Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

Chen Mansion, Xu Mengru's side courtyard.

Chen Lang peeled an orange and said, "I gave up. You won't hate me, will you?"

Xu Mengru, who was leaning against the headboard of the bed, smiled faintly, "Mr. Chen must have your reasons for doing this."

Chen Lang passed the peeled orange towards Xu Mengru and asked, "Want to eat?"

Xu Mengru shook her head: "Thank you, I don't want to eat."

Chen Lang stuffed an orange slice into his mouth and said, "Business competition is actually similar to a quarrel."

"Keeping your fist raised won't hurt. Bringing your fist back and swinging it out again will give you more power, and you might even be able to defeat your opponent with one strike."

"Secondly, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. I want to be that fisherman."

Xu Mengru asked, "Master Chen, do you think the Lai family will not let this go?"

Chen Lang said, "That's for sure. I wrote to a companion who went to Liao Kingdom with me and asked him to inquire about the Lai family's situation. I found that their situation this year is not optimistic."

"The Fanyang Lu family has too many followers. The Lai family lost the trust of the Fanyang Lu family due to mistakes in their business strategy and the failure of their children to live up to expectations."

"Although coming to Linshui is also an order to seal the Fanyang Lu family, it is essentially a test for the Lai family. If they can't get the title of Imperial Merchant in Linshui, the entire Lai family may be completely abandoned by the Fanyang Lu family."

"So, for the next period of time, the Lai family will be fighting with the Min family in various ways. Legitimate, dirty, vulgar, and despicable means will inevitably emerge one after another. Just imagine, if we took over the Royal Merchant, could we withstand the Lai family's overwhelming offensive?"

"The Min family stepped forward to shoulder this wave of attacks for us. I almost want to present them with a silk banner."

Xu Mengru pondered, "What if the Min family managed to pull through?"

Chen Lang laughed and said, "If you carry it over, the cloth will almost fade."

Xu Mengru frowned: "What do you mean?"

"I didn't tell you before because I wanted you to rest and recover. Now I can tell you."

"The formula for the fabrics that the Min family uses to participate in the imperial merchant selection is the one you developed," said Chen Lang.

Xu Mengru was shocked: "How could this be?"

Chen Lang said: "There is a ghost in the house."

"Who is that ghost?" Xu Mengru was anxious and angry.

Chen Lang said, "The suspect has been identified, but we're just lacking key evidence. But I think he'll reveal himself after a while, and then we'll be able to take care of him easily."

"Speaking of this, I have to thank Ning Wenxu. I found that this guy has great potential as a spy. I'll observe him for a while. If he's really good, I'll send him to the Liao Kingdom's Shangjing."

Xu Mengru didn't care about Ning Wenxu's fate, she just wanted to know who the ghost in the house was.

But since Chen Lang didn't say anything, she had no choice.

"What should we do next?" Xu Mengru asked.

Chen Lang said: "Looking for partners to acquire small and medium-sized dyeing and weaving workshops."

Xu Mengru said: "We can't even get the Royal Merchant, so why would anyone want to cooperate with us?"

Chen Lang said: "Don't worry, there will be something."

"We need to outsource the production of cheongsams to others, and we only do the final anti-counterfeiting labeling."

"We need to hold on to the bras tightly. The most we can do is transfer part of the distribution rights."

"Linshui's market is too small. We've been selling cheongsam bras for so long, the market is almost saturated. We should try to expand outward. But we don't have enough manpower, so we need partners."

Xu Mengru asked, "What can I do?"

Chen Lang said: "Just rest and recuperate."

"Once the matter of the Imperial Merchant is settled, you will be busy."

Xu Mengru said, "I'm fine now."

Chen Lang said, "Don't make a fuss. It's up to Dr. Sun to decide whether you're well or not."

"Okay, I have to go back now. You should have a good rest. I will come to visit you again in a few days."

……

Chen Lang returned to his study and called Ning Wenxu.

Ning Wenxu knelt on the ground as soon as he entered the room. He always kept his identity in mind.

A slave of the Chen family.

"Master, do you have any instructions for me to come here?"

Chen Lang pointed to a chair beside him and said, "Sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Patriarch, for the invitation." Ning Wenxu stood up and walked to the chair, but only sat halfway.

Chen Lang said calmly: "You did a good job this time."

Ning Wenxu said, "It is my honor to serve the master."

Chen Lang said, "I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. You have made such a great contribution. What reward do you want? Tell me."

Ning Wenxu knelt down again and said anxiously, "Master, I dare not ask for any reward. I only ask to stay by your side and serve you for the rest of my life."

Chen Lang said, "Get up."

"Yes, Patriarch." Ning Wenxu climbed up tremblingly.

Chen Lang said, "You are good at gathering intelligence. Have you ever considered developing it in a targeted way?"

Ning Wenxu asked in confusion, "Master, what is targeted development?"

"I've been acting as a spy." Chen Lang said.

Ning Wenxu said, "Whatever the master tells me to do, I will do it."

Chen Lang said, "Actually, being a spy is a very promising career. Besides, it's quite exciting to walk in the shadows and walk on the edge of a knife."

"It's just that Linshui is too small. Using your talent in Linshui is really a waste of talent."

"I have a better place here, Shangjing of Liao Kingdom. How about it? Consider it?"

Ning Wenxu knelt for the third time, this time so frightened that tears welled up in his eyes: "Please have mercy, Master. Please have mercy, Master."

Chen Lang said: "Show mercy? Do you think I want to harm you?"

"Let me tell you, Shangjing is vast and has great potential."

"If you make some achievements, not only me but also the imperial court will reward you."

"Haven't you always wanted to bring honor to your family? If you can't take the imperial examination, this path is the most suitable."

Ning Wenxu kowtowed repeatedly: "Master, please have mercy on me. As long as you don't let me go to the capital, I can do anything."

Chen Lang sighed and said, "Alright, alright, stop knocking."

"To be honest, I'm really worried about your future. There's no future in being a slave to me your whole life."

"But then again, I do need someone like you around me. It's more appropriate for me to keep you than to send you to the capital."

Ning Wenxu said, "This servant is willing to serve the master for the rest of his life."

Chen Lang said: "Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"You've done a great deed this time, so I'll reward you with a house. From now on, you and your sister won't have to sleep in the woodshed anymore."

Ning Wenxu expressed his gratitude repeatedly: "Thank you, Patriarch."

Chen Lang said, "Next, I need you to collect information on small and medium-sized cloth merchants in Linshui, especially those cloth shops and dyeing workshops that are not doing well. Find out their background for me."

"At the same time, you must keep a close eye on the Min family. Report any situation immediately."

Ning Wenxu said, "I will do my best to live up to the master's trust."

Chen Lang waved his hand: "Go down."