eurekapd Chapter 101: 2% Discount
Chapter 101: 2% Discount
The next day at noon, Guo and Yu were cooking in the kitchen when Wen Yuxia personally threw mud balls into the stove where firewood was burning: "Aunt Guo, take the firewood out when the mud balls are red-hot."
"Yes, Princess!" Guo replied softly as she rinsed the rice.
Xia Yichen had the tables and chairs moved outside the kitchen. While drinking tea, he observed the situation inside the kitchen, noticing that Guo was removing the burning firewood piece by piece.
Xia Yichen suddenly stood up, strode into the kitchen, and squatted down by the stove to watch the burning clay ball up close.
"It's on fire! It's on fire! It's really on fire!" Li Jiating, who was following closely behind, shouted excitedly.
It was certain that the mud balls could burn. Wen Yuxia didn't go to the kitchen. Instead, she sat on a chair with Xie Qianlian and chatted idly. To be precise, Xie Qianlian was telling her gossip about Beijing. She listened attentively while eating melon seeds.
After Xia Yichen came out of the kitchen, he sat down next to Wen Yuxia. Xie Qianlian and Li Jiating had identical expressions; they stared intently at Xia Yichen's smiling face, unwilling to look away.
Xia Yichen, a handsome and high-status man, actually had a fawning smile on his face. Who would believe that?
Xia Yichen looked intently at Wen Yuxia and asked, "Sister Yuxia, what are you going to do with the burning stone on the mountain?"
Wen Yuxia rolled her eyes inelegantly. Yesterday she said that the burning stones were only available in the palace and were purchased from a neighboring country. Today she was asked what to do with these burning stones. Did she dare to make that decision?
The moment the letter was sent, Wen Yuxia knew that the authority to handle Coal Hill was not in her hands. She calmly said, "Brother Chen, the mountain was a gift from the Emperor, and the combustibles on it should naturally be handed over to the Emperor for disposal. How dare I, your younger sister, handle it without authorization?"
Xia Yichen maintained a fawning smile, but inwardly praised Wen Yuxia for being sensible and knowing when to advance and retreat. "Sister Yuxia, let's discuss this matter after the Emperor's decree is issued. Let's talk about something else first."
Wen Yuxia asked curiously, "What is it?"
Xia Yichen took out several porcelain bottles from his pocket and gently placed them on the table. "These are the medicine you gave to Lu Mubai. They are more effective than decoctions and easier to carry..."
War is cruel, and the lives of ordinary people are impoverished. Soldiers who are severely wounded in war are unwilling to return home and add to the burden of their parents and brothers.
The Great Xia Dynasty bordered five countries, and many wounded and disabled veterans remained at each of these borders. These veterans' livelihoods largely depended on subsidies from the generals guarding the borders.
When the Emperor discussed building a pharmaceutical factory with Xia Yichen, Xia Yichen's first thought was to arrange for wounded soldiers to work in the workshop, giving them a chance to support themselves.
Wen Yuxia listened patiently to Xia Yichen's story, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Little sister only needs 10% profit..."
Wen Yuxia discovered the Burning Stone and was willing to hand it over to the Emperor free of charge. Xia Yichen then abandoned his plans to take a cut of the pharmaceutical factory's profits and directly told Wen Yuxia about the Emperor's decision to split the profits 30/70.
To his surprise, Wen Yuxia actually took the initiative to donate 20% of her salary to the wounded soldiers.
"On behalf of the soldiers at the border, I thank you. Rest assured, Sister Yuxia, I will use all this silver to help the wounded soldiers," Xia Yichen said solemnly.
Wen Yuxia smiled slightly: "You're welcome."
Li Jiating clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wen Yuxia and said, "Princess, you are truly righteous!"
"Jia Ting, is your younger brother engaged yet?" Xia Yichen suddenly asked.
"According to the Li family rules, women must be at least 16 years old and men at least 18 to be eligible for marriage. Jia Rui is 15 this year, not yet of marriageable age..."
In the Li family, men could only take a concubine if they were 40 years old and had no sons; women could not become concubines.
The Li family rules favor the woman; if the man has a son before the age of 40, the couple can be together for life.
The Li family rules pointed Wen Yuxia in the right direction: she must first understand the family rules of the man she marries. As a time traveler, she cannot tolerate polygamy and only accepts a lifelong monogamous relationship.
Xia Yichen knew that men in the Li family could only take a concubine if they were 40 years old and childless, which is why he asked this question. This question was naturally for Wen Yuxia's sake.
"Jia Ting, go back and tell your father that your brother's marriage is under my jurisdiction. Tell him not to make any decisions about arranging a marriage for your brother without my consent," Xia Yichen said sternly.
Li Jiating is academically gifted and quick-witted in business, but he lacks emotional intelligence.
Xia Yichen was clearly arranging a husband for Wen Yuxia. Xie Qianlian understood, and Wen Yuxia herself understood as well, only Li Jiating didn't.
He said angrily, "Aren't children's marriages decided by their parents? How is my father making a decision for Jia Rui by arranging a wife for him considered acting on his own initiative? Besides, who Jia Rui marries is none of your business. What right do you have to make decisions for him..."
Xia Yichen sighed. "Sigh, you can't reason with people who have low emotional intelligence. Oh well, I'll go talk to Lord Li myself when I get back to the capital!"
"Princess, dinner is ready!" Upon hearing Madam Guo call out that dinner was served, Wen Yuxia was the first to get up and walk towards the main room.
After dinner, the two women, sister-in-law and aunt, went to Wen Yuxia's room to whisper. Xie Qianlian was the first to speak: "Sister, what type of man do you like?"
Wen Yuxia tilted her head and thought seriously, "Handsome, gentle, considerate, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he doesn't take concubines, keep mistresses, or have extramarital affairs..."
"My sister has quite a few requirements. Sister-in-law, please write them down first. When we return to Beijing, we can find a job based on her requirements," Xie Qianlian said, picking up the charcoal pencil on the table and carefully writing down what Wen Yuxia had said on paper.
That night, Xia Yichen and his wife were lying in bed when Xie Qianlian told Xia Yichen about Wen Yuxia's criteria for choosing a partner. Xia Yichen asked in a low voice, "Was she shy when she told you these things?"
Xie Qianlian thought carefully for a moment: "No,"
Xia Yichen's lips curled slightly. Normally, even the most outgoing woman would feign shyness when this topic came up, but Wen Yuxia's reaction was unusual.
Ordinary people wouldn't recognize combustibles, but Wen Yuxia not only recognized them, she could even mold the scattered combustible slag into mud balls for use.
Back then, Master Liaokong said that the Zhang family girl was possessed by a ghost, and Wen Yuxia should be the same kind of person as the Zhang family girl. Xia Yichen pondered this repeatedly in his mind.
Wen Yuxia was unaware that Xia Yichen had almost perfectly guessed her transmigration. By the dim light of the oil lamp, she buried herself in writing pharmaceutical formulas in her room.
Li Jiating lay in bed, Xia Yichen's words echoing in his mind over and over again, giving him a headache.
He muttered to himself, "Yichen wants to interfere in Jiarui's marriage. Who does he want Jiarui to marry?... Wen Yuxia!"
Li Jiating thought through all the noble ladies in the capital who were about the same age as his brother, and finally guessed who Xia Yichen wanted to be a matchmaker for.
In the capital, at Yunyi Tower, Zhang Jinxuan received a letter from Wen Yuxia. Xia Yichen was in the capital, and he could read all the letters except those wrapped in wax pills.