Meng Zhao looked up at Xiao Youzhi sitting to the side and saw that there was still a trace of anger between his brows. She softened her tone and said, "Alright, alright, I know that this matter is all thanks to your help. Otherwise, how could I have been sitting here peacefully for the New Year? I would have been busy traveling around and delaying your trip back to the capital. It was my fault, and I apologize to you."

"You think I'm angry about this?" Xiao Youzhi frowned even more upon hearing this. "I'm angry that you acted too rashly. Xu Ping is fine running a workshop, but he panics and acts recklessly when things get serious. How could you just leave him there alone?"

Meng Zhao knew she was in the wrong. She had indeed taken too big a step this time and failed to keep a close eye on things herself, which had led to this trouble. But she still explained softly, "It wasn't just him. My second uncle was also there taking care of things. But as the year was approaching, there was a shortage of manpower everywhere, so I transferred him to help elsewhere. Who would have thought that this would happen?"

Seeing that he was still angry, Meng Zhao continued, "I heard from Xu Ping that you took him through many tasks this time, and he learned a lot from you. He'll probably be much more mature in the future." She leaned forward slightly, her eyes filled with a flattering smile, "Young Master Xiao? Boss Xiao? Teacher Xiao! I was just talking nonsense. How could I not know your contributions? Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me?"

Looking at her like this, Xiao Youzhi's anger had subsided considerably. He snorted softly, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly: "Don't give me that. I don't remember ever taking you as a disciple."

“Although I haven’t formally become your apprentice, I’ve learned a great deal from you. I consider this title of ‘teacher’ to be something I’ve done on my own.” She picked up the teapot and poured Xiao Youzhi a cup of fresh tea with elegant and graceful movements. “If I ever do anything wrong in the future, I hope Teacher Xiao will give me some guidance.”

Some things are undeniable. Although Meng Zhao has many clever ideas, she is still lacking in overall planning and strategic thinking. She has a lot to learn in the future. Among the people around her, Xiao Youzhi is a business leader, so she naturally needs to learn from him.

Her words were sincere, without a trace of joking in her eyes. Xiao Youzhi then accepted the cup of tea and teased, "You haven't even prepared a ceremony for becoming my apprentice, yet you want to acknowledge me as your master. You're taking too much advantage of yourself."

Meng Zhao narrowed his eyes. This person really knew how to take advantage of a situation. So Meng Zhao said, "Since we're going to talk about this, then we should have a proper discussion. In the past, when you dyed and fixed the color of your fabric, you relied on clumsy methods like high-temperature steaming, repeated soaking, and drying to build up layers of color. It was time-consuming and laborious, and you couldn't get rid of the problem of fading. But the color-fixing formula I'm giving you only requires adding a specific proportion of natural ingredients to achieve rapid dyeing and greatly improve the fading problem. I wonder how much profit this deal will bring to the Xiao family in the future? Isn't this kind of 'apprenticeship gift' substantial enough?"

Meng Zhao felt frustrated. If she hadn't been desperate and grasped at straws, she wouldn't have given away such a good thing.

Xiao Youzhi chuckled upon hearing this, “First of all, I guess you probably haven’t even tried this recipe yourself. It’s only suitable for the most basic cotton and linen fabrics, and has very little effect on high-end fabrics like silk. Secondly, the materials used in your recipe are not cheap. To invest so much in this little improvement, ordinary dye houses simply cannot afford it if it’s not a large business like the Xiao family.”

Meng Zhao retorted indignantly, "Have you done the math? The savings in labor and time are enough to offset the cost of those additional materials!"

"That's because you've only considered the obvious costs," Xiao Youzhi retorted, "The dye shop needs to adjust its entire process, and the craftsmen need to be retrained. What about those hidden costs?"

The two argued louder and louder, neither willing to back down. When Xu Yunrong and Meng Dashan returned, they saw the two arguing heatedly. Xu Yunrong quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "What's going on? How did you start arguing so soon?"

Although Meng Dashan didn't know what had happened, he blindly sided with his daughter: "Youzhi, our Zhaozhao has always been gentle. Why can't we talk things out? Why make things so unpleasant?"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Youzhi stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them, saying, "Uncle and Aunt are right to admonish me. We were arguing about business matters just now, and I forgot my limits. I was too hasty."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao's eyes widened in surprise. Had this person been possessed? In all the years she had known Xiao Youzhi, she had never seen him admit his mistake so easily.

Seeing Xiao Youzhi's sincere attitude, Xu Yunrong smiled and said, "Young people inevitably get excited when discussing things, but they should be careful not to overdo it." She turned to her daughter, "Zhaozhao, you should also speak properly. Youzhi has been a great patron of our business."

She manages the accounts of the braising workshop and knows how much demand Chunfenglou has. Over the years, they have made a lot of money from Chunfenglou.

Meng Zhao had no choice but to nod. "I was the one who spoke loudly first. I apologize." What she meant was that her opinion of herself remained unchanged, but she felt that she shouldn't have spoken loudly.

Xiao Youzhi not only understood her meaning, but also knew that many of the things Meng Zhao said were correct. However, when it came to actual business operations, there were many more things to consider. It wasn't that one could just use whichever formula was good. Nevertheless, she lowered her head and said, "It was my fault just now. I didn't think things through properly. I deserve to be punished."

Seeing the atmosphere ease, Meng Dashan chuckled and patted Xiao Youzhi on the shoulder: "That's more like it! Come, come, the food and drinks are all ready, let's eat and chat." On the way to the dining room, he lowered his voice and said to Xiao Youzhi, "But remember this, kid, in our Meng family, whatever Zhaozhao says is right."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!