**Chapter 27: The Business Layout of the Xu Family**
**Cave Village. The Xu family estate.**
"Third brother," the head of the Xu family tapped his fingers on the table a few times, his eyes slightly reddened, bloodshot. "Xu Mao is your own flesh and blood. My Xu family will save him this once, and that's already pushing our luck."
His brow seemed lightly dusted with frost and snow. His lips were pressed tight, as if exhausted.
Suddenly he looked up, his eyes as cold as an icy pool. He said only lightly, "Wait until he's out of jail for a few days. If he stirs up trouble again, my Xu family will be powerless. You understand the weight of this."
Xu San's throat bobbed. His knuckles were white inside his sleeves, and the porous fabric bent like ink falling: "Big brother, rest assured."
"As for the Xu family..."
The head of the Xu family stroked his silver beard and sighed with a slight tremor, his eyes like fog. After a long pause, he said, "In the future, when we see people from the Xu family, we should not provoke them."
Xu Zhen and Xu San did not argue.
The rise of the Xu family was like a wildfire, the wind still rising through the clouds. It could no longer be stopped by the flow of their Xu family.
A genius of master-level talent, and also connected to the county magistrate.
Even the families in the prefectural city would treat them with courtesy.
"Think of that Xu Chuan," the head of the Xu family stroked his silver beard and sighed, a mix of contempt and admiration in his voice. "In the past, in our household, he was just a hired mouth. He lowered his eyebrows, bent his back, like an ant before the ranks."
"But now he has such a fortune. Truly, the world is hard to predict."
"Unfortunately, my family doesn't have that kind of talent."
The Xu family had only begun to decline three generations ago. The fourth generation had no prosperous heir, and there were many troublesome moths, tiring them out.
He feared that by the fifth generation, they would part ways because of self-interest, completely ruining the family business.
There were very few families in the world who could stand out.
Working together as one could last a hundred years and forge a family's foundation.
---
**A few days later.**
Xu Mao was released from the county jail and taken back to the estate by the Xu family's carriage.
"Father, I didn't see anyone come to greet me when I came back. Don't I even get tea?"
"A bunch of dead things. I'll dock your wages."
Xu Mao shouted in the main hall.
Soon, Xu San and two guards came in.
"Father, the family's maids and servants are too useless. I suggest we sell them and get a new batch."
Seeing Xu San's gloomy face, Xu Mao sensed something was wrong and said somewhat defensively, "I just got back, Father. You're not going to give me a kind word?"
"Unfilial!"
"Unfilial? Having a son like you is my biggest failure!"
Xu San shouted loudly, "You two, restrain this unfilial son. Today, I'm going to break his legs, so he won't go out again, picking fights and causing trouble, ruining my Xu family's foundation."
The guards moved to obey.
"Let go of me! How dare you!"
"Father, you're serious! I'm your only son!"
Xu San raised the wooden stick, lifted his head, and closed his eyes. His face struggled with unbearable pain.
But Xu Mao's next sentence steeled his resolve.
"You old bastard, you're about to die. Break my legs, and who will see you to your end?"
"Beast!"
Xu San's eyes went wide. He hesitated no longer and swung the stick.
*Crack!*
*"Ahhh—!"*
A horrifying howl rang through the garden.
The maids did not dare approach. But when they heard that voice, the depression in their hearts suddenly eased, and some even felt relieved.
---
"Brother, I heard that Xu Mao had his legs broken by his own father."
"Oh, that's harsh."
"It's really heartwarming, hahaha."
Xu Minghu had returned from the martial hall and heard the news. He was very happy and ran to tell Xu Mingwei.
"The head of that household is decisive."
"But if it were our father, I think he'd be even harsher. If he met unfilial children, he'd probably put them to death."
"No, Dad loves us too much."
"That's why, to prevent that, Father teaches us that love and severity must go hand in hand."
Xu Mingwei patted his shoulder. "Luckily, Father has taught us brothers well. You don't have to worry, Tan Tan."
"Brother, you're scaring me."
