Chapter 18, the three-person camp... I'm really sorry, please forgive my imitation...
Fu Yun nodded without saying anything and continued writing the project proposal in her hands.
If I hadn't had a great interest in calligraphy before and practiced whenever I had free time, I don't know how much effort it would have taken to write such a large piece of calligraphy.
Less than two minutes later, footsteps and voices came from outside the corridor: "Miss Su, Young Master Su is resting inside."
Before he even entered the room, Lu Zhisheng's voice came from outside: "Young Master Su, Miss Su has arrived."
Fu Yun paused, then quickly put away the paper he had partially written on.
Simplified Chinese characters might fool Lu Zhisheng, but it's unlikely to fool the people from the Su residence. Su Mang and Su Zi know their young master inside and out, and they certainly have some knowledge of his education. The so-called foreign language is completely untenable, so it's best not to arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Fu Yun picked up the teacup on the table, pretending to be drinking tea.
Lu Zhisheng and Su Mang stepped into the room one after the other. Seeing the neatly arranged writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the table, Lu Zhisheng was slightly surprised: "Young Master Su, you've already finished writing?"
Fu Yun: "..." Brother, you really don't have to be so blunt.
Lu Zhisheng didn't care whether he received a response or not, and gestured for Su Mang to sit down: "Miss Su, please take a seat."
Su Mang gently shook her head, declining Lu Zhisheng's offer. She walked to Fu Jun's side and stood there, looking at the brush and ink on the table. She asked with some surprise, "Young master, you have never liked writing. Why did you decide to practice calligraphy today?"
Fu Yun replied nonchalantly, "I'm just killing time anyway, so I'll just practice casually. It's nothing to be proud of."
Lu Zhisheng shook his head, clearly disagreeing. He felt that Young Master Su was being too modest. His handwriting was obviously very beautiful. Although the style was simple, the strokes were smooth and powerful.
"Young Master Su, you are too modest. I think..."
Fu Jun's heart skipped a beat, fearing that Lu Zhisheng was ignorant and fearless. Before he could finish speaking, she quickly interrupted, "Let's not talk about this for now."
He naturally understood Lu Zhisheng's true intentions, but it was best to avoid causing trouble at this time. It would be troublesome if Su Mang asked him to take out the words for a look.
Thinking of this, he didn't give Su Mang time to react and simply changed the subject: "How's the information gathering going?"
Su Mang's attention was successfully diverted, and she could no longer care about her previous doubts. Her expression immediately became serious: "Young master, the situation is very bad. I heard from Su Zi that the patriarch has found the arsonist, but no one knows who she is."
Fu Yun put down her teacup and said slowly, "I guess the arsonist's identity is quite special! If it gets exposed, it will probably implicate the entire Su family."
Su Mang paused, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Young master, I haven't said anything yet, how do you know the inside story?"
Fu Yun smiled slightly and said confidently, "It's not difficult to analyze the key to the problem in this situation. If my guess is correct, although this matter was not done by the head of the Su family, it is probably closely related to her."
Su Mang was shocked and said incredulously, "Young master, you are truly amazing! The events are indeed very close to what you described. Su Zi told me that after the arsonist was tied up by Su Xi and Su Man, he was taken directly to the head of the family's room. But for some reason, he was released unharmed in less than half an hour. It seems that he was only interrogated and did not receive any punishment. If Su Zi and Su Xi hadn't had some connections and found out some inside information, I guess no one would ever know who was responsible for this fire."
Fu Yun nodded, casually fiddling with the cup lid. After a moment of thought, as if remembering something, she looked at Su Mang and asked, "You said before that the head of the family sent the eldest daughter of the Su family to the countryside to recuperate. What about the second young master of the Su family?"
Su Mang's expression changed instantly when Fu Yun asked her this question. She asked incredulously, "Young master, are you doubting me?"
Fu Yun neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply stood up nonchalantly, turned his back to Su Mang, and looked at the corridor and courtyard outside the door: "Whether the arsonist is one of these two people or not, I don't really care. I just want to tell you to pay close attention to the Su family's movements in the future and be more wary of them, so that you don't fall into their hands and live in the shadow of the Su family head for the rest of your life."
Su Mang naturally dared not neglect Fu Yun's instructions: "Young master, please rest assured, I will keep a close eye on the movements of the Su residence and will absolutely not give them another chance to harm you."
Fu Yun shook her head, turned around, and looked sharply at Su Mang: "I didn't mean for you to protect me. I just want to make it clear to you that from now on you are no longer a servant of the Su family, nor my slave. You are free. You can go wherever you want or do whatever you want. I will not stop you, nor will I blame you."
Su Mang paused, then a look of surprise flashed across her face, followed by a dimming gaze: "Young master, do you not want me anymore?"
Fu Yun was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding why Su Mang reacted this way. Wasn't regaining her freedom what she wanted?
Su Mang's expression betrayed her sorrow: "Young master, is it because I asked you to save Su Zi before, which caused you trouble, that you want to send me away?"
"What are you thinking?" Fu Yun was both amused and exasperated, completely unprepared for Su Mang's reaction. At this point, he had no choice but to explain, "I'm not trying to kick you out. I just think you should have things you want to do, and I can't let you be restricted by me. Besides, I'm currently penniless and can't afford any payment. If you follow me, it means you will have no income."
Su Mang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and quickly said, "Young master, when you were injured and went to save Su Zi, I had already made a decision. Wherever you are, I will be there. You have been kind to my sisters, and we have no way to repay you. All I can do is protect you."
