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墨書 Inktalez
From Hu Linglong's words, Qing Luan learned about the general situation of the Hu Family. She did not immediately agree to Linglong's request but instead lowered her head in thought, remaining silent for a long time. Everyone else also kept quiet, waiting for her final response.
"Linglong Sister," after a long silence, when the atmosphere had grown the coldest, Qing Luan finally spoke. "What do you plan for me to do? How can I help?" It was always like this—addressing symptoms rather than the root cause.
As soon as Qing Luan's words left her lips, everyone was taken aback. For them, as long as they could resolve the immediate issue, it didn't matter how to help or save.
"Qing Luan," meeting her meaningful gaze, Linglong felt a bit flustered. "As long as you can resolve the crisis of the Hu Family, I will agree to any request you have." If her brother fell, she would have no ability to support this family. Rather than being consumed by the Zheng Family, it would be better to hand it over to Qing Luan; at least she wouldn’t wipe them out completely.
Hu Linglong was quite intelligent, but unfortunately trapped by the constraints of this era, her brilliance had been worn down. The fact that she could weigh her words so quickly impressed Qing Luan; she did not make things difficult but simply stated the harsh reality.
"Linglong Sister, if I solve your problem this time, what will happen next time?" She analyzed the current situation without any emotion, her tone calm and distant. "You fear the tiger in front and the wolf behind, always guarding the Hu Family's existing assets. Your ambitions have been crushed by the power behind the Zheng Family. It’s not easy to have lasted until today... But I can only say that the future situation for the Hu Family is precarious; eventually, there will be nothing left but bones." The intrigues of business were indeed a war without gunpowder, where life and death hung by a thread.
"I know," Qing Luan's words were sharp and pointed, striking at crucial matters. No one had ever spoken so candidly before; from the beginning, they knew many things were beyond their control. "Qing Luan, my brother has done his utmost, but the Zheng Family has officials backing them while the Hu Family relies entirely on itself. So my brother is very tired... very tired..." Remembering how hard her elder brother had worked to hold everything together brought tears to her eyes.
"Sigh," with a sigh, Qing Luan looked at Linglong's sorrowful expression and revealed her own thoughts. "Linglong, that you thought of me in your most difficult moment shows that you trust me; I am very glad. There is something I need to tell you: I have an irreconcilable feud with the Zheng Family. However, my current abilities are limited; I can only endure... If you truly feel that the Hu Family cannot hold on any longer, then hand everything over to me—whether we live or die, let’s fight for it!"
"How do we fight?" Although Linglong was anxious, she remained clear-headed. She looked at Qing Luan and saw a brilliant light emanating from her small frame; she felt somewhat moved.
"That is my concern. Once things succeed, all that the Hu Family gets will be what they earned in previous years; everything else will belong to me!" This was no longer child's play; she needed money—endless amounts—so there would be no more pleasantries with Hu Lingyun.
Linglong was stunned as she gazed at this confident and poised figure before her; for a moment, she felt an illusion. She had always known Qing Luan was extraordinary but never expected such courage from someone so young. Perhaps everything before had just been trivial matters for her—a way to pass time.
"Linglong Sister, go back and discuss it with Brother Hu," seeing her in a daze and thinking she couldn’t accept her proposal, Qing Luan gently reminded her. "Linglong, it's not that I don't want to help you; you and Brother Hu lack the confidence to confront the Zheng Family. If you continue to entangle yourselves with them, not only will the Hu Family be lost, but your lives may also be at risk."
She would rather be seen as a opportunist in the eyes of the Hu siblings than let them continue to get entangled in this mess. In fact, from the situation with the Zheng Family, she had already become inextricably linked to everything—whether it was her intention to deal with the Zheng Family or their desire to eliminate the Hu Family to control her.
Whoever could gain the upper hand in this tug-of-war would determine the outcome.
"Alright, I'll go back and discuss it with my elder brother. I will give you a reply soon," she said. Although she felt some hesitation, she had already made up her mind. She believed her brother felt the same way; holding on stubbornly was exhausting, and letting go could be a form of relief.
At one point, she had felt hopeless in a dead end, but after Qing Luan's guidance, she understood that there is always a way out, that light can shine through the darkness. Perhaps today could be another opportunity for the Hu Family.
"Okay," Qing Luan accompanied her to the carriage and reminded her to be careful on the road.
"Miss, are you really going to do this?" Qin'er stood at the door, watching Hu Linglong's carriage disappear into the distance, and quietly asked.
"Yes!" The simple and firm response indicated her determination.
"But..." Qin'er bit her lip, hesitating whether to voice her concerns but fearing it might anger her mistress.
"Just say what you want," Qing Luan turned back to look at her serious expression and spoke softly.
With Qing Luan's encouragement, Qin'er felt relieved and quickly expressed her worries. "Miss, your previous business was behind us; no one else knew about it. We had money to earn, and life was stable enough. But now you want to take over the Hu Family's business, which means you are branding yourself as a merchant. If Madam finds out, she will surely be heartbroken!" From start to finish, the tragedy of her mistress stemmed from her mother's status. If Miss became known as the Merchant's Daughter, her future would be filled with hardship and toil.
Qin'er’s concerns were already understood by Qing Luan, who knew exactly what she was worried about. She sighed softly and said, "Qin'er, do you still have any hopes? Do you think I can still be regarded as the Fourth Miss of Chen Residence? Even if I could, Chen Residence has undergone tremendous changes by now. I have no idea how my mother and two sisters are doing. Do you want me to go back and be tormented by Aunt Huang?"
She knew that in the eyes of society, merchants were considered lowly—worse than fishermen—but she absolutely would not allow such a fate to befall herself. Sometimes people are looked down upon because they belittle themselves first.
"But... even if we don't return to the Chen Residence, you don't have to be the Merchant's Daughter!" She was afraid that the lady would be looked down upon because of her identity as the Merchant's Daughter. Even though the master had prospered thanks to her, in the end, he would still belittle her, so she was very reluctant for the young lady to become the Merchant's Daughter.
"If I don't want to be the Merchant's Daughter, then what should I be?" She turned back and looked seriously at Qin'er. She knew that Qin'er was afraid of what her mother had gone through, and that was why she opposed it so strongly, fearing she would end up like her mother. "In a fishing village, it's impossible to stand out. I can't stay here forever; sooner or later, I will return to the capital—when I do, those who owe me will have to pay the price!" The last sentence sounded like a summons from a messenger of hell, causing Qin'er to shudder.
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