Grandpa Zhen also fell silent, looking in Zhen Wanwan's direction with a puzzled expression, wanting to ask for the reason.
Before their marriage, Zhu Yuan did mention that he might go abroad in the future, but they didn't expect it to happen so soon.
However, since they were seeing off the Qu family mother and son, it wasn't appropriate to discuss anything else.
After dinner, Zhen Fugui drove the carriage to take the Qu family mother and son to the county town.
Zhu Yuan and Zhen Wanwan were kept behind by Grandpa Zhen.
In the main room, Grandpa Zhen and Grandma Li sat in the seats of honor, while Zhen Wanwan and Zhuyuan sat quietly to the side.
"Xiao Yuan and Wan Wan, why are you suddenly going to the prefectural city too?"
Grandpa Zhen couldn't wait any longer and asked the question first.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Zhu Yuan's eyes, but he still explained the whole matter clearly.
“Father-in-law, this is a long story, but I have no choice but to go…”
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhen Wanwan, his heart filled with guilt.
Grandpa Zhen frowned slightly; he had long known that Zhu Yuan wouldn't be bound to them forever.
Although it was a bit early, he had already prepared himself mentally, but he still wanted to find out the reason.
After all, his daughter and two grandchildren would be going with him, and he was afraid that they would be bullied without them by his side.
“Xiao Yuan, although I am just an ordinary farmer, I still understand basic principles. I know you are a child. If there were no other reason, I would not have taken Wanwan and her two children away.”
"I want to ask you, is this unavoidable reason related to court politics?"
The story of how Prince Yang was tricked by the two princes had already spread throughout the county.
Zhu Yuan served under General Xiao, so naturally he had to obey his commander's orders.
Therefore, Grandpa Zhen vaguely sensed that Zhu Yuan's departure was inextricably linked to these events.
Unexpectedly, after Grandpa Zhen asked him a question, Zhu Yuan shook his head and looked at Zhen Wanwan with reluctance.
His words were filled with guilt and helplessness.
“Father-in-law! I do not intend to take Wanwan and the two children with me when I leave this time.”
This departure was fraught with risk for him, so naturally he wouldn't let Zhen Wanwan go with him.
Grandpa Zhen and Grandma Li were taken aback, and even Zhen Wanwan looked at her in surprise.
"Husband?"
Zhu Yuan gently squeezed her hand and explained softly, "It's probably very risky for me to go there this time. It's safer for you to stay in Guangling County."
Zhen Wanwan stared at him intently. She understood the reasoning behind it all and knew that her past actions had only added to his burden.
What's more, she also has two children to take care of; Yuan Huizhou and Xiao Yizhi need to go to school here.
So Zhen Wanwan pursed her lips and nodded with difficulty.
Zhu Yuan felt extremely distressed and almost wanted to stay and accompany them regardless of everything.
Grandpa Zhen sighed, feeling both gratified and saddened to see how well the couple loved each other.
It would be wonderful if my daughter could find a husband who would love her, but this husband is too capable and can't be by her side all the time.
Suddenly, Zhu Yuan knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of Grandpa Zhen and Grandma Li, startling the elderly couple who hurriedly got up and helped him up.
"Get up! Sit down and talk it out. We don't do this in our family."
Zhu Yuan didn't get up. Instead, he straightened his back, took Zhen Wanwan's little hand, and made a promise to the old couple.
"Father and Mother! Your son-in-law is unfilial. I have only just married Wanwan and I am about to leave her and her two children. But please rest assured, it won't be long before things calm down outside. I will make sure Wanwan and her children can live a peaceful life."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Li wiped away her tears; she was very satisfied with this son-in-law.
She listens to her daughter very well, treats her daughter and grandson well, and cares deeply for the elderly couple.
Now that he's going out to work hard, he's not so much worried about his daughter's safety as he feels sorry for her.
"Xiao Yuan! Get up quickly. We all know what kind of person you are. Don't worry, we will take care of Wanwan and the child."
"You're all alone out there, so take good care of yourself. If anything happens, just let your family know."
Although Grandpa Zhen didn't speak, his eyes were full of concern when he looked at Zhu Yuan.
Zhen Wanwan secretly pinched his fingers, intending to comfort him.
Before dark, Zhen Wanwan and Zhu Yuan took the child back home.
The next day, everyone got up early and made a special trip to the county town to see off the Qu family mother and son.
With everyone reluctant to part, the Qu family mother and son gradually disappeared from sight in their carriage.
After everyone left, Zhen Wanwan took Grandma Li and the others to the department store.
Although Zhen Wanwan did not explicitly tell everyone that this was her business, the milk powder, diapers, sanitary napkins, and other items inside were clearly visible.
It was all made by Zhen Wanwan, so everyone goes straight to the department store when they need to buy daily necessities.
Also to support her business, Zhen Wanwan understood this and specifically instructed Manager Zhang to offer a discount when relatives or friends came to visit.
Manager Zhang is also very good at interpersonal relationships, and he has his own set of answers when faced with questions from other customers.
After thinking for a moment, Zhen Wanwan explained the modern membership model to the shopkeeper.
Manager Zhang, being adept at learning by analogy, had made most of the households in the county town members of the department store.
The wealthy ladies who love shopping are already VIP members of the department store.
Of course, members are also divided into different levels. Zhen Wanwan has created a system where customers who spend 10,000 taels of silver a year at the department store can receive one-on-one butler service.
If the annual revenue reaches 100,000, the venue can be booked for her for three days.
As a result, the wealthy ladies and young women of the county town, during banquets, changed their focus from discussing poetry to comparing their points at the department store.
The more points one has, the more prestigious their status.
Wealthy families value appearances above all else. Even if they don't need so many things on a daily basis, they'll still buy them to keep as unused items, just for the sake of having fun.
Zhen Wanwan and her group arrived at the department store, where Manager Zhang hurriedly came out to greet them.
"Madam Zhen, you've arrived! I'll have someone serve you tea right away."
"How have you been, Manager Zhang? You look increasingly prosperous..."
Looking at Manager Zhang's increasingly round belly, Zhen Wanwan smiled and teased him a couple of times.
Manager Zhang wasn't angry at all. He squinted his eyes, rubbed his stomach, and chuckled.
"Haha...it's just that business is so good, I've had a lot more social engagements..."
Zhen Wanwan also had a smile on her face. At her suggestion, Manager Zhang gradually started cooperating with merchants from all walks of life, and now he has opened up channels in various counties of Anqing Prefecture.
Due to funding and manpower issues, Zhen Wanwan did not plan to open a branch store, but instead launched a purchasing agent service.
She has reached cooperation agreements with upstream merchants in other counties of Anqing Prefecture to purchase goods from her, and how much they can sell depends on their own abilities.
Therefore, in addition to managing the department store, Manager Zhang also needs to negotiate cooperation with itinerant merchants from various regions.
Once the cooperation negotiations are nearly finalized, the agreement will be given to Zhen Wanwan for her signature.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com