---
**Another few days later.**
Xu Chuan called Xu Mingyuan to him and discussed the family's subsequent commercial development.
"Aiyuan, first tell me your thoughts."
Xu Chuan had handed nearly all of the Xu family's business affairs to Xu Mingyuan.
Xu Mingyuan thought for a moment. "Now our family is already famous in Qingjiang County. We're a veritable rising star."
"Big brother has master-level potential, famous throughout Qingjiang."
"And Dad's connection with County Magistrate Yang—I've heard that even the prefectural magistrate fears County Magistrate Yang to some degree."
"So, I think first we stabilize the fruit shop. Open a branch after three months. Within a year, expand the branch to the East City and earn the money of those wealthy merchants."
"As for a chain—with the Xu family brand, we'll see returns quickly, but there's still some waste."
Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "What do you think is the most valuable thing our Xu family has right now?"
"The brand? Credibility?"
"That relationship with County Magistrate Yang!" Xu Chuan said. "But this thing has a time limit."
"Right now, many wealthy and powerful families are very interested in this connection. They feel that by being close to us—close to County Magistrate Yang—what they do will benefit."
"However, whether it's credibility or Shitou's potential, that depends on the future."
"The longer the time, the more important credibility becomes."
"The longer the time, the more Shitou continues to break through—or even reaches the innate realm—the more he can draw support from many people in Qingjiang."
"But not now."
"The most valuable thing now is the connection with the county magistrate."
"So this year is the most critical period for our family's development."
"Let the wealthy business families of Qingjiang County see our family's potential, bound by our connection to County Magistrate Yang and mutual interests."
"Then let the profits roll, growing like a snowball."
Xu Mingyuan nodded, feeling that Xu Chuan was very reasonable. "But Dad, what should we do?"
"The fundamentals of a peasant's livelihood are nothing more than four words: food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
"Drink: taverns. Clothing: clothing shops. General goods: department stores. Fragrance: perfume shops."
"The fruit shop's profits will be used within one year to complete the commercial layout of Qingjiang County."
Xu Chuan began to take out the formulas for various types of wine he had studied over time, designs for clothing, and recipes for dishes, handing them one by one to Xu Mingyuan.
Xu Mingyuan took the booklet, his eyes widening. They seemed ready to jump out of his head.
He was stunned.
*Incredible!*
"These are your father's accumulations of over ten years. I'm handing them all to you. Make good use of them."
Though Xu Chuan was a time traveler, he wasn't omniscient.
He only roughly knew the processes and methods of winemaking. Clothing designs had to be based on memory and then modified to suit current tastes. Things like soap, perfume, toothbrushes—all had to be tried and tested by himself.
These were valuable assets.
Only when the opportunity was right could they rapidly accumulate great wealth.
In the past, Xu Chuan's status was low. He knew that revealing such things would be a misfortune, not a blessing. So he had never shown his hand.
But now was the best time!
He had the tiger skin of County Magistrate Yang and the master-level potential of his eldest son.
In a short time, many families would be wary of the Xu family. The family could develop without scruple and quickly complete its commercial layout.
It would only take two or three years—even if the great families of Qingjiang County wanted to move against his family, they would have to consider whether they wanted to risk mutual destruction.
"Thank you, Dad. I will never disappoint you!"
Xu Mingyuan's pupils suddenly contracted. It seemed as if fire rose in his eyes, his ink-colored pupils burning brightly.
---
Seeing the Xu family's potential, many families in Qingjiang County were willing to build good relations with them.
Xu Chuan also visited Yang Zhao every three to five days.
When they met, they talked about the governance of the people, and Xu Chuan offered his best advice.
Though Yang Zhao knew that Xu Chuan had his own little thoughts, he also learned a great deal from Xu Chuan, so he was willing to meet frequently.
---
Xu Yan heard that the Xu family's fruit shop business was booming, so she sent Chen Erzheng to learn their business secrets.
Xu Mingyuan only said that he was responsible for all of it.
The older Chen Erzheng got, the more he valued face. He couldn't bring himself to ask his nephew. So the matter was dropped.
