Chapter 258: Chapter 109: A Guarding Heart is Indispensable

Later, when Moonlight Fragrance became a hit, Mr. Wang grew so envious of the silver she was making that they changed their business arrangement. They went from a consignment model, where Mr. Wang took a fixed commission, to him buying the goods outright for resale.

But to be fair, Mr. Wang had put in a great deal of effort promoting Moonlight Fragrance at the very beginning.

Her mother had always said that the worst thing in business was a lopsided deal. ’If you’re eating the meat, you have to let others drink the soup. A business will only last if everyone gets a share of the profits.’

Chen Wanqing made a swift decision and gave the remaining boxes of Moonlight Fragrance to Mr. Wang.

"It’s mostly stick incense; there’s only one case of incense pills."

Mr. Wang chuckled. "That’s no problem. It’s all your creation, and it’s all Moonlight Fragrance. The incense pills are in high demand, and when customers can’t find them, they’ll buy the stick incense instead."

Mr. Wang added, "This batch should sell very well. Mr. Chen, if you have any more stock at home, please set some aside for me. I’ll come back in two days to pick it up."

Chen Wanqing did a quick mental calculation, estimating how many incense pills she could make in two days, then nodded and showed Mr. Wang a number with her hand.

Mr. Wang thought the number was a bit low, but Chen Wanqing said, "You know how high the demand has been lately..."

Mr. Wang could only nod. "I suppose that’s the best we can do."

Mr. Wang then offered Chen Wanqing his sincere congratulations.

He had expected Zhao Jing to pass the county exam.

But for him to beat all the favored candidates and take the top spot was truly beyond his expectations.

He had gone to the examination grounds the day before to read the essay Zhao Jing had written. It was not only simple and elegant but also deeply thought-provoking, with every word a gem. The prose was vivid and flowed effortlessly, a truly astonishing display of the young man’s profound scholarship.

"The moment the essay was posted, all controversy vanished. Even the other candidates who ranked lower, who had been unconvinced at first, were filled with admiration."

As they read it, some seemed to have an epiphany, while others would suddenly clap their hands in praise or even burst into tears.

Their reactions were too numerous to list.

But it was an indisputable fact that Zhao Jing had outshone all the other students on his own merit.

"If he keeps this up, Jing is certain to earn the title of Scholar. He might even win first place in all three preliminary exams. I have high hopes for him."

Chen Wanqing smiled and thanked him, promising to pass his words on to Zhao Jing for encouragement.

Mr. Wang first smiled, then waved his hand. "Ah, perhaps not. It might sound like I’m lecturing him."

"How is that a lecture? It’s a blessing. Besides, you helped Jing so much when he fell on hard times, it’s only proper he call you Mr. Wang. When an elder offers guidance, Jing should listen gladly."

"You’re too kind, you’re too kind..."

After seeing Mr. Wang off, Chen Wanqing closed up the shop, ready to head home.

Mrs. Zhu was also preparing to close her shop and go home for dinner.

Because her shop was small, Mrs. Zhu had her umbrella-making apprentices work out of her home.

Some of the youths learning the trade were local, and some were not. So, Mrs. Zhu had also taken on the task of cooking communal meals for her students, and now she had to go home to cook for everyone.

She had seen with her own eyes how oxcarts arrived at Qingxiang House one after another, only to leave again, fully laden.

In contrast to the booming, lucrative business over here, she hadn’t sold a single umbrella all morning. Her own business was so dismal she felt like crying.

Mrs. Zhu tentatively asked Chen Wanqing, "Are you taking on any apprentices?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you should. With business this good, not having a few apprentices to help you must really be holding you back."

"There’s a saying: ’Teach the apprentice everything, and the master starves.’ For my business to have a long future, I think it’s best not to take on any apprentices for now."

Chen Wanqing added a light jab, "I’m not as open-minded as you, willing to teach your family’s most treasured secrets to outsiders just like that."

Mrs. Zhu retorted defensively, "Who would just hand over their most treasured secrets to an outsider? If they don’t plan on supporting my husband and me in our old age and attending to us during every festival, they can just dream of learning our family’s secret techniques!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Chen Wanqing just watched her with a faint smile. Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, Mrs. Zhu gave her own cheek a light tap. "Oh, listen to this stupid mouth of mine, sprouting nonsense. Anyway, Wanqing, it’s getting late. I’d better get back to making dinner."

Mrs. Zhu scurried off like a thief about to be caught. Chen Wanqing had wanted to ask if she’d figured out a solution to the problem of people "stealing" her techniques, but seeing her flee like that, she decided not to bother.

She locked the shop door and turned to head home.

Chen Wanqing hadn’t paid much attention on her way to the shop earlier. But on the walk home, she heard people all over the street—whether they were porters carrying poles, friends out for a stroll, or shoppers buying vegetables—gathered in small groups, all talking about the Zhao family, the Li family, and the Chen family.