Wang Qingchen returned to his room and pondered. When the family operated the mill previously, they had already planned to acquire grain, process it into rice or flour at the mill, and then sell the finished products. However, since most people viewed it merely as a mill, many brought grain to be ground, while few purchased the ready-milled rice or flour. After all, most people went to established grain shops for staples like rice or flour, so initially, the finished goods sold by the Wang Youfu family’s mill didn't move very quickly. It was only after their mill gained some reputation that more customers began buying the prepared products.

With more people buying finished goods, it meant the mill would need to procure even more grain. Wouldn't the staff at the shop become insufficient again then? Why not let his elder sister-in-law’s younger brother take charge of this aspect, working under Wang Qinghua? Furthermore, judging by his sister-in-law’s words just now, her brother seemed quite articulate, making him perfectly suited for the procurement role.

Having settled on this idea, Wang Qingchen didn't immediately approach Wang Youfu and Madam Yang. Instead, he first sought out Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing. He needed to gauge the couple’s intentions, especially his sister-in-law’s, to avoid doing good deeds that ended up causing trouble.

Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing were naturally pleased with Wang Qingchen’s suggestion. However, Wang Qinghua remained skeptical about whether their mill would genuinely require large-scale grain acquisition, considering that, no matter what, their mill’s output and customer base couldn't compare to the established grain houses.

Wang Qingchen, however, was quite confident. After all, looking at the account books his elder brother had kept over the past year, the number of people buying finished goods from their mill was steadily increasing, and he believed there would only be more in the future.

After the three discussed it and agreed it was feasible, Wang Qinghua hurried off to consult with Wang Youfu and Madam Yang. He didn't want to repeat past mistakes; some opportunities couldn't be delayed, or they would vanish.

When Wang Youfu and Madam Yang first heard Wang Qinghua's proposal, they shared Wang Qinghua's initial doubt: would their mill really reach a point where they needed to buy grain in bulk? Was hiring someone specifically for procurement necessary?

So, Wang Qinghua presented the account books and explained the projections Wang Qingchen had outlined to Wang Youfu and Madam Yang. Wang Youfu and Madam Yang were not slow-witted; after hearing their eldest son’s analysis, they felt somewhat reassured. While a sliver of uncertainty remained, they at least recognized that it was a plausible scenario. Moreover, their son was recommending relatives through his wife; the couple reflected that their daughter-in-law had always been a positive influence since marrying into the family. Consequently, they raised no objections to the matter.

Seeing that Wang Youfu and Madam Yang had agreed, Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luo Qing, in particular, couldn't suppress the joyous smile spreading across her face.

With that matter settled, the family immersed themselves once more in the atmosphere of the approaching New Year.

Since it was the Lunar New Year, the long-term hired hands, Zheng Wu and his wife, Wu Shi, needed to return to their own homes to celebrate. Therefore, Wang Youfu had already paid them their wages for the year. Following the previous arrangement, Wu Shi was counted as a full long-term laborer, and Madam Yang further gifted them five catties of meat, five catties of rice, and five catties of white flour as year-end benefits, promising they could return after the Lantern Festival next year.

Zheng Wu and Wu Shi were deeply grateful; finding such employers was genuinely rare. Afterward, the couple packed their belongings and departed for their hometown with their child.

This year, when the Wang Youfu family delivered New Year’s gifts to the ancestral home, they did not face the usual scorn from the Old Madam. This wasn't because their gifts were exceptionally lavish this year, but rather because Wang Youliang had bought the elderly couple quite a few nice things, which delighted the Old Madam so much that she accepted even the gifts she usually nitpicked with a smile. This left the Second and Third Branches unsure how to feel—should they be angry at the Old Madam's favoritism, or pleased that she had finally stopped being critical?

Fortunately, the Old Master treated the members of the Second and Third Branches as consistently as ever, which offered them some measure of consolation.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Wang Youfu, Wang Qinghua, and Wang Qingchen affixed the door couplets, while Madam Yang and Luo Qing prepared the midday feast. Caiyun was tasked with keeping an eye on Xiao Qinghe. Since Wu Shi’s family had left for their hometown on the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month, the household chores in the subsequent days were managed entirely by the Wang Youfu family themselves. Thankfully, since the family had managed similarly the previous year, things did not descend into chaos.

Once the midday meal was ready, the family first performed rites to honor the gods and ancestors before sitting down to eat. During this ancestor worship, Wang Youfu was especially devout. His second son was due to take the Tongzi exam next year, and if he passed, he would become a Xiucai scholar. Having a Xiucai in the Wang family—a family whose lineage had mostly toiled in the fields—would be an event of profound significance.

The afternoon was dedicated, as customary, to making dumplings, followed by staying up late into the night for the New Year’s vigil. This year, with Luo Qing assisting, Madam Yang was spared considerable effort.

