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"Are you buying this for your family, big brother? Your wife is truly fortunate," Ye Xiaohan said with a smile.
The man chuckled in response, "You're too kind, Boss Ye. I'm not here to buy cosmetics; I want to discuss a big business deal with you."
"Oh? What kind of business are you referring to?" Ye Xiaohan poured tea and gestured for him to sit down. "Please, have some tea."
Peach Blossom Tea was available, and after sipping a few mouthfuls, the man praised, "As expected of Boss Ye, coming up with such an idea. This peach blossom has been blooming here for countless years, yet no one thought of making money from it."
"Not at all," Ye Xiaohan replied humbly, though her expression showed otherwise. "May I ask your surname, big brother? What kind of business do you have in mind that I might be able to assist with?"
"My surname is Li," the man said. "If you stroll down two streets ahead, you'll find my shop."
So he’s in the same line of work, Ye Xiaohan thought.
Once he finished speaking, Ye Xiaohan realized she had misjudged him: "Ah, so you are the renowned Shopkeeper Li from Treasure Pavilion. My apologies."
Treasure Pavilion lived up to its name; it was filled with a dazzling array of goods. Whatever you could think of was there, and if customers needed something, Treasure Pavilion would deliver it right to them.
Among the offerings were indeed cosmetics, and everything produced by Treasure Pavilion was guaranteed to be top-notch. However, such items were mostly purchased by women, and the styles rarely changed over the years—there were only a handful of options that circulated repeatedly.
Thus, the emergence of Peach Blossom Studio had certainly caught their attention.
Shopkeeper Li quickly waved his hand and said, "The waves behind push those in front; we’re getting old and can’t keep up with you young folks. I won’t beat around the bush any longer. I’m here on behalf of my master to ask if Boss Ye would be willing to sell us the formula for Peach Blossom Studio? We’re prepared to offer one hundred taels of silver."
Ye Xiaohan calmly refilled his cup and smiled. "Shopkeeper Li knows well that rarity adds value in business. The materials used in my Peach Blossom Studio are nothing special; it’s all about the meticulously refined formula that supports it. Without the formula, it wouldn’t last long."
Having been turned down for the purchase of the formula, the other party did not press further and left after a brief exchange.
This was also a concern for Ye Xiaohan. The remedies she could use were too few, and she needed to quickly develop new formulas. Otherwise, putting all her eggs in one basket could lead to disaster if something unexpected happened.
Fortunately, plants in ancient times grew very well without pesticide contamination; everything was pure, resulting in exceptionally good effects.
Once the peach blossoms had fallen, she would try the pear blossoms and Apricot Blossom. In any case, the more options, the better.
Determined, Ye Xiaohan quickened her pace. Every night, she was so busy that she would collapse into sleep as soon as she lay down. She felt pain in her heart for Liu Bei. Unable to help with the research, she took on all the household chores to allow him to rest a bit more.
Just as the Liu family was caught up in their dimly lit busyness, a bigger trouble arrived at their doorstep.
Ye Xiaohan looked at the family of three before her. Their patched clothes obscured the original color of the fabric; they were not only old but also filthy, as if they hadn’t been washed in a long time.
The man sat comfortably in the center of the living room, as if he were at home. The woman had a greedy look in her eyes, scanning every corner of the Liu household while muttering something under her breath. A brat was pestering Liu Qi, who didn’t want to play with him. The child suddenly pushed her hard.
Ye Xiaohan gasped in surprise, but fortunately, Liu Yang reacted quickly and picked up Liu Qi just in time. Liu Qi was startled and clung to Second Brother, trying not to cry.
Liu Yang shot a glare at the brat, who rolled his eyes in return and ran over to his father, loudly declaring, “Dad, Liu Yang hit me!”
“What!” The man couldn’t contain himself and scolded, “Liu Yang, you’re so big and yet you bully your younger sibling! Truly a child without parents—no one taught you manners!”
Liu Qi was frightened by the sudden loudness and burst into tears. Liu Yang’s expression darkened as he prepared to step forward.
Ye Xiaohan stopped him and urged him not to act impulsively. “Liu Yang, take Qi to the backyard for a walk and get some candy to cheer her up. I’ll handle this.”
She walked over and asked, “Liu Bei, who are these people?”
Liu Bei looked somewhat awkward and replied, “Xiao Han, you’re here. This is my Second Uncle’s family; they came to visit us.”
"Are you the wife of Six Bei?" Second Uncle scrutinized her from head to toe, his tone critical. "Six Bei really has no taste; how could he marry such an ugly and fat woman? If it were up to me, this is all because there’s no adult in the family to keep the children in check. But don’t worry, Second Uncle will take care of you all from now on."
Ye Xiaohan glanced at Six Bei, who helplessly replied, "Second Uncle and Second Aunt have come from afar and plan to stay with us for a while. Xiao Han, what do you think...?"
Second Uncle interrupted Six Bei, exclaiming, "When did it become a woman's turn to speak in the Six family? Am I not an elder? Do I have to consult a new bride about my stay? Six Bei, you can't indulge her too much; you must know that women should never be spoiled, or else they’ll climb all over you!"
If those words could be materialized, Ye Xiaohan swore she would shove them into that incessantly chattering man's mouth and watch him swallow them whole!
