The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

In just a few breaths, Gu Huaizhou had already planned what he was going to do.

Soap was his cash cow.

At this moment, his gaze towards Xue Qingwan held a hint of warmth.

As for Song Wenjun, he ignored her completely.

"Cousin, did you make this?" he asked deliberately.

Xue Qingwan nodded, a smug look on her face: "That's right, how does it feel, cousin?"

"Excellent, truly excellent." Gu Huaizhou praised without reservation: "I never expected my cousin to have such talent; it's truly remarkable."

"If you like it, feel free to take it."

Gu Huaizhou smiled, his excitement hidden, and said casually, "Okay."

After Xue Qingwan finished speaking, she left with Bao Qing.

She was confident that Gu Huaizhou would take the initiative to contact her.

Seeing Gu Huai's high praise for Xue Qingwan, Zhou couldn't help but smile.

That's right, what man doesn't have three wives and four concubines?

It's a good thing that someone has taken Gu Huaizhou's heart away.

Song Wenjun maintained a smile throughout, and seeing that the show was almost over, she asked, "Does the Marquis have something to discuss with me?"

The servant had already come to tell her.

Everyone in the room knew that Gu Huaizhou wanted to overdraft next month's allowance.

Gu Huaizhou certainly wouldn't bring up this matter in front of everyone in the room, so he shook his head and denied it: "It's nothing."

A few words, extremely indifferent.

There was also a hint of impatience in him.

He has already found another way, so why should he go back to Song Wenjun?

Song Wenjun smiled and said, "Is the Marquis angry that I didn't let you overdraft your monthly allowance? That would be a real injustice to me. The household accounts are empty right now. If all the money is spent, how will we manage our social obligations?"

Every year, the Marquis's residence sends out a large number of gifts.

Social interactions in official circles and visits between relatives.

Moreover, after the New Year, there are the Princess's birthday banquet, the ladies of various households' spring banquets, flower viewing banquets, camellia parties, and so on, all of which require money to support.

Not to mention the expenses of the government office; money is needed everywhere.

Gu Huaizhou's lips twitched, and his face darkened: "As the end of the year approaches, I have more social engagements, and I've spent quite a bit of money. But these are all necessary expenses. I can't just refuse to pay a cent when people invite me to dinner, can I? Since there's no money in the household accounts, you should think of some ways to make it happen. After all, you are the mistress of the house."

His meaning couldn't be clearer: he wanted Song Wenjun to use her own dowry to make up for the shortfall.

Gu Huaizhou used to disdain saying these things because Song Wenjun would take out the money voluntarily.

But now that she's not taking it, the household's expenses are immediately stretched thin.

Madam Zhou nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense. Let's get through this difficult time first. Wenjun, you've always been considerate of the household, and I believe in your abilities."

With two compliments slapped on her face, Song Wenjun had no choice but to accept them.

But she just smiled faintly and said with a sorrowful expression, "What the Marquis and Mother said is true, but times have changed."

"What do you mean? When you married into the family, you brought a lot of dowry with you. Wenjun, you're not going to be reluctant to give it away, are you?" Zhou Shi pouted in dissatisfaction.

Song Wenjun smiled and said, "We're all family, so it's no problem for me to make some financial assistance. But how much should I give, and how will we repay you? Shouldn't we make that clear first?"

“Still?” Zhou Shi drew out her words and emphasized her tone: “Why are you talking like family? Yours is naturally from the Marquis’s mansion. Why make such a distinction? Wouldn’t that make outsiders laugh at us?”

"Mother, you are mistaken. It's not that we don't have money, it's just that we don't have money right now. All that money is earning interest in the bank. Besides, there will be tribute money from the estate at the end of the year, so how could we not have money?"

Zhou opened her mouth, but had nothing to say.

Because everything Song Wenjun said made sense, the Marquis's money was indeed earning interest in the money shop.

She quickly shook her head: "Those silver coins cannot be touched. They are deposited at three-year interest rates. If we withdraw them before the due date, we will lose a lot of silver coins."

"Then open Mother's storeroom and use the money to make up the difference."

“Mine is even worse.” Upon hearing that her money was to be touched, Madam Zhou became so anxious it was as if she wanted to tear her flesh apart: “This is all my savings for my funeral. What will I do if you touch it?”

Song Wenjun sighed, "It's not that I don't want to help, but I'm powerless to do so. My dowry has already been given to my brother to start a business. He lost a lot of money this year. The floods in the south destroyed many shops, including my Song family's."

Zhou and Gu Huaizhou were both anxious: "Why didn't you discuss such a big matter with us?"

Song Wenjun replied matter-of-factly, "My dowry was all given to me by my brother. I should help him when he is in trouble. Even my expenses in the manor are paid with my own money. I have never used a single penny from the manor. Can't I make my own decisions about my own things?"

He spoke with absolute confidence.

Zhou and Gu Huaizhou looked ashen-faced, both staring at Song Wenjun with grim expressions.

But he succumbed to her clear and determined gaze.

Of course they were wrong; being wrong means they were guilty.

How dare they ask for money to cover their expenses, and yet they act so self-righteously?

After finishing her sentence, Song Wenjun stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Yan Yan is still waiting for me."

After saying this, she bowed gracefully to Madam Zhou, then turned and left.

After she had walked away, Zhou said angrily, "This is the virtuous wife you married? She's more cunning than a monkey when she gets her hands on someone. Not only is she stingy, but she even tried to take advantage of me and made me open the storeroom."

She got angrier and angrier as she talked, slamming her hand on the table to vent her frustration.

Gu Huaizhou was so angry that his heart ached, but with no money in the manor, how could he carry out his grand plan?

After much deliberation, he set his sights on the Zhou family.

“My son has a foolproof plan that will not only help the Marquis’s mansion get through this crisis, but will also bring in a steady stream of income in the future,” Gu Huaizhou said, deliberately keeping Zhou Shi hanging on.

He knew his mother all too well; she wouldn't have given in unless she saw the potential benefits.

Sure enough, Zhou's appetite was whetted: "What's your plan?"

Gu Huaizhou leaned back in his chair and tapped the table to indicate to Zhou Shi: "It's this bar of soap."

"This thing can turn into money?" Zhou Shi clearly didn't believe it.

“Mother, don’t underestimate this thing. Once such a good item is put in the shop, it will definitely sell like hotcakes.” Gu Huaizhou’s eyes began to shine as he painted a rosy picture for Zhou Shi: “Those young ladies and noblewomen will definitely love it. We’ll sell it for one tael of silver a piece, and we won’t have to worry about selling it at all.”

Zhou seemed somewhat tempted: "What if we lose money?"

"I will absolutely not lose money, Mother, rest assured, your son will definitely make it grow like a golden egg."

"Then, let's give it a try."

Gu Huaizhou nodded and then said, "Mother, give me three thousand taels of silver first. When we make money, we'll split it 50/50 between us."

Zhou: "After all this talk, you just want me to give you money?"

Gu Huaizhou smiled and said ingratiatingly, "When it comes to making money, a son will definitely think of his mother."

Seeing that the relationship between the two had eased, Zhou had no choice but to give him three thousand taels of silver, repeatedly instructing him: "You must remember to give me a share of the profits."