Chapter 280: My Lord, Will That Day Truly Come?
No matter what Magistrate Chen said, Wen Xiuyi simply dug in his heels and played thick-skinned.
“Alright, alright! What on earth are you trying to accomplish? Haven’t we already brought out three new crops? Is that still not enough for you? Why must you go and bother with rice? In times like these, as long as people can fill their stomachs, that’s enough—who cares what they’re eating?” Magistrate Chen genuinely could not understand Wen Xiuyi’s line of thinking.
His Majesty had clearly laid out a bright, grand path right in front of them. As long as they followed this road and properly promoted these three new crops, they wouldn’t have to worry about food, clothing, or a thriving official career for the rest of their lives.
In Wen Xiuyi’s mind, a kindly, gentle face suddenly emerged—a face weathered by endless hardship, yet still steadfast in its belief.
Looking at Magistrate Chen, he suddenly spoke up: “Have you ever heard a certain saying?”
Magistrate Chen paused for a moment. “What saying?”
“The dream of enjoying the cool shade beneath ears of grain.” Wen Xiuyi murmured softly. That was the dream of an elder worthy of everyone’s respect and love, the dream of millions upon millions of agricultural workers like them, and the dream of all people under heaven.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, the moment Magistrate Chen heard those words, a profound sense of reverence surged spontaneously from deep within his heart. He had never heard the phrase before, but he could feel the sheer breadth of spirit and open-hearted care for the world held by the person who had uttered it—a feeling that commanded admiration from the bottom of his soul, free of any selfish thoughts.
In the end, Magistrate Chen admitted defeat.
“I’ll find a way.”
Wen Xiuyi rose from his chair and patted his shoulder. “Old Chen, in the future history of Annan Kingdom, there will be a page for you.”
Magistrate Chen thought: He’s not eating this pie, but it smells way too delicious. How infuriating.
Mu Li had been standing outside the door the entire time, hearing every word of their conversation with absolute clarity.
On the carriage ride back home, Mu Li suddenly broke the silence: “My Lord, will that day truly come?”
As orphans, people like them knew better than anyone what it felt like to starve and freeze in rags. Thus, hearing those words from Wen Xiuyi, Mu Li felt the deepest resonance in his heart.
If previously he had felt a tinge of regret that they hadn’t been assigned to protect imperial nobility or high-ranking court ministers—feeling as though their skills had no outlet to be displayed—now Mu Li felt that the person he was protecting was the one truly deserving of admiration.
Wen Xiuyi lifted the carriage window curtain, looking out at the prosperity and bustle of the street. Thinking of the peace and splendor of the world he had come from, he offered a faint smile: “It will.”
The letter Wen Yao had written to Li Yi quickly received a reply. Li Yi merely stated in his letter that they would discuss the details in person once he arrived.
“Oh? Your Young Master actually agreed?” Wen Yao shared the news with Xun Feng.
Xun Feng glanced at the contents of Li Yi’s letter. What “discuss the details in person”? He dared to swear that his Young Master was simply craving good food—or perhaps something had happened back in the capital that made him sneak out to hide.
Still, Xun Feng didn’t expose Li Yi, merely saying, “It seems the young master is indeed quite interested in this business, mm.”
Thinking nothing more of it, Wen Yao put the letter away and called out to Xun Feng as she prepared to head out: “Come on, let’s go find Sister Qiu.”
Upon arriving at the Xie estate, the moment the gatekeeper spotted Wen Yao, he didn’t even bother announcing her arrival. Swinging the main gates wide open, he welcomed Wen Yao inside and led her straight toward the inner courtyard.
Qiu Rongrong was currently in the study checking the account books. Without needing to be announced, Wen Yao pushed the door open and stepped right inside.
“Sister Qiu, I’m here!”
Qiu Rongrong was startled, a splatter of black ink splashing onto her account book. Yet she showed no anger whatsoever, setting her brush down and coming forward to greet her, pulling Wen Yao close to look her over. “So you finally remembered to come back! I heard them say you went to the prefectural city, but you didn’t even bother telling me beforehand—otherwise, I would’ve gone with you.”
“I went on serious business—accompanying my grandma to expand her enterprise,” Wen Yao said.
