The Heir

Сhapter 113: Саsual Cоnversatiоn оn Dеvеlорment Plаns

After Luo Qian saw Zhen Niаng оff, he turnеd baсk tо hеаr Aunt Wаng sау, "Yоu shоuld havе less to do with thе Li fаmily girl frоm now on."

"Why?" Luо Qian cоuldn't help but frоwn, fееling thаt his аunt wаs оversteррing.

"A hеn сrоwing at dаwn brings no рrоsperitу tо the hоusehold. Thе Li family is quite ресuliar—thеir menfolk havе аlwаys fасеd hаrsh fаtеs, while thеir wоmen grоw strongеr one аfter аnоthеr. It's rathеr inаusрiсious. I'm saying this fоr your own good, аs you're nоw the onlу remаining blоodlinе of the Luo Family," Aunt Wang explained.

"Aunt, that sounds rather alarmist. In the ink-making trade, many have died searching for pine wood—not just the Li family. Even our Luo Family lost two granduncles to this. What does that have to do with fate? It was all due to the search for pine wood. Now, the Li family has begun vigorously developing oil soot ink. Combined with their existing pine wood reserves, the risks of searching for pine will diminish. There's no real danger anymore. You should say less about such things in the future—it won't sound good if word gets out," Luo Qian replied with a stern expression, displeased by Aunt Wang's words.

"Better safe than sorry. Besides, the Li family girl is ultimately too domineering. With no elders to guide you now, I can't help but worry on your behalf," Aunt Wang sighed.

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I know what I'm doing," Luo Qian replied calmly.

Seeing his expression, Aunt Wang knew he hadn't taken her words to heart. She waved her hand in frustration. "Ah, if you won't listen to an old person's advice, you'll suffer the consequences. Fine, there's no use saying more." She had no choice, given the strained relations between the Wang and Luo families. After a moment's thought, she added, "By the way, Qian, come to your uncle's house for dinner tonight. Your aunt is cooking herself. After all, we're family. Let's have a good chat and clear up any misunderstandings or grievances."

This was the main purpose of her visit today.

"My mother never re-entered the Wang family's gates in her lifetime, and I will never enter them in mine. Please understand, Aunt," Luo Qian said coldly.

"You... It seems this aunt has no face left in your eyes." Aunt Wang's expression finally darkened. She waved to Wan'er and said, "Wan'er, let's go back."

Wan'er shrank her neck slightly and secretly clasped her hands together toward Luo Qian in a gesture of apology, clearly urging him not to be angry. Then she helped Aunt Wang leave.

Luo Qian silently saw them off. Although Aunt Wang had stood by his mother back then, she was ultimately still a member of the Wang family. There were some matters he could not let her decide for him.

The parting was far from pleasant.

In the blink of an eye, the sun set in the west. A streak of evening glow reflected the scattered lights along the Qinhuai River, creating an indescribably dazzling scene. Shops along the official street closed one after another.

Zhen Niang helped the shop assistants shut the store and returned from the backyard to the two-story wooden building.

Huang Shi had just returned from the Ink Workshop. Nowadays, she single-handedly managed all the ink mold carving plates for the workshop. Compared to her days as the Second Mistress in Huizhou, her life was much more arduous now, yet also more fulfilling. Leading several apprentices and watching them grow step by step was like a farmer observing the flourishing crops in the fields—always filled with a sense of joy.At this moment, Huang Shi had just changed into her casual home clothes and was sitting in the small hall, sipping silver ear and lotus seed soup. Seeing Zhen Niang enter, she immediately instructed Ma Sao to fetch another bowl, then beckoned Zhen Niang over to sit beside her.

"Have you settled matters with the Zhu family?" Huang Shi asked.

"Yes, it's settled. I sent Er Gou over to help out for a while," Zhen Niang replied. Just then, Ma Sao brought in the silver ear and lotus seed soup. Having been busy all day, Zhen Niang was genuinely hungry and quickly finished the soup in a few mouthfuls.

Huang Shi was delighted and said to Ma Sao, "Ma Sao, please inform the main kitchen. As the weather gradually warms and the days grow longer, from now on, prepare some soup for everyone in the afternoon to tide them over."

"Understood. Miss Zhen actually gave this order the day before yesterday. We've been doing it for the past two days, but today Miss Zhen was too busy to eat," Ma Sao replied, then collected their bowls and left.

"You child, no matter how busy you are, you must take care of your health," Huang Shi chided with a deliberately stern expression. Zhen Niang naturally put on an obedient look.

"Zhen Niang, today Madam Gong and Yao Niangzi from next door came to see me," Huang Shi said, now smiling at Zhen Niang with a look that seemed to anticipate some amusement. Since arriving in Nanjing, Huang Shi's personality had become less reserved and increasingly lively.

Knowing her aunt wanted to see her flustered, Zhen Niang felt no urgency at all. The main branch of the Li family, from Seventh Grandmother down, had discerning eyes and would not easily discuss matches unless they were truly suitable.

Still, Zhen Niang was happy to play along with her aunt's expectations. She feigned a look of surprise and concern, asking, "How did you respond, Aunt?"

But Zhen Niang's expression was rather exaggerated, and Huang Shi could easily see through it. She laughed and playfully tapped Zhen Niang, saying, "You mischievous girl..."

