The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

Fang Ya's excited expression paused for a moment, and he explained, "Young lady, you want to rent it for a year, but pay the rent monthly. If the market is good, you plan to continue renting it. This is really not cost-effective. Look at this shop, it's so good, although it's not noisy, but there are many people!"

Guo Xin didn't say anything. If he bought the shop, he couldn't afford so much money. This location would cost at least a few hundred taels.

"If this store can only sell this, I'd better see if there is anything else."

"Oh, young lady, this shop is really the best one in the whole county that meets your requirements. I, Yang Laosan, have been rooted in the county for so long, and I can guarantee you that this shop is really the most suitable place to open a wine shop. The last person who opened a wine shop here made a lot of money."

When Fang Ya heard that Guo Xin actually didn't want it, he immediately became anxious. He didn't earn much this month. If this deal failed, his family would have to starve. Would his wife still go home to him?

"It's not that I don't like this store, it's just that I'm short of money." Guo Xin said helplessly.

Fang Ya had no choice but to grit his teeth and said, "The owner of this shop sold it because he was in a hurry to get money. If you really want it, I will see if I can ask the owner to rent it out."

"Then thank you for your help." Guo Xin quickly responded when he saw that there was a glimmer of hope in renting this store.

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Fang Ya came in, followed by a well-proportioned woman in a light yellow cotton dress, who took steps of equal length.

"Young lady, this is the owner's manager, who is in charge of store affairs." Fang Ya said loudly as he stepped over the threshold.

Guo Xin hurriedly stood up and went to the door to greet them. The fact that the owner's steward was here proved that this matter had hope of being successful, so he flattered her, "Hello, steward. I'm Guo Xin. I want to rent this store to run a wine shop."

Guo Xin?

The woman who heard the name looked at the girl in front of her carefully and said with a smile: "Ah! Miss Guo, it is you who wants to rent this shop. It seems that you have forgotten me. I am Mrs. Hu's manager and I have discussed the matter of buying vegetables with you before!"

Suddenly, he realized that the young lady in front of him was going to open a wine shop. Would that conflict with his wife's business? So he asked tentatively, "But, is the young lady renting this shop to open a wine shop?"

When Guo Xin learned that the store was owned by Mrs. Hu, she was a little worried that Mrs. Hu would think that she was stealing her business. So the manager asked her about it, so she had to explain, "I want to open a wine shop, but the food I sell is different from Mrs. Hu's."

The manager still looked at Guo Xin with doubt. She believed what Guo Xin said, but she believed more in Guo Xin's ability. Even if the food she sold was different from the lady's restaurant, her stall in Cixi Town would probably snatch customers.

Seeing that the steward still didn't believe it, he said, "Before, Fang Ya told me that Madam was in urgent need of money, so she wanted to sell the store. Now, if you are worried that I will steal customers from Madam, why not let Madam cooperate with me to open a wine shop? This way, you can make money without worrying about your own customers. Is that okay?"

Although Guo Xin is confident that his wine shop can make money, if he can get the support of Mrs. Hu, not only can his store expenses be halved, but he can also attract more customers. It is truly a win-win situation.

The steward could tell the pros and cons of the words, and after weighing them again and again, he said, "I can report this matter back to Madam, but whether Madam is willing or not, I will have to let you know later."

"Then I will stay for three days and then go to the county town to find Mrs. Hu?"

"If Madam has made up her mind, I will go to Guojia Village to find the young lady immediately. There is no need to wait for three days." The steward knew that Madam was in urgent need of money. If the cooperation in opening a wine shop was successful, she would not be able to wait a moment.

Fang Ya, who was standing by, heard this and thought that he had searched almost the entire county for this business today but couldn't make it. He was devastated and complained that the market conditions this month were really bad, and as a result, there were fewer people renting or buying houses. He didn't know whether his wife would be allowed to enter the house today.

When he thought of this, he became even more worried.

Guo Xin naturally noticed Fang Ya's expression and said with a smile: "If this deal can be successful, I would like to trouble you to help me with the middleman."

Seeing that there was still hope for this matter, Fang Ya smiled and bowed: "Thank you, young lady!"

……

The bluestone slabs outside Donglin Academy were lined with densely packed horse-drawn carriages, mixed in with some donkey carts, mule carts, and so on.

Hu's grandson nudged Guo Xi with his shoulder and sighed, "Brother Guo Xi, the next time we return to the academy, it will be time for the exam. You are the one among us who is most likely to be taught by Fang Tairu himself. If you become famous one day, don't forget me."

Guo Xi scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Brother Peilin is the one who has a bright future. He studied under Professor Fang, and his grandfather is Fang Tairu."

Hu's grandson waved his hands nonchalantly, put his left hand on Guo Xi, and his right hand on Fang Peilin, and nodded, "You are all more promising than me. I have no talent for studying, but my mother insisted that I study. When you become high officials in the future, don't forget me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Zeyuan and a few of his followers rushed straight towards Guo Xi. Guo Xi almost fell to the ground. At the critical moment, Hu's grandson grabbed Guo Xi.

"Tsk, some people, even with Fang Tairu's protection, can't make a difference in officialdom." Su Zeyuan turned his back to Guo Xi, looked ahead, and said sarcastically with a hint of meaning.

He had been punished by Professor Fang to reflect at home, and he was extremely resentful of Guo Xi. He wanted his mother to help him get justice, so his mother had to run back to the academy.

Who could have thought that Su Ruiyun's traitorous sister would actually eavesdrop and run to the state capital to tell my father. Upon hearing this, my father dropped his official position, rushed back home, stopped my mother, and gave her a good scolding.

If it weren't for this, how could a poor farmer like Guo Xi still study in the same academy with him, and his grades are always better than his! When my father asks about my homework when I go back, I will be punished again. It's really annoying!

At first, Hu's grandson was so angry that he wanted to rush up and fight. However, he changed his mind and thought that he had suffered the same loss last time. He said leisurely, "So what? Some people's grades, no matter how hard they work, can't compare to some people's."

When Su Zeyuan heard this, he turned around angrily and pointed at Hu Zongrui and said, "You! You! You are really unreasonable! You villain!"

Just as the little grandson Hu was about to retort, Guo Xi patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't argue with him. His parents are probably here today. If anything happens..."

The young grandson Hu had no choice but to give up. He glared at Su Zeyuan and others, said something to Fang Peilin, and then walked down the stairs with Guo Xi.