Chapter 77 Intelligence Source
If Feng'er hadn't thought that Xu Qingying hated people kneeling to her, she would have wanted to kneel down and kowtow to her three times on the spot.
Such a good master is hard to find even with a lantern!
Feng'er secretly made up her mind to try her best to keep up with Xu Qingying's pace and never be the one who holds others back in the future!
"My eldest brother and I will clean up the mess here and provide them with some training. The next batch of soap will be made soon. This time we have to race not only against time but also against quality. You have to be more attentive and work harder."
Feng'er responded happily.
While most people were still watching the excitement in the camp, Xu Qingying called Xu Degui and Zhao Bantou over.
The three of them arrived at a secluded place. In the dim moonlight, seeing that no one was around, Xu Qingying said straight to the point, "Brother Zhao, let's not waste any more time. You've seen how much we collected today. Let's distribute the money now. You can take some back and share it with the brothers so that they can have a good night's sleep."
Zhao Bantou hadn't expected Xu Qingying to actually say she would split the money without any hesitation. Instead, he felt a little embarrassed. He rubbed his head and said, "This... We didn't contribute anything, and we're taking such a large commission..."
Xu Qingying interrupted him, "Brother Zhao, there's no need to say more, and there's no need to feel embarrassed. Since we agreed on this at the beginning, I must keep my promise. 30% is 30%."
Although Xu Degui was ashamed of Zhao Bantou's exorbitant demands and his hypocritical excuses, he was still under the same roof. If Zhao Bantou did not allow them to do business, they could only watch the opportunity to make a fortune slip away.
Besides, what business nowadays doesn’t require management?
Even if I relied on Xu Deyuan in Bianjing City before, don't I still have to take care of things?
After figuring this out, Xu Degui's expression improved a little. He smiled and said, "Yes, if it weren't for Zhao Bantou's care, no matter how good the soap business was, wouldn't all of us still be able to watch? This is all thanks to you and your brothers' care. You deserve it. Please don't be polite."
Zhao Bantou put on a reluctant look and said, "If that's the case, then I'll accept it with shame."
Xu Degui took out a stack of banknotes from his bulging waist bag, counted them, and then handed them over.
Zhao Bantou's eyes became more and more fiery, but he held it back.
After Xu Degui finally finished counting, he took it with pretended reserve.
The thick stack of banknotes made Zhao Bantou feel a little dizzy. He finally managed to stand steady, and with trembling hands he pinched the banknotes to feel their thickness, his heart beating wildly.
He just wanted to hug the banknote and kiss it right now!
But he could only pretend to remain calm on the surface.
The most important lesson he learned from following Xu Qingying these days is that one must know how to pretend.
Look at Miss Xu, she earned ten thousand taels of silver in a day, and she remained calm and composed. Look at her demeanor, she is someone who can do great things!
My level of skill is far from enough.
Zhao Bantou put on an expression of complete trust in Xu Degui and stuffed all the banknotes directly into his pocket. His eyes were almost narrowed with laughter. "Miss Xu, thanks to your care this time, I have earned a huge fortune. I, Zhao Qiaonian, will remember this favor."
Xu Qingying smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to work with you. We'll make money while we're in exile!"
Zhao Ban nodded without hesitation, "If that's the case, then next time, we only want 10% profit."
Xu Qingying raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean? Could it be that Brother Zhao is not satisfied with his current commission?"
"No, no, no, I'm so satisfied that I feel unworthy. This recipe belongs to your maternal family. We brothers didn't put in any effort, but we got thousands of taels of silver out of thin air. I really feel uneasy." Zhao Bantou said sincerely, "Besides, I can see that Miss Xu is capable. Even if she is exiled, I'm sure she will be able to make a good career in the future. That's why I want to continue working with her. If I take another 30%, not only you, but even I won't be able to bear it."
Xu Qingying was a little surprised this time.
However, thinking back on the change in Zhao Bantou's attitude along the way, one has to admit that this man still has some ability and can resist the temptation of money, which makes Xu Qingying look at him with admiration.
"Miss Xu, it's settled. From now on, my brothers and I will only take 10%. If you need anything, just call us. We won't take the money for nothing!"
