Chapter 79 What if they don't sell?
Aunt Guizhi went to the village head's house early this morning to wait. When she saw the village head return, she hurriedly went to greet him.
The village head gave her the divorce papers and the household registration certificate together.
Aunt Guizhi took the two items and thanked them profusely, feeling a surge of emotion as if she had lost something and then regained it.
When she returned to the village, she happened to meet some of the village women. Seeing that Aunt Guizhi looked better, they asked her about Lin Shuilian.
"Sister-in-law, what are your plans for the future? Will you find another one for Shui Lian?"
Aunt Guizhi wasn't upset when she heard this. She shook her head and said, "I won't look for her anymore. I'll take care of her. She'll stay at home from now on."
The man paused for a moment, then said, "She's still young; you can't be with her forever."
Aunt Guizhi said, "After I leave, the two children will be grown up and able to keep her company."
The woman who had spoken wanted to say something more, but then she thought it was for the best. After suffering so much, her mother must be heartbroken.
It's understandable that Aunt Guizhi wanted to keep her daughter with her.
After Aunt Guizhi left, the two women said, "This family is truly pitiful."
Isn't that right? She originally had a son, but he ended up with someone else's son.
Aunt Guizhi knew that many people in the village would talk about her family, but she didn't care anymore. She had the divorce papers, the two children were at home, the household registration was done, and Lin Shuilian looked much better than the other day. The days ahead would only get better and better.
Lin Chuntao had helped her so much that she didn't know how to thank her in the future.
With everything settled on Aunt Guizhi's side, Chai Xingyu's side also made progress.
He had been waiting for Chai Jiao's reply, and was thinking that if he didn't receive a letter soon, he would send a second one, when Chai Jiao returned.
"Second Sister! What brings you here?"
"What? You don't welcome me?"
Chai Xingyu smiled, but his ferocious face, coupled with that smile, didn't look good; in fact, it was rather terrifying. Yet, he still smiled, and his eyes were filled with intense emotion. Chai Jiao felt happy.
"No, I just think the journey is long and my second sister must be tired from the long journey."
When Chai Xingyu had his accident, both Chai sisters came back together, but they left after a short stay. It hasn't been long since then, and he didn't expect Chai Jiao to come.
"My second sister must have come back for me, right?"
Chai Jiao smiled. It was indeed partly due to her husband's arrival with the newly appointed prefect, so she came along as well.
However, as soon as she got off the carriage, she didn't tell Chai Xingyu that her husband and the others were coming here.
Guo Jixiang was overjoyed to see her second daughter return. She took her daughter's arm and walked home, instructing the nanny beside her to go to the kitchen.
"Tell the cook that the second young lady is back, and make her favorite dishes for dinner."
Chai Songchuan was also happy and asked about his son-in-law after entering the house.
"Why are you back? Meng Yuan didn't come with you?"
With no outsiders in the house, Chai Jiao said, "He's here, but it's on business. He came with his boss, so I doubt he'll have time to come home."
Chai Jiao had her own plans, and Chai Songchuan didn't say much. Guo Jixiang, who was standing next to her, asked, "How long can you stay this time? Stay longer. If you go back this time, you probably won't have time to come back before the New Year, right?"
Chai Jiao nodded and responded.
The arrival of Chai Jiao made the Chai family a bit more lively. Even Chai Xingyu no longer hid alone in his small courtyard. He kept chatting with Chai Jiao, only going out for a while, again and again.
Guo Jixiang felt something was strange. These days, Chai Xingyu often went out for a stroll, and she didn't know what he was busy with. It seemed like he hadn't gone to see Lin Chuntao and the others for several days.
That afternoon, Chai Jiao stayed with Guo Jixiang. Chai Xingyu was anxious and wanted to call Chai Jiao away several times, but he didn't say anything. He then left again under the pretext of going to the toilet.
After Chai Xingyu left, Chai Jiao said, "I think my brother is much more energetic than before. How did you manage to talk him out?"
