Chapter 056 Huang's Survival Wisdom
"Because we're family, we have to be clear about everything, to avoid a mess later that would hurt our relationship, don't you think?"
Huang Cui'e also said: "Second uncle is right this time. Sixth girl is quite smart, but doing business is not a small matter. We don't have much money to begin with. If this business fails, we will be in debt before we even reach Qianzhou."
Huang took a deep look at her most honest third son, and seeing how everyone was arguing, she finally made a decision, "Alright, stop arguing, I'm in charge. This recipe belongs to my father-in-law, and it's actually Miao's dowry. The capital was also provided by the Zheng family. Strictly speaking, it has nothing to do with the first, second, and fourth wives. You're all afraid that the third wife will bring you down, so let's be frank. Whether this recipe makes money or loses money, it has nothing to do with you."
Huang took Xu Degui's hand and said earnestly, "Third brother, don't complain. No one has confidence in Sixth Girl's business. Seeing her about to jump into the fire pit, we can't let the whole family accompany her. Don't you think this is the truth -"
After Huang spoke, everyone was satisfied.
Xu Deyuan coughed softly, "Let's write it down in black and white, so that everyone won't turn against each other later."
"That's right, that's right. Don't ask us for compensation in the future!"
My aunt started looking around for paper and pen.
Xu Degui gritted his teeth and said cruelly, "This evil creature has grown stronger and bolder. She wants to do business, but I won't let her squander our little fortune."
Huang quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "You, stop going against the Sixth Girl. You're her father. If you don't support her, who else will?"
Xu Degui was confused by his mother and asked directly, "Mom, what are you thinking? Didn't you just say you didn't want to give away all your wealth?"
Huang narrowed her eyes and laughed, "Hehe," a smile appeared on her wrinkled face. Seeing that no one was around, she pulled Xu Degui's ear and said, "I was saying that to your useless brothers. They are blind and can't see the ability of the sixth girl. Can I really force someone to drink water? I'm old and I don't do anything that makes people dislike me. Of course I have to go along with what they want to say, so that they won't blame me for the losses later-"
Huang has his own plans.
She thought that the recipe and capital originally belonged to the third room, and there was no reason to confiscate them.
In addition, other people are not optimistic about the soap business and want to cut off ties with the third house at this moment. Can her old bones still force them to accept it?
The most important thing is that Huang still has some fantasies about the soap business in her heart. The sixth girl seems to have become much smarter recently, and has a very good relationship with the Fang family and the mediators. Maybe a golden phoenix can really fly out of the family.
Could it be that now that Xu Qingying has become rich, she will still not recognize her as her grandmother?
Thinking of this, Huang felt that she had not offended anyone and had taken care of everyone, and she felt a little proud.
Xu Degui was speechless for a moment, and suddenly felt that his mother was really quite capable.
"I'm telling you, you're no different from your brothers. Each one is more stubborn than the other, as if your heart is blinded by greed." Huang grabbed Xu Degui's ear and spat on his face several times while speaking. "They can't see it, but you can't see it? Sixth girl is very capable..."
"Mom!" Xu Degui pulled back awkwardly. If he wasn't in shackles, he really wanted to scratch his ears. "Why do you say that? What's the Sixth Girl capable of? She's always jumping around. Which other girl is as public as she is? Look at what she's done. She doesn't even take me, her father, seriously!"
Huang spat, "An incompetent father is only a drag, why bother paying attention to him?"
"mother!"
Huang sighed helplessly, feeling that each of her sons was increasingly clueless. The second son was somewhat intelligent, but only clever, lacking in wisdom. He was instigated to become a pawn, leading to his family's exile. The third son was even more clueless, completely honest and straightforward, like a blockhead.
"You only see how much money the Sixth Girl spent on bribery and how much debt she owed. Why don't you think about how she was able to convince the escorts to take the risk and start the soap business with her?"
"Mother, what are you talking about? These escorts are only doing this for Mr. Fang's sake—"
"Then why did Mr. Fang help the sixth girl?"
Xu Degui was stunned for a moment, and stammered, "Maybe Mr. Fang likes that girl. You know, that girl is very sweet-mouthed and good at coaxing people. Who knows, maybe Mr. Fang was deceived by her words!"
