Chapter 160: Secretly Giving You a Surprise
Suddenly, it felt like an overnight windfall.
But still…
“Why did you refuse, Sister?” Weren’t they Qiu Rongrong’s own maternal family?
Qiu Rongrong waved her hand dismissively. “My family doesn’t care about a tiny business like this. My eldest brother was just trying to find a roundabout way to give me an allowance. With him buying a stake, if the business lost money, he would have subsidized me from somewhere else.
I know he means well, but this roast duck restaurant is the very first time I’ve done business on my own. It’s the first time I’ve opened a shop that belongs entirely to me, without relying on the Qiu family’s influence. I want to stand on my own two feet.”
Saying this, Qiu Rongrong looked intently at Wen Yao. “And this is also the surprise I wanted to give you, Boss Wen.”
It would be a lie to say Wen Yao wasn’t moved. With a loud “Wow!”, she threw her arms around Qiu Rongrong, hugging her tight and yelling dramatically, “Ahhh! Sister Qiu, you are seriously the best!” She acted half-mad and half-silly, using it as a shield to mask her deep emotions.
In truth, Qiu Rongrong didn’t have to tell her about opening a branch at all, nor did she have any obligation to share the profits of that branch with her. After all, Wen Yao had only contributed technical equity, yet she was walking away with a forty percent cut of the profits. To Wen Yao, that was already an immense amount.
Qiu Rongrong provided the manpower, the effort, and the physical storefronts, yet she only took a sixty percent share. No matter how one looked at it, Qiu Rongrong was the one taking a loss.
The two of them laughed and squeezed together onto a single chair. Thank goodness they were both slender; otherwise, the chair would have cracked under the pressure.
“Alright, alright, since you happen to be here today, let’s split the money.” Qiu Rongrong begged for mercy repeatedly.
Wen Yao settled into the half-seat she had squeezed out next to her and said, “Sister, go ahead and deduct the capital costs according to our original agreement. Make sure to subtract my share of the expenses. We can’t let you foot the entire bill alone.”
Qiu Rongrong shot her a mock-reproachful glare. “As if I needed you to tell me that! The reason I wanted you here was to let you know that I don’t plan on giving you your share of the profits from the Jiangnan branch this time. It happens to exactly cover your share of the startup costs. You take the money from the shop here in town first. I know that after tinkering with all those crops lately, your pockets must be completely empty. Take this first for emergencies.”
Wen Yao was moved to tears. She clutched Qiu Rongrong’s arm, leaning against her shoulder to act spoiled. “Sister Qiu, you are truly, truly the best. I love you so much!”
Qiu Rongrong had never imagined she would hear that word from another girl’s mouth. Her face flushed red in an instant.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Get up, get up, you’re squeezing the life out of me.” Pushing Wen Yao away, Qiu Rongrong hurriedly stood up with a blushing face to fetch the banknotes for her.
With a forty-sixty split out of a total net profit of over 2,400 taels—rounding it to an even 2,400—Wen Yao’s share came out to exactly 960 taels.
The moment the banknotes were in her hand, Wen Yao counted out 500 taels and handed them back. “For the advance from before.”
Qiu Rongrong didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it directly. Since the two were partners, certain things needed to be calculated with absolute clarity. It was better for both of them that way.
“I’ll give you the share from Zui Xian Tower once Manager Lu finishes auditing the books,” Qiu Rongrong added. Zui Xian Tower was still under Manager Lu’s primary oversight. Her main focus right now was on the roast duck business. Once the manager of the roast duck restaurant passed his probationary period and she deemed him capable, she would wash her hands of it and pass it over entirely.
“No problem.” Wen Yao tucked the banknotes away safely. Even though it was only 460 taels left, it was exactly what her family needed to solve their immediate financial crunch.
With the accounting out of the way, the two began to chat casually.
“How is your fish pond coming along?” Qiu Rongrong asked.
Wen Yao answered honestly, concluding with a sigh, “Sister, to be honest, my initial goal was just to make life easier for my family. But now, the more things we set up, the busier everyone gets. Sigh.“
Hearing Wen Yao’s words, Qiu Rongrong knew the girl was probably feeling distressed, so she comforted her, “If things are truly unmanageable, just hire people to do the labor. Though, from what I see of your grandpappy and grandma, they don’t seem like the type who would willingly part with the coin. Actually, look at it from another perspective: their busyness proves that their lives are full of hope. They might be exhausted, but they’re probably happy in their hearts.”