Guo Jixiang laughed upon hearing this, "It's really strange. He locked himself in the courtyard, probably trying to starve himself to death. We had to pry open his mouth and force-feed him for a long time. I thought he would probably be like this every day from now on."
Chai Jiao raised her eyebrows slightly, waiting for Guo Jixiang to continue.
“A small noodle stall has appeared in our market. They use sauce in the soup, and it tastes very good. Many people who have eaten it think that the sauce comes from our family and come to our shop to ask. When your third uncle found out, he bought three bowls of noodles and sent them over. The housekeeper said to send one bowl to your brother. At the time, I thought it would be a waste to send it.”
Chai Jiao picked up the conversation, "In the end, my younger brother ate it."
Guo Jixiang smiled and hummed in agreement, while Chai Jiao chuckled for no apparent reason, "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's right. The next day, your younger brother took Sanbao to eat noodles at someone's stall before dawn."
Chai Jiao: "...This is something only a younger brother would do."
Guo Jixiang sighed.
"Not only that, he also dislikes me and your father, and has even recognized that noodle soup lady Lin as his older sister. He goes to her house every few days to freeload meals. According to Sanbao, Lin not only makes delicious noodle soup, but her cooking is also superb."
"Recognize an older sister?" Chai Jiao frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. "Who is this Madam Lin?"
Guo Jixiang said, "She was just a peasant girl from the countryside, without parents, raising her four younger sisters to make a living by selling soup noodles and often picking mushrooms to sell."
After Guo Jixiang finished speaking, the displeasure in Chai Jiao's eyes gradually deepened.
But the curve of her lips didn't move, and her expression didn't change.
Guo Jixiang didn't even notice the displeasure in Chai Jiao's eyes.
"Judging from what Mother said, this Madam Lin is quite capable."
Chai Jiao's tone was very calm. Guo Jixiang said, "She does have some skills. Although it's a small business, she's very quick-witted, and the sauce she makes tastes pretty good."
Chai Jiao frowned slightly upon hearing Guo Jixiang's words, took a sip of tea, and after a long while, slowly looked up at Guo Jixiang.
"It seems like Mother quite likes this Lady Lin."
Guo Jixiang noticed the amused look on her daughter's face, her heart skipped a beat, then she chuckled softly, lowered her eyes, and picked up the teacup beside her.
"It has nothing to do with liking, it's just stating the facts."
Chai Jiao's brows slowly relaxed. "Does your younger brother like her very much?"
Guo Jixiang nodded, but then realized the meaning behind Chai Jiao's words and quickly waved her hand: "This Lin Niangzi is married, and I think she and her husband have a good relationship."
"That's good." Chai Jiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Guo Jixiang looked at her daughter's expression. She had originally wanted to tell Chai Jiao that she wanted to arrange a marriage for Chai Xingyu with the Lin family, but now the thought was stuck in her throat.
Chai Songchuan sat down beside him and asked his son-in-law if things were going well lately.
Chai Jiao said, "He's not bad. The new prefect values him quite a bit, so he only brought him along this time."
Chai Songchuan also smiled and said, "Then there might be good news soon."
Chai Jiao didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Aren't Father and Mother planning to buy the recipe for Lin Niangzi's sauce?"
Guo Jixiang said, "I'm planning to buy it, but I haven't mentioned it yet."
A hint of doubt appeared in Chai Jiao's eyes. This speed of action was not like what Guo Jixiang and Chai Songchuan would do.
Guo Jixiang met her gaze and added, "I forgot to tell you, something too coincidental happened. The person who saved your brother at the market entrance was that Lin Niangzi's husband. We treated them to a meal, and I even prepared a thank-you gift, but they refused to accept it."
Chai Jiao asked, "Isn't what Mother gave me enough?"
"It was in a box, never opened, and they pushed it back."
Chai Jiao said, "Not accepting money means you want a favor from our Chai family. You're quite good at calculating."