Qiu Rongrong raised an eyebrow. “You mean those two new dishes you sent over last time?” Before leaving home, Wen Yao had sent two new dishes to Qiu Rongrong, one of which was the century egg tofu.
As for salted duck eggs, they could be sold at grocery stores, breakfast shops, or even at Wen Nong’s store, so there was no need to place them specifically at Zui Xian Tower.
Wen Yao nodded. “Mm, Grandma is already planning to expand production. I reckon her workshop won’t be big enough before long.”
Qiu Rongrong burst out laughing. “Then Grandma Luo is going to have her hands full from now on! Don’t worry, tell her to expand boldly without hesitation—I can take as much as she produces.”
The Qiu family’s business might not be “wealthy enough to rival a nation,” but it spanned the entire country. Moreover, since these two items had a long shelf life, there was naturally no need to worry about sales.
The two chatted for a while, and Qiu Rongrong mentioned that she would personally visit the Wen household another day to properly discuss a partnership with Old Madam Luo.
Both girls laughed happily.
After their laughter subsided, Wen Yao told Qiu Rongrong about partnering with Li Yi, while also filling her in on Lady Liu and Meng De’s earlier antics.
Qiu Rongrong knitted her brows slightly. “I was wondering why I didn’t see you anywhere lately and why you didn’t come look for me. Why didn’t you tell me about such a major incident? Did they bully you?”
Wen Yao smiled carelessly. “They didn’t manage to get any advantage over me anyway. But I think Nanny was right: rather than letting them covet what we have, we might as well expand the business ourselves. Besides, with a massive background like Li Yi’s, we don’t have to fear them sabotaging us. Rather than letting outsiders benefit, I’d rather let our own people benefit.”
“Oh?? Our own people?” Qiu Rongrong let out a sly chuckle.
Wen Yao laughed along merrily, completely unbothered by Qiu Rongrong’s teasing, and declared openly: “That’s right, our own people! Uncle Li and my dad are close enough to share a pair of trousers—if that’s not ‘our own people’, then what is?”
Qiu Rongrong raised an eyebrow. “Is it really just because of His Highness Prince Fu?”
“What else could it be for?” Wen Yao answered point-blank. It couldn’t possibly be for that brat Li Yi, could it? If this were modern times, he’d be a little kid who hadn’t even graduated middle school. In Wen Yao’s eyes, he was just a wet-behind-the-ears kid—and a greedy, food-loving kid at that.
Seeing that she truly held no other intentions, Qiu Rongrong put her mind at ease. Putting away her teasing mood, she remarked, “He is indeed a giant tree.”
Wen Yao offered a cunning smile. “It’s nice to take shelter under a giant tree! So we have to hold on tight. Li Yi said he plans to make a trip over, so we can discuss things properly when he gets here. As for the shares, Sister, do you have any thoughts?”
Pacing back and forth in the study, Qiu Rongrong pondered for a moment before saying, “The larger share must go to the young master. After all, we’re relying on his influence. How about sixty-forty? Sixty percent goes to him, and the two of us split forty percent—what do you think?”
To be able to open shops in a place like the capital, Qiu Rongrong felt that even if they ultimately only took twenty percent each, it would surely bring in far more than what they earned here.
Besides, was the main point earning a little more or a little less? The main point was that from this day onward, she, Qiu Rongrong, was connected to the royal family!
Whether for herself or for her family, it was a win-win situation without a single downside.
While the two sisters were happily envisioning the future inside, before long, Qiaoyan walked in to report: “Old Mistress sent someone over to ask if guests have arrived at the house and why no one has gone to pay respects, and even said…”
Qiaoyan glanced at Wen Yao with hesitation.
“Sister Qiaoyan, just say whatever it is directly. What is that old crone trying to pull now?” Wen Yao didn’t hold back any politeness toward the people of the Xie family.
“Yes,” Qiaoyan complied respectfully before continuing, “The people from Old Mistress’s room asked if it was Miss Wen Yao who arrived, saying that Old Mistress hasn’t had much of an appetite lately, so she wants Miss Yao Yao to go over to her courtyard and whip up something for her to eat.”
