"We went out for a trip at the end of last year and just returned a few days ago. We heard some things from our families that concern the Pei and Yue families. So today, my wife and I have taken the liberty of inviting the two family heads and the two young masters here to have a detailed discussion about what our Li family's people did wrong to anger your two families."
"I suppose the two family heads are willing to open their hearts and tell us the truth?"
Zhou Quan spoke at a moderate pace, with a calm tone and a faint smile on his face. He truly had the other person's thoughts firmly in his grasp. With his words and expressions, the other person felt a bitter and complicated mix of emotions.
Here they come, here they come, time to settle the accounts!
What can they say? It's not that they were angered by others; it's that they couldn't compete with them and wanted to sabotage them from behind.
After Zhou Quan finished speaking, they all remained silent, and the entire private room was quiet.
Zhou Quan paused for a moment, then quietly asked Li Mai, "Wife, am I right about what I said?"
Li Mai chuckled, glanced at him, and said, "Well said, continue."
“Young masters, why don’t you two speak first? We seem to be around the same age. If you have anything on your mind, please speak up and we can discuss how to resolve it. Fortunately, we discovered it early, the shop didn’t catch fire, and we didn’t lose any property.”
"If your reasons are justifiable, or if the Li family has indeed made a mistake without realizing it, then we can correct it in time. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than to let it fester. I think the same principle applies to the business world, right?"
After Zhou Quan finished speaking, he looked at Pei Jing and Yue Xiu.
Cold sweat poured down their foreheads; they wouldn't dare say a word even if you beat them to death!
"Afraid to say it? Or should I say it for you, and you can choose?" Zhou Quan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"First, did my wife and I steal from both of your families?"
"Secondly, did my wife and I kill people from both of your families?"
"Thirdly, did my husband and I steal business from your two families?"
After asking the three questions, Zhou Quan looked at Pei Jing and Yue Xiu questioningly.
"No, no, you didn't steal anything from us, nor did you kill any of our people," Pei Jing replied hastily, terrified.
"If it's not one or two, then it must be three. Are you resentful because your business was taken away?"
Pei Jing and Yue Xiu silently lowered their heads.
When Zhou Quan asked them this question, it seemed that being robbed of their business wasn't so heinous compared to theft and murder, and the two of them felt even more guilty.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Zhou, Madam Zhou. The two children are young and don't know any better. If it weren't for that Old Master Yang coming to our door, we wouldn't have known about this. We also took away their management authority that day and made them go back to school to learn how to be decent people." The head of the Pei family quickly stood up and apologized.
The head of the Yue family quickly stood up and apologized as well.
Zhou Quan waved his hand at the two family heads, "Sit down, family heads, please sit down and talk. My wife and I invited you here today not to interrogate you. As my wife just said, we invited you to resolve the issues between us."
“Alright, Young Master Zhou, please speak. We will certainly follow your instructions,” the Yue family head quickly replied.
Zhou Quan sighed and shook his head after hearing this, "Master Yue, you are too kind. We dare not make any arrangements. We are in the same business and the same industry. To us, you are our seniors and we are our juniors. We dare not make any arrangements."
Li Mai glanced at Zhou Quan, surprised that the kid was quite eloquent. He hadn't had such eloquence when he was a teacher. Indeed, doing business can hone a person's speaking skills.
Upon hearing Zhou Quan's words, the Pei and Yue family heads knew that even if their sons studied for a lifetime, they would never possess such intelligence and eloquence.
"Well, to be honest, before your Red Pomegranate opened, our Caiyi Pavilion and Yueji Clothing Shop were doing quite well. We were the leading businesses in this town, and making a living was no problem. But since Red Pomegranate opened, our business has become increasingly difficult, and even making a living is becoming a problem."
The head of the Pei family sighed and began to play the victim.
But what he said was the truth.
Li Mai smiled slightly, knowing Zhou Quan wouldn't respond to this, and said calmly, "The Pei family owns three mansions, two courtyards, a coal yard, and eight shops in Qing Shi Town. They also own three shops and two courtyards in Xia Bei Town, five shops and one courtyard in Shang Bei Town, and in Yongzhou City..."
"Madam Zhou, I'm sorry!" The head of the Pei family was afraid that if she continued, all of their family's secrets would be exposed to these peers today, so he quickly interrupted Li Mai.
"As for the Yue family, they own two mansions and five courtyards in this town, including the one given to the son of a concubine, as well as six shops, three of which are rented out and three are used by themselves..."
"Madam Zhou!" The Yue family head's old face turned red, and he quickly interrupted Li Mai.
Li Mai blinked. "What's wrong? I just want you to know your own financial situation. Don't try to play the poor card with your rivals. It won't work. As your rivals, we naturally know your assets."
Yue Xiu looked at Li Mai in disbelief, "What, a child of a concubine?"
Li Mai raised an eyebrow. So, the young master of the Yue family didn't know?
Li Mai: "Did I say that?"
"You..." Yue Xiu was about to say something when the Yue family head stopped him, "Xiu'er, let's talk about it when we get back."
Yue Xiu fell silent and stared intently at his father. He hadn't misheard; Madam Zhou had indeed mentioned that his father had a mistress.
Li Mai raised an eyebrow and looked at the Pei family head, whose face immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Pei Jing suspiciously shifted his gaze from the Yue family head to his father.
Why does my dad also look so guilty? Could it be that he's been keeping a mistress behind my and my mother's back?
"Madam Zhou, Young Master Zhou, please tell us the main purpose of summoning us here today!" Patriarch Pei took a deep breath and asked.
Zhou Quan then said with a smile, "Wouldn't it have been better if you had just agreed earlier?"
The Yue family head was somewhat embarrassed and angry at this point, "You are the ones who are unhappy."
"Heh, do you mean I'm unhappy? I just think there's still hope for the young people in your two families, and I wanted to give them a wake-up call. After all, the future of the business world belongs to them."
Zhou Quan scoffed. He had seen them and found the two young men to be quite good. Their life souls were pale yellow, indicating that they had never actually harmed anyone. Perhaps their actions that day were just a moment of anger. Young people are prone to impulsiveness, and he himself had done many things in a moment of impulsiveness when he was young.
Pei Jing and Yue Xiu looked bewildered when they heard Zhou Quan praising them.
They had come prepared to be beaten, having heard that the couple were highly skilled in martial arts, but they never expected it to turn out like this.
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