Wang Qingchen thought that even if his words couldn't deeply move Wang Qinghua or completely ease his mind, they should at least alleviate some of his worries. Unexpectedly, after struggling for a long moment, Wang Qinghua uttered something that left Wang Qingchen utterly dumbfounded. "That won't do, Qingchen. If I make a mistake at Third Aunt's brother's shop, I’ll just be causing trouble for people! That’s not right," Wang Qingchen stated earnestly. Wang Qingchen could only sigh internally, thinking, Ah, such an honest man. Forget it, I won’t press the issue. Although Wang Qingchen’s original intention hadn't fully materialized, at least Wang Qinghua finally stopped tossing and turning, falling asleep not long after.

The next morning, Wang Qinghua and Wang Qingchen went into town together. Upon arrival, one headed for the general store, and the other went to the academy.

When Wang Qingchen reached the academy, he noticed Wang Qingtong was unusually excited. Though he tried hard to suppress it, the flush in his eyes betrayed his fervor. Wang Qingtong, after all, wasn't the patient type. Sure enough, on the way to the dining hall at noon, he leaned close to Wang Qingchen, trying to sound calm but his voice still trembled with excitement, "Qingchen, my two blossoms can be sold for money!" Although Wang Qingchen had anticipated this possibility from the start, seeing Wang Qingtong so thrilled, he decided to play along. "Really? That’s wonderful! I remember you said they were tiny last time; I didn't think they would grow so fast. When are you planning to sell them?" Wang Qingchen asked with manufactured excitement. "Hehe…" Wang Qingtong was quite satisfied with Wang Qingchen’s reaction. "I didn't bring them today. How about we take them to Boss Xue tomorrow?" "Sounds good. We can ask Qingyi and Li Yuntai if they want to sell their flowers too while we're there today," Wang Qingchen replied. Wang Qingtong nodded enthusiastically, "Mm-hmm…"

So, after school that day, Wang Qingchen inquired with Li Yuntai and Wang Qingyi if they also wanted to sell their flowers, as one of their blooms had matured as well. Both boys were eager at the prospect of selling their flowers, so the four arranged to meet at the village entrance the following morning to sell them together.

Wang Qingchen figured that since the other three had flowers to sell, he might as well join the fun, but he hadn't bought any extra flowerpots beforehand; there were none spare at home. Thus, Wang Qingchen borrowed two pots from Li Yuntai. After all, Li Yuntai and the others had bought several pots each to plant their seeds, but only one or two had actually grown, so there had to be spares. Indeed, Wang Qingchen easily secured the loan of the pots.

It was nearly dinnertime when Wang Qinghua returned from town. This was Wang Qinghua's first time being away for such an extended period, so as soon as he returned, Mother Yang immediately hovered over him, fussing with concern. She asked if he was hungry, if anyone had given him trouble—basically voicing every possible misfortune she had conjured up in her mind. Wang Qinghua patiently answered all of Mother Yang's questions, never showing annoyance. Instead, knowing his mother worried for him, he felt quite touched. Finally, Father Wang Youfu couldn't stand it any longer. "The boy just went to town to learn about running a shop. Look at you worrying as if he’d gone on a long journey." Though Wang Youfu spoke this way, the way he had scanned his son multiple times from the moment Wang Qinghua walked in showed he cared deeply, just not as overtly as Mother Yang. Mother Yang looked a little embarrassed, but thinking her son must be hungry after a busy day, she quickly urged everyone to eat dinner, starting to recount the day's events while they ate.

Wang Qinghua understood his parents’ anxiety, so he recounted every detail of his day, listing everything he had done. When mentioning the mistake he made, he grew a bit sheepish, then explained how someone in the shop had corrected him, and so on. Wang Qingchen didn't ask many questions, reasoning that since they shared a room, he could ask Qinghua later that night. However, to his surprise, Wang Qinghua, having been highly tense during his first day at the shop and exhausted from the day's work following a poor night's sleep, fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Seeing this, Wang Qingchen decided to let it go.

Early the next morning, Wang Qingchen did not go to town with Wang Qinghua. Instead, he followed the plan made yesterday with Li Yuntai and the others, heading to the village entrance to assemble. When Wang Qingchen arrived, Li Yuntai and Wang Qingyi were already waiting. Both were cradling a single mature flower in their hands. Wang Qingchen carried his two pots in a basket on his back, just like last time.

After a short wait, Wang Qingtong arrived, bringing Wang Youliang with him. Wang Qingchen felt a slight awkwardness upon seeing this but said nothing. As they approached, they overheard Wang Qingtong saying, "Qingchen, I can’t manage these two pots of flowers by myself, so my father insisted on accompanying me." Wang Qingtong seemed anxious that Wang Qingchen might be angry, quickly offering this explanation—as if the agreement hadn't been for the children alone. Yet, his reason was clearly flimsy. After all, he knew Wang Qingchen had carried his flowers in a basket last time; why would he suddenly need an adult along because they were too heavy to carry?