Guo Jixiang wanted the sauce recipe, but after spending some time with Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, she realized that they genuinely didn't want it and didn't seem to be concerned about their family's favor. However, she could sense that Lin Chuntao didn't want to sell the recipe.
But since Chai Xingyu had agreed to this, they weren't in a hurry. After all, he would inherit the sauce factory eventually, so they decided to let him try it out first.
"Your father and I have entrusted the Lin family's sauce business to your younger brother, so he can get some experience."
Chai Jiao remembered what Chai Xingyu had written in his letter, but he didn't go into details. He only mentioned their differences and his ideas. He wanted to enrich the variety of sauces in the soy sauce shop so that customers would have more choices when they came in. She supported this idea.
However, she suddenly realized that Chai Xingyu had come up with this method to protect the Lin family's formula, and Chai Jiao felt a surge of annoyance at being deceived.
But she didn't tell Guo Jixiang about this.
"It's good to practice, it's better than just wandering around like before."
As soon as Chai Jiao finished speaking, Chai Song relayed, "This is the only way. Although we've entrusted it to him, it feels risky. What are your thoughts, Jiao'er?"
Hearing her father's question, Chai Jiao smiled and said, "I still hope to buy the recipe and add a new sauce to our family."
Chai Song said, "That's what I was planning too."
"But that Lady Lin uses sauce in her noodle soup, and her noodle soup shop is doing quite well. She might open many shops in the future, but she might not necessarily sell the sauce recipe."
“She’s making a lot of money from her stall, even if it’s just one string of cash a day, that’s already quite impressive. Business has its ups and downs, and it’s impossible for her to make that much every day. Giving her a little more silver, like two hundred taels, would be enough for her to live comfortably.”
When Chai Xingyu returned from the restroom, he happened to hear Chai Jiao's condescending and condescending words, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Two hundred taels is a lot for a peasant girl, but her sauce is unique. Just because it was made by a peasant girl, does that mean we can ignore her skill? Does that mean we can buy her things as charity?
Chai Xingyu's anger surged forth, partly because these words came from Chai Jiao's mouth. If they had come from Chai Songchuan or Guo Jixiang, he would have accepted it.
These words came from his second sister.
He had originally wanted to discuss the details with Chai Jiao and how to cooperate with Lin Chuntao and the others, but now that he heard this, it seemed there was no need to say anything.
He didn't go back inside; he went straight back to his courtyard.
Chai Jiao and the others sat and chatted for a long time, but Chai Xingyu still hadn't returned. She raised an eyebrow slightly: "Ayu has been out for half a day, why hasn't he come back yet?"
"Don't worry about him. He's been acting all mysterious lately, I don't know what he's up to."
Hearing Guo Jixiang say this, Chai Jiao didn't say anything more. Not long after she sat down, the other members of the Chai family came over when they heard that Chai Jiao had returned. After all, she was now an official's wife, and these uncles and aunts were almost always full of flattery. The cousins were also polite and sweet-talking.
The whole family ate dinner together that evening; there were many people.
The eldest son was in charge of the sauce factory and the sauce recipes. The second son was mainly responsible for running around, transporting the sauces to various places. The third son managed the shop and sold the sauces. Chai Laosan did everything himself, often squatting in the shop, turning the original shopkeepers into waiters.
Halfway through the meal, he said to Chai Songchuan, "Brother, I heard from the sauce shop master that they can't make the sauce that Tangfen Niangzi makes. Every day, many customers come to ask about it. What should we do? Should we ask Tangfen Niangzi for the recipe?"
Chai Laosan spoke suddenly. Chai Songchuan and Guo Jixiang glanced at Chai Xingyu, who was eating. Chai Xingyu felt his parents' gazes. He looked up and looked around at everyone at the table. Finally, his gaze fell on Chai Jiao. He looked at her for a moment and then slowly looked away.
"If we're buying the recipe, how much do you think you should ask for, Uncle?"
