Chapter 160: A Secret Surprise for You

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For a moment, she felt as though she had suddenly struck it rich.

But then—

“Why did your sister refuse?” Wasn’t he a member of the Qiu family, after all?

Qiu Rongrong waved her hand casually. “The family isn’t short of this little bit of business. My eldest brother was only trying to find another way to subsidize me. If he invested, then even if we lost money, he could make it up to me elsewhere.

“I know he means well. It’s just that this roast-duck shop is my first business, the first shop that truly belongs to me. I don’t want to succeed by basking in the Qiu family’s influence. I want to do it on my own.”

With that, Qiu Rongrong looked earnestly at Wen Yao. “This is the surprise I wanted to give you, Boss Wen.”

It would have been a lie to say Wen Yao was not moved. With a loud squeal, she threw her arms around Qiu Rongrong and hugged her tightly.

“Ahhh! Sister Qiu, you’re truly wonderful!”

Half-mad and half-giddy, she covered up her emotions with exaggerated theatrics.

In truth, Qiu Rongrong had no need to tell her about opening a branch, and she certainly did not have to give Wen Yao a share of it. Wen Yao had contributed only the technical expertise, yet she was receiving forty percent of the profits. That was already far more than enough.

Qiu Rongrong was providing the people, the labor, and the shop, while taking only sixty percent of the profits. No matter how one looked at it, Qiu Rongrong was the one at a disadvantage.

The two women laughed and jostled each other until they were squeezed together on the chair. Fortunately, both of them were slender; otherwise, the chair might well have split apart beneath them.

“All right, all right. Since you happened to come today, let’s divide the money,” Qiu Rongrong pleaded.

Wen Yao settled into the half-seat she had managed to squeeze out beside her. “Sis, deduct the costs according to the arrangement we made back then. Take out my share as well. You can’t be the only one putting up the money.”

Qiu Rongrong cast her an annoyed look. “Do you really need to say that? That’s exactly why I called you here. As for the profits from the shop in Jiangnan, I’m not planning to give you your share this time. We’ll use it to cover the portion of the costs that belongs to you. You can take the profits from the shop here in town for now. I know you’ve spent all your money recently working on those other projects. Take this and use it in the meantime.”

Wen Yao was so touched that tears nearly streamed down her face. She hooked her arm through Qiu Rongrong’s and leaned against her shoulder, acting spoiled.

“Sister Qiu, you’re really, truly the best. I love you so much.”

Qiu Rongrong had never imagined she would hear such words from another young woman, and she blushed instantly.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Get up, get up—you’re crushing me.”

She pushed Wen Yao away, then hurriedly stood up, her face still flushed, and went to fetch the banknotes for her.

The two of them had divided the profits sixty-forty. Their total earnings came to a little over two thousand four hundred taels, so they rounded it down to two thousand four hundred. Wen Yao’s share was nine hundred and sixty taels.

Once the banknotes were in her hands, Wen Yao counted out five hundred taels and handed them back.

“That’s for the advance I took earlier.”

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Qiu Rongrong did not stand on ceremony and accepted the money directly. Since they were partners, some things ought to be settled clearly. That would be better for both of them.

“As for the accounts from the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, I’ll give you your share once Manager Lu has finished calculating them,” Qiu Rongrong said.

Manager Lu was still overseeing the Drunken Immortal Restaurant. For now, her main attention remained focused on the roast-duck business. Once the manager of the roast-duck shop had passed his probationary period and she was satisfied with him, she planned to hand the shop over to him.

“No problem.” Wen Yao put away the banknotes. Although she had only received four hundred and sixty taels, the money would be a tremendous help to her family.

Once the accounts had been settled, the two of them began chatting.

“How is your fish pond coming along?” Qiu Rongrong asked.

Wen Yao answered honestly, then sighed at the end. “Sis, I originally only wanted to make life easier for my family. But now, the more I do, the busier everyone becomes. Sigh.”

