Chapter 183: 182: The Big Picture and Selfish Desires

Words : 1385 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 183: Chapter 182: The Big Picture and Selfish Desires Mrs. Wang fondled the small box for a long time and sighed. “Nanny, why are you sighing when all is well?” Nanny Shen brought over a cup of tea. “This child, Xixi, I just can’t figure her out; I don’t even know what she likes. She seems indifferent to everything. If it were any other girl, a sum of Silver like this would have her excitedly starting some sort of business.” Nanny Shen stood by, smiling, and said, “Perhaps the young miss is not interested? I noticed she likes medical skills and pharmaceuticals. Just now, she even gave me a nourishing recipe.” “She just reached her coming of age, too mature for her age, lacking the naivete a young girl should have.” Nanny Shen disagreed, “What’s so good about being naive? Take the two from the second branch, naive enough, yet still blind to the family’s actual situation.” She felt her words were inappropriate and made a gesture as if to kneel, “Nanny spoke out of turn.” Mrs. Wang scolded lightly, “It’s fine to say so here, but don’t let your second sister-in-law hear this, or it will turn into a lawsuit.” “Nanny understands.” Mrs. Wang fiddled with the gold jewelry in the box, then picked up the silver note and said, “I really don’t know what kind of business to start, one for the state and one for our household.” “How about discussing it with the Old Lady? Otherwise, run two businesses, and if the more profitable one turns out to be on the smaller scale, it wouldn’t look good,” Nanny Shen cautiously suggested. Mrs. Wang was silent for a while, realizing the truth in that. With changes at home, the Old Lady’s health was also poor, and her mood was very unpredictable. Now back in Li City, she was worried about whether her sons could safely reach the northwest, and also fretted about her younger sister-in-law in the northeast, from where no word had come back yet. And there was also no news from the Old Lady’s maternal family, nor had anyone been sent over, which upset the Old Lady. “Let’s pack up the things my mother sent over, and then we’ll go see the Old Lady,” said Mrs. Wang, picking up the twelve hundred Silver note. A shout came from outside; it was Xiao Xue coming to report that her father was following the eldest daughter’s orders to perform an errand. Mrs. Wang was taken aback and looked towards Nanny Shen, saying, “Please have Chief Li come in.” Nanny Shen agreed, went to the door, and called the two inside. Chief Li knelt down to greet upon entering, prompting Mrs. Wang to ask him to rise and offered him a seat. “Xixi asked you to come because?” “The eldest miss mentioned that Lady might want to start a business, being unacquainted with much of Li City, she might inquire from me, so she sent me to discuss with you,” Chief Li replied respectfully. Hearing this, Mrs. Wang felt reassured in her heart, thinking that this child really plans far ahead, very considerate indeed. “Indeed, with Silver Coin in hand, I’ve been considering what to do. Buying land properties is fairly stable, but it’s also subject to the whims of fate, with returns only seen at the end of the year, making income slow to accumulate. As for doing business, I’m quite in the dark about Li City and unsure of what exactly would be appropriate,” Mrs. Wang candidly expressed. Chief Li, with his hands tucked in his sleeves, sat beside the stool and said, “Li City, thanks to the Li River Pier, sees a great deal of north-south merchant traffic. At the pier, there are numerous ships stopping daily to unload cargo, and there is spot trading as well, transporting goods available in our city to the north and west, and then picking up northern goods from the merchants...” “As for the local stores, they naturally vary widely. Which business to thrive in for making money depends on the silver, connections, and sourcing. In every industry, someone becomes the top scorer; if you can get the same goods at a lower price than others, even if you sell at the same selling price, won’t you make more profit? Even if it’s just a steamed bun shop, if what you make is decidedly tastier than others, naturally you’ll have customers, right?” Mrs. Wang was somewhat surprised that Chief Li could analyze this so systematically and thoughtfully continued, “There’s indeed not much Silver in hand, buying a store might mean there’s no fluid Silver left for transactions. Buying it and renting it out seems stable. But leasing, and once a pathway opens up, buying a store later also sounds like an appropriate temporary plan.” “One should invest as much Silver as they can afford; one can’t bite off more than they can chew all at once,” Mrs. Wang leaned toward leasing to open up opportunities first before pursuing other avenues. “Lady thinks very rightly.” “But out of these 365 jobs, I don’t know which to undertake. Tea and rice are out of the question since those require specific permit documents. As for a grocery store, like you said, it’s crucial to find the right merchants for sourcing goods at low costs,” Mrs. Wang felt overwhelmed by the complexity of actually conducting a business. Chief Li then said, “The young lady mentioned if Lady is unsure, she has a few recipes here for making candied fruits, sweets, and snacks that could also alleviate minor symptoms when eaten.” Mrs. Wang hesitated for a moment: “Candied fruits?” Chief Li nodded and took out several recipes from his sleeve and handed them over, which Nanny Shen then presented to Mrs. Wang. Mrs. Wang closely examined the recipes, which included several for candied fruits and snacks like Autumn Dryness Relief Pear Paste, Fuling Cake, Brown Sugar Ginger Slices, and Candied Chen Pi, among others. The recipes specified the quantity of ingredients needed, all common and not expensive medicine herbs, and also included their beneficial uses. Thinking of Qin Liuxi’s medical skills, Mrs. Wang was quite tempted, but remembering it pertained to the main branch’s foundation, she found herself confliced. Everyone has their personal desires; the recipes Qin Liuxi could offer, with her medical skills, once successfully produced, would definitely open up a market—earning money for the household, what about her own smaller branch? “Lady, did she mention anything else? Like where these recipes are to be used, or who they are for?” Chief Li replied, “The young lady said it’s up to Lady to decide. If Lady is indecisive, just use them in the Qin family, focusing on the greater picture, and for anything else, she will think further.” If the Qin family could be established firmly, Qin Liuxi could rest a bit easier, but after all, these were just a few candied fruit recipes; she wasn’t too concerned. Hearing Chief Li put it that way, Mrs. Wang felt more resolved and said, “That’s settled. But even for this, we need to find a store space. Chief Li, if you know any reliable middlemen, it would be good to seek them out to help find some good locations. There’s also sourcing these ingredients, and finding craftsmen as well; let’s take it one thing at a time. But, no matter which aspect, it will trouble Chief Li to make a few trips.” “You only need to command, and I shall obey,” Chief Li stood up. Mrs. Wang added, “I still need to discuss this with the Old Lady, I’ll give you further instructions later. Nanny Shen, please escort Chief Li out.” “Yes.” Nanny Shen escorted Chief Li away, and Mrs. Wang looked over the recipes again, her fingers gently tapping on the tabletop. Qin Liuxi might not care about a few recipes, but she had to carefully consider them and hold onto them tightly. If this candied fruit shop really took off, whenever someone in the household harbored personal desires, they could not blame her for not being cordial.

Chapter 183: 182: The Big Picture and Selfish Desires

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