Economic chain
"Butler Liu, is Master Liu upstairs today?" Liu Yiwan was so startled by Bu Gu's address of "Butler Liu" that he almost choked on his water. He coughed twice before finally stopping, panting as he looked at Bu Gu. "Old Bu, we've been working together for three or four months now. You don't need to be so formal. I'm just the young master's tea-serving servant. I don't deserve to be called 'butler.' Besides, you're much older than me, you're old enough to be my uncle... It really makes me uncomfortable to be called that." Bu Gu pondered Liu Yiwan's words. There was nothing wrong with them. After considering for a while, he tentatively called out, "Little Liu?"
“Ah! That’s right! Young Master is in his room today. He said Xiling sent a letter home, so he didn’t go out.” Liu Yiwan pointed to the room upstairs behind him. “You can go up directly! Young Master doesn’t have any secrets to hide from you. You don’t need to report that he’s reading a letter home.”
Bugu glanced at the tightly closed door to Tang Feng's room upstairs, then at Liu Yiwan, who was casually munching on sunflower seeds, and looked somewhat at a loss. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Perhaps... you... you should go up and take a look! I..."
Seeing that Bu Gu was dragging his feet, Liu Yiwan frowned. "You're afraid of such a small thing? Young Master has a good temper, what are you afraid of? Do you think he'll kick you out?" Bu Gu was confused by Liu Yiwan's scolding and muttered, "He just said I'm your uncle, and he's not even willing to help report this." Although Liu Yiwan was grumbling, he still went upstairs for Bu Gu, knocked twice on Tang Feng's door, and went in. Downstairs, Bu Gu crouched down and listened for a long time without any response before he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to follow him upstairs. But before he could take a step, he saw Liu Yiwan escape from inside, followed by the blankets and pillows he had dug out.
"Liu Yiwan! How many times have I told you! If you see me sleeping, don't disturb me! Can't you just quietly turn around and leave?!"
Bu Gu looked up, about to ask what was wrong, when Tang Feng stormed out in his undergarments, belt in hand. He was about to scold Liu Yiwan when he saw Bu Gu standing downstairs. His expression immediately changed, and he said with a smile, "Old Bu! So early today? Is there something at the shop that you need me to go over to?"
Bugu quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, sir... I'm not in a hurry, please get dressed first... we can talk after you're dressed." Tang Feng looked at his undergarments, nodded apologetically, and then glanced at Liu Yiwan on the ground, pursing his lips, "Go away, go away, stay out of the way! I get annoyed just looking at you." After Tang Feng went inside, Liu Yiwan finally came downstairs, clutching his sore thigh. Bugu, sitting downstairs, waited until there was no movement upstairs before daring to ask quietly, "Didn't you say the master was reading family letters in his room? Why is he like this..." Liu Yiwan felt incredibly unlucky at this moment, but she couldn't vent her anger. She glanced at Bugu, gritting her teeth, but dared not speak too loudly, so she said in a low voice, "Who knew he would go to sleep again! Before going upstairs, he clearly told me to read the family letters sent by Yan Yun... Let me tell you, my young master... is very difficult to serve."
"But Xiao Liu! You just... just said that Master is a good-tempered man." Before Liu Yiwan could react, Tang Feng came out, glanced at Liu Yiwan sitting down, and was so frightened that Liu Yiwan quickly got up, moved a stool in front of Tang Feng, and smiled obsequiously, "Young Master, please sit." Tang Feng, seeing Liu Yiwan's appearance, was too lazy to pay attention to him, sat down, and asked, "Old Bu, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"It's not a big deal," Bugu scratched his head. "Although you're the boss, it's not really appropriate for me to say this... But... since you entrusted the shop to me, it shows you trust me." Bugu rambled on and on, but didn't get to the point, leaving Tang Feng confused. This older brother was good, diligent and responsible at work; he hadn't caused Tang Feng any trouble at all in all the time the shop had been open. Every time Tang Feng checked the accounts, they always matched. But if there was one downside, it was that he was too stubborn and inflexible. After having him by his side for so long, he still hadn't tamed him. "Um... Old Bu! You don't need to beat around the bush with me. I trust you, get to the point."
"Sir...have you ever thought about expanding your business outside of your hometown?"
"Outwards? What do you mean by 'outwards'?"
"It's just transporting goods to Yanyun, like other caravans, you see..." Tang Feng pondered for a moment, stroking his chin. This was basically overseas purchasing; what was wrong with that? Before he transmigrated, many young women in the factory bought things abroad and brought them back to resell, and he heard it was quite profitable. Tang Feng glanced at Bu Gu and then said, "Hmm... to be honest, I don't doubt your judgment as a merchant; this method is indeed feasible... but... um, how do we handle the caravan?"
“If you trust me, I can find someone. A few years ago, when I was still in business, I met someone like that. He had many caravans. Back then, I bought the goods, and he handled the shipping. We cooperated quite well and made a small profit. You can rest assured about him; he's a good person, just incredibly greedy. As long as the money's right, he'll do whatever he's asked.” The hand cracking sunflower seeds suddenly stopped. “Paid for a service? That's easy. Those who only care about money are the best at business. Where is he now? Would it be convenient for you to take me to meet him?”
