After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

“Of course there’s a price to pay!” Lu Zhiyuan tossed her hair, revealing the wound on the back of her neck: “A bite from this kind of snake will never heal and will become extremely ferocious and terrifying. If you’re lucky, you can slow down aging like General Gu An and have a good appetite. If you’re unlucky, you’ll become a monster that’s neither human nor ghost, like Marquis Yongchang.”

monster?

Xie Chaoyun stared at Lu Zhiyuan in shock.

She didn't see Gu An, nor did she see the Marquis of Yongchang, and she didn't know what the monster Lu Zhiyuan spoke of looked like. Perhaps it was terrifying.

Just like those she encountered in the capital back then. But so what? It was her daughter who turned into a monster, and as long as she wanted to live, she would always protect her.

Holding her hand, looking into her eyes, she said softly, "It's okay, it's okay to become a monster. Mother can take you to live with your grandfather, or if you don't want to go, we can find a scenic place. As long as you don't hurt or bother anyone, what does it matter if you become a monster? If Mother is gone one day, your uncle can take care of you. As long as Yuan'er is alive, as long as Yuan'er wants to live, Mother will do anything."

"It's not as serious as Mother said." Lu Zhiyuan hugged her mother's neck: "Yuan'er doesn't like to think about things too far in the future. Plans are not as good as changes. Just cherish the present and the people in front of you."

After a lively meal, Xie Chaoyun and Qingzhi stayed at the Xie family's house.

Lu Yun's old injury had not yet healed, and Han Ting was also ill, so they were arranged to live in the same courtyard and have the people from Xie's pharmacy help take care of them.

Qingzhi was not comfortable leaving Lu Zhiyuan in the care of others, so she simply took Liuying's place and took care of everything herself.

Physician Jiang also moved from his previous courtyard to theirs, conducting several consultations a day to prevent any changes in Lu Zhiyuan's condition.

Fortunately, everything was moving in a positive direction, but Lu Zhiyuan knew that it was all an illusion.

The system checked her condition, and it was different from Gu An's and Yongchang Hou's. The snake venom had enveloped her heart, liver, lungs, and blood vessels, making her appear to be improving and becoming healthier day by day. In reality, it was the snake venom interacting with the toxins already present in her body. The final outcome was unknown.

Life and death are predestined; these four words perfectly describe her.

She didn't intend to tell the Crown Prince, her mother, or anyone around her. She didn't want them to live in fear, nor did she want them to live in constant anxiety about losing her.

It's better to take responsibility for some things yourself.

The charcoal shop was packed, so Lu Zhiyuan had to go around to the back door to enter. She drank two cups of tea before Manager Xie returned from the front, wiping his sweat.

"The charcoal is being delivered in one after another, and all the major charcoal shops have opened. Everyone is giving us face and buying from us first."

Lu Zhiyuan poured him a cup of tea and told him to drink some water and catch his breath.

"The Xie family's employees are quite efficient and capable of handling things independently, so there's no need for the manager to do everything himself."

"It's not that I'm worried."

"Please sit down." Lu Zhiyuan poured him another cup of tea. "What are you worried about? Are you worried that there might be accidents due to the large number of people buying charcoal, or that the charcoal delivered in such an emergency is of poor quality, or that there might be problems with the accounts?"

"Not this one." Manager Xie waved his hand casually: "Regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter..."

Whenever someone comes to buy charcoal, a shop assistant will go out to maintain order. People buy in queues; with the Xie family's reputation, whether you buy early or late, you'll always get some. There's no fighting, no scrambling, and the kind of incident the young lady fears will never happen.

Manager Xie took a sip of tea: "And this charcoal, although it was delivered urgently, we have all the necessary quality inspection procedures. Even if there is a problem with this charcoal, the buyer can exchange it for free with the purchase receipt."

Qingzhi interjected, "This charcoal is different from other things. How can Manager Xie be so sure that this problematic charcoal was bought from the Xie family? What if they use the Xie family's receipt to exchange it for charcoal bought from another store? How should this be handled?"