This situation stemmed from Wang Qingtong telling his parents about his desire to save money to open a shop. His parents had, predictably, refused. However, when Wang Qingtong mentioned selling the flowers last night, Wang Youliang had surprisingly conceded. Of course, Wang Youliang added that it wasn't proper for a group of children to go alone, and having an adult accompany them would be safer. He also stipulated that he should receive half of the flower sale profits, conveniently forgetting that Wang Qingchen had provided the seeds to Wang Qingtong, not to the adults. Although Wang Qingtong felt Wang Youliang accompanying them was inappropriate, his father had finally agreed, and his yearning to open a shop overshadowed all else, so he nodded in assent.

Wang Qingchen greeted Wang Youliang with, "Uncle." Wang Youliang chuckled, "Qingchen, what kind of sight is it for a group of kids to go alone? How can you manage without an adult accompanying you? Uncle will go with you." Wang Qingchen remained silent. Wang Youliang cursed internally: That little brat, daring to ignore me. Wait until I speak with Boss Xue, and then you won't matter anymore. Wang Youliang had already planned before leaving that he would use this opportunity to connect with Boss Xue and make a grand impression. Once he secured a connection, earning money would be trivial.

Perhaps due to the presence of an adult, the children barely spoke during the journey. Upon reaching Boss Xue's residence, Wang Qingchen knocked. The gatekeeper saw Li Yuntai and the others holding flowers and realized they were with Wang Qingchen, so he quickly ushered them inside and sent someone to announce them promptly.

The group was led into the main hall. Wang Youliang looked around, somewhat disappointed. In his estimation, the residence wasn't as magnificent as he had imagined. He failed to realize this was merely Boss Xue's local staging post, rarely used; the true family base was in the capital city.

Steward Xu, upon learning Wang Qingchen had returned, was delighted. For them, the more rare flowers they acquired, the better. However, Steward Xu hadn't expected an adult to accompany them this time, so he greeted the group with great warmth. But Steward Xu was shrewd; he quickly perceived Wang Qingchen’s lack of closeness with his uncle, so while his demeanor toward Wang Qingchen’s uncle was outwardly warm, it remained strictly courteous.

Wang Youliang knew the man before him wasn't the main boss, merely a steward, but he didn't change his plan, desperately trying to curry favor with Steward Xu. Wang Qingchen grew impatient listening to Wang Youliang's flattery. They still needed to get to the academy, so he cut straight to the point, stating they were there to sell flowers. Steward Xu noticed Wang Qingchen’s impatience, halted his conversation with Wang Youliang, and came over to inspect the flowers the boys had brought.

Steward Xu examined the flowers brought by the group. Compared to Wang Qingchen’s blooms, the differences were stark—Wang Qingchen’s flowers were clearly superior. Steward Xu nodded. No wonder Boss Xue had given repeated instructions not to neglect Wang Qingchen; the boy clearly had a knack for cultivation. He would surely need his help again in the future, strengthening Steward Xu’s resolve not to offend Wang Qingchen.

Looking at the other boys’ flowers, Steward Xu naturally assumed these were grown by the other boys, with the seeds likely originating from Wang Qingchen. Since Wang Qingchen gave them seeds and brought them along to sell, their relationship must be quite good. This meant he should cultivate good relations with them too. As for the uncle? Best to ignore him.

With that in mind, Steward Xu smiled, "Qingchen, we'll stick to the previous price for these flowers, what do you think?" When Wang Qingchen heard Steward Xu say this, he knew the steward was showing deference to him, as he could clearly see Wang Qingchen's two pots were better than those of Li Yuntai and the other two. Wang Qingchen nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Xu." "Eh, no need to be so polite with me," Steward Xu chuckled.

When the others heard the price was the same as before, they were overjoyed. But when the silver was brought out, their expressions shifted to disbelief—these flowers were worth so much? Twenty taels of silver per bloom!

Wang Youliang was equally stunned. These flowers were worth a fortune! He and his son had brought two—that meant forty taels of silver! Thinking of the forty taels, his hands and feet didn't know where to rest in his excitement. However, seeing Wang Qingchen looking so utterly composed, envy turned to resentment. Second Brother’s family was truly stingy; they were earning so much from these flowers, yet they only grudgingly gave their family this little, for only two blooms grown. Wang Qingchen paid no mind to Wang Youliang’s internal monologue. He beckoned the other three toward the academy. Wang Youliang was not about to miss this opportunity. He called out cheerfully, "Qingchen, Uncle knows you're heading to the academy, hurry along! Don't worry, Uncle will take care of things here!"

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