"Sir, don't worry, I'll go find him. This guy, whenever there's no work at the shop, he goes out drinking; you can't really figure him out. If you've settled this matter, I'll go find him for you tomorrow." Tang Feng nodded in agreement. It wasn't just about making money; it was also about finding out about Su Zili. He'd been in Shanghan for so long and hadn't even uncovered a complete storyline! If this continued, he wouldn't be here to inquire about things or find someone; he'd really become a businessman. The lie he told Qin Jiujiu and Old Master Tang before the New Year had come true.
In truth, Tang Feng wasn't very good at business; he was just living off the savings he'd accumulated from previous deals with his superiors. If it weren't for Bu Gu's help in Shang Han, he would have already lost so much that Zhou Ziliang would have had to bring money to bail him out. However, Tang Feng understood one thing very well: listen to advice, and you'll eat your fill. After a long period of adjustment and observation, Tang Feng felt that Bu Gu was indeed a trustworthy person, so he gradually relinquished control of the business, becoming an enviable hands-off manager. He had considered transporting Shang Han's goods to Xiling before, but the manpower and resources required were simply too great. Most importantly, he lacked connections. Even after nearly a year, Tang Feng still knew very few people. Furthermore, Tang Feng was genuinely too lazy to bother with such matters. In his previous life, he had toiled tirelessly for the company, only to end up with nothing but heartache during a career slump. Just as Tang Feng was pondering this, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Qin Liuliu pressing on his shoulder and asking, "Brother, what are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed. I've called you several times, but you haven't answered. I've finished reading Sister's letter; aren't you going to reply now?"
"What's the rush? You can write it later. Besides... if I write it now, will your sister receive it?" Qin Liuliu has finally reached the age where she's becoming annoying. Even though she was very obedient as a child, she's now starting her belated rebellion. However, with Tang Feng keeping her in check, Qin Liuliu doesn't dare to do anything. But since opening the shop, Tang Feng hasn't had time to stay at the inn. Although Bu Gu is there to look after things, Tang Feng doesn't need to do anything. But he can't just not go anywhere! With Tang Feng gone, Liu Yiwan has been suffering. On one hand, she has to keep an eye on Qin Liuliu to prevent her from causing trouble, and on the other hand, she has to run errands for Tang Feng all the time. She's busy all day long.
"I've been waiting inside for ages and you haven't come back! I came out to check, but I didn't know you were so busy. Brother, when are we going back to Yanyun?" Qin Liuliu pulled a chair from the side, straddled it, and hugged the back of the chair, staring at Tang Feng. "What? Homesick? If you are, I'll have Liu Yiwan take you to the border tomorrow, and have your brother Ziliang send someone to take you back to Xiling. I've been busy lately too. I'll need Liu Yiwan's help, so I can only have him take you to the border..."
"Brother!" Qin Liuliu quickly grabbed Tang Feng's sleeve when she heard that he was going to take her back. "I didn't say I was going back! I'll go back whenever you go back. Anyway, I have to go with you. I promised my sister." Hearing Qin Liuliu's words, Tang Feng burst out laughing and covered his mouth, saying, "What did you promise your sister?"
"Protecting you! Just like how Brother Ziliang protected you. Now that Brother Ziliang isn't by your side, I have to take responsibility." Tang Feng rested his chin on his hand, looking at Qin Liuliu with amusement. "What is the relationship between you and Brother Ziliang? And what is the relationship between you and me? You are my younger brother. I'm too busy taking care of you to even think about protecting me. Stop it! Don't overthink things all the time. If you really miss home, I certainly won't make you suffer." After saying that, Tang Feng got up, patted Qin Liuliu's shoulder, and went upstairs.
Qin Liuliu was stunned for a moment. By the time she came to her senses, Tang Feng had already gone upstairs. She quickly followed him. Tang Feng didn't go back to his room for anything else; he hadn't finished reading the letter Qin Jiujiu had brought him before he went to sleep because he felt sleepy. Lately, he didn't know why, but he was always feeling sleepy. Perhaps it was because running the shop was too tiring? But he hadn't done anything. Sometimes, even if he went to bed early the night before, he still couldn't wake up the next day. However, Tang Feng didn't take it too seriously. After all, everyone experiences sleepiness at some point in the year. He picked up the already opened envelope on the table and began to read. This letter was slightly different from the previous ones. The previous ones were written by Qin Jiujiu, and the content was mostly the same, either asking where they were or whether they were eating well and staying warm. This time, however, Qin Jiujiu's letter also included a letter from Master Tang. Tang Feng opened it and saw that the content was concise and to the point. The gist of it was that Xiling was in a lot of chaos lately, and they shouldn't come back unless necessary. Tang Feng smiled. This was quite like his old man's style. If he wasn't going back, he wasn't going back. He figured that Li Yunrui and the others were currently fighting to the death, and if he went back, wouldn't he be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?
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