Chapter 557: Chapter 544 Well Done

“Mr. Fan was rather displeased in his heart, but he simply took down all the lantern riddles, and let the Third Young Master, Miss Sui, and Young Master Mingli each write the answer on the back. As for what happened next, Miss Zhuang, you can probably guess…”

Of course, she could guess how the patrons of the tea house must have looked at that moment.

All she could say was…

Serves them right!

“Well done.” Zhuang Qingning chuckled, giving a thumbs-up.

Receiving the compliment, the group burst into smiles, especially Chu Jinzhou, whose mouth stretched almost ear to ear. “I knew Big Sister Ning is sensible and would definitely support our actions.”

“Of course I agree. Like a tiger, we can avoid harming others, but when harmed by others, if we do not strike back, others will think the tiger has no claws or teeth and are free to bully it.”

Zhuang Qingning chuckled, “Anyway, I’m the type to take an eye for an eye, I can’t turn the other cheek.”

“‘Return good for evil, but how should one repay good?'”, Fan Wenxuan nodded, “Miss Zhuang, your words hold true. In life, one must stand up for oneself, otherwise, they will take advantage of your kindness.”

“However…”

“But what Big Sister Ning just said was also said by my elder brother—he made it clear that if I ever get bullied, I must fight back, and I mustn’t become a timid tiger, hesitating to use my own claws and teeth.”

Chu Jinzhou started to laugh, scratching his ear, “I can’t help but feel that Big Sister Ning and my elder brother are alike in many ways.”

“Exactly why Big Sister is good friends with Master Chu—it’s all about a similarity in temperament,” Zhuang Qingning said with a laugh.

“Indeed,” Fan Wenxuan agreed, “Being friends with someone largely depends on a compatibility in nature—the rest is trivial.”

Not least of which, social status.

Fan Wenxuan’s words were mainly directed at Zhuang Mingli, who was still looking a little downcast.

Children are often innocent, typically playing with those they like without giving it much thought. This incident, however, had made Zhuang Mingli somewhat upset as he realised that not everyone was equal.

Even though this is something one must learn to deal with in life, Fan Wenxuan, being Mingli’s teacher, wanted to guide him as much as possible to keep him from going astray and save him from feeling upset.

Zhuang Mingli saw Fan Wenxuan looking at him and nodded seriously, “Yes, sir, I understand.”

“Now that you understand, let’s get going.”

Zhuang Qingning grabbed the hands of Zhuang Mingli and Zhuang Qingsui, “It’s time for lunch. Hanfeng Tower is the best restaurant in town—if we don’t go now, there might not be any tables left.”

“Yes, let’s go. I feel like having squirrel fish later.” Zhuang Qingsui said cheerfully.

“And I want crystal elbow flower.” Zhuang Mingli chimed in.

“Since both of you want meat dishes, I’ll add a vegetarian dish, maybe bamboo shoots—it’s the perfect season for them…”

Chu Jinzhou added, walking beside Zhuang Qingning, heading towards Hanfeng Tower with brisk strides.

—-

The capital city, within Linglong Square.

Zhong Yingcai took a sip of his tea, glanced at the account book on the table, put his teacup down, and turned a page of the book.

Then he let out a long sigh.

A boy named Qi Er, who was standing by his side, refilled his tea. Seeing his boss with a troubled frown, he was rather surprised, “Manager, why are you so listless? Since our shop opened on the 8th, it’s only been a few days, but Linglong Pavilion has already turned a profit of 10,000 taels, with a net income of 2,000-3,000 taels. Shouldn’t you be happy about such prosperity?”

Besides, it was not just Linglong Pavilion, the rest of the shops were also thriving.

Even the various manors outside had abundant harvests last year and contributed a lot.

It can be said that the businesses managed by Zhong Yingcai were all making profits, without exceptions.

Even Mr. Qiao once praised that Zhong Yingcai’s abilities were outstanding among all the managers of the Qiao family, which was a testament to his talents.

So from Qi Er’s perspective, this should be something to be happy about. He couldn’t understand why Zhong Yingcai was sighing so heavily.

“Earning a fortune?”

Zhong Yingcai snorted, “Isn’t that just part of our normal operations? It’s exactly what’s expected. What’s there to be happy about?”

“And what use is all that money? Our master is not short of money…”

“Ah!”

Another long sigh.

Qi Er rested his hand on his ear, and in his heart, he felt a bit sorry for Zhong Yingcai.

However, considering Mr. Qiao’s current wealth, he didn’t really need more. Even if he did nothing but frivolously squander his fortune every day, he would have enough to support two or three generations.

Moreover, Chu Jinnian, the eldest son, was not greedy for money or luxury, and he never paid much attention to his businesses and whether or not they were profitable.

No wonder Zhong Yingcai was feeling frustrated, as though he was a warrior with no battlefield to fight on.

Even to Qi Er, it looked as if Zhong Yingcai was a talent that went unrecognized.

Seeing Zhong Yingcai’s frustration, Qi Er suddenly remembered something. He went to find a letter which arrived a while ago, and handed it to Zhong Yingcai, “Oh, Mr. Manager, here’s a letter someone delivered earlier. They said it’s from the Master.”

“Oh?”

The Master remembered he existed?

Zhong Yingcai’s spirit was suddenly lifted, his posture straightened, “Quickly, let me see?”

Upon saying that, he impatiently snatched the letter from Qi Er, carefully unfolded the letter and speedily scanned its contents.

As he initially glanced over the letter, Zhong Yingcai was stunned. Then he reread the letter again and again in fine detail.

The more times he read it, the deeper his smile became. By his third reading, he slapped his thigh and began laughing heartily.

“Manager, what happened?”

Qi Er watched Zhong Yingcai in utter astonishment, “Did the Master say something pleasant?”

“Good news, good news!”

Zhong Yingcai carefully refolded the letter and put it back in its envelope. His face was a picture of joy as he turned to Qi Er, “I can finally flex my muscles and do something big!”

“Huh?” Qi Er looked even more confused, but then he cheered up, “Do you mean the Master has finally decided to take an interest in our business?”

“It’s more than just taking an interest. The Master is sending me to carry out a major transaction.”

At this point, Zhong Yingcai was brimming over with pride, his mouth and eyebrows both raised in delight, “I always knew money is something everyone loves. Even the Emperor holds money in high regard, so it’s no surprise for mere mortals.”

“The Master was only young and didn’t realise the value of money before. But now that he’s grown older, he understands that making money is a real pleasure.”