Wen Yao wanted to say—how could they not be happy? The old lady spent every single day mulling over her soybean paste, and she was even thinking about inventing a brand-new flavor.
It was just Wen Yao being sentimental, feeling guilty because she saw everyone working harder than before.
The two then moved on to the topic of hiring people to raise fish.
“Oh my, why didn’t you say so earlier? Have you forgotten where I’m from? The Jiangnan region is a land of waters and rivers; there are countless people skilled in fish farming there. If you had spoken up sooner, I would have brought people over for you long ago,” Qiu Rongrong said with vexation.
Wen Yao gave a sheepish giggle and scratched her head. “Heh, I forgot.”
“You really are something. But since you and Uncle Wen have already selected the people, it wouldn’t be right to break the contract. If you think that family is decent, just take them back and employ them. If you’re still shorthanded, remember to tell me.” The Qiu family owned many manors, so sparing a few hands wouldn’t be an issue at all.
Wen Yao didn’t want to trouble Qiu Rongrong over such trivial matters, so she could only offer a playful grin. “Right, right, will do!”
Qiu Rongrong also knew the girl hadn’t truly taken it to heart, but she had expressed her intentions nonetheless. Whether the girl listened was entirely up to her. As close friends, she couldn’t force it.
“I forgot to tell you something hilarious,” Qiu Rongrong suddenly pivoted.
Wen Yao perked up instantly upon hearing this. “Hmm?”
Qiu Rongrong stole a glance outside and lowered her voice, saying, “The old lady found out that Master Qiu recognized me as his niece. She’s come to my place to make a scene twice already, wanting me to act as a go-between to send the Eldest Young Master to study under Master Qiu.”
Wen Yao was surprised. “Did you agree?”
Qiu Rongrong curled her lips. “How could I possibly? They’re dreaming. I turned her down flat. I also told her that if the old lady comes to make a scene again, they can figure out a way to handle the two thousand taels for the Eldest Young Master themselves.”
Pfft… Wen Yao burst out laughing unceremoniously. “Sister, you certainly know how to strike them right where it hurts.”
The two of them found themselves caught in an infectious wave of amusement and burst into a fit of giggles. After laughing for a moment, Qiu Rongrong continued:
“Actually, the old lady has money in her hands. Although the Xie family isn’t what it used to be and is only loosely connected to the main Xie clan, their foundation is still there. It’s just that the old woman is incredibly calculating; she’s secretly hoarding everything for her precious eldest grandson. I’m just turning a blind eye to it. A prestigious daughter of the Qiu family like me wouldn’t spare a glance for the petty, trivial scraps of their Xie estate anyway.”
Wen Yao gave a thumbs-up. “Dominant!”
Qiu Rongrong slapped her hand down immediately, her eyes flashing with eagerness. “I’ve been thinking lately, what other businesses can we set up? Now that the roast duck restaurant is gradually getting on track, your mind is quick. When you have free time, think about it more, and we’ll put our heads together.”
The corner of Wen Yao’s mouth twitched. This sister truly possessed a formidable entrepreneurial drive.
But then again, who could possibly turn down making money?
“Alright, I’ll go home and mull it over.”
Wen Yao stayed at the Xie residence until the afternoon. Realizing that Wen Xiuyi was still waiting for her, she took her leave of Qiu Rongrong to head back. Qiu Rongrong didn’t keep her any longer and arranged for a carriage driver to drop Wen Yao off directly at the Jishi Hall.
Right now in the Jishi Hall, the patients coming for consultations would all call Wen Jun “Little Doctor Wen.” Sometimes, when Doctor Jin was too swamped to cope, Wen Jun would handle the simpler ailments.
It was said that Chinese and Western medicine were completely different fields, but many concepts were interconnected. Wen Jun still had a lot to learn when it came to reading pulses, but for the basic diagnostic steps of looking, listening, and questioning, his years of clinical experience made the learning process remarkably easy.
Wen Yao hid stealthily by the doorway, watching Wen Jun treat a patient. She sighed with admiration in her heart: Doctor Wen, when focused on his work, truly radiated a brilliant light from head to toe.
