Chapter 62: Lack of Virtue

Reporting the accounts every half month was like a work report for Ji Ze.

Seeing Ji Duo frown, Ji Ze instinctively wondered if he had said something wrong, but Ji Duo’s question caught him off guard.

He was puzzled. “It’s just ‘Mu’ from ‘wood’ and ‘Zi’ from ‘bullet.’ Isn’t this a collaboration with Aunt? We each took half from our surnames.”

Taking half from their surnames?

Ji Duo stared at him for a while without speaking. After a moment, in the evening breeze, his cold, deep voice finally came through. “How long have you been using it?”

“We’ve always used this,” Ji Ze said. “Since I talked to you about expanding the scale, we’ve been using it.”

That was quite a while ago. With his current sales range, probably half of Yandu City knew about it. But since it was far away and Ji Ze was careful, they hadn’t sold it to the military side, so Ji Duo hadn’t noticed for over two months.

This made Ji Duo fall silent again. “This isn’t good. Change it.”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s pretty good,” Ji Ze said, clearly satisfied with his idea. “It’s simple, easy to remember, and meaningful.”

Upon hearing the phrase “meaningful,” Ji Duo’s gaze shifted entirely from the accounts to Ji Ze’s face.

After a moment, Ji Duo continued, “It’s easy to expose. Don’t you want to avoid letting your sister-in-law find out so soon?”

Realizing this was the issue, Ji Ze relaxed. “No worries, they won’t find out. Everyone thinks my surname is Li now. Even the employees call me Boss Li.”

He seemed quite proud of this.

It was clear that subtle hints weren’t getting through. Ji Duo closed the accounts. “Is it appropriate to use a name combining yours and your aunt’s?”

Ji Ze was taken aback. “Don’t others do the same? Two people, two characters; three people, three characters. Besides, my name is already out there. Everyone recognizes it, and I can’t change it now.”

He didn’t think his uncle was this petty. “Did Aunt say it wasn’t good?”

Now, it was Ji Duo’s turn to be shocked. He looked at his nephew for a while, then reopened the accounts. “Has Song Jing contacted you recently?”

At this, Ji Ze’s face fell. “She hasn’t, but my mom has called the military camp twice, insisting I send her things. If I hadn’t given them a heads-up, it might have been exposed.”

“Have you ever wondered why Sister-in-law always wants you to send her things?” Ji Duo asked meaningfully.

Ji Ze hadn’t thought about it. “Isn’t it because Aunt Cheng asked me to look after her?”

“Do you think Aunt Cheng knew about the rumors Sister-in-law spread? She didn’t just spread them about me and your aunt.”

Ji Ze was stunned, his expression shifting from doubt and disbelief to speechlessness. “My mom isn’t trying to set me up with Song Jing, is she?”

Because of those rumors, Ji Duo had to marry Lin Qiao. Ji Ze had always felt guilty about it and never delved into the other aspects of the rumors.

Seeing he understood, Ji Duo put away the accounts. “This will come out eventually. Handle it yourself, and don’t drag your aunt into it.”

Ji Ze nodded. “Aunt doesn’t even know about my collaboration with her. Why would I drag her into it?”

With business and Song Jing both being troublesome matters, he couldn’t help but rub his forehead, losing all excitement and pride.

Ji Duo returned to give the money and accounts to Lin Qiao, who was already mentally prepared and didn’t say much. She placed the items into the money box and took out the passbook to check. It seemed that as long as there were no major issues, the investment of over ten thousand yuan would break even by the end of the year.

Most of that ten thousand yuan was Ji Duo’s savings, so the five percent share she earned was a profit. By next year, after saving a bit more, she should be able to buy a house near the university after the college entrance exams. Ideally, it would be a courtyard house. Even someone who doesn’t read novels knows how valuable those will become in the future—definitely a worthwhile investment.

While she was calculating, the man at the desk asked, “Did you know my friend gave the liquid soap a name?”

“Yes, I know,” Lin Qiao replied casually, unsurprised. “Muzi Liquid Soap, right? I heard my colleague mention it before.”

In fact, she had guessed that the name was derived from combining half of her surname, Lin, and half of his surname, Ji. It showed a sincere intention to collaborate. But since the name had been used for a while, why was he bringing it up now? Was he planning to come clean?

Lin Qiao closed and locked the box, waiting for him to continue, but Ji Duo remained silent.

Why bring it up if he didn’t want to explain? Surely he didn’t just want her to praise his naming skills?

Lin Qiao hadn’t noticed this side of him before, but since he seemed sincere about the collaboration, she decided to compliment him. “The name is good—simple, easy to remember, and even people who aren’t very literate can understand it.”

