Chapter 5 The Road We Came From End
What may seem like a chance occurrence are actually traceable.
We could only start our business with the two shops given to us by the Wu family, which meant that we would be harassed by them after we became wealthy.
In this era of primogeniture, clan traditions and laws took precedence over the individual.
Our situation with the Wu family is self-evident.
As Xianbaozhai's reach expands, its business thrives.
As Wu Xubai moved from a side table to the main table at the Wu family banquet.
The first person to go mad was the eldest son of the Wu family.
The snowball that had been brewing on that autumn moonlit night finally came crashing down on me with unstoppable force.
The eldest son of the Wu family kidnapped me.
"Either help me create a second Immortal Treasure Pavilion, or your master will exchange it for one!"
What can someone do when their weakness is exploited?
With neither his father's help nor the officials' concern, Wu Xubai had no choice but to exchange me for Xianbaozhai.
Why does the situation of "neither the father nor the official help" occur?
Because the eldest son of the Wu family's maternal uncle was appointed as the judge of the Yan Prince's Court.
His position in Yan was equivalent to that of the Minister of Justice in Daqian.
As for us... mere illegitimate sons and servants, insignificant as dust.
Wu's eldest son gave Wu Xubai, who came to pick me up, a good scathing rebuke.
Perhaps it was Wu Xubai's indifferent attitude that angered the eldest son of the Wu family.
The eldest son of the Wu family said he never learned his lesson, so he had his ears pierced.
He remained calm.
Still not satisfied, Wu's eldest son ripped off the earring that Wu Xubai had just put on.
Instantly, blood gushed out.
The eldest son of the Wu family felt relieved and gave us three days to pack our things and get out.
Then he led his men away victoriously.
After the eldest son of the Wu family left, he came forward, squatted down, untied the ropes binding me, and took a handkerchief to wipe my tears.
I questioned him: "Why didn't you fight back!"
He said, "There are silver notes under the third row of buttons at the bottom of the carriage. Your parents are waiting for you outside the city."
"Admit defeat?" I laughed.
"Wu Xubai, when have I, Li Qu, ever admitted defeat?"
*
From Lijiacun to Yicheng, if she had ever admitted defeat, she wouldn't be where she is today!
I pressed a handkerchief against his bleeding earlobe.
I smiled at him and said, "Heaven has blessed us, Wu Xubai."
"Now that Xianbaozhai has developed to this point, it is the perfect time to attract investment and open new branches."
He said, "Li San, you should go. Don't worry about me anymore."
I don't understand why he would say such discouraging things.
I told him seriously, "Some people might refuse a single goose that lays golden eggs, but no one can refuse ten or a hundred!"
"Your father is biased towards his uncle because of his uncle, who is an official in the Yan Prince's Court!"
"Then we will present these ten hens, each laying a hundred golden eggs, to the King of Yan!"
"Once the Prince of Yan joins our camp, neither your father nor your elder brother will be able to do anything to you!"
"Wu Xubai, I promised I would help you!"
"I will definitely keep my promise!"
Perhaps the pain in his ear was too much, for tears welled up in his eyes: "I don't want to step on him anymore."
I can't understand: "Why?"
"We're just one step away from crushing him under our feet!"
He said, "Because he's not worth the price I'm paying."
"Li San, now is the best time for you to leave."
"Their eyes are all on Xianbaozhai; no one will notice."
What will happen to him if I leave?
I looked at him and said, "You are from the Wu family. When you were useless, you ran away from home, and nobody cared about you."
“But you’ve created the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. The Wu family won’t let you leave.”
“If I take you away, the Wu family will definitely come after us, and then none of us will be able to escape.”
"so."
"I won't leave!"
I looked him straight in the eye: "No matter the cost, I will never abandon you."
His tears, which I couldn't understand, flowed uncontrollably, a kind of resignation to his fate.
He told me, "Li San, you must love yourself the most, you know?"
He emphasized: "Remember, the person you love most can only be yourself."
*
"This servant, Li San, the pageboy of the sixth young master of the Wu family, pays his respects to the young master!"
In the rain, I knelt at the entrance of Qibaozhai, entering Xiao Cong's sight with a stubborn yet disheveled posture.
