The male supporting character was actually myself.

Not only could they sell out of steamed buns quickly, but their two fair-skinned and chubby children were also very popular, with people giving them a penny or two every day to buy food.

Especially Master Xue, whose eyes would light up every time he saw his daughter and he couldn't bear to leave.

Lin Mubai knew that Xue Yuanwai had a sickly son who was still unmarried and probably wouldn't live much longer, so he began to consciously approach Xue Yuanwai. He was already able to strike up a conversation with Xue Yuanwai thanks to his well-behaved and lovely daughter.

Today marks the first time that Young Master Xue has clashed with his father over Lin Mubai.

The reason was that when Lin Mubai made steamed buns based on his memories from his previous life, he made some innovations, steaming some beautiful flower-shaped steamed buns and carefully packaging them before sending them to the door, saying that he wanted Master Xue to have a taste.

So the old man was pleased and took out a bag of fifty taels of silver to reward Lin Mubai, who was "grateful" and "honest and kind".

The original owner was furious.

Fifty taels of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for more than two years, and to buy a house and land, which would amount to several acres of fertile land.

The other party brought a few fancy steamed buns and obtained such a large sum of money by flattering and fawning over them. This did nothing but encourage others to flatter and fawn over them.

Moreover, every penny of the Xue family's wealth was the result of generations of hard work and accumulation.

Knowing that his health was poor and he feared he would not live much longer, Young Master Xue thought it would be better to persuade his father to do good deeds and contribute to Jinzhou City than to encourage such extravagant spending and flattering behavior.

To his surprise, his father wouldn't listen to his advice, and the two got into an argument. In a fit of anger, the original owner fell ill, and her condition worsened day by day until she finally died of anger.

[Mission: Prevent Master Xue from giving Lin Mubai silver; hold out for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Reward: One-time use B-grade item.]

A cup of tea?

It took about ten minutes.

Jiang Chen coughed twice after thinking for a moment and said, "I'm fine now, you can go down first."

The maid, Fen Tao, who was only eleven or twelve years old and still had a childlike air about her, took small, quick steps to the side. At this moment, the steward, Lao Zhong, had already run in with the doctor; an old man with a full head of gray hair and a very robust physique also hurried in.

Seeing that Young Master Xue had recovered, the old man spoke up: "Master, there are some things this old servant shouldn't have said. But when the great master was still alive, he doted on the young master, saying that he might be able to revive the family's glory in the future!"

Now, the old master is gone; the lady is gone too.

Young Master's health isn't very good; it's something he's had since birth. You can't treat him with hostility just because of that..."

Facing the old man beside his father, Master Xue could not argue back forcefully, so he could only argue, "I scolded him not because I disliked the sickly man!"

He doesn't even understand the most basic ethical principle of "the father is the head of the family" (this is not acceptable).

As the saying goes, "If a father fails to teach his son, it is his fault." I am merely a father disciplining his son!

"A son advising his father is considered unfilial by you." Having successfully found a point of entry, Jiang Chen snorted weakly and said, "Then, Father, by openly defying the ancestral teachings, isn't that betraying and abandoning your ancestors?"

"you you……"

I wanted to put a big label on my son and stop him from interfering in my affairs.

Unexpectedly, he was outmaneuvered. Master Xue was so angry that his hands trembled, and he couldn't speak for a long time while pointing at his sickly son.

The original owner was well-versed in literature and received the most traditional education from a young age. He was the kind of person who had to shout "Thank you, Father, for your guidance" even when his father whipped him.

Therefore, after her attempts to persuade him failed and she was instead accused of being unfilial by her father, she was heartbroken and angry, which led to a worsening of her condition and her eventual death.

But now, the person inside Young Master Xue's heart has long been replaced.

Jiang Chen wouldn't actually get angry over something like this, and risk further damaging her already fragile heart.

Therefore, while he appeared to be heartbroken, he was secretly planning how to use his silver tongue to turn the situation around and make it more favorable to him.

"He can't even come up with a defense, which shows that Father knows he's completely in the wrong."

Jiang Chen took a sip of tea, his voice weak but his tone resolute and unyielding, “Our ancestors’ teachings: ‘When you eat a bowl of porridge or a bowl of rice, remember how hard it was to come by; when you use a thread or a strand of cloth, always remember how difficult it was to obtain resources.’”

Never waste food.

A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.

In times of disaster, we should be generous in donating money.

But how did you do it?

Two years ago, Jinzhou City suffered a severe drought. I advised my father to do good deeds and open more granaries to help the refugees, but he refused.

Last year, when the floods were severe, I advised my father that even twenty taels of silver would be enough to help the county magistrate clear the mud and prevent the roads from being blocked, but my father still refused.

Nowadays, just because a steamed bun seller brings over a few steamed buns with new flower shapes, you'll immediately give away fifty taels of silver as a reward.

Does Father really value the lives of refugees and the journeys of the people of Jinzhou City less than a few steamed buns?

Master Xue was speechless, and only then did the people in the hall realize why the father and son were arguing. Their gazes toward Master Xue were all somewhat complicated.

"Thank you for your trouble." Jiang Chen, knowing when to stop, stood up and thanked them, saying, "I'm fine now. Please go back and rest. My son and I will talk some more."

They were polite enough to see the person off, and the maid and servant also withdrew.

He slumped back in his chair, finding a comfortable position to continue his psychological attack, "It's just a few steamed buns. No matter how nicely they're packaged, they're still just steamed buns. How could they be worth fifty taels of silver?"