In the evening, Caiyun and Xiao Qinghe succumbed to sleep, but the rest remained awake until the stroke of midnight. Then, Wang Youfu went outside to set off firecrackers, a practice echoed by other households nearby. Amidst the crackle of gunpowder, the family drifted into their dreams.

The next day, although everyone was dressed in new clothes, Wang Qingchen noticed subtle differences. His mother and sister-in-law seemed to have acquired an extra piece or two of jewelry. As for Caiyun, who had expected nothing for herself, after being pulled aside by his mother, she returned with a brand-new pair of earrings, which delighted her immensely.

Once ready, the family headed out to offer New Year greetings. Upon arriving at the ancestral home, they encountered several of the Wang family relatives. These were people Luo Qing rarely saw on a regular basis, so the New Year gathering provided an opportunity for them to truly become acquainted.

Consequently, Madam Yang took Luo Qing aside to chat with these relatives, and soon after, Madam Zhang joined the conversation. In stark contrast were Tian Shi and Luo Yin. Because many people had gathered—as people naturally liked to congregate during the New Year—the two of them were obligated to prepare tea and snacks.

Tian Shi rushed about busily. Seeing Madam Yang and Madam Zhang chatting and laughing with the others without even offering a hand, she grew resentful. Her dissatisfaction intensified when she noticed that the hairpin Madam Zhang wore was different from last year’s. Indeed, Tian Shi had little to feel happy about lately. First, the dispute with her second son and daughter-in-law had soured the relationship between her and the couple. Then, when her husband earned money and brought it home, instead of joy, the funds were distributed among the sons under the direction of the family elders, leaving her happy for nothing. Now, during the New Year, not only were the household matters almost entirely falling upon her shoulders, but she also had to serve tea and water to these relatives. After all her tiring work, she still had to watch Madam Yang and Madam Zhang laughing together—truly, not a single good thing was happening.

Luo Yin experienced a similar letdown. Whenever she saw how well Luo Qing was doing in her in-laws’ home, she felt a pang of bitterness. Though she told herself not to dwell on it, restraining such thoughts was impossible. She recalled that when they were both unmarried, she excelled over Luo Qing in every aspect, and she didn't believe she was doing worse after marrying into her own in-laws' household. Yet, sometimes, one truly couldn't deny fate. Just as she often faced frustrations in her marital home while Luo Qing rarely seemed unhappy; just as she had to toil here while Luo Qing could socialize outside.

At that moment, Luo Yin could only console herself that at least Qingyun treated her well, and things would improve once the family divided property; once separated, she wouldn't have these displeasing chores. She just wondered when Qingyun would finally bring up the topic of division with the family.

Meanwhile, Wang Qingchen was pulled aside by Wang Qingtong. Wang Qingtong had previously shared his aspirations with Wang Qingchen and had, to some extent, received his support. Therefore, regarding the plan to open a shop, Wang Qingtong decided he still needed to discuss the details thoroughly with Wang Qingchen.

Logically, in the eyes of others, Wang Qingchen belonged to the category of people who knew little about running a business. However, for some inexplicable reason, Wang Qingtong felt compelled to confide in Wang Qingchen. He subconsciously felt that Wang Qingchen would offer some help or advice.

Hearing Wang Qingtong’s idea to open a general store, Wang Qingchen immediately inquired whether he had secured sources for his inventory. After listening to Wang Qingtong list the suppliers he had managed to find, Wang Qingchen realized that Wang Qingtong had indeed done his preliminary groundwork, though perhaps because he was just starting out, not everything was immediately available.

Wang Qingchen paused to consider. He actually had a decent connection with Manager Hong of the Huo Family Merchant House. Perhaps he could serve as an intermediary? Thinking this, Wang Qingchen asked Wang Qingtong for his opinion.

Upon hearing this, how could Wang Qingtong refuse? He hadn't realized Wang Qingchen had such connections in the town, especially since the Huo Family Merchant House was quite renowned, with branches spanning both north and south.

Wang Qingtong was ecstatic. He felt fortunate that he had sought out Wang Qingchen to discuss matters, otherwise, he might have missed this opportunity entirely! Compared to the Huo Family Merchant House, the suppliers he had initially found seemed insignificant.

The two then discussed other aspects of the venture. Although Wang Qingchen wasn't an expert, he offered a few suggestions by subtly incorporating some business methods he recalled from his previous life. This greatly excited Wang Qingtong, who secretly mused that if Wang Qingchen were to open a shop himself, he would likely run it quite successfully. If Wang Qingtong knew Wang Qingchen’s current thoughts, he would probably feel ashamed; Wang Qingchen was well aware that his knowledge in this area was purely theoretical, and in a real-world setting, he wouldn't measure up to experienced hands.