That year, I was eight years old, and Xiao Cong was thirteen.
I was led into a private room at Qibaozhai, which was extremely luxurious.
The private room was filled with the gentle fragrance of incense and melodious music.
My soaked clothes had stained the Persian carpet that was specially used to entertain distinguished guests.
I bent my knees and performed the servant's salute with utmost respect.
I caught a glimpse of him sitting on the tatami mat out of the corner of my eye.
I caught a glimpse of his spotless moon-colored brocade robe, and also noticed the intricate gold and silver embroidery on it.
Its value is beyond words.
One was kneeling, soaking wet, while the other sat high and looked down at them with an air of superiority.
We met each other with different purposes, destined to part ways eight years later.
*
He was the only one in the private room.
He seemed to have just finished entertaining guests, and the maids were clearing away the tea set and snacks that the guests had used.
He sat on the couch, propping his chin up as he looked at me, seemingly listening to me explain the contents of my investment plan, yet also seemingly not listening at all.
His eyelashes were long and black, like brushes, and would occasionally flutter, adding a touch of liveliness to his reserved face.
After I finished speaking, he didn't offer any opinion, but simply had someone lead me away to change out of my clothes, which were soaked from the rain.
I was initially very confident about attracting investment, but he showed no emotion whatsoever, which made me instantly uneasy.
I can't help but wonder if this person's soul is also inconsistent with his physical age.
Such strong stage presence.
Within his magnetic field, he controls everything.
I left behind the investment plan and respectfully bowed and left.
*
The maids bathed and washed my hair without saying a word, and even pried open my mouth to check.
I asked why this was necessary?
My reply was just two cold words: "Rules".
They applied a cinnabar paste to my arm.
They even changed me into a dress that a girl my age should wear.
The hair bun that was tilted to one side of the top of the head was split in two and tied on both sides, with symmetrical beaded flowers pinned into the bun.
The maidservant instructed, "Remember to behave properly in front of His Highness."
I couldn't help but marvel at the strict rules of the Prince of Yan's residence.
I was brought back to him.
The carpet I got wet has been replaced.
Fortunately, he was looking at my investment promotion plan.
The first thing he said to me was, "Was the idea of making luxury a part of your consciousness your own, or was it Wu Liu's?"
His voice was steady, yet it inexplicably carried a sense of superiority.
I felt suppressed within his magnetic field.
Unlike when facing the eldest son of the Wu family, Wu's father, and the matriarch of the Wu family, there was no pressure from age, height, words, or status.
It was more of a feeling that I couldn't quite describe.
I instinctively tensed up, and since I didn't know what Wu Xubai had said to him, I carefully considered my reply:
"My young master knows more about these things than I do. Why don't we ask him to enlighten Your Highness?"
He finally hummed in response after a long pause.
I was instantly overjoyed and bowed, intending to step back and call for someone, but he asked me to sit on the couch and had tea and pastries served to me.
I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.
He carefully reviewed the investment plan in his hand and told me not to be nervous and to just click casually.
Out of my instinct to protect myself, I pretended to shift my butt casually, looked around, and then sat up properly.
I heard him chuckle softly.
I lifted my eyelids to look.
He was tilting his head and smiling at me; his peach blossom eyes looked gentle and kind when he smiled.
The boy's appearance is not as angular as it will be when he is an adult, giving him a gentler look.
The atmosphere in the room was much warmer than before.
I returned a polite smile.
He put down the investment plan and asked me, "What's your name?"
"Li San."
"Who is Li Qu?"
He actually knew my name was Li Qu.
Perhaps my surprised expression pleased him, for his smile deepened.
He then asked me, "How old are you this year?"
"Seven years old."
"I remember being eight years old."
I then asked my question: "Why does Your Highness remember this?"
He took it for granted: "If someone is going to get close to me, of course I have to know everything about her."
I nodded to show that I understood.
really.
Given his status, he should be cautious.
He then asked, "You have a good relationship with your master?"
"Young master trusts me very much."
Do you trust your master?
"Yes, Young Master Nuxin."
"Aren't you afraid he'll sell you out?"
"He won't."