"Whoever can deceive a third-rank official of the imperial court, I'll give her credit! If I ask you to do it, can you succeed? I'm afraid you won't even be able to get through his door. Old Master Fang has been an official for decades. I don't know how many gifts he has received and how many people he has met. People of our status may not accept our gifts even if they offer us mountains of gold and silver. So why is he willing to help Sixth Girl convince these escorts?"
Xu Degui fell silent for a moment.
"Besides, didn't you see how attentive Zhao Bantou was this morning? He was so indifferent to us a few days ago, but today he's practically following Sixth Girl around. What does this mean? It means Sixth Girl has them completely under control. At least... at least they need Sixth Girl's help."
Xu Degui wanted to say something, but when he thought about how courteous the escorts were to him today, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"Which of these people is not smarter than us? They are all willing to take risks and work with Liu Yatou, which shows that this soap business is successful! It doesn't matter if a person is not smart, the key is to follow the right person. Don't learn from your second brother—"
"Mom..." Xu Degui was speechless to his mother, "Are you asking me to follow Qingying?"
Huang patted Xu Degui's back. Although she had not been out of bed for many years, her arms were still strong and her pats made a "pa pa" sound. "You, don't you just feel that the sixth girl doesn't listen to you and has violated your dignity as a father? When children grow up, they will always fly out of your palms. Besides, Huiming is weak, and you are willing to let him go to bed. Amei is still so young, it's good enough that she doesn't spend money. Who can you rely on in Qianzhou? If I were you, I would wake up laughing in my dreams to have such a capable girl. You still listen to your second brother's instigation every day and go against your own daughter. How can you-"
"Mother, my second brother isn't that kind of person. He was just dismissed from office and is in a bad mood, so he's talking nonsense. My second brother is well-read and knowledgeable, so he should be the head of the family. I'm sure of that."
When Xu Deyuan was mentioned again, Huang's face no longer had the proud look of the past.
Although Huang could not read or write, she had lived several decades longer than them and was an extremely wise old country woman.
These short ten-day periods were enough for Huang to understand clearly: although the children were all relatively filial, the eldest wife was too aggressive and could not stand any loss, the second wife was too calculating and scheming, the third wife was too honest and would never amount to anything, and the fourth wife was a hopeless case.
When she really started to pick and choose, the old lady actually felt that none of them were as reliable as the sixth girl.
At least the sixth girl had the guts to rent a donkey cart for her for twenty taels without making any noise.
This courage and determination is much greater than theirs.
This girl has confidence in her heart, dares to think and act, talks less and does more. This is the person who can accomplish great things!
Xu Degui was so embarrassed by his own mother that his face burned. In his heart, he knew that Xu Qingying was doing everything for the benefit of the Third House. But this damn girl didn't care about the method at all. She embarrassed him in front of so many people, and the little guilt he felt disappeared.
When I heard my mother speak at this moment, I was also thinking about this matter.
Can this soap business really make money?
Why did Miao never mention such a recipe?
Just as I was thinking this, I saw Ming Xiaoshuang coming over and calling out, "Xu Degui, Xu Huiming, come here."
Because of the soap business, the Xu family was not so afraid of the bailiffs at the moment. When they heard Ming Xiaoshuang shouting, the father and son just looked at each other, and then followed him at a loss.
Ming Xiaoshuang led the two of them a little further away, then pulled out the key from his belt and said to them, "Thanks to Miss Xu Liu, the squad leader has specially allowed you to remove these shackles first. You should also keep a low profile. If anyone asks, just say you are helping Miss Xu Liu with something. Understand?"
Ming Xiaoshuang raised his hand, aimed the key at the keyhole of the shackles, and turned it gently. Only the sound of iron colliding was heard.
Seeing that the two were still confused, Ming Xiaoshuang frowned, "What's the matter? Are you deaf? Did you hear what I just said clearly?"
Xu Degui and the other man finally came to their senses, their eyes flashing with joy. They felt their entire bodies lightened a lot after the shackles were removed. They quickly saluted Ming Xiaoshuang and said, "I heard you clearly. Thank you, sir—"
Ming Xiaoshuang said indifferently, "No need. As long as the soap business can be successful, you will definitely benefit from it in the future."