The Chen family's fruit shop business was average.
Fortunately, no one came to cause trouble, and it could continue peacefully.
More importantly, Xu Mingyuan couldn't be bothered with the Chen family.
He was busy with the Xu family's business expansion plan—hiring people to select sites for winemaking and tailoring clothing, then opening restaurants.
**A month later,** a new restaurant opened in the West City.
Its dishes were innovative, the flavors good. Daily business was very hot.
Then came the winery: Thousand Gold House.
The name meant the wine here was worth a thousand gold.
Because winemaking took time, even though Xu Mingyuan hired many brewers, the official opening was three months later.
Among the wines were yellow wine, rice wine, white wine, and fruit wine. Each had names like "Green Leaf Drunk" and "Yellow Dream."
Both men and women enjoyed them.
There were also two categories: high-end and affordable. The customer base included wealthy business families and ordinary peasants.
The wines of Thousand Gold House appeared in Drunken Cloud Residence, and business was hot again.
Soon, both cities had their own restaurants.
Then came clothing shops and shoe shops. New, appealing styles of clothing and shoes began to become popular in Qingjiang County, causing people to follow the trend.
Finally, the perfume shop was named Cloud Fragrance Pavilion.
Perfume was a luxury, sold only in the East City, expensive.
A variety of scents adapted to most women's preferences and were loved by wealthy businessmen and their families.
In addition, Xu Mingyuan constantly had people develop more categories.
He knew that only innovation was the family's core competitiveness.
Of course, during this period, some people with ill intentions came to cause trouble. But Xu Mingyuan solved them one by one. If he couldn't solve them, he went to County Magistrate Yang.
County Magistrate Yang, for Xu Chuan's sake, as long as it wasn't illegal, would open the door for them.
---
**Spring went, autumn came.**
Three years passed like a white horse fleeting.
The Xu family's fruit and vegetable business had long occupied 30% of the sales in the West City. The East City also had a fruit and vegetable market.
Market stalls were in short supply, and rents frequently rose.
They had also signed contracts with many inns to provide daily fresh fruit.
Drunken Cloud Residence, Thousand Gold House, Heaven's Garment Pavilion, Cloud Fragrance Pavilion, and other businesses also saw daily gold.
In both cities, they had shops.
Now, monthly income was tens of thousands of taels, reaching over a hundred thousand taels a year.
Even in all of Qingjiang County, their earning power was at the forefront.
With scale, the population naturally had to keep up.
Over the past two years, many people had been hired.
The clerks and treasurers of the various businesses in the county totaled seventy or eighty.
In Dongxi Village, the number of long-term workers, domestic servants, and maids had exceeded one hundred.
Guards had also been recruited—over a hundred, mostly young warriors who had practiced martial arts.
Some were assigned to guard the various businesses in the county, preventing disturbances. Others guarded the family home and inspected the fields, mountains, and forests.
For convenience, the family had also purchased a residence in the East City of Qingjiang County.
Sometimes when visiting the Yang family, if they couldn't make it out of the city gate before it closed late at night, they would rest in this residence.
---
**Green Cloud Street.**
The street was paved with stone and wide.
The Yang family residence was located on this street.
A young man nearly two meters tall and a young girl rode on the back of a white tiger with red-gold pupils, swaggering toward the Yang family gate.
The guards at the gate saw this and smiled. "It's Young Miss Mingyao and Eldest Young Master Xu. Please come in."
They still felt a chill on their backs from the half-man-high white tiger.
"Don't bring it in. It scares people."
Xu Mingyi laughed and patted the white tiger's head.
"Little White said it was too boring to stay at home, so I took it out for some air. Isn't that right, Little White?"
The white tiger seemed to understand and let out a cooperative roar, startling the Yang family guards back a few steps.
"I'm curious—it's so fierce, how did you make it so obedient?"
"This is a talent. You can't learn it."
"My Little White is a spirit."
Hearing the tiger's roar, Yang Shichang came over. "It's you, Xiao Xue. Did you bring your Little White to take revenge on me?"
