Chapter 50: Profit Analysis

◎Disagreement◎

“Alright, but remember, when you go, don’t go empty-handed.” It’s always a little awkward to take things from the in-laws without giving anything in return.

“Mm, got it.” Jiang Che knew Wei Xuan was shy, so he didn’t press her on the matter. Instead, he asked, “Was the girl well-behaved today?”

“She’s always well-behaved. Oh, by the way, Cheng Shao and Bian Qianqian came today.”

“What did they come for?”

Before Wei Xuan could answer, Cheng Shao’s voice came from the yard.

Wei Xuan gave him a glance, signaling him to go ahead and greet the guests, then looked at the dishes on the table. After a moment’s thought, she decided to add another dish of steamed eggplant.

Jiang Che stepped out of the kitchen and saw Cheng Shao standing in the yard holding something.

“Why is it just you? Didn’t your wife come?”

Cheng Shao followed Jiang Che into the living room, replying, “My wife went back to the village this afternoon. We have kids at home, so she can’t stay away for too long.”

Jiang Che nodded without saying anything.

Cheng Shao put the things he was holding on the table. “This is the milk powder I bought for my niece.”

Jiang Che immediately declined, “I can’t accept this, it’s too expensive. Besides, Yuan Yuan can’t drink this yet. Take it back for your son instead.” A box of milk powder wasn’t cheap—looks like this guy’s business is doing well!

Since he had already brought it, Cheng Shao wasn’t planning to take it back.

“Brother Jiang, it’s just a box of milk powder. You’ve already helped me so many times; please don’t refuse. Otherwise, I’ll feel embarrassed to come to your door again.”

At this point, Jiang Che couldn’t really refuse. He only asked, “Alright, I’ll take it, but are you here for something else? Your wife didn’t tell me anything about it.”

“Brother Jiang, it’s about the grain business I mentioned last time. The grain prices dropped a while ago, so I made a small profit. But now there’s a problem: this business requires frequent trips to the city, and sometimes I stay for several days. Qianqian wants to bring the kids to the city and rent a place to stay, so she can also take care of me.”

Jiang Che nodded. “Hmm, that’s a good thing!”

“It is a good thing, but the problem lies in finding a place,” Cheng Shao said with a frown. “You know, this business is still a bit under the radar, so when I looked for a house, I was hoping for something like yours, a standalone house. But houses like that are hard to find, right? I heard from my wife that you’re familiar with this area, so I wanted to see if you could help me find one.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jiang Che said after a moment, recalling a few houses that fit Cheng Shao’s requirements.

“I do have two places in mind, but I’m a bit busy these days. How about this: when I have a day off, I’ll have Jianjun contact you, and I’ll take you to see them?”

“That works, that’s great!” Cheng Shao said excitedly. “As long as we find a suitable house, I don’t mind waiting a day or two. I’ve been looking for a while now, but without any connections, it’s hard to find anything.”

The conversation was over just as Wei Xuan finished preparing dinner. She brought the dishes into the living room and said to Cheng Shao, “Brother Cheng, stay and have a meal with us.”

Cheng Shao only then realized it was meal time and quickly stood up, saying, “No, no, I’ll eat at home.”

It wasn’t until Jiang Che spoke that he agreed to stay for dinner.

Just as they were finishing the meal, Third Brother Wei’s wife arrived.

“Third Brother Wei’s wife?” Wei Xuan paused before asking, “Have you eaten? Do you want to join us?”

“Ah, I’ve already eaten,” she replied. “I just wanted to talk to you about something. It’s nothing important. You go ahead and eat; don’t mind me, we can talk after.”

Third Brother Wei’s wife had originally planned to come see Wei Xuan about work before her shift, but after staying up late thinking about it, she had gotten up late and couldn’t make it. She feared Wei Xuan might have already sold the job, so she rushed to talk to her after work. She hadn’t expected there to be guests, which made things a bit awkward.

Wei Xuan had almost finished eating and noticed how uncomfortable Third Brother Wei’s wife seemed standing there. She quickly finished the last bite of her meal, stood up, and said, “Let’s talk next door.” She then politely excused herself to Cheng Shao and led Third Brother Wei’s wife out.

Yuan Yuan was still sleeping inside. The two of them sat down quietly, and Wei Xuan asked, “What’s the matter?”

Third Brother Wei’s wife explained that she wanted to buy the supply and marketing cooperative.

Wei Xuan asked, “Did Mom agree?”

“My third brother said he would talk to Dad and Mom about it.”

So, it seemed her third brother already knew and agreed. Wei Xuan didn’t expect Third Brother Wei’s wife to be so decisive.

But just the two of them agreeing wasn’t enough.

“To be honest, I have no problem giving you this job, but it still depends on what Mom thinks. You know, there are two other sisters-in-law besides you, and I can’t make them feel like Dad, Mom, and I, as the youngest, are being unfair to them.”

Thinking Wei Xuan didn’t want to give her the job, Third Brother Wei’s wife quickly started to explain.

Wei Xuan didn’t give her the chance to speak, saying, “Let’s do this: I’ll call Mom tomorrow to ask her what she thinks. How does that sound?”

Realizing that was as far as Wei Xuan was willing to go, Third Brother Wei’s wife nodded, “Alright.”

