This Life, I'm Raising the Right Man

Su Yaoguang had a hard time helping Zhou Wangshu into the room and coaxing him to bed. She left his bedroom only after he lay down and closed his eyes.

There were five rooms in the backyard, Zhou Wangshu’s room was the last one on the right, next to Su Yaoguang and Jiang Jing’s room.

After settling Zhou Wangshu, Su Yaoguang smelled the alcohol on her body and felt uncomfortable, so she went to the kitchen to boil water for a bath.

It was still early, and she wanted to balance the account book. Not planning to sleep early, she washed her hair as well. Once her hair was half-dried, she went to the front yard to fetch the account book and returned to her room to do the accounting.

While Su Yaoguang was skillfully flicking the abacus, a thump came from next door. She paused and went next door to check.

When she opened the door, she found Zhou Wangshu sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring blankly ahead. When he saw Su Yaoguang, he said helplessly, ”Why did you take my bed away?”

Su Yaoguang: ”...”

When will this end?

The wine glass wasn’t that big; half a cup was just a sip. How did he get so drunk?

She squatted down, touched his hair, and gently said, ”Let me help you find it. Come on, get up.”

Zhou Wangshu got up and was led back to bed by Su Yaoguang. As he pulled the blanket over himself, he took Su Yaoguang’s fingers and slowly closed his eyes.

”If I had known just a sip would mess you up so much, I wouldn’t have let you have any. From now on, don’t even think about touching any alcohol,” Su Yaoguang said, looking at the peacefully sleeping Zhou Wangshu.

Voices could be heard from outside; they should be back. Su Yaoguang withdrew her fingers, tucked him in, and left the room.

Zhang Zhaodi saw her come out of Zhou Wangshu’s room with an odd expression.

”We can’t let Wang Shu drink anymore; just one sip and he’s out like a light.”

”Is his alcohol tolerance really that bad?” Zhang Zhaodi said disdainfully, ”How can a man not drink? Your dad could drink a whole vat in one go.”

Su Yaoguang: ”...Mom, that’s not something to brag about.”

”Why not? Your dad is a real man,” Zhang Zhaodi said, ”Okay, this guy is still young, and it’s his first time drinking. Give him a few more tries, and it’ll be fine.”

”Where are the others?”

”Your aunt and uncle are in the back; we didn’t wait for them. Chunni and her mom went to check if the front doors were locked properly. Those two are just busybodies, but I was the one who locked the doors. Could they not be locked well? Jing’er went to fetch hot water to wash my face and feet. My daughter has good taste. The first time she bought a handsome son-in-law, the second time she brought me a considerate goddaughter.”

Zhang Pandi and Jia Chunni came back, saying the door was locked. Jia Chunni, holding Su Yaoguang’s arm, excitedly talked about how wonderful the lantern festival was and insisted she must see it the next night.

”We’ve had a long day today; let’s rest early,” Su Yaoguang said, ”Even though there won’t be as many customers tomorrow as today, we still need to keep our spirits up.”

”By the way, how much did we sell today?” Zhang Zhaodi asked.

”I’m not done calculating yet.”

”I’m not tired; I’ll wait until you’re done before going to bed.”

Although Zhang Pandi and Jia Chunni were curious about how much money was made today, it was ultimately the ’Boss’ who should know such things. They refrained from asking and used the excuse of tiredness to return to their rooms to rest.

When Jiang Jing came over with hot water and couldn’t find anyone in Zhang Zhaodi’s room, she heard the talking, and brought the hot water to Su Yaoguang and her room.

”That’s a lot?” Zhang Zhaodi, hearing the number Su Yaoguang reported, stood up shocked and paced around the room. ”Wow, we sold over 800 taels of silver in one day.”

”That’s the selling price. We still need to deduct costs, labor, rent, meals... Plus, with so many people today, we gave out a lot of samples, which also need to be accounted for. Also, we said earlier we’d set aside 20% for staff bonuses, which should be deducted too. But even after all that, we can still save 300 taels of silver.”

”I can hardly believe it.” Zhang Zhaodi pinched herself. ”Ouch, it hurts. It’s not a dream.”

”Godmother, it’s definitely not a dream. We’ve worked so hard just for this opening day! Tomorrow, without the discount, we won’t sell as much.”

”Shouldn’t we continue the discount tomorrow?” Zhang Zhaodi asked, ”Selling at a lower price still earns money. Why not sell at a lower price to get rid of stock and make more money?”

”Even if we offer a 30% discount tomorrow, there won’t be too many people because those who came for the excitement have already arrived today. Tomorrow, only the ones who arrived late will come. This kind of grooming item isn’t like food that’s gone once eaten. Buying it once can last one to two months, maybe even six if used sparingly. We can’t lower the price any further; we promised it was a one-day discount in front of everyone—we can’t go back on our word.”

”Today’s earnings are already enough to keep us worry-free for half a year. No need to worry, Godmother. Even though there won’t be as many customers as today, there won’t be too few either. Moreover, Yaoguang’s makeup techniques have piqued people’s interest, and just those wanting her makeup will block the entrance.”

”I hadn’t thought of that until you mentioned it. I’m clumsy and might not learn those makeup techniques you mentioned, but your cousin is clever. If you teach her, she can help share your workload in the future.”

”That’s what I was thinking too. Jing’er will handle the herbal supplies since she knows the most about them, and developing new formulas will be our task. Mom will manage the shop arrangements. Uncle can manage the accounting, and Aunt, with her good speech, will handle customer reception. Second Aunt will assist Aunt with greeting guests, but being a bit timid, she’ll need more support from Aunt. Chunni can learn makeup techniques with me so that if customers need makeup services, she can handle them. As for our family meals, we’ll temporarily rely on Second Aunt and Chunni, with a daily subsidy of ten cents for their hard work.”

”Your Second Aunt and Chunni aren’t like that; they wouldn’t take it even if you offer. It’s not that they must be the ones cooking; we can take turns. No need to mention Uncle since his health isn’t good enough for cooking. I’ll team up with Aunt, your Second Aunt with Chunni, and then you and Jing’er. We’ll rotate for cooking duties. If it’s my and Aunt’s turn to cook, the rest will do the cleaning. How about that?” Zhang Zhaodi said, ”With so many of us, we won’t let ourselves go hungry, will we? The front and backyard may seem big, but with teamwork, there won’t be much left to do.”

”My mom’s the smart one, arranging things so well. We’ll follow mom’s plan for now. If things get too tiring or busy later on, we can consider hiring someone.”