Xu Degui was at a loss this time. He almost subconsciously looked at Xu Qingying, but saw that Xu Qingying looked very moved. She sighed repeatedly, "Zhao Bantou is a generous person, which is really touching. They say that at home, you rely on your parents, and when you go out, you rely on your friends. It is my great honor to meet a person like Zhao Bantou. Since Zhao Bantou has this intention, I will not refuse. But don't worry, just for your noble character, I will make you my friend regardless of age difference. In the future, when we are exiled, we will make money together. I will not say empty words. I will cover the money for our brothers to buy houses in the capital!"
Xu Degui's face twitched secretly.
This girl is so arrogant.
Does she know how much a two-story courtyard house costs in Bianjing City, and how dare she make such an offer?
As expected, Zhao Bantou was so grateful that he burst into tears and wished he could repay the favor with his own life.
He only hated that Xu Qingying was a girl. If she were a boy, he would definitely abandon his family and career to follow her!
Zhao Bantou was satisfied and left happily.
Only Xu Degui was petrified. No matter how he looked at his daughter, he felt he could not see through her.
She used to be so well-behaved and well-behaved. She would blush if you said a few more words to her, but now she can cheat and deceive without blinking.
Not to mention playing with people's hearts.
He even wondered what Xu Qingying had learned from her father-in-law when Miao went back to worship their ancestors that year.
He remembered that Miao's father was an old scholar who had taken the imperial examinations for more than ten years but never achieved high marks. In the end, he could only teach students in the city to make a living. His father-in-law looked ordinary and seemed a little depressed because of his lack of success. But he had never heard of anything special about him.
Could it be that he is a great hermit hiding in the city?
"Qingying!" Xu Degui called out. He pondered over it and decided that although his daughter was intelligent, she was still too young and might be deceived. "Don't trust Zhao Bantou too much. They say greed is the ultimate desire. If he can even give up a few thousand taels of silver, he must have bigger ambitions."
Xu Qingying raised her eyebrows slightly. She didn't expect Xu Degui to say such a thing.
It seems that Xu Degui is not confused. He can say such words, which shows that his heart has completely belonged to the third room and he will no longer be confused like before.
Xu Qingying wanted to test Xu Degui's abilities, so she asked with a smile, "Then what do you think he wants from me, Dad?"
Xu Degui scratched his head and said after a long while, "Is he worried that if he keeps asking for 30% of our profits, we'll kick him out later?"
This answer was within Xu Qingying's expectations, but she still didn't think it through.
But it’s a good thing that Xu Degui has this awareness.
"He plays a very important role and I will still need him in the future, so I will not consider kicking him out for the time being."
Xu Degui was a little surprised.
"Father, you should have seen that I'm in urgent need of manpower. The people from the second house are the most useful. Most of them can read and write, and they can be trained easily. But my second uncle won't let them get involved in our soap business, so I have to find other people to help. The people from the Fang family are looking forward to being reinstated, so they won't get involved in business. My eldest aunt's family is not enough. After all, how many people do you think I can use if I want to sell so much soap?"
Xu Degui frowned and quickly understood the current predicament.
The third and fourth houses were not very prosperous, and there were only three or four available workers in total. However, they needed to supervise the workers, ensure logistics, calculate the accounts, purchase raw materials, and sell soap, so they would need at least a dozen or twenty people.
This is still considered a small amount.
In Bianjing, a shop with a monthly profit of a few dozen taels would have to employ at least three or four people. Let alone soap, which was worth tens of thousands of taels! This was also due to the restrictions of exile. Otherwise, outside, they would have to employ at least a hundred people!
Seeing Xu Degui pondering for a moment, Xu Qingying smiled and said, "Father, do you understand? It's not that I trust Zhao Bantou, but I have no one to rely on, so I'm forced to rely on them. And they are different from others, they can't be easily manipulated by me, so we have to be more humble. Besides, who doesn't want something from me? The people in the camp want me to make money to pay them, and Zhao Bantou also wants my ability to make money. In the end, it's not all about money. But I think as long as it's about money, it's not a problem. I can make money, so I'm naturally not afraid of others wanting my money. What's more, I'm not afraid of others wanting anything from me, I'm only afraid of others wanting nothing, which only proves that I have no value. What do you think, Father?"
Xu Degui was stunned. He kept repeating these words in his mind and was speechless for a moment.
After careful consideration, I felt that although Xu Qingying's words were cruel, they were also bitterly true.
The more Xu Degui thought about it, the more frightened he became.
What kind of hero is it who dares to say such outrageous words?
But Xu Qingying is just a girl. Will this ambition that is higher than the sky backfire on her?
After a long while, Xu Degui slowly said, "You are right. I am shallow."
