The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 45 Baochai's Analysis

It was almost noon when Aunt Xue and Youshi came out of Doufengxuan.

Unlike when I came here, the gloom in my heart was swept away, and I felt refreshed and happy.

The spring is bright and sunny, with bits of sunshine scattered on the branches, like bright gems, setting off the green leaves.

The breeze blows gently, bringing a hint of warmth across my cheeks, making me feel indescribably comfortable and it feels like I am walking with the wind.

She has a plump figure and a slender waist. Although she is not as slender as Qin Keqing, her proud upper and lower body shape outlines perfect curves.

Yu Shi didn't know the trick and thought that she was getting an advantage by letting the Xue family sell on her behalf. Not only was she respectful in her words, she was also very considerate and sent someone in advance to inform them that the carriage was waiting at the back door.

After refusing Youshi's invitation to stay for dinner again, Aunt Xue got in the carriage and returned to Lixiangyuan.

"Where did you go, Mom, so early in the morning?"

As soon as she got off the car, her daughter Xue Baochai came up to her and complained: "I came to consult with my mother early in the morning, but I couldn't find anyone. I asked Tongxi and Tonggui, but they didn't know where they were either!"

Because of some concerns, she did not dare to tell her daughter when Ning Mansion sent someone to invite her yesterday. Now that all her doubts were gone, she explained, "Brother Yi sent someone to invite you last night, but I didn't tell you because it was too late. I just came back from the East Mansion."

"Brother Yi?" Xue Baochai looked at Aunt Xue's expression and asked happily, "Could it be that he agreed to help?"

"More than that! I haven't even opened my mouth yet and they've already taken care of the matter."

Having said this, she immediately ordered her servants, "Go and invite all our shopkeepers in the capital."

Xue Baochai frowned slightly when she heard this and asked, "Could it be that he wants to invest in our business?"

Aunt Xue shook her head, took Xue Baochai's hand, and walked towards the main house.

On the way, he briefly recounted what had happened.

"That's all? No other requests?"

"That's not true! We really did blame him wrongly yesterday." Aunt Xue couldn't help but regret it when she talked about yesterday. "Yesterday we sent people to look for Xiangling's relatives with great fanfare. If we couldn't find anyone, wouldn't he be angry and embarrassed?"

"Mom, you're worrying too much!" Xue Baochai said calmly, "This is what he meant. Besides, even if there's a lot of noise when they're sent out, they can come back quietly, right? Who among the old lady and my aunt would remember this?"

"That's true!" Aunt Xue's worry turned into relief.

"When the time comes, we will just quietly tell him, who knows, he might even appreciate it!"

"Yes! Yes! This Brother Yi is really capable. He got the job done before we even told him."

Aunt Xue echoed, then hugged her daughter in her arms and sighed, "It's a pity that we are so far away from him. Otherwise, your brother's problem might not be completely solved. Look at that Zhen brother's daughter-in-law, she just got 10% of the profit for nothing."

Seeing her daughter lost in thought, she continued, "Although he is a bit lustful, any promising man is the same. As long as he is not a heartless and unlucky person, it can be a good marriage."

At first, facing Zhang Yunyi's dominance, she was more than happy to be able to keep the title of imperial merchant.

But afterwards, the attitude shown by Youshi made her think about something else.

Aunt Xue has been a widow for many years, and her son is not very ambitious. Most of the family business has to go through her hands. Her daughter Baochai was still young in her early years, and only started to help in recent years.

It is businessmen’s nature to pursue profits, so it is inevitable that they will develop some bad habits.

Although the price given by the imperial court and the selling price could not be too different, the family not only did not make a single cent, but also had to help pay for the occupied shop space and labor costs.

Moreover, this would take a long time, and no one knew how many years it would take. Looking back, it would be more cost-effective to do it once and for all. However, if she went to Zhang Yunyi to bargain, she was afraid that she would make him unhappy, so she had to find another way.

Since Zhang Yunyi did not make any excessive demands, I was obviously overthinking it before.

If Baochai could be married to him, not to mention the profits from the snowflake candy, their share of the subsequent output from Tiangong Institute would not be reduced.

"Although what mother said makes sense, now that I think about it, I'm afraid we were wrong before." Xue Baochai said thoughtfully.

"Are you thinking about something else?" Aunt Xue lowered her head and looked at her daughter in confusion.

"Mom, think about it, the day before yesterday was the first time I saw him, and if mother hadn't asked the old lady to call him, we might not have seen him. We didn't ask him to come, so how did he know about our family's difficulties?"

"Could it be that your aunt said that?"

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "If it was Auntie who helped, there's no reason for her to hide it from us."

"Could it be that he really has the ability to predict the future?"

Xue Baochai sneered and said, "Mother, why do you still believe these nonsense? He has already taken Xiangling as his concubine. Doesn't that prove what brother said? In my opinion, he must have known about our family's situation for a long time."

"Why is that?" Aunt Xue asked in doubt, "Could it be that he has set his sights on our family's property?"

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "He has only been employed by the Imperial Household for a month. Even if he has the Emperor's favor, how could he extend his hand to the Ministry of Grain and Oil? In my opinion, the Imperial Household has probably already decided that the snowflake cotton candy will be sold by the Emperor's merchants. He just took advantage of the situation and that's why all this happened."

She did not wait for Aunt Xue to give her opinion and continued to talk: "Although he is not clear about our family's situation, Brother Zhen of the East Mansion knows everything. Didn't mother say that Sister Zhen had no idea about the share of the snowflake candy before?"

"Hiss!" Aunt Xue gasped, "Are you saying that Zhen Ge'er teamed up with him to plot against us?"

"It's not really a calculation, but haven't we also preserved our title as an imperial merchant?"

Having said that, Aunt Xue was not very happy.

"I thought he was a good person, but he was so calculating. Not only did he take advantage of me, but he also tricked Xiangling away."

Seeing this, Xue Baochai hurriedly explained: "She is just a maid. Mother, you don't have to take it to heart. I think it may not be a bad thing."

"How to say?"

"Didn't mom say before that he is not a heartless person? I think there is some truth in that."

Xue Baochai explained, "He has just arrived, how could he know about our family's affairs? Most likely it was Brother Zhen who came up with the plan. Mother, you know, he is alone and helpless, and he will naturally be grateful to be taken into the East Palace. There is nothing wrong with helping the East Palace to make more money."

Aunt Xue sneered and said, "What kind of good thing is this?"

"Don't worry, mom. I think this sale was most likely instigated by big brother Zhen, but to cheat Xiangling away, I'm afraid he listened to his brother and made a sudden decision."

She paused and said, "First, I feel guilty and want to give our family some compensation. Second, I am afraid that it will be embarrassing for my aunt. I am worried that my brother will come back and confront us, which will not end well."

"That's very possible." Aunt Xue agreed. "I wonder why he wants to know if there are any friends in our family who have been to Kubuqi Salt Lake."

"That's right! If not, why would he go to such a far place and look for us instead of Brother Zhen?"

……

(End of this chapter)