After hearing her out, Qiu Rongrong understood that the girl was probably feeling guilty. She consoled her, “If it really comes to that, hire some people to do the work. Though, from what I can tell, your grandparents don’t seem willing to spend that kind of money. Still, look at it from another angle. The fact that they’re so busy means there’s hope for a better life. They may be tired, but perhaps they’re happy in their hearts.”

Wen Yao wanted to say, How could Grandma not be happy? These days, the old woman spent all her time pondering over Wen Yao’s fermented sauces. She had even started thinking about developing a new flavor.

It was only that Wen Yao was being overly sentimental. She felt bad seeing everyone grow busier and busier.

The two continued discussing the matter of hiring people to raise the fish.

“Oh, you should have told me sooner! Have you forgotten where I’m from? Jiangnan is a land of rivers and lakes, and there are countless people there who raise fish. If you had told me earlier, I could have found someone for you long ago.”

Wen Yao scratched her head with an embarrassed grin. “Heh. I forgot.”

“You really are something. But since you and Uncle Wen have already chosen someone, it wouldn’t be right to break your word now. If you think that family will do, take them home and put them to work. If you still don’t have enough hands, remember to tell me.”

The Qiu family owned many estates. Finding a few extra workers would not be difficult.

Wen Yao did not want to trouble Qiu Rongrong over such a minor matter, so she could only grin sheepishly.

“All right, all right, all right.”

Qiu Rongrong knew perfectly well that Wen Yao had not taken her words to heart. Still, she had said what she needed to say. Whether the girl listened was up to her. As a friend, she could not force the matter.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you something amusing.” Qiu Rongrong suddenly changed the subject.

Wen Yao immediately perked up. “Hmm?”

Qiu Rongrong glanced outside, then lowered her voice.

“The old madam knows that Mr. Qiu has acknowledged me as his niece. She’s already come here twice to make a scene, asking me to act as an intermediary and send the eldest young master to study under Mr. Qiu.”

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Wen Yao was astonished. “You agreed?”

Qiu Rongrong curled her lips. “How could I? They’ve got quite an imagination. I sent them away. I also told her that if the old madam came here to make trouble again, they could find a way to deal with the two thousand taels needed for the eldest young master themselves.”

Pfft—

Wen Yao burst out laughing without the slightest restraint.

“Sis, you really know how to strike people where it hurts.”

Neither of them knew exactly what had struck them as so funny, but suddenly they were both laughing uproariously. After a while, Qiu Rongrong continued,

“Actually, the old madam has money in her hands. The Xie family may not be what it once was, and may now only cling to the outer edge of the Xie clan, but their family fortune is still there. It’s just that she’s extremely calculating and has secretly hidden it all away for that precious grandson of hers. I’ve simply chosen to turn a blind eye. I, Qiu Rongrong, have no interest in the Xie family’s petty scraps.”

Wen Yao gave her a thumbs-up.

“Now that’s what I call commanding!”

Qiu Rongrong immediately pushed her hand down and said eagerly, “Lately, I’ve been thinking that we ought to find another business to start. The roast-duck shop is gradually getting on its feet. Your mind is quick, so when you have time, give it some thought. Then we can discuss it together.”

The corner of Wen Yao’s mouth twitched. Her sister truly had an intense drive for business.

But who could possibly dislike making money?

“All right. I’ll go home and think about it.”

Wen Yao stayed at the Xie residence until afternoon. Remembering that Wen Xiuyi was waiting for her, she took her leave from Qiu Rongrong and headed back. Qiu Rongrong did not try to keep her, instead arranging for a coachman to take Wen Yao directly to Benevolence Hall.

These days, the patients who came to Benevolence Hall all addressed Wen Jun as Young Physician Wen. Whenever Doctor Jin was too busy, Wen Jun would examine patients with simpler ailments.

People often said that Chinese and Western medicine were entirely different, but in many respects they shared common ground. Wen Jun still had much to learn about taking the pulse, but he had years of clinical experience behind him, so learning the arts of observation, listening, questioning, and examination came easily to him.

Wen Yao secretly stood by the doorway and watched Wen Jun treat a patient. She sighed inwardly.

A physician Wen at work truly seemed to glow from head to toe.

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