Then she noticed Ji Duo became even more silent. After a while, he changed the subject. “Did you try the shoes Su Zheng brought?”

Did she miss the point?

Lin Qiao felt a bit speechless. Understanding a man’s thoughts wasn’t any easier than understanding a woman’s.

Since he changed the subject, she didn’t bother to dig deeper. “I tried them. They’re a bit looser than my usual shoes, but perfect for wearing at home.”

Meanwhile, although Ji Ze was troubled by his mother, he handled business matters without hesitation.

Early the next morning, he called a meeting with the top salespeople and veterans from the sales department. Because their bonuses were tied to sales volume, his team had been worried about this issue, especially those who had suggested giving commissions to shop assistants. They had already privately apologized to him.

Ji Ze showed enough magnanimity in this regard. “Although you suggested it, I adopted it. Ultimately, it was my decision that wasn’t right.”

This earned him the respect of his team, who had been helping him find solutions with extra dedication.

When he mentioned the idea of small private shops, everyone was enlightened. “That’s a great idea. You always have solutions, boss.”

“This idea came from my family elders,” Ji Ze waved his hand, not taking credit. “Let’s discuss how to select these small shops.”

After the meeting, each salesperson took a tricycle modified from a cart and spread out into the streets and alleys of Yandu. The shop assistant who had previously said, “If you don’t want to sell, don’t sell,” was unaware of this. In the morning, when the shop opened, she habitually placed the plastic bucket of liquid soap in the farthest corner, covering it with other large buckets.

Another shop assistant couldn’t help but ask, “Hasn’t this bucket been here for almost half a month? Still not sold?”

“Two months without selling would be even better,” the shop assistant laughed. “I heard this stuff has a shelf life. If it goes bad, they’ll have to pay for it.”

This casual remark, “they’ll have to pay for it,” showed she knew Ji Ze had no other choice but to give her a one-yuan commission per bucket. Everyone knew how well this product sold. She hid it, and people still asked if the shop had liquid soap. Each time, she said no, fooling them. If she openly sold it, one or two buckets a day would be the minimum. Just by moving her lips, she could earn an extra month’s salary every month.

Someone couldn’t stand it any longer and muttered, “That’s really mean.” Someone nearby immediately pulled them aside. The person doing this was clearly not a good person, and they had an uncle who was the store manager, so everyone was dissatisfied but couldn’t say anything.

When she turned to do something else, the person beside her whispered, “She’s not taking your money. Why bother?”

Just then, a bicycle with a cart attached stopped outside. The rider, wearing a bright red vest, had a row of plastic buckets on the cart.

“See, someone willing to take the hit is here to give her money,” the person beside her said, nodding towards the outside.

The one who had called it mean fell silent, but the shop assistant noticed and couldn’t help but smile. When the person came in, she deliberately turned away and ignored them. However, the expected transaction didn’t happen. The person didn’t even look at her and went straight to the supply office upstairs.

Soon, they came back down. “Since the money is settled, I’ll take this bucket.” They found the plastic bucket in the corner, picked it up, and left.

Not only the shop assistant but everyone else was confused. They asked the supply office and found out the person was returning the goods.

“Aren’t they unhappy with our sales? Are they not going to sell here anymore?” someone couldn’t help but glance at the shop assistant.

The shop assistant’s face turned even uglier. “If they don’t sell here, where else will they sell? In the cold, shouting on the streets?”

However, when she got off work at noon, the group in red vests was indeed on the street, but they weren’t shouting to sell. Instead, they were announcing:

“Muzi Liquid Soap designated sales points: Li Dajie’s shop in Mao’er Hutong, Laiwang’s shop in Sixi Hutong, Chunfu’s small shop in Hehua Alley! Remember, Li Dajie’s shop in Mao’er Hutong, Laiwang’s shop in Sixi Hutong! Buy two pounds in the first seven days and get an extra ounce, buy three pounds and get two extra ounces, limited time offer~”

At first, people just listened, but when they heard about the discount in the first seven days, they immediately gathered to ask.

An extra ounce could last a long time. In these times, everyone was tight on money, so getting a little extra was worth walking a few more steps.

The shop assistant watched as people noted the addresses and headed to the nearest sales point. Some who had come to buy soy sauce at their store also turned and left with their bottles.

The newly opened small shops had never seen so many customers. The ten buckets of liquid soap they had prepared in advance sold out in less than a day. Even as the shops were about to close for the night, people came with bottles, asking if any were left. Some left when they heard it was sold out, while others bought other items from the shop. Before going to bed, the family sat down to tally the day’s earnings. They had made over twenty yuan, almost half a month’s salary.