Shopkeeper Xie chuckled.

"Miss Qingzhi, you may not know this, but all our charcoal comes from the same place. Although not all charcoal is the same, those familiar with charcoal can tell the difference clearly. Coincidentally, our Xie family's charcoal shop has such an expert. Every batch of charcoal we buy and every batch we sell is meticulously recorded. From the wood used for burning the charcoal..."

The shape, size, and color of the charcoal are all meticulously recorded. If someone manages to pass for the real thing, it means they are a skilled craftsman, and exchanging real charcoal for such fake charcoal is a worthwhile trade.

"Manager Xie, aren't you worried about the accounts?"

"If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. The accountants in my charcoal shop are all people I personally hired." Manager Xie chuckled. "You've looked at the account books I sent to you, Miss, haven't you? Is there anything wrong with them?"

“You keep very detailed accounts, and you remember every single entry clearly.”

"This is what the manager of our Xie family should do." Manager Xie still smiled: "If there is even the slightest oversight, I will have done my job as manager to the fullest."

These days, no one who does manual labor is a fool.

They know perfectly well whether they work for the Xie family or someone else. To put it bluntly, the meager earnings elsewhere are less than the tips they get from the Xie family. What fool would give up such a stable income to sabotage the Xie family and cut off their own livelihood?

"If that's the case, why should Manager Xie do it personally?"

"Naturally, it's for His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess." Manager Xie cupped his hands. "The Xie family should do its best for the country and be loyal to the emperor. Selling charcoal may seem like a small matter, but even small matters can touch upon the foundation of the nation. I must bring honor to the Xie family and His Highness the Crown Princess, so that people know why our Xie family can become the number one merchant in the world."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Manager."

As she spoke, Qingzhi gave a wink and took out a stack of silver notes from her bosom, handing them to Manager Xie. “Everyone has worked hard these days! Distribute these silver notes among everyone. You’re the manager, so you can decide how to distribute them.”

Manager Xie pondered for a moment: "Logically, these silver notes should be divided equally, but the shop assistants come from different backgrounds, and some families are particularly poor. My suggestion is to take out half and divide it equally among everyone, and use the rest as some kind of subsidy. For example, if a shop assistant gets married, they can go to the accounting office to collect a wedding subsidy. Or if a shop assistant has a baby, they can go to the accounting office to collect a maternity subsidy. Also, those who are seriously ill or whose families have suffered disasters can go to the accounting office to collect subsidies."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded: "The idea is good and can be implemented. All Xie family shops within Ganzhou City can allocate 10% of their turnover for various subsidies. These funds should be dedicated to specific purposes and managed by designated personnel, using separate ledgers. Manager Xie can discuss the specifics with Qingzhi."

"What about the head manager?"

“I can handle this amount of money.” Lu Zhiyuan gestured for Manager Xie to sit down: “I’ve come today to discuss something with you.”

Shopkeeper Xie smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Please go ahead."

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhiyuan said, "I want to do some business that Ganzhou doesn't have."

Manager Xie nodded, "As long as the Xie family name is there..."

"Whatever business we do, we're guaranteed to make a profit."

The Xie family is different from others. In business, they don't raise prices, don't haggle, don't cheat the common people, don't flatter the powerful, and treat everyone equally regardless of region. The so-called poor business is because they support Beiliang, reduce profits for the military, and subsidize the people, which is why they aren't making money.

Who is this woman before me? She is the most valued young lady of the Xie family, the apple of the Crown Prince's eye, and the only Crown Princess recognized by the Emperor and Empress. Whatever business she sets her mind to, even selling steamed buns, she can make it the best in Ganzhou.

"I want to open a firearms shop."

"what?"

“You heard me right, it’s the firearms shop.” Lu Zhiyuan leaned down and looked into Manager Xie’s eyes: “I need some raw materials for making firearms, and you can procure them.”