The little foxes stormed into the Di San Xian Teahouse with fierce momentum. However, just as the eager youngsters were ready to make a grand move, they were suddenly stumped by a single question: Starting a business and making money sounded easy enough, but how exactly should they go about it?
The truth that knowledge is easy but practice is hard is an immutable law that forever holds true.
“Junior Sister Su Chan, what should we do?” None of the little foxes could make a decision; they could only turn their hopeful eyes toward Su Chan.
But Su Chan was hardly the type to come up with bright ideas.
Her initial thoughts had been fine, but when the actual moment arrived, she suddenly felt utterly lost and unsure of what to do.
The young girl looked around the teahouse—empty save for themselves, upstairs and down. She thought blankly: When Yun Dong was here, there weren't many customers drinking tea in this place. Now that we’re running it, what can we possibly do?
Having spent so much time with Li Yun Dong, Su Chan had subconsciously developed a strong sense of reliance on him. She didn't have to worry about anything; Li Yun Dong would naturally make the decisions.
But now that Li Yun Dong was gone, the young girl felt adrift and bewildered. Although she was keen to prove something and certainly capable of stirring up the little foxes to cause a ruckus with her, she had absolutely no clue how to execute any concrete plan!
Looking at the pairs of eyes staring at her, the young girl felt a wave of panic, but with the situation upon them, there was no turning back or regretting the decision to step up.
Uncertain of what to do, Su Chan tried to recall how Li Yun Dong usually handled such matters. Her mind suddenly sparked, and she said with deliberate seriousness, “This Di San Xian Teahouse isn't just mine; we all need to brainstorm solutions together.”
When the little foxes heard this, they exchanged glances and quickly responded, “Su Chan, just you decide for us.”
The young girl vehemently shook her head like a rattle drum: “No, no! One person’s wisdom is short, but the wisdom of many is long. If we put our heads together, we can surely come up with a good plan!”
As she spoke, many customers were already entering the Zhao Clan Teahouse across the way, while their establishment remained deserted.
The young girl pointed to the Zhao Clan Teahouse opposite the Di San Xian and declared, “We certainly overshadowed them during our opening, and we can’t lose our prestige now! If they can have customers, why can’t we? Let’s seriously think—why aren’t customers willing to come in?”
At that moment, one of the little foxes tentatively raised a hand and mumbled, “Didn’t the previous master already explain this?”
Su Chan was momentarily stunned: “Ah? Yun Dong already said?”
The little foxes immediately chimed in, “Yes, yes! That old lady who came by before—didn’t she mention the reason?”
Su Chan slapped her forehead in annoyance, saying, “Ah, I remember now! It’s because we have too many beauties in here, attracting too many officials, so the regular customers might think it’s too expensive and are hesitant to enter, right?”
The little foxes nodded their heads like chickens pecking grain: “Right, right!”
Su Chan stamped her foot in frustration, “Right what? I, your senior sister, am naturally beautiful and cannot hide it! Am I supposed to disguise myself as an ugly monster just so customers will come?”
The little foxes burst into loud laughter, nodding vigorously in agreement: “Exactly, that’s the logic!”
Seeing that they were only laughing and hadn't come up with a single plan, Su Chan snapped, “You’re still laughing? Hurry up and think of a solution! If customers aren’t coming, we need to figure out how to get them in!”
The little foxes fell silent. Some lowered their heads, their eyes darting around restlessly. Others stared at each other with expressions of blank confusion, while some gazed intently at their toes, as if a flower had bloomed right there.
Su Chan saw that they had all become silent dolls when the moment demanded action, and she chided them, “No one speaking? Weren’t you all so fierce just a moment ago?”
At this, one of the little foxes dared to speak up, “Senior Sister Su Chan, you were the one who rallied us!”
Su Chan felt a surge of anger, and she retorted furiously, “Don’t you creatures have any sense of shame? Was I rallying? I was inciting... ahem, I was calling for the people’s hearts!”
Seeing that she had asked the little foxes for ideas and not a single one was stepping forward, she hardened her heart, pointed at one of the little foxes, and decided to appoint someone directly: “You! You come up with a plan!”