"Father, please take a closer look. People only seek two things: profit and friendship. I'm willing to give them both, so why should I worry about others not wanting to follow me?"
Xu Degui nodded frequently and secretly kept these words in mind.
It was getting late and the dew was heavy, but almost no one slept in the camp tonight.
Although the workers have not received their wages yet, they have already signed and sealed the contract, so it is a foregone conclusion that they will get their wages in two days.
In the entire soap-making team, each person earned an average of about 100 wen.
Although it is incomparable to the days of wearing gold and silver in the past, everyone knows that nowadays working hard to move goods at the dock only makes twenty or thirty cents a day.
What's more, their work is easy and not very strenuous. It does not require any physical effort and is not exposed to the wind and sun. They can earn a hundred coins in just two days, so they are very grateful to Xu Qingying.
In addition, the soap disappeared from the carriage, which made everyone more curious about how much money Xu Qingying made on her way into the city, where she found buyers, and how she managed to sell so many bars of soap in one day?
Zhao Bantou divided the money with his brothers, a total of three thousand taels of silver. In just this one trip, each of them got at least a hundred taels of silver.
Zhao Bantou naturally did not miss Liu Jieshi's share. He gave the banknote to Liu Jieshi and patted him on the shoulder, saying meaningfully: "Brother Liu, you must have a conscience. Don't forget the kindness of Miss Xu--"
Liu Jieshi knew very well that Zhao Bantou was criticizing him.
Looking at the indescribable excitement of the people around him, and thinking about how they had been wary of him these past few days, he felt panic, uneasy, and angry, yet helpless.
Liu Jieshi was so angry that he hated the heaven for being so blind and allowing the Xu family to have the capital to turn things around.
But it doesn't matter, he has been dormant for so many years, he has plenty of patience.
We have only traveled a third of the way to exile, and there is still a long way to go.
As long as there's an opportunity, as long as someone from the Xu family is left alone...
Liu Jieshi, however, looked flattered. He put the banknotes into his arms and bowed to Zhao Bantou. "I was too reckless before. Who can resist money? Miss Xu's ability to make money is too amazing. Bantou, you must talk to Miss Xu in the future and tell her to take us with you no matter what. We brothers are not here to eat for free. We always have a lot of strength to use!"
Several escorts shouted "Okay!", and then seeing that Liu Jieshi seemed sincere, they let down their guard and the situation became brotherly again.
At the same time, Xu Qingying had already taken a stack of banknotes from Xu Degui.
It was getting dark and the bonfire was about to go out. Xu Qingying was thinking that tonight might be a sleepless night, as people might come to look for her one after another.
Sure enough, the first one to arrive was my aunt.
Xu Qingying tossed over the twenty-liang silver note, and her aunt immediately beamed with joy. She wanted nothing more than to hug her and kiss her twice. "Oh my god, this life is truly worth it. I've earned so much money on my own. Oh, no, no, I owe it to my niece. Qingying, if something like this happens again, you must bring your aunt along. Don't worry, your efforts won't be in vain. I'll keep an eye on the people in the second house and the camp for you... If there's any disturbance, I'll make sure you're the first to know!"
"Oh, by the way, please don't tell your eldest uncle about this. He's just as clueless as your second uncle. Not to mention, your second uncle was so angry that he didn't even eat dinner today, and his eyes were red as if he'd been up all night. In my opinion, he's just a mean-spirited person. He's been trying to suppress our families all his life and never let us get ahead. Bah, people like him are really black-hearted. When they're not doing well themselves, they can't stand seeing others doing well. I'm warning you, you have to be careful with your second uncle. I think he'll cause trouble for you sooner or later."
Not long after, Huang Shi also came to see her. Xu Qingying gave her the dividend. The old lady put the banknotes into her pocket with trembling hands and then provided her with firsthand information. "Today, the eldest lady went to Qian Zhenniang to make a scene and told her to pack up and leave. She also has some opinions about you, but it can't cause any big trouble. Also, you asked me to keep an eye on Liu Jieshi before. It's not just me, an old woman. The escorts also seem to be on guard against him doing anything bad. I found that Liu Jieshi and Huang Yazi were acting a little suspiciously. I always feel that these two troublemakers are up to no good. You should pay more attention. Oh, and it seems that the fourth son and his wife had another quarrel today. Neither of them paid any attention to each other. But it's not surprising. They have a big quarrel every two or three days and a small quarrel every two days. I'm used to it. It's really a sin for these two to live like this!"
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