"Well, I don't have the careful eyes of someone like Brother Chang. This time, I came with my big brother to bring some Green Jade Pears for my godfather to taste, and also to see Sister Ronghua."
Yang Shichang laughed, teasing in his heart. "Brother Xu, I've been waiting for your family to come propose marriage until my eyes have worn out."
Xu Mingwei shook his head without a word. "Brother Yang, it's not that I don't want to. But my father wants me to become an innate warrior before considering starting a family."
"Uncle Xu is very harsh. He's too strict with you."
"You're not even nineteen yet. My father became innate near his standing year."
"Father's thoughts are not something you can guess!" Xu Mingyi retorted first, then immediately smiled again. "But I also agree that Big Brother should marry Sister Ronghua soon, so she can come through the door and talk with me often."
"You're my little sister!"
"Your brother marries a daughter-in-law just to have a sister-in-law to talk to you?"
They both laughed.
Yang Shichang began to look at the white tiger, circled it, and praised, "You girl are also powerful. You can actually tame such a rare beast."
Xu Mingyi said triumphantly, "My father said Little White isn't fully grown yet. When it's an adult, even a peak acquired realm warrior might not be able to beat it."
"If you provoke me again, I'll have Little White bite your backside."
The white tiger swished its long black-and-white tail, like a long whip.
If it struck a first-rate warrior squarely, they could expect to vomit blood.
Yang Shichang looked at Xu Mingwei. "Your sister is so fierce. In the future, I'm afraid no one will dare marry her."
"None of your business." Xu Mingyi grinned at Yang Shichang.
Little White stayed in the front yard; they didn't take it to the back. It lay quietly there, napping, and no one was foolish enough to provoke it.
---
**The Yang family's inner quarters.**
"Sister Ronghua, I've come to see you."
Xu Mingyi swaggered into Yang Ronghua's chamber.
Yang Ronghua was doing needlework. Hearing the voice, she immediately put down the needle in her hand and rose to greet her.
Her face was exposed, her brows like distant mountains, her eyes like cut autumn water, a little cinnamon between her lips.
Flowers were painted on her in the shape of butterflies. Her green hair was coiled into a startlingly beautiful style. Her temples were shaved, and her ears were adorned with bright moon pendants.
Her upper body wore a cloud-lined lily blouse, the edges embroidered with silver thread and twigs, the cuffs narrowed in the shape of a lute. Her hands were like blue waves.
Her lower body wore an ai-green hundred-pleated skirt. As she walked, her slender waist was revealed. The skirt was embellished with twelve jade ring pendants, which chimed with her movements.
"Sister Xue, why did you have time to come today? Didn't Uncle Xu force you to practice martial arts?"
"It's good to relax."
Xu Mingyi saw Yang Ronghua's eyes kept glancing toward the door and covered her mouth with a smile. "Sister Ronghua, what are you looking at?"
"My brother went to see his mother. They're talking."
"I wasn't asking about him." Yang Ronghua was a little shy. Her face, lacking powder, flushed red.
Xu Mingyi giggled. "Sister Ronghua, I think you should ask my godfather and godmother to speak to my father. Tell him not to be so strict with your big brother and to marry you sooner."
"Sister Xue, you're teasing me. I'll tickle you!"
The two sisters laughed and played, suddenly roughhousing, not without some fun.
---
**On the other side.**
"Aunt Yang, these are Green Jade Pears and seasonal fruits that my father sent for you to taste."
"The brothers are thoughtful. I'll thank you on behalf of my husband." Mrs. Yang's voice was gentle.
Xu Mingwei then took an invitation from his bosom and handed it over. "In half a month, my Xu family's new residence will be officially completed. We will establish the household, open the shrine, and worship our ancestors. We invite Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang to come and grace the ceremony."
"We'll certainly come. When my husband returns, I'll tell him."
"Then I won't disturb you further." Xu Mingwei bowed respectfully.
"Mother, Xiao Xue is with my sister. I'll take Mingwei out." Yang Shichang also said with a smile.
Mrs. Yang smiled and nodded. "Go. You young people talk among yourselves."
---