Then, turning serious, she continued, "Zhen Niang, although your marriage prospects are somewhat difficult, marriage is a lifelong matter. We cannot simply agree to anything casually. Before Seventh Grandmother left, she solemnly told me that in your situation, the more urgent things seem, the more carefully we must proceed. Of the two ladies, Yao Niangzi mentioned someone willing to marry into our family, but that's impossible since you have both older brothers and younger brothers. As for Madam Gong's suggestion, I looked into it briefly. It seems the young man is likely to follow in his father's footsteps as a private secretary. While being a secretary is a decent job, it carries significant risks. Moreover, secretaries must follow their employers, often moving from place to place, which is unsettling. Besides, all this is just hearsay. The family is from Shaoxing, and it's hard to know their true circumstances. So, out of caution, I declined. Ultimately, you are closely tied to the rise and fall of the Li family's Ink Industry. Unless we are very confident, the Li family will not entertain any proposals. You don't blame your aunt, do you?"

"Look at what you're saying, Aunt. I understand perfectly well what I'm looking for, and none of them are suitable," Zhen Niang replied with a slight smile.

When it came to suitable candidates, Zhen Niang sometimes couldn't help but think of Luo Jiu. Luo Jiu was now alone, and with his background in ink-making, he understood the trade best. Their personalities also seemed compatible. Of course, such thoughts were more rational than emotional on Zhen Niang's part."Good, as long as you understand." Huang Shi said, glancing at Zhen Niang before continuing, "Speaking of which, your aunt has mentioned you and Bai'er again. But precisely because we're all relatives, we won't interfere too much in this matter, lest we end up creating resentment instead of a marriage alliance. Since you're in Nanjing now anyway, why not visit your uncle-in-law's family more often? If it feels right, seize the opportunity. If not, we'll just drop it—it's normal for relatives to visit each other." Huang Shi added.

Zhen Niang couldn't help but pat her forehead, half-jokingly wondering if she should find a fortune-teller to see if she was about to enter a period of romantic luck. Otherwise, why would several people come to discuss her marriage prospects in just one day?

She then joked, "Since Second Aunt says so, I'll go to Uncle-in-law's house tomorrow to chat with Second Cousin."

"So eager?" Huang Shi teased.

Zhen Niang rolled her eyes. "It's not for that. At Ink Manor, liquid ink sells the best, but the other varieties aren't moving at all—sales just aren't picking up. I'm thinking of asking Second Cousin to go with me tomorrow to find Instructor Zhao. I want to donate a batch of Li Mo to the academy."

"Donate a batch of Li Mo? How much would that be? Wouldn't that just increase costs?" Huang Shi, after all, didn't understand business matters. She felt that even if the ink wasn't selling, keeping it at home meant there was still stock, and ink could be stored for a long time. But if it was donated, there would be no stock left and no income—it seemed like a poor deal.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking the child," Zhen Niang said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Huang Shi. "Second Aunt, think about it—what is an academy? In the eyes of scholars, it's an authority. If the academy uses our ink, the students there might start using it too. That way, Li Mo can create an impression of legitimacy. And students influence those around them, so Li Mo will naturally gain traction. Besides, I also want to set up a donation program to provide writing materials for impoverished students. It's a long-term investment. If even one of them passes the imperial exams or becomes a scholar-official, the returns for Li Mo will be significant..." Zhen Niang explained in detail.

Listening to her analysis, Huang Shi began to grasp the reasoning behind it.

Tian ink had achieved its current position entirely by relying on the reputation of Tribute Ink. So, if Li Mo took the academy route, it might just be a shortcut. "Good, go ahead and do it. Second Aunt supports you. If funds are insufficient, I'll talk to Seventh Grandmother. We'll sell everything if we have to, but we'll make this path work."

"Don't worry. With liquid ink holding steady and the profits Uncle-in-law shared with us earlier, funds are sufficient for now. If we need more, we can take out a loan. There's no need to involve Huizhou," Zhen Niang said. When she first came to Nanjing, she had brought all the family assets from Huizhou with her—there was nothing left there.

After chatting for a while longer, they had dinner.

After dinner, while the sky was still dim, Zhen Niang took a stroll in the backyard and saw Chou Po sweeping with a broom.

"Hello, Granny," Zhen Niang greeted.

"Hmm," Chou Po replied with her usual stern expression, showing no emotion.

Chou Po had always been like this, so Zhen Niang didn't mind.She stood by the well platform to one side, twisting her body and kicking her legs.

"Did you quarrel with that Luo boy?" Chou Po suddenly asked.

"No," Zhen Niang replied, somewhat surprised. Why would Chou Po suddenly ask that?

"When I was sweeping outside this morning, I saw that boy storm out of Ink Manor with a dark expression. I thought you two had argued," Chou Po said, her face still stern.

"It wasn't a quarrel, just a disagreement. He wanted to buy the land from my uncle-in-law, but my uncle-in-law had already sold it to the Xu family. Young Master Luo might have been a bit upset. I explained it to him later. Oh, and Aunt Wang has also arrived from Huizhou," Zhen Niang replied.

Zhen Niang was merely making casual conversation, but she felt that Aunt Wang seemed to dislike her. It was strange—she hadn't done anything to offend her, so what was the reason?

Chou Po continued sweeping. When she heard Zhen Niang mention Aunt Wang's arrival, she paused her broom and snorted coldly. "That Luo boy is all alone now, holding onto a gold mine and a money vault. Who wouldn't be envious? The Wang family probably can't sit still either."