Second Aunt stepped beside her husband and chimed in, "Exactly! Only families with no upbringing would behave so rudely and lack any manners."
She pointed sharply at Ye Xiaohan. "Look at you! You came here early and didn’t even bother to greet us. You’ve made your Second Uncle angry, and we still haven’t even been offered tea. Is this how a daughter-in-law should behave?"
Ye Xiaohan didn’t need to engage her reasoning skills to guess the entire situation. It was clear that Second Uncle had heard about the newfound wealth of the Six family and was taking advantage of being an elder to enjoy some comforts.
Unfortunately for him, that idea was just wishful thinking.
Seeing Six Bei's embarrassed expression, Ye Xiaohan held back her anger and decided to let them have their fun for now. However, if they expected to stay long-term, that was out of the question.
During this time, as long as they didn’t go too far, she would turn a blind eye and ignore them.
Ye Xiaohan said to Six Bei, "I'm going to the shop." With that, she left directly, leaving the elderly couple behind jumping around in frustration while Six Bei could only patiently soothe them.
When she returned home in the evening, Ye Xiaohan thought about that family and almost didn’t want to go inside.
But as soon as she stepped in, she heard Second Uncle's loud voice echoing throughout the house, giving her a headache.
"Sister-in-law!" As soon as Six Qi saw Ye Xiaohan, she rushed over and hugged her leg. Ye Xiaohan picked her up effortlessly and pinched her cheek. "Have you been good today, Qi?"
"Seven hurriedly sought praise, saying, 'I caught a cricket all by myself without Second Brother's help!'
'That's impressive,' Ye Xiaohan exaggerated. 'You're really amazing, Seven.'
Beijing picked up Seven and placed her on the ground. 'Go play by yourself. Xiao Han is tired now; you can't always make her carry you.'
'Okay,' Seven replied in a babyish voice.
Ye Xiaohan laughed, 'How could I be tired? She's just a little girl.' Under careful nurturing, her health had improved significantly; she was no longer the weakling who would gasp for breath after a single step.
Beijing disagreed. 'You're just being too stubborn. There are plenty of things outside; when you're home, you should rest well. I'm here with Yang; you don't need to worry about anything.'
'Mm.' Ye Xiaohan felt warmth in her heart and nodded, feeling a bit shy. She changed the subject, 'What are we having for dinner? I'm a little hungry.'
Beijing quickly replied, 'I stewed some rabbit and bought fish—both your favorites. Yang is watching the fire in the kitchen; it will be ready soon. I'll go check on it.'
Hearing about the delicious food, Ye Xiaohan's fatigue vanished, and her stomach growled in response.
As she entered the house, she heard Second Uncle snort disdainfully. 'What a lack of decorum! Letting Beijing, a grown man, do all the work at home while a woman is out and about—it's shameless!'
Second Aunt chimed in, 'It's not just us; you're being unreasonable. Look at this household—every family has the man working outside and the woman managing the home. Yours is a complete mess!'
Ye Xiaohan sat down to wait for dinner, treating their words as mere background noise that went in one ear and out the other.
'What kind of attitude is that?' Seeing Ye Xiaohan ignore him, Second Uncle fumed. 'Is this how you respond when an elder speaks to you? If it weren't for Beijing's good temper, if I had married someone like you, I would have beaten some sense into you long ago!'
Ye Xiaohan raised an eyebrow. 'Your wife is right next to you; if you want to hit someone, no one is stopping you.'"
"Second Aunt" jumped up and shouted, "How dare you encourage 'Second Uncle' to hit me! I, I..." She moved forward to take action.
"Ye Xiaohan" was extremely annoyed. As she approached, he lightly kicked a pressure point on her leg. "Second Aunt" lost her balance, screamed in fright, and fell onto "Second Uncle."
Caught off guard, "Second Uncle" couldn't dodge in time, and the two of them tumbled together, groaning as they struggled to get back up from the floor.
When "Lubei" came out and saw this, he hurriedly helped them up. "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, what happened? How did you fall? Get up and see if you're okay."
"Ye Xiaohan's" kick had been subtle; no one present noticed it. "Second Aunt" thought she had accidentally bumped into the corner of the table, while "Second Uncle" only saw "Second Aunt" fall and crash into him, cursing under his breath.
At mealtime, "Second Uncle" started causing trouble again. He first complained that the food was terrible, not rich enough, and lacked sincerity in hosting him. It wasn't until "Lubei" repeatedly assured him that he would buy more delicious food to honor him that he finally relented.
Next, he criticized "Ye Xiaohan" for only caring about her own meal and not attending to them. He insisted that women should wait until the men had finished eating before they could eat. Meanwhile, "Second Aunt" chimed in while gorging herself.
Several times, "Ye Xiaohan" wanted to tell them to be quiet but swallowed her words upon meeting "Lubei's" awkward gaze. She picked at her food a few times before putting down her chopsticks. "I'm full," she said.
"Second Uncle" shouted after her retreating figure, "What kind of rule is this? The elders haven't left the table yet; how can you leave first? Come back! Who will clean up if you go?"
"I'll do it, I'll do it," "Lubei" quickly interjected, pouring another glass of wine for "Second Uncle." "Second Uncle, have another drink."
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