The discount money came out of their own pockets. Muzi Liquid Soap only promised to sell them at 9 cents per pound for the first seven days. After that, the price would rise to 9.2. But if they could earn this much, 9.2 was still worth it. Selling one bucket a day meant four yuan, and selling two buckets meant eight yuan.

Moreover, they could sell other items alongside the soap. As long as they had something other shops didn’t, they could continuously attract customers.

Early the next morning, people called to order an additional two to six buckets. Within two days, other small shop owners even approached them.

“I don’t think we need to supply the state-owned shops anymore. These fixed points are enough,” a salesperson told Ji Ze when he came to check on the situation. “Privately owned small shops have flexible hours. They open as soon as people wake up and close just before bed, operating longer hours than state-owned shops.”

“They also earn more,” another salesperson added. “Even without commissions, selling to state-owned shops only gets us 9 cents per pound.”

Having just retrieved empty buckets from a state-owned shop, he knew more. “When they heard we wouldn’t be selling there anymore, those who got commissions all asked why. I barely got out and told them some shops deliberately hid the products.”

“You’re ruthless,” another salesperson laughed. “Losing such a big commission, they’ll tear those shop assistants apart.”

“They brought it on themselves. If they weren’t greedy, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Finally, the sales team felt relieved after venting their frustration over the past few days. Ji Ze also smiled. “Everyone, work hard for the next few days. Once we’re through this busy period, I’ll treat you all to a meal.”

Just as he finished speaking, he noticed something and quickly took a cotton hat from a salesperson and put it on his own head.

The salesperson was confused, but Ji Ze pulled the hat down low, hiding his face in his coat collar. “Cover for me.”

Though puzzled, they moved to shield him.

After a while, Ji Ze peeked out and sighed in relief, seeing the coast was clear. When asked what was wrong, he didn’t explain. “Let me borrow your hat for a while. I forgot mine today.”

When the business was small, he avoided places where he might run into family. As it grew, he didn’t need to be as hands-on. But recently, he had run into his aunt last week and his mom and aunt this week. His aunt was manageable, but his mom was a big problem. He realized he needed to be more careful until he officially established his factory next spring.

Ji Ze quickly left the area. Meanwhile, Ye Minshu, though she had walked past, still frowned. “I thought I saw Xiao Ze.”

“You must be mistaken,” her sister-in-law said. “The military isn’t on leave today. How could he be outside?”

“That’s true,” Ye Minshu relaxed slightly but couldn’t help looking at the crowded street. “Just for an extra ounce or two, they must queue so long?”

Knowing Ye Minshu valued appearances and disliked crowds for small savings, her sister-in-law said, “You don’t need to, but I have to. Your brother earns little, and we have many children. Every penny counts.”

No girl marries up without her family wanting to benefit from it. Ye Minshu stopped by the roadside and didn’t respond. “You go ahead. I won’t join the crowd.”

Her sister-in-law went in with a bucket and bought six pounds. If she wasn’t worried about it spoiling, she would have bought more.

On the way back, her sister-in-law suddenly asked, “I remember you said your mother-in-law had a birthday, and your sister-in-law gave her homemade liquid soap. Is it this kind?”

Ye Minshu had complained to her family about Xu Li’s youngest daughter-in-law treating everything she gave as a treasure. But her sister-in-law bringing this up now…

Sure enough, her sister-in-law lowered her voice. “This is the best-selling item in Yandu right now. If it is, I wonder who taught her. Could she teach me and your brother?”

Ye Minshu stopped in her tracks. “Given our relationship, you want me to ask her to teach you and my brother?”

Her disbelief was evident, making her sister-in-law uncomfortable. “She only argued with you once. There’s no real enmity…”

But that was Xiao Ze’s former childhood betrothed. Ye Minshu would be crazy to ask her for help, even though Lin Qiao herself was unaware.

“Forget it,” Ye Minshu refused bluntly. “It’s getting late. I need to go home and cook for Ji Jun.”

She didn’t give her sister-in-law a chance to speak again, adjusting her cashmere scarf and leaving.

“She acts so high and mighty, marrying into such a family while her own family eats gruel,” her sister-in-law couldn’t help but mutter.

At lunch, she told her husband about it, and he frowned. “Asking her to mend relations with her sister-in-law isn’t asking her to compete. Isn’t this making her less favored by the Ji family elders?”

