all.

He Chuwei had no idea how his shop had survived.

He planned to price these candles at 200 coins each.

Absolutely not a penny cheaper!

"Is this...reliable?" Wan still retained a sliver of rationality.

She pulled her right hand out of He Chuwei's palm and asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"My lady, please trust me, okay? This news is definitely reliable. Once I've made some money, I'll repay you four hundred taels with interest! But you must never mention this to Grandfather or Father. It's just between you and me; no third person should know! I'll bribe the shop's waiter, and once we make some money, we'll deposit it into our private treasury. From now on, I'll be the head of the He family, and you'll be the mistress of the He family. No one will be able to ride roughshod over you!"

He Chuwei's skill in making empty promises was truly inherited from his father.

“Alright, I’ll help you, but… you know my family isn’t as well-off as yours. My dowry was only thirty taels of silver. But my maternal family felt sorry for me and bought me a small shop as part of my dowry. Since we got married, the rent we’ve collected has been twenty taels. The shop is too small to sell for much money, but don’t worry, husband, you can pawn my jewelry. That should be enough for over three hundred taels.”

While Wan was speaking, she took out the deed for the dowry shop, a money bag, and half a box of jewelry from the cabinet.

"Half of these pieces of jewelry were worn when I was at my parents' home. I brought them with me after we got married. The other half were given to me by my aunt and grandmother after I married you. You can pawn them all."

He Chuwei glanced at it.

The jewelry box contains hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and other items.

They come in all kinds of materials.

However, most of them are gilded and silver, with a few pieces made of jade.

Despite their large quantity, they are all worth less than a single headdress worn by a lady from a wealthy family.

He Chuwei held Wan's hands, gazing at her tenderly. "My wife, having married you, I have no regrets in this life."

"My husband~"

"My wife~"

As their feelings for each other deepened, He Chuwei lowered the bed curtains.

The Yan family mansion at that time.

Yan Xia's family had just started their meal.

"Mother, I just heard Chang Yi say that you brought Chen Zhao'er back?" Chang Lu asked casually after taking a bite of spicy stir-fried pork.

"Yes, I ran into her on the road. She looked so pitiful. I heard she was sold by Wang Lihua. What a tragedy. How could she be so heartless to her own daughter? Tsk tsk." Yan Xia took a sip of soup and sighed.

"You know the Chen family, Mother. From the old to the young, is there a single good one? But Zhao'er is still young and her temperament is still developing. I've watched her grow up, and she's a pitiful child. I hope she won't grow up to be like the Chen family. By the way, Mother, do you want to keep her?"

Chang Lu continued to ask.

"I don't know. Once she's healed, if she's not bad-tempered and is honest, I'll send her to school after it's built. She can live in the school dormitory. If she's unruly, I won't harm her. After all, she's just a child. I'll find her a good family and let her be a maid. At least she'll have enough to eat and wear. It's better than begging."

Yan Xia spoke frankly, saying that although she felt sorry for Zhao'er, she wouldn't help just anyone.

She wouldn't do something like a farmer saving a snake.

Even if they leave Zhao'er behind, they won't let her live in the Yan residence for long.

The school will be completed after the New Year, and then she will send Zhao'er to study there free of charge.

By the time Zhao'er graduates, she should be all grown up.

She can do whatever she wants then—whether she gets married, stays at the school as a female teacher, or goes into business, she won't interfere with what she does.

Yan Xia finished her meal in no time.

She instructed Xiao Ji to bring out the food that she had previously told the kitchen maid to keep warm on the stove.

Then Xiao Ji and I went to Zhao'er's room.

The door was ajar.

With a gentle push, the wooden door opened. On the left side of the room was a wooden bed, and on the right side were piles of miscellaneous items. The space was cramped and seemed somewhat confined, but the items were neatly arranged by the maid, so it wasn't messy.

The area around the bed on the left was exceptionally clean, with a candle on the table and thick bedding on the bed. The room felt very cozy under the candlelight.

Zhao'er on the bed wasn't asleep; instead, she stared blankly at the roof beam with her big eyes wide open.

Yan Xia's voice was very soft, and she was worried about scaring Zhao'er, so she made her footsteps very lightly.

Xiao Ji placed the food on the table next to the bed.

Then he helped Zhao'er up, tucked a pillow under her back, and covered her with a blanket.

The movements were executed flawlessly, like flowing water.

However, despite her small size, Zhao'er's face remained expressionless.

He was unusually quiet.

They let themselves be manipulated.

"Zhao'er? Are you starving? Get up and eat." Yan Xia said to Zhao'er. As she spoke, Xiao Ji had already placed the tray on the table in front of Zhao'er. On the tray was a bowl of thick lean meat porridge and two small dishes of side dishes. It wasn't that Yan Xia was stingy and didn't give her big fish, meat and white rice.

It's because the child has been hungry for too long, and if they eat too much oily food all at once, it will damage their spleen and stomach.

In more severe cases, patients may experience both vomiting and diarrhea.

Adults don't care.

A five-year-old child could die from diarrhea.

When Zhao'er saw Xiao Ji place the tray on her quilt, the aroma of food filled her nostrils, and her mouth watered. But she didn't eat immediately. Instead, she said softly, "Thank you, Great-Aunt. Zhao'er will only eat a little bit. Great-Aunt can eat the rest."

The rice porridge smells so good, and it looks like there's meat in it.

Zhao'er has only eaten meat once in all her life, and that was before her mother sold her.

That day, my mother cooked a bowl of lean pork and egg custard, saying it was to send her off.

Zhao'er didn't know where she was going.

All she knew was that the steamed egg custard was especially delicious that day. She ate a whole spoonful from the bowl of steamed egg custard. Although her cousin finished the rest, she was still very satisfied with just one spoonful.

In her spoonful of steamed egg custard, there was also a shredded piece of lean meat, which smelled so good that she didn't want to swallow it.

Recalling the past, Zhao'er's eyes reddened, but tears lingered for a long time.

Actually, she was so hungry that her stomach hurt.