Just as Fu Yun was about to politely decline, Su Mang quickly added, "Of course you don't need to feel pressured. I don't need any reward, I just want you to be safe and sound, young man."
Worried that this wasn't sincere enough, she solemnly declared again: "Young man, don't try to persuade me with words anymore. No matter what you say, I will not let you face those who are trying so hard to persecute you alone."
Fu Jun sighed and said bluntly, "Actually, you don't need to take it so seriously. For me, it's just a small favor. There's no need to waste your time on me. I'm a businessman, and I won't do a losing business. I'll leave my words here today: if you trust me, then start a business with me, and we can achieve great things together."
"Start a business?" Su Mang looked blank. "What kind of business? And what is a career?"
“What Young Master Su is talking about is business.” Lu Zhisheng explained, glancing at Fu Yun as he spoke. After receiving Fu Yun’s nod of agreement, he recounted in detail what Young Master Su had said to his mother earlier.
Su Mang was deeply shocked after hearing this, even more so than Lu's mother. However, out of consideration for the young master's feelings, she did not show it directly.
Even though she knows it's all a pipe dream, she'll do anything to help her young master fulfill his grand ambition, no matter the cost.
“Young master, since you have decided to take this path, I will unconditionally obey your decision. Please feel free to give me any instructions you may have.”
Fu Yun waved his hand and slowly walked back to the table: "There is no question of obedience. From now on, we will be partners. We will make money together. However, any major decisions will be made only after we have discussed them and there are no objections."
He pointed to the wooden chairs on both sides, indicating that Su Mang and Lu Zhisheng should sit down and talk in detail.
"My initial plan is to launch products targeting teenagers. They are generally more receptive to beverages like milk tea, cola, and soda..."
Su Mang and Lu Zhisheng looked completely bewildered, as if they were listening to gibberish, but they were too embarrassed to interrupt.
Fu Yun carefully relayed the information provided by Xiao Ba: "Original flavor milk tea has the highest acceptance rate; it's sweet but not cloying, and the steps are very simple, requiring only a few steps. The first step is to prepare the ingredients, such as 8g of tea leaves (black tea), 80ml of water, and 220ml of milk. The second step is the method: control the ratio of tea leaves to water, 1:10 is fine. Boil the water, turn off the heat after it boils, then pour in the tea leaves and steep for about three minutes. Next, pour in the milk, and turn off the heat when small bubbles appear around the edges. Finally, add honey or sugar and stir. You can add more tea leaves according to your personal taste..."
Time passed quickly as Fu Jun explained the ingredients and preparation process. He also detailed the first phase of the business plan to Su Mang and Lu Zhisheng, including arrangements for on-site inspections and methods for developing and implementing a personalized beverage shop.
Fu Yun stopped after speaking, waiting for Lu Zhisheng and Su Mang's response.
To everyone's surprise, the two of them just stared at him blankly, as if lost in their own thoughts, and didn't react for a long time.
Fu Yun waved his hand in front of the two of them: "Hey! What are you thinking about? Snap out of it."
Lu Zhisheng and Su Mang both froze simultaneously, then came to their senses, their expressions turning somewhat strange.
"What's wrong?" Fu Jun asked, puzzled. "Why that expression?"
Lu Zhisheng touched his nose, a hint of embarrassment on his face: "Young Master Su, I am truly sorry, but I am too ignorant to understand what you meant."
Fu Yun's gaze fell on Su Mang, who lowered her head and said in a low voice, "I didn't understand what you meant by milliliters and grams that you kept mentioning. Also, what do you mean by medium, large, and small cups, as well as a bottle, a can, or a can?"
Fu Yun rubbed his forehead, only then realizing that the units of measurement and quantitative terms used in various milk tea and beverage recipes were completely unfamiliar to people in ancient times.
He rubbed his temples and had to change his approach: "How about this, I'll teach you the specific details about units of measurement on-site when we implement it. You can take notes and I believe you'll understand the rules in less than a month."
Lu Zhisheng felt very apologetic: "Young Master Su, I'm sorry, I was too stupid and caused you trouble."
“No one can master something completely new overnight. These are minor matters, don’t worry about them.” Fu Jun stood up and pulled off the only jade pendant on his waist. “That’s all for today. Take this jade pendant to the pawnshop and exchange it for some silver. I’ll need your help to prepare the drink recipes I just mentioned. It’s okay if you don’t remember them; I’ll just dictate them to you later, and you can write them down. We’ll make a small batch first, then set up a stall in the market for a trial run. Once we’ve recouped some of the funds, we’ll mass-produce them and open a physical drink shop.”
Lu Zhisheng's eyes were bright, and he nodded solemnly: "No problem, leave it to me! I will prepare it according to your requirements."
"Then we'll head back first. As for your father's matter, do as I say for now. I'll discuss with Su Mang how to arrange the manpower when I get back."
Lu Zhisheng looked grateful: "Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Su, to see you off."
"No need to thank me, we're already friends and business partners."
“Young master, your jade pendant…” Su Mang hesitated, then continued, “wasn’t it a gift from the patriarch…”
Fu Yun walked slowly out of the room, not taking it to heart: "It's okay, we can redeem it later."
Su Mang followed behind Fu Yun: "Young master, Su Zi and I also have some money. I'll go talk to her tomorrow and ask her to give it to us to tide us over!"
"Although my family doesn't have much money, we can still do our part," Lu Zhisheng said, joining the conversation as she walked behind.
Fu Jun smiled slightly, feeling somewhat gratified: "No need. A small batch of the formula won't cost much silver. The silver I got from exchanging my jade pendant will be enough."
A note from the author:
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