Chai Laosan was surprised that it was Chai Xingyu who spoke up. He glanced at Chai Songchuan and Guo Jixiang, who did not stop him. Chai Laosan said directly, "Giving them one or two hundred taels for this prescription is already a lot."
What if they don't want to sell?
Chai Xingyu's question silenced everyone at the table.
After a long while, Chai Laosan said, "The reason they won't sell is simply because they think they can still make money from this. If we were their only option, they would sell for a hundred taels."
Chai Xingyu chuckled lightly upon hearing this, his laughter tinged with sarcasm.
Chai Laosan's expression changed slightly. He looked at Chai Songchuan's calm face, unsure whether Chai Xingyu's words represented Chai Songchuan.
He bluntly stated, "Ayu is still too young. We're in business to make money, not to throw money away."
Upon hearing this, Chai Xingyu smiled and looked at Chai Songchuan. After his face was injured, he rarely appeared in front of everyone. This was the first time he had appeared in front of the whole family. The mischievous boy who used to be playful was now covered by scars, and his smile was somewhat frightening.
“I’m young, so I think business should be based on mutual consent.” After he finished speaking, Chai Laosan chuckled, his face full of disdain, “Then, according to A-Yu’s idea, how much should we pay for this prescription?”
Chai Xingyu's smile faded, and he said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, it's no use no matter how much we offer here. We should at least ask the seller if she sells this item and at what price."
Chai Laosan's smile widened, and Chai Xingyu looked at that smile and asked calmly, "Third Uncle, do you go out to buy things without even asking the price, just tossing a few copper coins at someone and taking the goods?"
Before Chai Laosan could speak, Chai Xingyu continued, "No wonder everyone is talking about our Chai family. We could have just robbed them, but we had to give them a penny as a fig leaf."
That's too blunt; it's no different from slapping Chai Laosan across the face.
His gaze slowly turned cold as he looked at Chai Songchuan and asked, "What do you mean, brother?"
Chai Songchuan only has this one son. If he is grooming Chai Xingyu to take over the soy sauce factory, he has to support him no matter what his son's thoughts are now. Otherwise, if Chai Xingyu wants to sit at this table and speak again in the future, his uncles will use this matter to manipulate him.
"I'm leaving the soup noodle sauce to A-Yu."
After relaying the message, Chai Song looked at Chai Xingyu and said, "Ayu, your third uncle is right about something: we're doing business to make money, not to throw money away. You need to understand that."
Chai Xingyu was somewhat surprised by Chai Songchuan's first sentence, but the next sentence followed immediately. Chai Xingyu countered, "Making money through business is fine, but I'd like to ask, can our Chai family earn all the money in the world?"
Silence fell over the table. Chai Xingyu continued, "Since we can't make all the money, why not give others a way to survive and let's all make money together?"
No one responded after Chai Xingyu finished speaking.
Chai Jiao looked at her uncles and aunts, all of whom were vying for power with her family. Even though she agreed with her third uncle's ideas but not with Chai Xingyu's, she still had to speak up for her younger brother.
“Ah Yu is right. Our family can’t earn all the money. This year, many people have migrated from the Central Plains to Yizhou. They come from all directions and have diverse tastes. Our shop needs to be filled with a variety of sauces and flavors. We can’t just buy a recipe for two hundred taels like before. Not only can we not buy that many recipes, but our sauce shop also needs to expand. It’s difficult to supply a variety of sauces all at once.”
Chai Jiao was a married-out daughter, but none of the people in the Chai family dared to say that she couldn't speak here, nor did they dare to disregard her words. Chai Laosan was silent for a moment and then said, "Jiao'er is right. We were indeed negligent. We didn't expect that so many people from other places would come this year. They will also be our guests in the future."
Chai Jiao said, "Third Uncle is busy with the shop, and besides, those people from the Central Plains haven't settled down yet. Once they've settled down, they'll come to the shop."
Old Chai echoed, then turned to look at Chai Xingyu: "So, what are your thoughts, Ayu?"
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