Chapter 455 - 457: Saying Goodbye One by One
"How can that be the same? Even when we were in business together, we didn’t contribute much. Without your help, we couldn’t continue. We rely on you. You are shouldering all the business risks and the cost of renting the stalls. How could we further divide the profit?" Lai Fu was an honest man. He just said what he was thinking.
"I said 20% means 20%. You don’t even listen to me now, what will happen in the future?" Bai Ruozhu pretended to be angry.
With the conversation having reached this point, Lai Fu didn’t dare to say more, and reluctantly accepted.
Bai Zehao had been quietly observing his sister’s actions. When confronted with Shen Lu’s unreasonable demands, his sister cleverly handled Shen Lu, promising him some benefits in just a few sentences. This not only forced Shen Lu to back down, but also avoided creating a rift, instead, it won them Shen Lu’s loyalty and advanced payment.
Next was the Lin Family’s allegiance. His sister generously gave the Lin Family a 20% bonus. He remembered that his sister had also proposed a 20% bonus to the Du Family, but Du Zhongshu had hesitated. However, not only did his sister give the Lin Family 20%, she promised the Zhang Family a 20% bonus for their fresh soup noodle business. It was clear how generous his sister was to her subordinates, which surely made people more willing to work for her.
Bai Zehao couldn’t help but sigh. How did his sister think of all this? He couldn’t figure it out.
After receiving Bai Ruozhu’s approval, the Lin family happily returned home to pack. They were to leave with the Bai family early in two days.
Thinking about how they needed to find another carriage, Bai Ruozhu asked Zhang Liliang to help find one, and to also get in touch with the merchant team that often travelled to Beiyu City; they still had a lot of things to send there, such as Bai Zepei’s books.
Everyone was delighted that the Lin family decided to go to Beiyu City. After all, the two families had been together for a long time, and it would be a pity to separate now. Only Bai Yihong was worried, fearing that their income would not be enough to support so many people.
Bai Zehao, now following Zhang Liliang around to run errands, is his apprentice. If he does not work hard to learn, he would certainly tell Bai Yihong, "Stop worrying. Our little sister just made more than 300 liang."
Since Bai Ruozhu had not disclosed much to her father, Bai Yihong felt some pressure and began to think more about his daughter’s suggestion.
Just when the Bai family had finished packing and were about to leave to accept Bai Lu’s invitation, they found that the coachman was still waiting outside their door. Bai Ruozhu was a little upset. Had she been too generous with her tips? She had just returned and hadn’t tipped him, yet he was still hovering around for money.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t like ungrateful or overly greedy people.
On seeing Bai Ruozhu come out, the coachman hastily explained, "Miss, I wanted to ask if you will need to use the carriage in the next few days? I don’t have much business in town. For example, I can exclusively dedicate my services for the next two days. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t charge any money for these two days. The tip you gave me earlier was more than enough. This is just a complimentary service."
He thought of some merchants in Beiyu City who offered free home delivery and even free carriage hires to customers who bought a lot of things - they called it a complimentary service – and figured he was doing something similar.
Seeing how sincere the coachman was, and realising that he wasn’t just putting on a show, Bai Ruozhu felt a little embarrassed as she had misunderstood him.
"In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony. Thank you." She was not going to act formally with the coachman and wouldn’t pay him any fare or tip for the next two days. She would then see what his attitude like.
The coachman cheerfully said, "Please don’t be formal with me. I’ve earned almost as much in these past few days as I’d normally make in half a month. I should be thanking you."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled. This man was very straightforward, making no secret of how much he had made.
Now that they had a carriage, it was much more convenient for the Bai family to go to Fengye Village. Bai Ruozhu, however, had to do a lot of coaxing before she could leave Bai Ruolan, who was clinging to her, in the West Courtyard, with Guizhi to look after her.
Guizhi felt very sorry for Bai Ruolan. A girl her age had suddenly become like this, it was truly heartbreaking.
When the Bai family members boarded the carriage, it became quite crowded. Bai Ruozhu took a look at her elder and second brothers, thinking that now that she had some money in hand, she could buy two horses for them once they reached Beiyu City. It would be so impressive if her brothers rode horses when they go out.
Soon, the family arrived at Fengye Village. As few people in the village hired carriages, their carriage stopping in front of the Bai Lu’s house drew many onlookers.
Although Bai Lu had previously asked them not to bring anything, the Bai family still brought good wine and some meat bought from a butcher’s stall along the way. It was not right to go empty-handed when you were invited to dinner at someone’s house.
Bai Ruozhu tried to help in the kitchen, but Li’s wife wouldn’t let her. They said Bai Ruozhu must have been very tired these past few days and should take this opportunity to rest.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t convince them and sat on the warm bed with Dengdeng, listening to their chat in a very lively room. Bai Zepei tried to call Bai Fu into the conversation, but Bai Fu persistently refused to participate. Bai Zepei ended up having to sit in his small room and chat with him for a while instead.
Bai Yihong looked a bit depressed, and Bai Lu noticed this. He said, "You don’t need to worry about your father. I think he is much better now than before. Haven’t you seen his complexion improve and him putting on a little weight?"
Indeed, with a relaxed mind, the body is fattened. The old man could no longer run around recklessly, but he could breathe more easily.
After hearing Bai Lu’s words, Bai Yihong’s mood improved. Although the old man had less freedom now, he was at least able to enjoy his twilight years in peace. What if something happened to him while he was trying to "rescue" Bai Yibo?
Two large tables were set for dinner. The men sat at one table and the women and children sat at another. Apart from Bai Ruozhu and the few children who couldn’t drink, Lin Ping’er and Wan Caiyue both drank a little. However, Bai Yihong and Bai Zepei drank most. Everyone took turns proposing toasts, wishing the Bai Family’s second home prosperity in Beiyu City and hoping the Bai Zepei would achieve good results on his exams next year.
The original plan was to go back to their courtyard in Mountain Village after dinner to get Bai Zepei’s books. However, Bai Yihong and Bai Zepei had drunken too much, so the family had to return to the West Courtyard by carriage instead. The next afternoon, when Bai Zepei had sobered up, Bai Zehao accompanied him into the village to get his books.
The two took the horse carriage, which attracted the attention of the fellow villagers. Bai Zehao felt a bit flamboyant, but a large carriage was necessary to carry all those books.
Bai Zepei tidied his books. He gave some beginner-level books to Bai Zeji, including the notes he had made, which thrilled Bai Zeji as these books were extremely helpful for him.
"Zepei, I will definitely study hard. I will come to look for you in Beiyu City in the future," exclaimed Zeji excitedly.
Bai Zehao patted his shoulder and laughed, "You go for it! However, by the time you get to Beiyu City, Zepei could already be in the capital."
Bai Zeji jabbed in the chest and said, "Cousin, are you trying to provoke me?"