This little fox was named Ling Yue. She had a small, perfectly oval face, features exquisitely drawn, and lips like crimson dots. When her beautiful eyes moved, she exuded an almost supernatural charm. Seeing Su Chan point at her, she said in surprise, “Me?”
Su Chan nodded: “Yes, you! You think of a way!”
Ling Yue glanced at the others. All the sisters who usually acted intimately with her suddenly averted their gazes quickly. Those near her subtly shifted their steps away, displaying the mentality of ‘better you than me.’
Ling Yue felt terribly wronged in her heart. She muttered under her breath, “There are so many of us, why pick me?”
Su Chan clearly heard her mumbling, but she chose to play dumb and asked back, “What did you just say?”
Ling Yue plastered a fawning smile on her face: “Senior Sister Su Chan, I really can’t think of anything good!”
Su Chan said sternly, “If you can’t think of anything, you still have to think!”
Ling Yue looked aggrieved: “Why should I?”
Su Chan roared back, “Because I am the proprietress!”
This statement immediately deflated Ling Yue. It was the crushing weight of superior rank!
She lowered her head in frustration and instinctively looked at her sisters. They were all covering their mouths to suppress snickers, taking pleasure in her misfortune. Ling Yue felt utterly miserable!
Suddenly, Ling Yue heard the melodious sound of music drifting from outside the pedestrian street—music being played by various shops to attract customer attention.
Her mind jerked, and she looked up, exclaiming excitedly, “I have an idea, I have an idea!”
Su Chan quickly asked, “What idea?”
The other little foxes, seeing that she had actually conceived a plan, grew curious and looked over, clamoring, “Quick, Ling Yue, tell us!”
“Oh, I knew Junior Sister Ling Yue was the smartest! As expected, you lived up to our expectations, hahahaha! Senior Sister is cheering for you!”
Ling Yue rolled her eyes at them dramatically. She turned to Su Chan and said, “Senior Sister Su Chan, look at the shops outside—they are playing music to attract customers. Don't you think we can also play music to attract customers?”
Su Chan’s face lit up; she was overjoyed: “That’s a good idea!”
When the other little foxes saw Ling Yue’s plan being adopted, they let out a collective sigh of relief, no longer fearing Su Chan would force them to speak. They crowded around, chattering, “Right, I thought of that idea a long time ago, I just didn’t say it out loud!”
Su Chan was furious and glared at them, “What kind of lukewarm nonsense is that? Say that again, and I’ll make you come up with another idea!”
At this, the little foxes immediately ducked their heads, covering their mouths and daring not to speak again.
Seeing that the arrogance of the little things had been suppressed, Su Chan turned back to Ling Yue and said, “Hmm, it’s a good idea, but the feasibility is a bit lacking. What shall we play? We don’t have any sound equipment here.”
The young girl hadn't been in the mortal realm for a short time; she was learning more and more, and she quickly identified the difficulty in this plan.
Ling Yue tentatively asked, “Then, should we buy one first?”
Su Chan paused: “Ah? Buy one? How much is it?”
Immediately, a little fox raised her hand, eager to shout, “I know, I know! I noticed when we went shopping last time! There are cheap ones and expensive ones! The cheap ones are only a few hundred!”
Su Chan considered this: “This is a teahouse that even the Provincial Governor has visited. We can’t bring in cheap junk that lowers our standing, right? Tell me the price of the expensive ones? If we’re going to do it, we’ll go for the expensive one!”
This little fox immediately spouted the price like an automatic cannon: “One hundred sixty-six thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eight!”
When the price was announced, Su Chan and the little foxes gasped in unison.
Su Chan shook her head like a rattle drum: “No, no! That much money—even if we sold ourselves, we couldn’t afford it! Besides, we haven’t earned a single coin yet, and we want to spend that much? Will we ever make it back?”
Seeing that Ling Yue’s idea was clearly heading for ruin, the little foxes, terrified that Su Chan would turn her questioning gaze on them again, started showering her with compliments: “Su Chan, you are absolutely right! So brilliant and wise, surpassing all others!” Then, they pointed at Ling Yue, diverting the blame: “Ling Yue, look at the idea you came up with!”