Aren't you afraid of the wrath of your ancestors in heaven for such extravagance and waste?"

"What do you mean it's just a few steamed buns? That's a token of their goodwill!" Master Xue slammed his hand on the silver packet on the table, shouting, "How can goodwill be measured in money?"

Jiang Chen chuckled twice, "Do you think that the few steamed buns he gave you are worth fifty taels of his heartfelt sentiment?"

A few years ago, when you encountered bandits in Songzhou Prefecture, your steward, Lao Zhong, took a knife and an arrow and carried you out of a pile of corpses. How loyal was he?

When you returned, you only gave Lao Zhong twenty taels of silver as a reward.

Going back further, do you remember Aunt Zhao?

I went boating on the lake with you, but we ended up being targeted and kidnapped by bandits.

To avoid putting you in a difficult position, Aunt Zhao committed suicide with the words, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." What good is this affection?

After the lavish funeral, you only gave her family ten taels of silver, as was customary.

Last year, you choked on a sticky rice cake and almost suffocated.

The servant Fuwang rushed off to fetch a doctor. When the doctor arrived and brought you back, he realized that you had lost your shoes and your feet were bleeding profusely from being cut by stones. How about this gesture of goodwill?

You casually grabbed a handful of coins to reward Fuwang, yet he still remembers your kindness to this day.

Chapter Three: You are for wealth, I am for life

Jiang Chen was panting and felt her heart starting to act up again after saying so much in one breath.

But the task progress bar was already halfway done, so he had to take another sip of tea and slowly continue, "I've only known that pancake seller for a few days."

What have I done to help you?

A few steamed buns, a few flattering words, and you can get fifty taels of silver in return;

Another day, the pear seller will deliver them to your door. Will you give him a reward?

What I object to is not your giving rewards, but rewards that are not commensurate with your worth.

Today, I gave fifty taels of silver to that pancake seller. The Xue family's business will naturally not be affected, but what will other people think?

It's not scarcity we worry about, but inequality!

You can't even understand such a simple principle?

Even if you give them fifty taels, they won't think the pancake seller is lucky.

They would only think that Master Xue was senile and that Young Master Xue was sickly, and that the Xue family's vast estate was just a fat sheep lying on the chopping block waiting to be slaughtered!

At that time, people who want to openly and secretly grab a piece of this coveted prize will flock to it!

Master Xue was pacing impatiently at first, but when he heard this, he sat down in his armchair with a serious expression, staring at the bag of silver, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's not as serious as you make it out to be!" After a long while, Master Xue spoke with a disdainful tone: "Those people you mentioned, whether it's Lao Zhong, Aunt Zhao, or Fu Wang, they are all servants of the Xue family. It's only right and proper for them to serve their masters!"

Treating servants with a combination of kindness and strictness, and with clear rewards and punishments, is a management method.

After all, they had signed indentures, so even if their masters beat them to death, they would only report it to the authorities; it could only be said that they were unlucky.

Lin Mubai is different.

"He's just a street vendor selling steamed buns; it's rare to see someone so kind."

The little white cat watched nervously as the task progress bar slowly moved forward, and muttered in a low voice, "Host, try to speak slowly when you argue with him. As long as the task is completed, it's fine."

You're not feeling well right now, so please be very careful!

Jiang Chen slowed down his speech and continued to refute, "You are also a businessman, don't you understand those little tricks?"

As a businessman, he won't get up early for nothing.

When you bought his steamed buns, didn't you think the two dolls were so cute that you paid more for them?

I don't think you would tell someone your name when you buy a steamed bun, but Lin Mubai just came to my door.

You've been in the business world for so many years, you shouldn't be unable to see through such subtle and intricate schemes, right?

No matter how nicely he spoke, all that was delivered were a few steamed buns.

Even though you gave him fifty taels of silver under the guise of a reward, you still did.

The final result was that Master Xue bought several nice-looking steamed buns for fifty taels of silver!

The servants would be indignant about this, since it's better to be good at talking than to work hard. They might try to cheat and collud with each other to plunder the Xue family's money.

Outsiders would laugh at Master Xue for being unsophisticated, thinking that a few steamed buns were worth spending a lot of money to buy.

Lin Mubai's scheme succeeded, and he will become even more obsequious in the future in an attempt to obtain more money.

Those merchants who have been eyeing the business world with predatory intent are about to unite and launch a swift and decisive attack on the Xue family, who consist only of an old, senile, and sickly young master!

"Bang!" Xue Yuanwai's face was gloomy as he slammed the teacup down. "Alright, that's enough. You must be tired. Go back to your room and rest."

The little white cat promptly reminded him, "Host, the mission is complete! Hurry back to your room and rest, your face looks terrifying!"

Master Xue watched as the maid helped his sickly son away, and said with displeasure, "Fen Tao, put all this silver in my room."

The little girl, Pink Peach, answered and laboriously carried the package into the house.

A servant stepped forward and reported: "Master, Lin Mubai, who sells steamed buns, didn't see you. He put down the flower-shaped steamed buns and left."

"Alright, go see how much he's selling it for on the street, and give him the money." As soon as Master Xue finished speaking, the image of that fair-skinned, soft-spoken, and mischievous little girl appeared before his eyes again. He sighed and said, "Give him a few more coins."

Young Master Xue lived alone in a small courtyard.

It was early spring, and the trees were covered in new green leaves, with pink and red flowers dotting the landscape. There was a small bridge, a stream, and a rockery with overlapping green hills. The courtyard was not large, but it was cleverly designed and beautifully laid out.