Shi Xuan replied, "I'm in business."
"Start a business?" Su Qi's eyes suddenly lit up. He had some spare money and wanted to do something. He hadn't expected his brother-in-law to be a businessman. It was like a godsend.
Shi Xuan, "Collect scrap materials."
"Huh?" Su Qi was stunned again. What kind of business is collecting scrap?
Mu Run seemed to be deep in thought. "A scrap collector?"
Shi Xuan looked at her, "Scrap metal... well, you could say that. The things I've been exposed to the most since I was little are scrap metal, like discarded broken furniture, scrap iron, tattered clothes, and so on. Later I discovered that these things can also make money if they're repurposed. For example, scrap iron can be used to make farm tools, or refined into fine iron to sell to the foundry. Old clothes can be re-stained and worn if they're still wearable, and if not, they can be woven into blankets or ropes. But you can't get rich from these things, but they can give homeless beggars a job to make a living and prevent them from going hungry and cold."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Su's father asked, "Where did you get those five hundred taels a month?"
Shi Xuan picked up a bolt of silk. "Besides collecting waste materials, I also do raw silk business and mine."
"The mine belongs to the imperial court; how could you possibly obtain mining rights?"
"My mine doesn't belong to Rongchao," Shi Xuan replied. "It's a joint venture with the chieftain of a small tribe, and what we're mining isn't gold, silver, copper, or iron. It's stone, Ghost Immortal Cinnabar."
"What is that?" Mu Run had never heard of it.
Seeing that she didn't know, Su Qi explained, "It also has another name, cinnabar. It can be used in medicine, but it's mostly used as a dye."
Mu Run suddenly realized, "Oh."
"Now that you have your own business, why do you still want to work as a lowly steward in the Prince's mansion?" Su's father asked.
That's a good question; Mu Run is also a little curious.
Shi Xuan raised his hand and scratched his ear, then chuckled honestly, "It's good to have a powerful backer, and it's easier to get things done in business when you have connections."
Mu Run noticed a bit of flaky skin on the back of his ear, but it disappeared after he rubbed it a couple of times.
As expected, he was wearing a mask.
Next, Su's father's attitude improved significantly, and Su Qi also became much more enthusiastic, constantly mentioning Shi Xuan's business.
Shi Xuan answered the Su family's questions with utmost sincerity, responding to each one directly.
Seeing that Shi Xuan had almost passed the Su family's test, Mu Run went to the kitchen to prepare the meal with Gong Shi.
Gong, heavily pregnant, was kneading dough when she saw Mu Run coming over. She said, "Xiao Xiao, please help me turn off the fire in the oven hearth."
"Okay." Mu Run turned down the heat, then sniffed. "Is it roast chicken?"
"There are two more roast ducks, roasted according to Mother's secret method. You can try them later and see if they're good."
"Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."
"Don't be so polite with your sister-in-law. When you first arrived, my mother wasn't feeling well and I didn't get to cook you a proper meal. I felt really bad about it. Now that my mother is feeling better and my brother-in-law has come, it's a perfect time for a family reunion dinner."
"Sister-in-law, please don't take it to heart. These are nothing. The most important thing is that Mother is well."
"Hmm." Madam Gong looked at her and whispered, "He looks kind and honest to me."
"His looks were so-so. He was a really nice person. On our wedding day, I didn't have any clothes, so he bought me several sets. Each set looked expensive, at least ten taels of silver. He also gave me plenty of jewelry, banknotes, and other things to spend."
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