Ling Yue cried out in anger: “Then you guys come up with an idea!”
These little foxes immediately distanced themselves from her again, drawing a clear line: “The first idea was yours, so naturally, you are responsible for the second! A truly excellent fox spirit must see things through from beginning to end!”
Ling Yue was furious, baring her teeth and claws, ready to pounce on these unscrupulous fellows who prioritized self-preservation.
Su Chan saw that this group hadn't attracted a single customer and was about to descend into internal strife. She quickly soothed Ling Yue: “Ling Yue, your idea was good, just a bit impractical. Think of another one that can actually work.”
Ling Yue pouted angrily: “What way can I possibly have, Senior Sister Su Chan? Isn’t this forcing a duck onto a perch?”
Su Chan cajoled and wheedled: “It’s forcing a fox onto a perch! Be good, think of another one quickly. When Yun Dong comes back, I’ll tell him to give you more pocket money and not give these guys any!”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yue was instantly delighted. She clapped her hands and laughed heartily: “Now that’s better!”
When the other little foxes heard this, they all protested: “No, no! How can you do that!”
Su Chan put her hands on her hips and raged, “Then you all come up with an idea!”
When it came to the serious matter of pocket money, the little foxes dared not delay any longer. They all tilted their heads, frowning in deep thought.
After a while, Ling Yue was the first to come up with a solution and tentatively asked, “Senior Sister Su Chan, since we can’t afford speakers and such, why don’t we just sing ourselves?”
The little foxes’ eyes lit up, and they all clamored, “Yes, yes! That was my idea too!”
“Right! Don’t we know how to perform opera ourselves?”
“Exactly! We’ll do it ourselves! The master said, self-reliance leads to plenty!”
Su Chan was thrilled: “Exactly! That’s a good plan! But what shall we sing?”
Ling Yue smiled: “What else could we sing but what we know? We only know a few songs anyway.”
Su Chan quickly pressed: “Which songs do you know?”
Ling Yue didn't think twice and blurted out: “Sister Wang’s Lament for Her Husband!”
Su Chan was instantly stunned, her jaw slack, speechless, stammering: “Wh-what? Sister Wang’s Lament for Her Husband?”
The other little foxes chimed in: “There are others!”
Su Chan asked blankly: “What else?”
The little foxes looked smug, shaking their heads in unison: “The Little Widow Visits the Grave!”
Although Su Chan was somewhat naive, she wasn’t entirely witless. The last time she returned to Tian Long Mountain with Li Yun Dong, she had witnessed the entire Fox Zen Sect singing these tunes, which had nearly driven Li Yun Dong to a nervous breakdown.
Although she didn’t know what was wrong with singing these pieces, she felt that in the stately and elegant atmosphere of a teahouse, performing Sister Wang’s Lament for Her Husband and The Little Widow Visits the Grave felt... perhaps, possibly, vaguely, a little inappropriate!
The little foxes couldn't fathom such subtleties. In their eyes, the current situation demanded they placate Su Chan first! As for their previous indignation, they had long cast it to the wind. Li Yun Dong’s disdain was a distant concern to be dealt with when the master returned, but Su Chan forcing them to offer ideas right now was an absolute life-or-death matter!
Considering this, the little foxes all started egging her on: “Su Chan, don’t overthink it! Let’s just sing those!”
Su Chan’s eyes glazed over. She whispered hesitantly, “Singing Sister Wang’s Lament and The Little Widow Visits the Grave in the Di San Xian Teahouse? Th-this doesn't seem quite right, does it?”
The little foxes chorused: “It’s wonderful! Wonderful! If you don’t believe us, listen to us sing—we guarantee a crowd!”
Su Chan saw that the little ones were becoming disobedient, and she thought grimly: This is bad, bad, bad! This is definitely wrong, something is going to happen! Ah, I shouldn’t have let them offer ideas! I thought many minds were better than one, but looking at this scene, doesn't it look more like one mind is superior, and many minds are inferior? D