Chapter 31 Back Pain
Speaking of the second aunt, Xie Yuduo warned Chen Qi.
"It's good that you know about this, but don't tell anyone yet. We live together as a family, and if we piss off the people in the West Courtyard, it will be a big trouble for our family."
Chen Qi nodded, and this was also her plan.
"Second Aunt isn't the housekeeper's servant. She can't be chased away or beaten away. We'll have to see each other for decades to come. It's better to save trouble than to worry about it. As long as I know what's going on, I won't suffer any loss. Let's hold off for now and see what happens later."
Xie Yuduo hummed, "Are you going to keep this extra household money?"
Chen Qi smiled and nodded, and Xie Yuduo was a little surprised.
"You don't want the banknote I gave you, but you're interested in this little money?"
"It's precisely because you don't need it that I feel at ease keeping it. After all, it belongs to our family. If the family needs money in the future, just tell Grandmother and give it to her. Besides, I haven't made any plans for your money yet. If you put it in my hands too soon, I'm afraid it will cause trouble. I'll make my own plans when I think it over."
Xie Yuduo nodded repeatedly.
"For this small amount of money, I'll keep two accounts. I'll keep the public account book in the same way as Second Aunt's, and I'll keep a real account book for myself for easy verification later."
"good."
The two men had made their decision, and Xie Yuduo finished his meal and rinsed his mouth with tea.
Chen Qi picked up another tangerine and peeled off the golden peel with her slender fingernails.
"This is a fresh tangerine, try it."
"Second Aunt has been buying pears for most of the month, and today we finally have something new to eat. Everyone must be very happy."
Chen Qi stuffed a petal into his mouth.
"Mmm... so sweet... you eat it too."
Now that his hands were free, they became a little restless. Chen Qi felt itchy from being rubbed by him, and she struggled slightly. Suddenly, she pressed on something hard, which hurt her waist.
"What is this thing? It's so hard, it hurts so much."
She said it casually, then her face turned red. She tried to stand up, but he grabbed her hand again.
"Touch it and try it."
Very malicious.
Chen Qi blushed and her heart was beating fast, but she couldn't break free, so he pulled her hand towards her waist and touched her.
There was indeed something around his waist.
And big.
And hard.
…
It's the key.
A bunch of keys.
Xie Yuduo looked at Chen Qi's nervous expression and couldn't help but laughed softly.
As soon as Chen Qi touched the key, he knew that he had misunderstood. He spat, but was afraid that someone would see him, so he struggled to get out. But he was pulled back again. He repeatedly promised that he would speak politely this time.
After eating the tangerines in the study, he coaxed her into giving him a kiss. He waited until Aunt Zhou came to get the plate before Xie Yuduo let her go back.
In the evening, Xie Yuming really had a good drink with Master Liu and came home drunk. Fortunately, he was still conscious and excited, and he banged on the door of his shop on Silver Lion Street.
Xiaowu was sleeping in the shop. When he heard someone banging on the door, he asked who was doing it.
"It's me! The second one is back?"
Xiao Wu hurriedly got up and went to open the door. "Second Master said he wanted to check the accounts, so he must still be in the study."
After hearing this, Xie Yuming waved his hand, told Xiaowu to go to sleep, and went to the study to find him.
"Second brother, if it's just as you expected, Master Liu said the county won't release the news for three days. Since our shop asked first, we'll definitely be able to keep a large portion. If by chance, we can take it all, that's fine."
Xie Yuduo was in his study, reviewing the account books for the first half of the year. Upon hearing this, he nodded and reminded him, "No matter how much, pay with cash. Write the documents in full to avoid trouble later."
The two discussed it.
The quantity of this batch of goods is not small, and there are several rare medicinal herbs. Originally, because Xie Yuduo no longer went out this year, it was difficult to buy them nearby. This batch of goods solved the urgent need.
After some discussion, the two of them finally reached an agreement. The eldest brother became drunk and lay on the couch, crossing his legs, looking very proud of himself.
"I know our shop well. In the hands of my uncle, it's just an empty shell. It's a miracle that we've been able to hold on until now. You're also a smart person. If it weren't for you, how could we have easily earned such a large sum of money?"
Xie Yuduo stood up and poured a cup of tea for his drunk brother.
"If it weren't for my eldest brother going out to mediate, this money wouldn't have come into our family's door."
Xie Yuming took the tea, took a sip, and felt a little emotional.
"You and I, brothers, haven't dishonored our ancestors. Look at how many prodigal sons in this county have indulged in extramarital affairs and even lost their ancestral heritage. As the saying goes, a shipload of gold and silver can't fill a brothel. I don't have any other skills, so I don't make much money, but at least I haven't lost anything either."
After hearing what his elder brother said, Xie Yuduo remembered something else and spoke in a serious tone.
"Speaking of the family business, I have another idea. Big Brother, send two more capable men to the two herbal medicine shops that received the stolen goods. They have small shops and little capital. They've been closed for several months, and I'm afraid they'll have a hard time. If they want to sell, we can buy them all. If the market is good, we can more than triple the value, which will be another profit."
He pondered for a moment and then gave his elder brother another reminder.
"Have someone keep a close eye on them. They might even sell their shops. If that's the case, we can take over everything and send two people over to settle the accounts, change the sign, and run the shops from there. We won't even have to haul goods back and forth, and it'll be a great opportunity to expand our family business."
After hearing this, Xie Yuming was surprised and happy. He even put down his crossed legs and leaned sideways on the couch to look at his second brother who was standing tall and graceful under the light.
"Second Brother, you're worthy of being me! You've profited on both sides of this one thing. Now, your profits will surely double. If you expand the shop, even your ancestors will be proud! How did you come up with this clever idea?"
Xie Yuduo smiled slightly. "It's just a coincidence. I heard someone mention it before and I remembered it. It may not be useful. It depends on what Big Brother is planning."
"How could I possibly have such grand plans? I understand. If you don't tell me, you're afraid it would embarrass me as your brother. A man is trained in the world, and a knife is sharpened on stone. You've been out there for so many years, so you've naturally seen a lot and know a lot more. You're better than me, a frog in a well, kept in this old house. If I had been able to get out back then... well..."
The eldest brother lay back down and sighed deeply.
"Let's not talk about the past... Fortunately, you're married now and can stay to manage the shop. You and your sister-in-law will have a son or daughter sooner rather than later, so that we can give an explanation to our ancestors."
He has been married for more than five years and has no children yet.
When Xie Yuduo heard his elder brother suddenly bring up this matter, he pursed his lips and hesitated to speak.
But the eldest brother lay on the couch with his eyes closed, talking to himself.
"Speaking of which, we both grew up behind the counter in the shop. Back when Grandpa was around, he always praised you for being smarter and better than me. I, on the other hand, was always unwilling to accept it, but after running the business for a few years, I thought I was pretty good...
I never thought you could earn hundreds of taels of silver with just this one move, which is almost half a year's profit for our shop... You take one step at a time and think three steps ahead... Grandfather was right, you really are better than me..."
The sound became quieter and quieter, and then snoring began.
After Xie Yuduo finished reading the account book, he saw that his elder brother was indeed fast asleep. He sighed softly, covered him with a quilt, and walked to the backyard. He told the maid in the west yard that his elder brother was resting in the front, and then returned to the east yard.
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