“Who knows what she’s thinking,” her sister-in-law said, serving the meal. “I only know that others who marry well help their family. She always says the old man and her husband don’t allow it, afraid we’ll benefit even a little.”

“You can’t say that. Didn’t she ask Elder Ji for help when I was in trouble?”

“What trouble? Nowadays, that wouldn’t even be an issue. Since she helped you, she’s been displeased with us. You know that.”

Her husband fell silent. It seemed true that since then, Minshu has always seemed resentful towards him. Moreover, his sister kept a close watch on them, fearing they would use her name to do something that might affect her standing in the Ji family or her husband’s and son’s future.

“Let’s investigate that liquid soap,” he told his wife. “Find out who’s behind it. No one knows how to make it. It might be related to her sister-in-law. We’re not looking to make it big, just enough to earn ten or twenty yuan a day without affecting their business.”

While liquid soap was being heavily promoted, Lin Qiao’s middle school was also busy with monthly exams. This was the last monthly exam before the final exams.

Group Leader Gao was eager to see if all the practice had led to improvement. When the average chemistry scores were calculated, his class’s scores were at the bottom. Not only was his class surpassed by Class Three, but Class Four’s average score was only slightly behind that of Class Two, potentially catching up soon.

Holding the results, he looked at Lin Qiao. “It seems my efforts are about to be wasted.”

His humorous remark made everyone in the office laugh. Lin Qiao pointed to the overall average score. “Look at the overall average.”

Group Leader Gao didn’t need to look further. Calculating the scores of the four classes, he knew, “72.3, not bad. Two points higher than midterms.”

“It seems the practice paid off,” Class Three’s teacher smiled. “I remember you said the test was difficult, fearing the students wouldn’t do well.”

Indeed, they had made the test harder than the joint exams to boost students’ confidence. After all, if they could handle the harder questions, they would find the easier ones a breeze. However, while chemistry showed improvement, other subjects didn’t fare as well. Li Xiaoqiu, for instance, fell out of the top ten in her grade. The problem was in Chinese. Not only did she go off-topic in her essay, but she also didn’t finish it before time ran out. She left the exam crying, and her face was pale when she saw her scores.

“Is she under too much pressure?” Teacher Lan privately asked Lin Qiao. “With the reading corner in the class, other students’ scores will improve, and she might fear not doing well.”

Sometimes, the more someone cares, the harder they try and the worse they perform. Li Xiaoqiu was like that. She used to finish her exams, but she was so cautious this time that she ran out of time.

Lin Qiao felt she needed to talk to Li Xiaoqiu to help her adjust her mindset. Just as she was about to call her to the office, she saw her with Teacher Li in the stairwell.

Teacher Li, knowing her scores, was red with anger. “Others improve with study, but you regress. You didn’t even make the top ten this time! If you keep this up, why bother with college? What will you do without a degree?”

Li Xiaoqiu listened with her head down, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing her cry, Teacher Li got angrier. “Crying won’t help! Will it improve your scores? Will it?”

Unlike parents who ignore their children, Teacher Li raised Li Xiaoqiu alone, making him responsible.

Lin Qiao knew from Teacher Lan that Teacher Li had privately asked her to tutor Li Xiaoqiu, offering to pay. But Chinese wasn’t something that could be easily tutored, so she declined. Education varies by person. Some students need strict discipline to keep them grounded, while others, like Li Xiaoqiu, need encouragement.

Teacher Li’s approach would only increase Li Xiaoqiu’s pressure and anxiety, making it even harder for her to perform well in Chinese next time.

Lin Qiao walked over. “Li Xiaoqiu, have you submitted your chemistry homework today?”

The girl, clearly not expecting her, quickly wiped her face and whispered, “I-I did.”

Lin Qiao frowned. “Then why haven’t I seen it? Come over and check.”

Since the incident with the lost watch, Teacher Li had felt uneasy around Lin Qiao. Seeing her now, he stopped talking.

Li Xiaoqiu followed Lin Qiao to the office, only to find her homework already marked and graded on Lin Qiao’s desk. She was stunned and then realized what was happening. Her tears, which had just stopped, began to fall again. “Thank-thank you, Ms. Lin.”

“It’s okay. Wipe your face before you go back,” Lin Qiao said, handing her a handkerchief. “It’s alright not to do well once. If needed, I’ll think of other ways to help you.”

“Ms. Lin, you’ve already been very kind to me,” Li Xiaoqiu said, using her own handkerchief to wipe her face before returning to class.

The girl’s dejected figure tugged at Lin Qiao’s heart. She sat at her desk, deep in thought, and suddenly asked the head teacher of Class Three, “What competitions are currently available in the country?”