Chapter 200

Growth is the most silent and imperceptible thing.

Perhaps yesterday it was still a seed, and today it has broken through the soil.

Perhaps yesterday it was content in a corner, and today it desires to expand its territory.

Ultimately, it is the unwillingness to hover in one's mind, the belief in becoming stronger spreading through one's veins, the craving for greatness, and the yearning for wealth.

The smooth operation of providing vegetables to "You Ran Ju" only fueled Zheng Ruqian's ambition in transportation but extinguished his potential for independent development.

Now, in the face of setbacks, this young man finally awakens.

Relying on others can only earn temporary money. Ultimately, one must become strong oneself and be able to produce and sell independently.

Just like the preserved meats from the workshop, they may be irreplaceable in the short term, but over time, someone will surely research and discover the right proportions. With the pride of "You Ran Ju," they will undoubtedly cease cooperation without hesitation.

Like Zheng Xin's red dates, "You Ran Ju" disdains them, and other restaurants may not care either.

But as for the finished date cakes, as long as they are sufficiently promoted and have enough gimmicks, they may well become popular in Fengjing.

Moreover, what Zheng Ruqian wants to sell is not just date cakes.

"When Auntie has made up her mind, she can come find me," Zheng Ruqian says as he stands up. "I have to find a suitable storefront."

His younger siblings stare wide-eyed once again.

They all understand what their second brother means—it doesn't matter whether Auntie cooperates or not; he will definitely open this shop.

Jiang Sheng is the most shocked. How did her crybaby second brother become so powerful without anyone noticing?

As his sister, she may not be clever or formidable enough, but there is one thing she can definitely do.

The little girl stands up, raises her purse high in her hand, and loudly declares, "Second Brother, Jiang Sheng will always support you."

Zheng Ruqian turns around, revealing a radiant smile.

After he leaves, Jiang Sheng begins to tally the accounts. The original six hundred taels in the house went toward opening the workshop. The first batch of preserved meats sold for three hundred taels. In September and October, they earned three hundred taels each month. They used one hundred taels for workers' wages, expenses, raw materials, and meals.

Jiang Sheng now has only eight hundred taels in her hands.

In Anshui Prefecture, it may be considered a substantial asset, but it is still not enough to treat a wealthy family in Fengjing to a meal.

In the evening, Xu Mo returns from the Imperial College and, upon hearing his second brother's ambitious plans, his eyes light up. "If you have ideas, go ahead and pursue them. If you don't have enough money, as the eldest brother, I can provide some support."

Wen Zhiyun raises his head in confusion.

Chang Yan widens his eyes.

Only Jiang Sheng, straightforward and quick to speak, says, "Eldest Brother, you have clean hands and empty pockets. You won't even help others cheat in exams, so where will the money come from?"

Speaking of which, not all students in the school are completely honest and upright. Some are lazy in their daily studies and resort to all means to cheat during exams.

Among them, using cheat sheets is the most popular method. It involves writing key information from books onto silk cloth using ink made from mouse whiskers and then finding ways to smuggle them into the examination hall.

These cheat sheets have replaced brushes with mouse whiskers, and the characters are so small that they must be written neatly. Otherwise, if everything is illegible when they reach the examination hall, it's better not to bring them at all.

Xu Mo's handwriting is meticulous and renowned for its clarity. When he was in Anshui Prefecture, some students had entertained crooked thoughts, wanting to hire him to write cheat sheets.

Xu Mo remained unmoved as the price increased from ten taels to fifty taels, shaking his head in refusal.

In the end, the frustrated student couldn't hold back his anger and left in a huff.

Although Xu Mo's noble character earned him praise, his claim of being wealthy was hard to believe for his younger siblings.

"Who said that only cheaters have money?" The young man with a clear and bright demeanor smiled, rolled up his sleeve, and prepared the ink. "I never engage in immoral or illegal activities."

Jiang Sheng continued to be astonished. Could he be copying books?

But they only resorted to copying books when they were in the most desperate situations, and those were flimsy and thin Jian books. They would receive a penny for copying one, barely enough to fill the gap between their teeth.

"Could it be that someone harmed Big Brother, and they compensated him with money?" Wen Zhiyun's face filled with fear, and his hands instinctively reached for the small medicine box. "It's also possible that some girl took a liking to Big Brother and intends to marry him, so she gave him some money to spend." Chang Yan said seriously.

As soon as the words fell, two clumps of paper soaked in ink came flying and hit the little heads of the two brothers.

Xu Mo smiled helplessly, "What strange things are you all thinking about all day? It's borrowed money. We'll pay it back once Second Brother earns some."

In the past, he immersed himself in studying and had no social interactions. It was only after coming to the Imperial College in Fengjing that he realized the importance of having friends with status and wealth.

Zhu Sihuan goes without saying. Both Qi Huai and Zhao Yuan can borrow hundreds of taels from him with just a wave of his hand.

Xu Mo wanted to say something else.

Suddenly, the sound of Zheng Ruqian sniffing came from outside. "Big Brother, we don't need to borrow money."

Or perhaps, whether they borrowed money or not wasn't the most important thing. What mattered was that from Big Brother to Little Sister, everyone unconditionally supported him, believing that he could do it, earn money, and establish himself in Fengjing.

That was enough.

"Eight hundred taels will be enough." Zheng Ruqian walked in step by step, "Auntie has agreed. In the future, I'll provide the raw materials, and with Auntie's help, we only need to rent a storefront."

But often, the storefront was the most expensive part.

A small courtyard in Fengjing cost over a hundred taels per year, and converting it into a shop would require at least two or three hundred taels. Even in bustling areas, it would be impossible to secure one for three to five hundred taels.

If they planned to renovate the shop, the costs would be even higher.

Fortunately, the family had savings of eight hundred taels, which would be enough no matter how they calculated.

Jiang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, just about to smile, when she heard Zheng Ruqian's solemn voice, "I rented a shop for eight hundred taels."

What kind of shop required eight hundred taels?

Was it for one year or two years, or maybe three years?

The whole family looked over in unison.

Zheng Ruqian nodded knowingly, "One year."

Jiang Sheng almost fainted.

Fortunately, Chang Yan and Wen Zhiyun were behind her, and the four little hands worked together to support her plump body.

The only one who could speak was Xu Mo, "Why did Second Brother choose such an expensive shop?"

"Because it's big." Zheng Ruqian explained in a deep voice, "The shop consists of four rooms, occupying almost half of the street from south to north. The previous owner used it to sell luxurious fabrics and silk, and it's in a relatively prosperous location, so the price is higher."

But that wasn't the main point.

The main point was why Zheng Ruqian rented four shops when he only needed one, and why he heartlessly decided on two shops.

Renting four shops was simply a waste.

Without waiting for the whole family to continue questioning, Second Brother Zheng turned his head and looked at his struggling younger brother, Xiao Si. He smiled gently and said, "I plan to give two of these four shops to Xiao Si. He used to run a clinic in Anshui Prefecture, and for the past few months accompanying us to Fengjing, he has been idle. But as a doctor, he must treat and save people in order to accumulate experience and grow stronger."

"Besides, if our two shops are opened together, we can take care of each other in the days to come."

It was truly an unexpected answer.

Wen Zhiyun was already supporting Jiang Sheng, but now he suddenly lost focus and let go of her hand, causing his plump little sister to fall backward.

"Jiang Sheng..."

"Sister..."