The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 363 Song Chengguan's Reluctance to Part

The two families sat together, and because of Song Tingwan's repeated reminders, Song Youqing had a smile on his face the whole time.

When Wen Muchuan talked about the lipstick workshop, he suddenly thought of something.

"Father-in-law, are your lipsticks and other products only sold in these few surrounding counties?"

He secretly calculated the cost in his mind. He had secretly opened and looked at Li Yunwan's before, and the workmanship was indeed exquisite and unique.

Although the cost seems high, the profit margin is still quite high based on the selling price.

People in small towns still have to consider the price when buying things, but if you go further afield to bigger places, there are not so many restrictions, so you can earn more.

Fortunately, my family owns a dock where we can help transport goods to more distant places. Once we've made a name for ourselves outside, we won't have to worry about selling them.

This can be considered as doing his part; otherwise, he would always feel indebted to Wen Zizhou for getting injured while saving his daughter.

"Yes! Our workshop has only been open for a short time, and we don't have that many people on the various production lines yet."

"We can only produce a limited quantity, so we can only sell it to a few nearby counties for now."

Wen Muchuan didn't think too much about it and just laughed it off, besides, it wasn't something that couldn't be said.

Upon hearing this, Song Youqing was relieved that he hadn't said anything else; it turned out that the other party simply couldn't produce that much.

He was about to suggest finding some people from Qingzhou County when Wen Muchuan continued, "The workshop... my daughter said when she went on a long trip that we could have experienced workers mentor new ones."

"The year is almost over, and we haven't had time to recruit people from other villages yet, but it'll be done in the next few days."

The thought that the families in the villages could save up some money for a good New Year made Wen Muchuan extremely happy. Overwhelmed with emotion, he clinked glasses with Song Youqing and smiled sincerely.

"With everyone having money, our New Year celebrations are sure to be lively this year!"

In previous years, everyone was poor, and during the Spring Festival, they would just stay at home and eat whatever they could find behind closed doors.

Having money means you can buy nice things, and that gives you the confidence to go out and visit other people's homes.

Ah Fu is already making arrangements for recruitment, and everyone will be very happy to hear that.

A few days ago, when he went out for a walk, someone asked him if the workshop would hire people from other villages.

Song Youqing was deeply moved upon hearing this, and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, now filled with admiration.

"Our family owns a dock, so if you need anything taken out, please don't hesitate to ask us to help!"

If he had previously only thought of his daughter's well-being, after hearing what Wen Muchuan said, he decided that even if the other party didn't need his help right now, he would still rush to help.

At least the money that was transported out can be saved; such righteous people deserve to earn the money.

Wen Muchuan was surprised by his enthusiasm and thought to himself that this wealthy man's in-law was not difficult to get along with at all!

It's a shame they were so nervous and worried before the person even entered the door.

I heard from Song Youqing that the restaurant in Qingzhou County has closed down because of Meng Jizhang's meddling, and it will be sold off at a low price soon.

Wen Zizhou then remembered that his younger sister had said she wanted their Baiweizhai restaurant to flourish everywhere.

There's only one branch in the city now, so isn't this restaurant a great choice?

He smiled and picked up the wine, pouring Song Youqing a glass with great courtesy, saying kindly:

"Master Song, our Baiweizhai restaurant is opening a branch. Why don't you just sell the restaurant to me?"

After thinking for a moment, he realized that Song Youqing still held some grudges against him, so he added, "You are Tingwan's father, so I will give you half of the profits as a token of my respect."

He felt that this was a perfectly feasible idea, because Qingzhou County was the largest and most prosperous of the several counties, with a large flow of people coming and going, so there was no worry about not being able to make money.

It's better to take over the business yourself than let someone else take it over.

Song Youqing glanced at him and said, "You've already called Yunniang 'mother-in-law,' so why should I be so polite?"

"Yes, Father-in-law!" Wen Zizhou's face lit up with joy, and he fawned over him, taking the serving chopsticks to serve him food.

Song Tingwan chuckled beside him. Song Youqing smiled and said to Wen Zizhou, "I'll give you the restaurant money for free. If you can make a name for yourself and earn money, Tingwan will get a share."

"If you can't make a name for yourself, then you'd better give it back to me honestly!"

Young people need to have a pioneering spirit!

He deliberately put on a stern face, but Wen Zizhou was not afraid at all and even patted his chest to guarantee it:

"Father-in-law, don't worry. I, Wen Zizhou, may not be good at other things, but I'll definitely be able to handle this with ease."

"I give all the money I earn to Tingwan; I don't keep any for myself."

He promised that the most important reason he wanted the restaurant was that it was right under Song Youqing's nose, which undoubtedly reassured his father-in-law.

Xie He was relieved to hear this and liked Song Tingwan more and more.

The family only stayed for two days before returning to Qingzhou County, and the one who was most reluctant to leave was actually Song Chengguan.

Song Tingwan tugged at the corner of his mouth, looking a little happier, and then comforted him:

"Your brother-in-law will go to Qingzhou County after he finishes his work these days."

"He can pick you up from school then, so just go back and study hard while you wait for him."

Her words lessened Song Chengguan's reluctance, and he looked up at Wen Zizhou.

Wen Zizhou took out a box from behind him, squatted down in front of him, and opened it.

Inside lay a wolf-hair brush, the one he had begged Wen Luozhi to give it to him back then.

Because Wen Zijin passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), he felt that this was very auspicious and thought he had to have one no matter what.

We haven't even had a chance to use it yet, and we can't believe it's going to be sent out so soon.

"Go back and listen to your older sister. Your brother-in-law will come to Qingzhou County to visit you in a while."

He patted Song Chengguan's head, his handsome face smiling faintly, making Song Tingwan reluctant to blink.

"Useless!" Li Yunwan nudged Song Tingwan lightly with her elbow and whispered. Song Tingwan snapped out of her daze and looked proud.

Without comparison, there is no harm; the man she found herself was a million times better than the one her father had arranged for her.

After they left, the house seemed much quieter. Xie He returned to town to write back to Wen Luozhi, only to find that she didn't even know exactly where she was.

Thinking about it, I realized that Wen Zijin was still in the prefectural city, and he hadn't written home for several days.

In her letter, she mentioned the two brothers, Wen Zizhou and Wen Zixun, without mentioning at all that she was worried that Wen Zixun might distract Wen Zijin from his studies.

On the second floor of Baiweizhai in Fucheng, Wen Zijin slammed a ruler down on the table where Yan Che was lying.

"The academy is about to hold a quiz, how can you still be thinking about sleeping?"

He picked up a newly written notebook by Yan Che and read it, his temples throbbing.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was utter nonsense, but in order not to discourage Yan Che, he didn't say it out loud.

Yan Che woke up abruptly and sat up straight. The tutor Yan Feng had found for him yesterday insisted on giving him extra lessons, and he was just too sleepy.

He picked up the list that Wen Zijin had given him, frowning but not uttering a single complaint.

Wen Zijin sighed softly as she thought about his studies, his occasional visits to the restaurant, and his daily lessons with his family's tutor.

He took the paper from Yan Che's hand and replaced it with a book. "Let's start with the easy ones. Answer as many questions as you can."