This made Xu Degui a little worried again.
Only then did he remember that he didn't even know what soap was. From now on, whether he made a profit or a loss, it would all be his third wife's business.
Thinking of this, Xu Degui felt a little dazed and a little scared, but inexplicably felt a little excited.
He had lived for more than thirty years, but this was the first time he experienced what it was like to be independent.
In the past, his life of relying on his second brother was naturally fine. Over the years, he was used to Xu Deyuan giving orders and he didn't need to have any ideas.
But now, I only need to make my own decisions, without having to look at anyone else's opinions. It feels like a gambler sitting at the table for the first time, imagining how happy it would be to have mountains of gold and silver falling on me, while also thinking about how miserable it would be if I lost everything.
Xu Degui's heart was filled with great fear and excitement, and he felt his feet were a little light. When he returned, he saw that Xu Qingying was surrounded by dozens of people.
"Miss Xu Liu, if you're older, why not? Even though I'm over 40, I still have a lot of strength—"
"Auntie, strength alone is useless. Making soap requires carefulness and patience. It's best to have a little skill."
"Hey, hey, hey, I have some cleverness too—"
"Miss Xu Liu, what on earth is that soap? Can you really make money from it?"
Xu Qingying was surrounded by people and said loudly, "Let's stop here for today. If you have any questions, come to me privately. We should hurry up now and don't delay our trip. Remember, I want girls between fifteen and thirty years old, dexterous, good at speaking, and able to endure hardships. Men should be between twenty and forty years old, strong, and willing to work hard. If you have made up your mind, come to me at the post station in the evening. Don't worry if you are not selected. If business is good later, I will definitely recruit more people-"
The escorts also shouted: "Alright, alright, stop arguing, hurry up and get going. You can register when you get to the post station. Get going, get going! If you delay and can't get to the post station by night, you'll have no choice but to sleep in the wild!"
It was almost November, the weather was unpredictable, and the night temperatures were low. A night out outside could easily lead to a cold and a fever, potentially fatal. Therefore, everyone engaged in a heated discussion, but their footsteps did not stop.
Xu Qingying looked up and saw Xu Degui standing there. Ignoring his slightly guilty and embarrassed expression, Xu Qingying bowed slightly and said, "Father."
Xu Huiming, standing by, excitedly grabbed her hand and said, "Sister, you're amazing! You actually helped us get rid of our chains. Tell me how you did it! Oh, and let's talk about that recipe first. How come I didn't know there was a recipe for making soap? What is this soap made of?"
Xu Qingying held Xu Huiming down and said with a smile, "Brother, don't get excited. We should be passing through Pingyang County tomorrow. I'm going to buy the raw materials and molds first and try making some soap. It's a bit similar to the scented soap we use, but slightly different. I can't explain it in a few words, but you'll know what it is when I'm done."
Xu Huiming scratched his head, thinking hard, "Where did you get that recipe? Why don't I remember my grandfather having anything like this?"
Xu Qingying remained calm and continued, "When I was little, I went to my grandfather's house and saw a book of miscellaneous notes in his collection. I was bored at the time, so I made some for fun. I still remember some of it. It was also because I had no money. I thought that everything would be difficult when we arrived in Qianzhou, and everything would cost money, so I started thinking about making money."
Xu Huiming's face was filled with shame. He lowered his head and said, "I'm the only boy in the family. These things should be my responsibility. But I can't do anything, I'm like a useless person. And yet my younger sister, a girl, has to do all these things all day long. If I had known... if I had known, why would I have studied..."
These words made Xu Degui blush. He had never thought about these things during the whole journey. He always thought that the Xu family had not split up, and even if the third branch had no money, the second branch or the public treasury would always have some, so they would not end up living on the streets.
But now think about it, the second wife is rich, but she has many children, and the second brother is in a difficult situation, so how can he take care of his younger brother?
The three sons of the eldest wife are all strong and healthy, and are good at working in the fields.
The fourth room's sister-in-law is also capable and has a wealthy family. If she needs anything, she can just send a letter and someone will naturally send food and drink.
After thinking about it this way, it seems that only the third family has no one to rely on and no money to pay.
Xu Degui suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
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