He responded with an "oh," his tone quite amusing.
He then asked, "May I call you Aqu?"
"If there is no one else around, Your Highness, please call me whatever you like."
"Why can't you shout in front of other people?"
"The lotus is a water lily, with a feminine appearance, which makes people think that I am a woman, making it inconvenient for me to act outside."
He nodded in understanding.
Suddenly, he picked up the project proposal: "Some things here aren't explained in detail."
Me: "If Your Highness is willing to invest, the young master will personally present you with a detailed plan."
"Shouldn't you have written something more detailed to impress me first?"
"If I go into any more detail, it's like feeding you the method. What if you swallow it and then refuse to return it?"
Xiao Cong laughed again: "Do I look like a scoundrel?"
"The word 'scoundrel' isn't written on a person's face."
"Judging from your tone, you've been deceived before?"
To close the sale, I told the truth: "When I was a child, I accidentally got a recipe for the filling of braised pork buns. I was planning to partner with someone, but I got scammed."
"Do you want me to teach him a lesson?"
I was flattered and looked at him seriously: "Does Your Highness mean that you agree to join Xianbaozhai?"
"If you can accurately state the ingredients used to make this tea snack, I will vote."
His gaze fell on the tea and snacks on the low table.
"real?"
He nodded with a smile.
I picked up a snack, took a bite, and savored it carefully.
One bite, two bites, three bites, and I felt like I had gained something.
Five bites, six bites, and I felt as if I had achieved mastery.
Seven bites, eight bites, and it was all gone.
I drank some tea to soothe my throat, then got up, knelt on the couch, placed my hands on the low table, and leaned towards him.
I lowered my voice: "It involves someone else's recipe, so I only told Your Highness in secret."
He leaned forward slightly.
My mouth moved silently.
After saying that, sit down.
"Your Highness, please don't blame me if you can't hear me clearly."
A soft laugh came from the doorway.
Wu Xubai stepped in: "Your Highness, are you satisfied?"
He seemed to be very familiar with Xiao Cong.
Xiao Cong picked up his teacup and lightly moistened his lips: "It's alright."
I thought they were talking about the contents of the business plan.
When I arrived at my hotel, I offered my seat to Wu Xubai, but Wu Xubai went to sit at the table on his own initiative.
There were maids in the room serving him tea and water.
I consciously stood next to Wu Xubai.
I noticed Xiao Cong's gaze following me.
I looked over, not understanding why.
He called to me, "Aqu, come here and sit down to listen."
Then came Wu Xubai's voice: "Go, and from now on, you must obey His Highness's orders."
So, does this mean Party A has agreed to the investment?
The reserved ancients didn't give me a definite answer.
I bowed to Xiao Cong to express my gratitude, and then climbed back onto the couch.
Business discussions over drinks require toasting, but today's business at the tea table requires me to sit with you.
Xiao Cong and Wu Xubai began to chat.
They weren't talking about anything related to Xianbaozhai, but rather about the autumn hunt.
I think Wu Xubai is very relaxed today.
I listened quietly to their conversation.
As they chatted, Xiao Cong reached out and brought me a cup of hot tea, then pushed the tea and snacks towards me.
The way he looked at me gave me a twisted feeling that he was... trying to please me?
*
Effort doesn't guarantee success, but without effort, there will definitely be no success.
We are just a pitiful little boy from Lijia Village, an illegitimate son whose family was oppressed. Through our own efforts, we bought the protection of those in power with money.
From then on, they had the means to avoid being bullied.
We also gained the means to retaliate against those who bullied us.
The eldest son of the Wu family, a former executioner, has been kidnapped by someone.
When it was thrown back, it was crippled, had lost an ear, and was beaten and covered in bruises.
Faced with Wu's father's questioning.
Wu Xubai replied, "Father, my elder brother has been crippled..."
What similar scenes!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Wu's father was furious, but he didn't dare to lay a finger on Wu Xubai.
Wu Xubai: "Tomorrow I will go and beg His Highness to send someone from the Imperial Physician's Office to treat my elder brother's injury."
Mr. Wu: "You are narrow-minded and vindictive..."