After Third Brother Wei’s wife left, Wei Xuan began to worry. Initially, she hadn’t thought much of it. It was just a job, and though it seemed like a good opportunity, it would only last a few years at most.

What bothered her more was whether staying in the capital would cause problems between Third Brother Wei’s wife and her third brother.

It wasn’t until Jiang Che reminded her yesterday that she realized this job might cause trouble for the Wei family.

When she saw that Third Brother Wei’s wife hadn’t come to her, she had assumed she didn’t have the intention. She had planned to sell the job quickly and forget about it. Who would have thought she’d show up now?

Jiang Che finished cleaning up the dishes and entered the room, finding his wife sitting there in silence. He asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Wei Xuan looked out the window, realizing it was already dark. “Did Cheng Shao leave?”

“Mm, he left,” Jiang Che sat next to her. “What did Third Brother Wei’s wife say that’s got you so worried?”

“It’s about the job I mentioned yesterday. Do you think I’ve really become silly recently, not thinking things through?”

Jiang Che laughed, rubbing her head. “This is something you’ll have to discuss with your mom. You need to know what she thinks.”

Jiang Che had already realized that while his wife seemed smart, she was very straightforward when it came to dealing with people. If she didn’t like someone, like her eldest sister-in-law, she would distance herself and avoid interactions.

With Bian Qianqian, he noticed his wife wasn’t fond of her and didn’t agree with many of her actions. But when Bian Qianqian needed help, his wife would still lend a hand, even privately worrying about the potential gossip.

This situation was the same. His wife was only thinking about helping her family, but she hadn’t considered the bigger picture—Third Brother Wei’s wife and the Wei family were different, and she couldn’t represent the entire family.

But whatever happened, as her husband, he couldn’t let her handle it alone. And he couldn’t bear to see her upset.

After a moment, he came up with an idea. “Wife, you know why your eldest and second sisters would be upset, right? It’s because of the benefits! Now that third brother Wei’s wife has a job and can earn money every month, can they not feel jealous? We should find a way for your brothers to make money too.”

Wei Xuan said irritably, “It’s easy to say, do you think jobs are like cabbages, so easy to find?”

“Ai, making money doesn’t necessarily require a job. Look at Brother Wu and Cheng Shao.”

“Ah, right, how did I not think of that?” Wei Xuan’s eyes lit up, and she was about to have a deep discussion with Jiang Che about this when Yuan Yuan, the little girl, woke up with a series of baby sounds.

Alright, all the words in her belly would have to wait for now; she had to take care of this little ancestor first.

It wasn’t until the two of them were lying in bed that night that Wei Xuan continued the conversation, asking Jiang Che, “Did you think of a good solution? Hurry up and tell me.”

Seeing that his wife was really anxious, Jiang Che didn’t beat around the bush and directly said, “Today I talked with Cheng Shao. I think his business is pretty good. You can ask your brothers if they’re interested in doing it.”

“Isn’t that bad?” Doesn’t this mean they’re going to steal Cheng Shao’s business? How could she still be friends with him after that?

Understanding the meaning behind her words, Jiang Che didn’t mind and said, “What’s so bad about it? The capital city is so big, and he can only cover a small area by himself. Even if your brothers don’t take on this job, does that mean no one else will? If you feel embarrassed, I can just tell Cheng Shao next time I see him.”

“Alright, it’s better to mention it first.” She couldn’t control other people, but since her family was going to get into this business and it would follow after Cheng Shao, she felt it would be better to clear things up and make sure everything was out in the open so that no misunderstandings were left.

Seeing that his wife agreed, Jiang Che continued to explain the benefits of this plan: “First, your big sister and second sister won’t misunderstand that you and your parents favor the third brother. Secondly, you have more brothers than Cheng Shao, which gives you an advantage. Your three brothers can work together, for example, the older brothers could go to the countryside to collect grain.” Jiang Che paused for a moment and then continued, “Actually, besides grain, other agricultural products could also be sold. As long as they can collect them, they won’t lose out. The grain collected could be transported by the third brother to the city to sell. This way, the third brother and his wife can see each other often, and you won’t have to worry about any issues with their relationship.”

The more Wei Xuan listened, the more she felt that this plan was great, and she couldn’t wait to call her family and tell them about it. But in the end, Jiang Che said, “Go to sleep, it’s getting late.” This was enough to hold back Wei Xuan’s eager desire to act on it.

The next day, Jiang Che still had to go to work. Wei Xuan had to wait until the afternoon when Jiang Che got back and someone could watch over Yuan Yuan before she could make the call to her family.

To her surprise, just before noon, a postman came and delivered a letter from her mother.

Wei Xuan opened the letter, read it, and decided against making the call. Instead, she decided to reply by letter.

In the letter, besides explaining her thoughts, she also told her mother that if they couldn’t come to a decision, they could send her older brothers to the city, and she would speak to them in person.

Mainly, Wei Xuan felt that such an important matter couldn’t be fully explained over the phone or by letter. It would be best to discuss it face to face. If not for Yuan Yuan, she would have returned home, but now she had to ask her older brothers to come to the city to find her.

What Wei Xuan didn’t expect was that her letter would cause a disagreement, and it would be between her father and mother.