With the imperial examinations approaching, Liu Yunfei didn't slack off for more than a few days. His father came in a carriage to personally "catch" him back to the mansion to prepare for the examinations.
Last year, during Zhang's trial, villagers from Wujia Village were present. Many recognized the upright and just official, and they all knelt down in respect.
Jiang Yue was inspecting the pharmaceutical factory at that time, instructing Da Niu on how to manage factory affairs, how to check the rosters, and how to create attendance records.
Perhaps because he had urgent business to attend to, Magistrate Liu did not stay long, but he prepared a small gift and sent it to her home.
With the departure of the mischievous young master Liu, the children of Wujia Village have lost their joy.
However, Qingyun and Changjun looked relaxed and began to seriously review their lessons.
Da Shi got married. The bride was as beautiful as a flower, and the newlyweds were very much in love, which made the elders smile from ear to ear.
As an elder, Jiang Yue gave her niece-in-law a lucky cloud hairpin, hoping that she would have many children and be filial to her elders.
Good things kept happening, and the heavy snow soon reacted, losing its appetite and becoming drowsy.
Qingyun and Changjun had to go to take the exam again, and Jiang Yue was too busy to be in two places at once.
Just as she was hesitating whether to stay home to take care of Daxue or accompany her sons to the exam, Magistrate Liu sent someone to explain that it was Young Master Liu who had pleaded with the magistrate to send them to fetch the two young masters, Qingyun and Changjun, to participate in the preliminary imperial examination together...
Just when I was feeling sleepy, someone delivered a pillow to my head. All that pampering of that kid wasn't for nothing!
"Mother, I will definitely pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. Please stay home and take good care of my elder sister-in-law. Wait for my good news!"
Qingyun packed his bags, and before leaving, he bowed and knelt down to bid farewell to his mother.
"Quite confident, huh?"
Jiang Yue thought to herself, subconsciously helping the third child up, and encouraging him aloud:
"Whether you pass the exam or not is not important; what's important is that you come home safely."
As a mother, isn't your only wish the safety of your children?
"Your child bids farewell to Mother."
"Take care, Mother~"
Qingyun clutched the corner of the bundle, his initial melancholy turning into helplessness.
He realized that his mother truly didn't care whether he had achieved official rank or not.
But he cares!
He wanted fame and fortune, he wanted to rise rapidly in his career!
He wants to be the pillar of support for the whole family!
"Auntie, I will take good care of Qingyun."
Changjun bid farewell to his family and arrived at Aunt Jiang's door. Upon seeing this, he bowed and made a promise.
"Changjun, take good care of yourself. Qingyun is not a child anymore; he can take care of himself."
Jiang Yue waved her hand, saying that such practices were not popular.
A man should be independent; why should he rely on others to take care of him?
As Da Xue leaned against the door, she heard her mother-in-law's words and her previously saddened emotions suddenly broke down.
"Second brother, take care~"
"Big sister, please take care of yourself too."
Changjun scratched his head, turned around, and got into the carriage...
"Da da da~"
The carriage drove further and further away until it disappeared from sight.
The village chief stood at the village entrance. Yao gazed at him for a long time before turning around to check on the progress of the school's construction...
Ever since Qingshan had his talks with the ever-increasing number of guests, Master Su, he has become somewhat mysterious and unpredictable.
However, this feeling vanished once I got home.
Qingsong watched his elder brother coaxing his sister-in-law and had a feeling that his brother might have received guidance from a master behind his back.
While eating, Qingsong asked his older brother what he had been thinking about lately.
"I'm just eating your food, what can I do? It's all for the good of the family."
Qingshan was serving food to his wife when he heard his second brother ask that question, and he rolled his eyes at him.
It wasn't easy for him!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yue glanced at her two sons' expressions, then at the somewhat uneasy Da Xue, before putting down her chopsticks and asking:
"Huh? Aoyama, what are you doing?"
"Mom, I didn't do anything bad. I'm thinking of opening a hot pot base processing plant. I'm planning to hire a few people, the kind with life-or-death contracts, to specialize in making hot pot base."
Qingshan confessed honestly, saying that if he didn't, his mother and wife would think he had done something wrong!
"Big brother, you~"
Although Qingsong is quick-witted, he hasn't thought about buying people yet.
He was shocked upon hearing his older brother's words.
Jiang Yue wasn't much better off; unexpectedly, it was Qingshan who was the first in the family to bring up the idea of buying someone!
Buy people!
Da Xue covered her mouth to stifle her gasp and stared at her husband in disbelief.
Deep down, she considered her family to be farmers, a small household that made their fortune through a small business.
Buying people is something only wealthy families do!
Qingyao sensed the awkward atmosphere, silently put down her chopsticks, and stared wide-eyed at her mother, then at her older brother...
Why are you all looking at me like that?
Qingshan was both amused and exasperated. "Perfect," he thought, "let's talk it out."
"Mother, I recently met with Mr. Su, the master of Ke Siyun's business."
"After talking with Master Su, my mind suddenly cleared up!"
"A business can't grow big if you do everything yourself. As the owner, you should cultivate trusted confidants and step back to expand the business and find stronger partners..."
"My eldest cousin and younger cousin are family, trustworthy."
"Little Tiger and Little Horse are practically brothers, and their character is beyond question."
"But they're already struggling just to keep the small shops in town busy; they're far from having enough manpower."
"Qingsong and I have plenty of money; we could easily open a few more stores."
"However, not everyone is as trustworthy as my cousins, Xiao Hu and Xiao Ma. Therefore, after meeting with Master Su a few times, my son came to agree with his beliefs..."
He buys people, contracts them out of absolute control, and only then does he feel comfortable handing over certain aspects of the process to others!
When Qingshan said these words, his heroic and spirited demeanor was hard to ignore.
When Jiang Yue saw her son looking like this, she realized that she had been misjudging him all along!
Qingshan has a clear business mind and remains calm in the face of adversity; he is the most talented businessman among his brothers!
"Brother, you really are my brother! Come, let me toast you!"
Qingsong was taken aback. After closing his jaw, he offered soup instead of wine, intending to toast his elder brother.
"Go away, go away, drink so much soup, or you'll be drawing maps at night."
Qingshan feigned arrogance, saying that his wife was pregnant and he didn't want to wake her up at night to go to the bathroom!
"Sister-in-law, please do something about my brother!"
Qingsong looked miserable. What kind of elder brother would bring up someone's shortcomings at the dinner table!
Come to think of it, he just couldn't hold it in a few times when he slept with his older brother before!
"Pfft~"
Da Xue laughed so hard she bent over. How could she possibly listen to her second brother's lewd talk?
The matter of buying people was put aside for the time being, and everyone was digesting this idea.
Once these thoughts subsided, it was time for Qingshan to proceed with the acquisition of personnel...
After the meal, Qingsong helped wash the pots and pans, thinking to himself that if his older brother bought servants, he would also buy a few maids for the family—one to serve their mother, one to serve their younger sister, and one to cook, clean, and do the dishes…
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