"I...I..."
Yunling didn't want to tell him everything, but judging from his attitude, it seemed like he wouldn't give up until he got an answer. Besides, he was like a judge in the county government, very perceptive. If she just glossed over things, he would definitely know.
Moreover, if she wanted to take over the shop from Wen Siqing, she would need Lu Yinghuai's help. Therefore, Yunling chose to tell the truth, hoping it might give her more ideas and options.
"My aunt said that Wen Siqing had been staring at her, and that he was stingy. We were joking about it then. I laughed at her, saying that if she were with Wen Siqing, she would definitely be able to buy a big house in the city very soon."
"Your aunt said Wen Siqing has been watching her?"
"It should be correct. This is the first time I've heard Auntie say this, so there shouldn't be any mistake."
Lu Yinghuai nodded, his eyes crinkling into crescents.
"If you want to negotiate the sale of the shop, bring your aunt with you. Otherwise, you won't be able to buy the shop without five thousand strings of cash."
Yunling cracked her knuckles and asked in return:
How do you know that it can't be negotiated without five thousand strings of cash?
“Wen Siqing has a shop in the east of the city. I was thinking of finding a shop there to use as a warehouse, and I went to him. He asked for 5,000 strings of cash. I bargained with him for three days, and finally he asked for 6,000 strings of cash.”
"My God, he even has a shop."
Yun Ling's shock was genuine. He looked at Wen Siqing, who was only about the same age as Yun Ruoxia, and wondered how he could have two shops in the city. Moreover, even a cunning fox like Lu Yinghuai couldn't sway him. So what tricks did she have up her sleeve?
Lu Yinghuai took the teacup from the shop owner, first handing it to Yunling, then taking another cup and holding it to his own eyes.
“Lingniang is younger than him, and she’s already managing the shop. Besides, you’re still a young lady, much more capable than him.”
"I'm different."
Yunling knew that the most profitable thing for her family right now was royal jelly, but royal jelly was in the hands of the Lu family, so there was a limit to how much they could make. Secondly, cotton pads, although they had high profits and a large number of orders, were too labor-intensive. If the profits were divided equally, each person wouldn't earn much.
Therefore, she is different from Wen Siqing.
Seeing Yunling's reaction, Lu Yinghuai decided not to tell her about Wen Siqing's other house, lest she feel resentful upon hearing it.
The shop owner sensed the awkward atmosphere and, seeing them mention shops and such, spoke up:
"Actually, these two shops are about the same size. If you want to buy one, young lady, you can ask Brother Mei. Buying this piece of land in our music hall is also an option."
Lu Yinghuai smiled and said:
“She either doesn’t do it at all, or she does it big. You have a music hall here, and the other side is where the young ladies walk the runway. The two can complement each other, so even if the music hall expands in the future, there will still be room for people to move around.”
Yunling quickly clutched her stomach, her eyes fixed on Lu Yinghuai.
Is this person a tapeworm in her stomach? How could they know that?
She was thinking that it was inconvenient for so many people to live at home, and there wasn't enough space when practicing catwalks, which always felt a bit cramped. Since she was interested in investing in the music troupe, why not just bring Tang Ling and the others here as well, so that she could take care of both sides?
However, it's not surprising that this person knew. It's no secret that our family has little land and many people. Besides, his sister must have mentioned Tang Ling and the others' situation to him. So, it's understandable.
Yunling released her hand from her stomach, picked up the teacup, and just as the rim touched her lips, Lu Yinghuai gently grasped her wrist.
"You were holding your stomach earlier, so is your stomach upset? If so, don't drink tea, as it's too cold."
"No, I'm fine. Tell me what Mei's eldest son likes and dislikes."
"Leave this matter to me. I'll ask him at the business meeting the day after tomorrow. But you, Lingniang, will have to put in some effort to persuade your aunt."
This gave Yunling a bit of a headache. Her aunt seemed to really dislike Wen Siqing. The first impression was bad. When they went to the paper shop again, her aunt was unwilling. It was the first time she had seen her aunt like this.
However, asking her to take out five thousand copper coins at once would be a real pain for her. Moreover, it was originally sold for one thousand five hundred coins, and it should have only sold for two thousand coins. Now, she suddenly has three thousand coins extra. No one but Wen Siqing would be comfortable with that.
Yunling had no other choice but to probe Yun Ruoxia's intentions.
"Auntie, would you like to move back to a room by yourself?"
Yun Ruoxia sat up abruptly from the bed and looked at Yun Ling, saying:
"So you've finally decided to send all those young ladies back to the beekeeping business, and then focus on expanding your beekeeping operations, especially attracting queen bees to lay royal jelly, making the royal jelly business bigger and stronger, and taking the highest commission from the Lu family business, right?"
Yunling greatly admired Yun Ruoxia's ability to say all this in one breath without even breaking a sweat. She quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Yun Ruoxia.
“Aunt, all agricultural work depends on the weather. Farming depends on the timing of planting, avoiding floods and preventing droughts. Beekeeping depends on the four seasons, harvesting in spring and autumn, and storing in winter and summer. But these businesses can be done all year round. It’s difficult to get started now, but if you really succeed, you can be counting coins while sitting or lying down.”
"When the time comes, I won't lack money and I'll have plenty of free time. I can buy an orchard, plant fruit trees, raise bees, dig a fishpond to raise fish, and build a mushroom shed. I can do whatever I want. I don't know how comfortable that would be. But all of this is on the premise of achieving financial freedom."
This is indeed the life Yunling longs for, and she believes that it will come true one day, it definitely will.
Yun Ruoxia finished drinking the water in the cup and lay back down.
"Then why are you asking me if I want to move back to a room by myself? They're not leaving, and the new house isn't even finished yet. How am I supposed to think about going?"
Yun Ling put down the cup, sat down next to Yun Ruoxia, and explained softly:
“I have a bold idea: I want to invest in the music troupe.”
Yun Ruoxia was startled by Yun Ling's audacious idea. She choked while swallowing and coughed for quite a while before recovering.
“Ling’er, although we are not short of money now, we are not very rich either. What benefit do we have from the music hall? If you want to repay the kindness of the hall master that day, there are many ways. You don’t have to choose such a money-consuming way.”
Yunling immediately retorted:
“Auntie, I really value the future development of Qinglan Music Hall. If I can give them an opportunity, they will definitely become an instant hit, and I will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiary.”
"Also, there's a shop of the same size next to Qinglan Music Hall that I'd like to buy so Tang Ling and the others can stay there. That way, we can have both options and it will be more convenient."
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