"Didn't the thief insist that I sent him? How did you know he was lying?" Tang Youde asked curiously.

Zhao Hao sneered twice, and then said to Tang Youde: "The reason is very simple. I sold you candy that day, and you sent someone to steal it the next day. And it was a shop assistant I had seen before. How much do you want to put the blame on yourself? I heard that you have a branch in Jinling. No matter how stupid you are, you should have sent a stranger to steal, right? If you can't even think of this, how can you earn your fortune?"

"Young Master is worthy of being the grandson of Mr. Zhao. With such vision and means, he will surely become a great man in the future!" Tang Youde nodded in admiration and said, "You are absolutely right. No matter how stupid I am, I will never do such a thing."

After that, he boasted again, "Besides, my shop is a century-old shop, and reputation is our foundation. How could I destroy my reputation for such a small amount of money?"

Although his words were shameless, they were true. As the saying goes, good news never travels far, but bad news travels far and wide. If Zhao Hao did something bad, caused a scene in his store, and then filed a complaint with the government, the reputation of Tangji Southern Goods Store would be infamous in Jinling City. Others didn't care whether this was true or not, and just to be on the safe side, they would not deal with him.

That's why he came early in the morning with a large sum of money to apologize. First, to thank Zhao Hao for not reporting to the police immediately, and second, to use money to shut Zhao Hao's mouth and completely eliminate future troubles.

Besides, he still hoped to continue getting white sugar from Zhao Hao, so why would he do something like killing the goose that lays the eggs?

Although the chicken has already stated that it has no eggs for the time being...

But Tang Youde was still itching to ask, while eating breakfast together:

"Sir, have you asked the old man? When will the candy arrive?"

Zhao Hao took a sip of the slightly bland duck blood vermicelli soup and frowned slightly. He thought that the taste of this breakfast was really ordinary, no wonder the business was not very good.

But he had forgotten how he drooled over other people's buns.

"Young Master, Young Master." Seeing that he was distracted, Tang Youde had no choice but to call him repeatedly.

"Ah? What did you say?" Zhao Hao came back to his senses and looked at Tang Youde.

"I'm asking, sir, do you have any more candy?"

"Oh, that's all." Zhao Hao answered simply.

Last time, he deliberately left a loophole in order to sell sugar next time. But what happened last night reminded him that the sugar business was too eye-catching. Given the current situation of his father and son, it would be better to avoid it. Moreover, he now had capital, and there were many ways to make money. There was no need to take risks, so he naturally had to give up Boss Tang's idea.

~~

"Really? That's a pity..." Tang Youde couldn't hide his disappointment. He felt that the steamed bun in his mouth tasted like chewing wax. If Zhao Hao hadn't treated him, he would have spit it out on the ground.

He reluctantly ate the millet porridge and swallowed the bun in his mouth, then smiled bitterly and said, "These buns can only fill my stomach. I'll invite you to Yongxiang Garden some other day to taste what real soup dumplings taste like."

"You talk as if I've never eaten anything delicious." Zhao Hao sneered when he heard that.

"Oh, sir, please don't be picky. That's not what I meant..." Tang Youde suddenly remembered that Zhao Hao was a young man in trouble and couldn't stand this kind of provocation. He hurriedly smiled and said, "I mean, with your vision and means, you will definitely turn things around soon. When the time comes, move out of Caijia Lane and we can be neighbors, how about that?"

"Whether we can be neighbors or not is another matter, but I am definitely going to turn things around." Zhao Hao deliberately showed a self-important look.

As expected, Tang Youde's curiosity was aroused. He looked at Zhao Hao and asked eagerly, "Sir, what is your way of making money? Tell me so that I can also participate?"

"Hehe..." This was exactly what Zhao Hao was waiting for. However, he did not respond and continued to drink his vermicelli soup slowly.

"Young Master is trying to take advantage of me again." Tang Youde said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Let's just give it to him. As long as you really have a good way, I will pay for it all."

"That's not how you do business." Zhao Hao gently scooped the vermicelli from the bowl, shook his head and smiled, "This is a business that doesn't require me to invest. You trust me, but I don't trust you."

"Young Master..." Tang Youde was stunned when he heard this. He really didn't expect that this boy of fourteen or fifteen years old could have such a sophisticated view. After a while, he clapped his hands in admiration and said, "Young Master is indeed from a family with a deep learning background. Your ancestor's demeanor is really fascinating..."

Does this have anything to do with the old man? This is all because of the loss I suffered in my previous life!

"Actually, it's okay to tell you." Zhao Hao put down the spoon in his hand, picked up the handkerchief to wipe his mouth and said, "I plan to buy raw silk."

"What, what?" Tang Youde was full of anticipation, but after hearing that, he collapsed on the bench like a deflated ball. "Collecting raw silk?"

"That's right." Zhao Hao nodded calmly.

"Alas, young master, I advise you to change your business as soon as possible." Tang Youde waved his hand in disappointment and kindly advised Zhao Hao: "Young master, you don't know that the world has changed. Back then, when the Wufeng ship owner was roaming the world, raw silk was still a popular business. But the Qi family army has already defeated the Japanese pirates, and the court has built a large navy and strictly enforced the sea ban. Now, from south to north, my Ming Dynasty is in a situation where no one goes to sea. Raw silk and silk have no overseas sales... Especially without the sales in Japan, the price has fallen to the floor."

"Only when it hits the floor can you buy low and sell high." Zhao Hao looked at Gao Wu, who was full of pride, and couldn't help but laugh and cry. Fang said to Tang Youde: "Forget it if you don't get involved, I'll buy it myself."

Tang Youde looked at Zhao Hao scrutinizingly and asked, "Sir, are you serious?"

Zhao Hao said with a serious face: "When it comes to money, I never joke."

"Is it possible that your ancestor knew some news in advance?" Tang Youde asked tentatively.

"Whatever you think, I only talk business with my business partners." Zhao Hao stood up and prepared to leave.

But Tang Youde grabbed him and said, "As long as you can provide the capital, I might as well invest with you."

"Of course." Zhao Hao nodded and said calmly, "I've said before that I won't do business that doesn't cost money."

Tang Youde did some calculations and realized that he had just given Zhao Hao 500 taels. The Zhao family should still have some savings, so he stretched out two fingers and said slowly:

"Each of you should give at least two thousand taels of silver, otherwise the profit will be too little to make ends meet."

"Sure." Zhao Hao nodded without hesitation, as if he really had two thousand taels of silver. "Come back in three days."

"Okay, I'll come again."

Tang Youde nodded. In fact, he still didn't believe that buying raw silk could make money. But firstly, Zhao Hao's behavior impressed him. Secondly, if there was really inside information from the top, wouldn't it be a pity to miss it?

So Tang Youde deliberately asked Zhao Hao to pay two thousand taels of silver, just to see if Zhao Hao wanted to get something for nothing. If Zhao Hao could really pay these two thousand taels, it would at least show that he was very confident, so why not play a game with him?

ps. The second update is here, please vote for recommendation and comment on the chapter~~~~

ps2. Uh, it seems there is one more leader, so there is one more update today (#^.^#)