"No, no, in our eyes, whoever is the most powerful is the boss." Jin Shi quickly waved his hand.

"How's things going on your end? Have you heard anything from the authorities?" Zhou Quan asked him.

When he went to the government office today, he forgot to ask the town magistrate about the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

“The higher-ups have agreed and allocated us a piece of land to build our own houses. However, we are too poor right now and don’t have the resources to build houses. So, I want to bring them out to find work, earn some money first, and then build the sect,” Jin Shi said sincerely.

"What jobs are available in this town?" Li Mai asked.

"It's just some moving jobs and hard labor like building houses that we can do. Everyone's gone off to find work now," Jinshi said.

They used to be too lazy and didn't know how to make a good life with their own hands. But since they heard Li Mai's teachings last time, their minds have become much sharper, and they've been getting together these past few days to discuss their money-making plans.

"You won't earn much money that way. It's far from enough to build your sect. Even if you earn money like that, you won't save enough to build the sect's buildings in ten years."

"Here's what we'll do. I have a mountain with lots of poplar and elm trees that can be cut down. You take your brothers and go cut down the trees for me. Once you're done, trim the branches and bring them back to the government office in the north of our town."

"Let's start after the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll have Zhou Quan and Zhou Lin take you there and mark the trees you need to cut down. You'll have to prepare your own meals. I'll pay you half of your wages for food and rest, and I'll use the trees to pay the other half. You can cut down as many trees as you need to build your sect."

“If you’re willing to do this deal, come find us on August 16th,” Li Mai said.

"Sure, let's do it! I can agree to your wife right now." Jin Shi was overjoyed. Only a fool wouldn't want such a good thing. They were helping their Heaven and Earth Alliance!

He was certain once again that his sister-in-law had come to save their Heaven and Earth Alliance.

“Okay, then let’s continue our stroll. If there are any short-term jobs available, you can work for a few days, but on my end, we’ll try to start work after the 16th,” Li Mai said.

Li Mai decided to bring back those elm and poplar trees and dry them in the mansion, so that Zhou Lin could use them to make furniture.

Once the large trees on the hillside have decreased, she plans to plant some flowers, grasses, and trees that can be used for dyeing.

Jin Shi agreed and left with his men to continue their patrol.

Li Mai and Zhou Quan also returned to the shop, rested for a while, and then tidied up before heading to Xu Family Restaurant Tian Shun Zhai on another street.

At noon, the couple leisurely stepped into Tian Shun Zhai.

Xu Chong and Xu Sheng, brothers who were waiting in the lobby on the first floor, quickly came forward to greet them.

"Young Master Zhou, Madam Zhou, welcome, welcome!" Xu Chong greeted them with a smile and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "This is my second brother, Xu Sheng. I am Xu Chong, the eldest son of the Xu family. Shall we go upstairs?"

Zhou Quan returned their greeting with a cupped-hand salute, while Li Mai simply smiled faintly, nodded, and led the way toward the stairs.

Zhou Quan saw his wife leave and immediately followed.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and they seemed to be smiling. It seemed that their little sister's big plan was halfway done.

Xu Chong followed him upstairs, and Xu Sheng quickly instructed the manager to prepare tea and snacks, and to have the prepared meal served as soon as possible.

The couple were invited to the largest private room at the very back on the second floor.

There were windows on three sides of the room, and they were all open. There were also some blooming flowers inside. As soon as they stepped into the private room, they could smell the delicate fragrance of lilies.

Looking around the room, there were three kinds of flowers: purple lilies, pale yellow chrysanthemums, and a few vases filled with pink roses.

These three colors make this private room very elegant and beautiful.

Li Mai glanced around and knew that this private room was definitely not something that the two brothers and the manager below could have arranged.

It seems that Miss Xu visited the restaurant today.

This young girl is taking this meeting so seriously.

Li Mai smiled, walked to the window, pretended to look down, but glanced sideways at the pot of purple lilies on the wooden shelf by the window. They were so well grown that she even had the idea of ​​secretly taking them home.

Xu Chong glanced at Li Mai standing by the window, then met Zhou Quan's indifferent gaze. He quickly looked away and invited Zhou Quan, "Young Master Zhou, please sit down."

Zhou Quan nodded and sat down in the guest seat. He looked at Li Mai standing by the window, his eyes gentle and his lips slightly curved. Even now, with her three-month pregnancy, Li Mai's back view was still so beautiful and attractive to him.

"Xiaomai, are you tired? Come and sit down for a while!" Zhou Quan stood up again.

Seeing him sit down, Xu Chong, who was about to sit down with him, saw him stand up again, and then stood up as well, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Zhou Quan who was walking towards Li Mai.

Li Mai withdrew her gaze, turned to look at Zhou Quan, gave a soft "hmm," and sat down at the table with him.

Zhou Quan observed Li Mai carefully and did not miss the way her eyes were fixed on the pot of purple flowers when she turned around.

"Does Wheat like those purple flowers?" He knew that Li Mai liked flowers and plants, and their mansion had planted quite a few flowers and plants, though fewer potted ones.

Li Mai smiled and said, "This is a purple lily, which is quite rare. I didn't expect that Young Master Xu would be a flower lover."

Xu Chong smiled and said, "If Madam Zhou likes them, I will arrange for someone to deliver them to your shop in a little while. These flowers smell quite nice, and they will smell good in the shop."

"No, that's not right. These flowers are very precious, we shouldn't take what others love!" Li Mai quickly waved her hand.

"It's alright, we have many of these flowers in our household. My sister, my wife, and my sister-in-law are all flower lovers, and we have this kind of flower in our flower room." It seems my sister was willing to give this pot of flowers to Madam Zhou.

“Well then, thank you very much, Mr. Xu. To express my gratitude, may I meet with the two young mistresses and Miss Xu another day and personally design a dress for them as a token of my appreciation?” Li Mai said with a smile to Xu Chong.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chong's eyes lit up. "Sure, of course! We'd be getting a great deal this way. Oh, Mrs. Zhou, you're too kind. A pot of flowers isn't worth much."

However, the fact that a pot of flowers could earn her the favor of the women in the household meant they had made a profit.

He even thought to himself that when he got home, he would ask his sister to send a few more pots of these purple flowers to the Zhou family.

A few people who were not familiar with each other at first were instantly brought closer together because of a pot of flowers, and the conversation started flowing. They were all business people, and soon they had so much to talk about.

When Xu Sheng brought the tea with the waiter, he saw that his elder brother and the Zhou couple were already chatting enthusiastically.

Xu Sheng thought to himself, "So the Zhou couple are actually quite easygoing."