Chapter 114 The Xu Family

"It's all because of my dad! He'd rather find other merchants to cooperate with than cooperate with you. He's gone too far!" Liu Yue didn't see the disdain in the man's eyes and continued talking to herself.

“A master craftsman could probably replicate that thing. If I hadn’t been concerned that he was your father, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. Since that’s the case, we don’t need to worry about these things.”

Xu Mingchuan originally thought that Old Master Liu was just a bit eccentric, but he didn't expect him to be so ungrateful, so he no longer intended to hold back.

Liu Yue was well aware of her methods, but after being married for many years, she didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. After all, the third branch of the family was currently gaining momentum, and if the second branch didn't achieve something, they might not even have a chance to sit at the table.

"There was quite a commotion at the Second Madam's place just now. She's been going back to her parents' home a lot lately, she's probably been mistreated!"

“Those from humble backgrounds are ultimately useless.”

Madam Xu listened to the old woman beside her without changing her expression.

"The second wife's family is getting worse and worse. I remember that Liu's family was just an ordinary merchant family. The second wife's family has actually stooped to negotiating cooperation with such a family. They are really confused. They haven't even figured out how to manage the shops that their father-in-law gave them."

Madam Ning, the third wife of the Xu family, spoke with a look of disdain on her face.

"He can't compare to Third Master after all. Since returning from his training, Master has entrusted most of the business to him. He seems to have become much more composed and is very considerate to Madam," the old woman said, praising Xu Qingyan a few more times.

Ning didn't say anything, though she knew Xu Qingyan's character to some extent. But since he was behaving himself now, she didn't want to strain their relationship too much.

"Madam, you should hurry up and have a child. It won't be easy to have another child once Third Master gets busy. While Third Master is resting these few days, you should..."

"Alright, I know what's going on. I'll discuss it with him when he gets back..." Ning interrupted the old woman impatiently.

"What does Madam wish to discuss?"

As they were talking, Xu Qingyan entered the room.

"What else could it be? Third Master and his wife are a perfect match, it's time for them to have a child," the old woman said with a smile.

“That’s how it should be. When we go out to do business in the future, my wife won’t be too lonely with a child by her side. It seems that I still need to work harder,” Xu Qingyan said, looking at Ning Shi with tender affection.

Ning was young after all, and even though she knew Xu Qingyan's character, she couldn't resist his teasing and lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing this, the old woman quietly led the maids and servants out of the room, leaving the young couple alone.

“I’ve been busy with business engagements with Father these past few days and have neglected Madam’s feelings. I apologize to Madam,” Xu Qingyan said, as he took out a gift he had prepared and handed it to Madam Ning.

When Ning opened the box, she saw four evenly sized pearls set in it, radiating a warm luster. She had never seen such quality even back in the Ning family.

"Where could you find pearls of this quality?"

"I bought it from a wealthy merchant from the south. Does Madam like it?"

Xu Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the smile on her face. He had spent a lot of money and connections to buy these four pearls. It was not easy to please a wife from a high-ranking family. Ning was not someone who could be easily fooled. So he could not be careless when giving gifts. Fortunately, it seemed that the result was good.

"My husband is so thoughtful," Ning Shi said. After all, she had only been married for a few years, and she was pleased that her husband had gone to such lengths to please her.

...

"Three hundred and fifty taels, this is your dividend for this month," Old Master Liu straightened his back this time and took out the silver to prove that his choice was correct.

"It seems the old man has a good eye. In just one month of cooperation, we've doubled our income." Only now did Song Yushu truly understand what it felt like to sit back and collect money. It was so satisfying!

"This is just the revenue from sales in the prefectural city. Once production increases and sales expand elsewhere, we can earn even more money," Old Master Liu said, feeling less guilty and his complexion looking much rosier.

"However, counterfeit products have also appeared elsewhere. Although their Rubik's Cubes are not as meticulous as ours and are a bit difficult to twist, they look almost identical on the surface, and are even much cheaper," Old Master Liu actually had some suspicions about Xu Mingchuan, but he had no evidence.

“It’s normal for counterfeit products to appear, but we can launch other styles,” Song Yushu said, not finding it surprising that Old Master Liu was not surprised.

Grandpa Liu could do something even more difficult, but it would take some time to increase production, which is why it couldn't be launched in time.

Song Yushu never expected that her side business would earn more than her main job. Her restaurant could not earn this much money in a month. With money in hand, she felt more confident and gave bonuses to the restaurant's employees. She even gave each of them two sets of work clothes.

It's called work uniform, but it's really just clothes that make it easier to do work. The only difference is that the color is a uniform light green, which looks more in line with the style of the restaurant.

Although Zhou Chengyu was not at the restaurant, Song Yushu did not forget him. He made some snacks and went to the academy to see him. He also brought him new clothes. After all, he was a scholar, so Song Yushu bought better fabrics to have them made.

Because Zhou Chengyu brought Rubik's Cubes for Liao Yunfei and the others, the people in the dormitory now dote on him. When they saw him bring in snacks, they no longer looked down on him like he was a country bumpkin. Instead, they squeezed over to ask Zhou Chengyu for some.

"Did Miss Zhou make this? Let me have a taste!"

"Get out! If you mention my sister again, you're not getting a single bite!"

"Oh! I was wrong! This looks like something your mother sent you, doesn't it? The craftsmanship is really good!"

The four young men finished the whole box of snacks in no time and were still not satisfied.

Zhou Chengyu regretted it at this moment. This box could have been enough for him to eat for several days, but now that it was divided up, there was only candy left.

"Hey! Have you noticed that a lot of people in the academy have bought Rubik's Cubes now? Almost everyone in our school has one. But ours are still the most fun. I don't know where they bought them from, but they're not easy to turn at all. Some of them even get stuck. When I asked, they were only sixty coins. They really aren't from the same company," Liao Yunfei said to them, thinking about the Rubik's Cubes.

"Isn't it normal for this to be counterfeited? It just depends on which one has better quality."

"That makes sense, but Brother Zhou, don't you know Old Master Liu? Won't that affect his business?"

"Alright, stop worrying about these things. The mid-term exam is coming soon. You should worry about your rankings instead. You've spent a lot of time playing with Rubik's Cubes this month. If your rankings drop, the teacher might let you off the hook," Zhou Chengyu reminded him.

These words had an immediate effect; the people in the dormitory no longer had the mind to gossip.