Wu Xubai interrupted him: "Yes, Father, I will hold a grudge. This is just the beginning."
"What do you want to do! What else do you want to do?!"
"I want my father to know the pain of having his hard work stolen."
"You unfilial son, I'd rather die than let you get your hands on the money shop's business!"
"Then you might as well die."
"you!!!"
Mr. Wu was so angry that he fainted.
A jade pendant, a title of "Your Highness," and some were broken, some collapsed, yet no one dared to say no.
So this is what power is.
This is what it means to turn one's hand to make clouds or rain.
Now, such powerful people have become our partners.
I could barely contain my excitement.
In the romantic moonlight of the night.
I walked backwards in front of him, looked up at him, and said with great longing:
“Young master, as long as we can continuously provide him with value, we can continue to receive his protection.”
With such a partner, even if the entire Li Family Village came, it wouldn't be enough to impress them!
"As long as we are honest and upright, we can achieve freedom within certain limits."
"I like this feeling of freedom."
They were free from the bloodshed of class and the oppression of clans.
Isn't this the life she's always dreamed of?
We must make sure to appease him from now on!
Wu Xubai smiled faintly: "Yes, it's just to appease him."
"I want to settle down in Yicheng!"
I made my decision.
*
I started to dedicate some of my energy to my family.
If I'm doing well, my family should too.
I define myself as a think tank member.
Wu Xubai is one of our own.
Xiao Cong is our partner.
With this role assigned to me, I actively and happily threw myself into my work.
With Xiao Cong's arrival, the shop's profit-sharing system has also changed.
After a new round of financing, my shares were diluted to only one-twentieth.
Although it's not as much as before, I'm still happy to have it.
Wu Xubai received the support of the Wu family and gained a two-tenths of the profits.
He offered to give me a one percent interest, but Xiao Cong refused.
Xiao Cong increased my shareholding to two percent, saying it was a gift for us when we met.
I have no right to refuse?
Wu Xubai smiled and told me to accept it.
So, to repay Xiao Cong's high regard, I adopted the same spirit I had shown when I was Wu Xubai's lackey, and respectfully and appropriately offered myself as Xiao Cong's lackey.
Wu Xubai laughed and said to me, "You're blinded by profit and forget about principles."
Under Xiao Cong's wing, I spent two carefree years.
He taught me to ride a horse, guided me in writing, took me to see the ten-mile sea of flowers, and held my hand as we stood on the arched bridge watching the Kongming lanterns drift in the night like a silver river.
When he gave me something, he would say the same thing as Wu Xubai: "You can keep it as part of your dowry."
It felt like a blessing from family.
I was still young and never imagined that these two perverts had already secretly planned out my path after I came of age.
They were simply indulging in relaxation and happiness.
*
Just like how high school seniors might choose to tear up their books and have a wild celebration to vent their emotions on the day they leave school.
After we escaped the quagmire of the Wu family, Wu Xubai chose to release his emotions by finding a man.
He became a homosexual who mingled with men.
I have raised questions about this.
He said I didn't understand 'romantic charm'.
I cannot agree with this trip, but I respect personal preferences.
His dating and seeing other men doesn't change his place in my heart.
But it shook his position in Xiao Cong's heart.
Xiao Cong always sent him out to expand business.
I reasonably suspect that Xiao Cong was afraid that Wu Xubai liked him.
Hahahaha.
*
I pray that happy times could last forever, but time urges me to step into my inescapable tenth year.
The eldest sister was seventeen that year.
I spend all my free time running around trying to find a husband for my eldest sister.
I try to refuse Xiao Cong's requests whenever possible.
Until that snowy day when I couldn't refuse, the fifteen-year-old boy asked me, "Why did you ask me to help you investigate Zhao Lianqing?"
I told him the reason truthfully.
He stared at me intently: "Does Aqu understand what matters of love between men and women are?"
It sounds absurd that a ten-year-old sister is worrying about her seventeen-year-old sister's marriage.
I explained, "Isn't it normal for me, Aqu, to be smart and precocious?"
Then... the boy gave him his first kiss.
And she told me, "Aqu, I'm waiting for you to grow up."
I didn't sleep a wink that night.
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