He Qiusi, caught off guard, began sharing some of the He family's secrets with Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi, the young couple.
The He family's fortune was built on the tea business.
Years ago, the elder Master He was an orphan with nothing.
He grew up relying on the kindness of strangers, honing his persuasive skills in the marketplace. His eloquence was remarkable; he could spin falsehoods into truths and bring the dead back to life with his words.
With this gift of gab, he found employment at the local Baiji Tea House after growing up.
He started as a shop assistant at fifteen and eventually rose to become the head manager of the Baiji Tea House.
The owner of the tea house was already an elder, a man in his sixties. Due to a lack of male heirs, he only had one son and one daughter.
His son, eighteen years old, had already passed the provincial examination to become a scholar. His youngest daughter was only fifteen.
However, fate took a cruel turn. The scholar son drowned one night while walking home, falling into an irrigation pond.
Only the daughter remained.
The Bai family owner, heartbroken, fell ill and could not recover.
Reluctant to leave his household without a male heir and his daughter young and without support, he considered taking in a son-in-law.
He, who had already caught the eye of the owner's daughter, naturally became the tea house owner's son-in-law.
"It was a matter of circumstances, there was no other way," the old man explained. In ancient times, lineage was paramount; ancestors and their legacy were highly valued.
Unless absolutely necessary, one would never abandon their clan to join another family.
It was similar to the case of a prince consort who married a princess. Although he lived in the princess's residence, his children would still take his surname.
Therefore, although Master He, at the time, abandoned his clan and surname for temporary reasons, once the tea house owner passed away, Master He persuaded his wife to change their surname back.
"However, due to my grandmother's insistence, my youngest uncle retained the Bai surname, thus continuing the Bai family lineage."
Su Xiaoqi pondered this, realizing how the He family had risen to prominence.
"When my elder brother and I were born, my grandfather originally intended for us to study and pursue official careers.
Unfortunately, my ambitions lay not in scholarship. I would spend my days in the study, growing increasingly frustrated.
My grandfather, angered, subjected me to family discipline. My parents pleaded repeatedly on my behalf, and only then was I permitted to engage in business.
However, my grandfather always said that among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, officials were at the very top. For a family to prosper for generations, it needed to produce officials. Otherwise, like my grandmother's family, even with immense wealth, it could not be preserved."
Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat. She had a premonition that He Qiusi was delving too deep.
She glanced at Shen Yun, hoping he would signal He Qiusi to stop.
Although they were already quite familiar with each other, and the issue of being too familiar too soon was not a concern, she had no inclination to pry into such family secrets.
After all, for any family to flourish, who hadn't resorted to some unsavory means?
These matters didn't necessarily need to be aired in public.
But Shen Yun shook his head at her, signaling her not to interfere.
Let him speak his mind.
These words must have been weighing on him for a very long time.
If he didn't say them now, he would eventually find an opportunity to do so.
Besides, He Qiusi was no longer a rash young boy.
His deliberate mention of these matters today likely had a purpose.
Rather than him finding another time to bring this up, it was better to address it now.
Su Xiaoqi silently conceded, "Alright."
He Qiusi continued.
He spoke of how, although they were all He family members, his grandfather had married one wife and taken three concubines, fathering seven sons and five daughters.
His uncles were no less prolific, each having many children.
Now, when their entire family gathered, he couldn't even recognize many of them.
But with so many people, conflicts were inevitable.
He Qiusi's father, neither the eldest nor the youngest, fell into the middle category—the kind of child neither parent doted on.
As a result, only his elder brother was truly favored by their grandfather.
The others were like transparent figures.
Therefore, he had always yearned to achieve something significant to shock his grandfather, to prove that he, He Qiusi, was not inferior and was worthy of being a descendant of the He family.
Of course, that was He Qiusi's past ambition.
But after venturing out, spending time with Shen Yun, and making new friends, his mindset had shifted.
"I wish to establish my own private assets now," he told the two. Many of the businesses he was involved in with Su Xiaoqi were conducted secretly from his family.
This included the instant noodles and the slide. Su Xiaoqi gave him a thumbs-up. Regardless of anything else, He Qiusi was indeed a person worth befriending. Despite his privileged upbringing, he hadn't succumbed to the bad habits of wealthy young men.
This was the primary reason Su Xiaoqi had agreed to cooperate with him from the start.
As time went on, He Qiusi's sincerity became even more apparent.
He was a businessman, capable of calculation and possessing subtle intentions.
But overall, his nature was kind and untainted by worldly corruption.
Furthermore, he wasn't greedy for petty gains. In his collaboration with Su Xiaoqi, he knew when to yield and when to back down, proving himself to be a considerate and discerning individual.
"Understood. We can promise you that these businesses, and any future ventures, will not be publicized as long as you don't mention them," Su Xiaoqi solemnly pledged.
She gathered that He Qiusi hoped she wouldn't reveal their joint business endeavors.
She wasn't close to the He family, so she wouldn't go out of her way to cause trouble.
As long as he himself could keep a tight lip, there would be no issues.
"By the way, what about your subordinates?" Su Xiaoqi inquired.
He Qiusi blinked. "Sister-in-law, rest assured. While I do have household servants from the He family around me, those handling my businesses are people I trust implicitly."
He smiled, revealing his neat, white teeth.
Su Xiaoqi was momentarily lost in thought.
It seemed as if the person who had insisted on dissecting his family's origins moments ago, with a wounded expression, was not the same person.
If not for the redness in his eyes, Su Xiaoqi might have believed He Qiusi's acting skills were exceptionally high, his ability to portray sadness unparalleled.
However, whether he was acting or not was not of much consequence to her.
Their relationship was merely a partnership. For her, as long as there was profit to be made and it didn't violate morality or conscience, it was acceptable.
With all the unspoken matters cleared up, the shadows in their hearts dispersed, and their minds became clear and bright.
Su Xiaoqi appropriately signaled Guo'er to serve the milk tea.
Upon tasting it, He Qiusi's eyes widened, and he repeatedly exclaimed how delicious it was.
His eyes seemed to gleam, ready to say more.
However, Su Xiaoqi directly stopped him. "You're late. I've already decided to sell this milk tea at Chen Jin Ji."
"Chen Jin Ji has also opened in the capital?" He Qiusi asked, his surprise growing.
Su Xiaoqi smiled and nodded, explaining that Yiyi had returned to the capital, and since she had a shop there, they had opened it together.
Upon hearing this, He Qiusi no longer dwelled on the matter of selling milk tea.
After all, he knew that by following Su Xiaoqi, there would be no shortage of good ideas and innovations.
As he reached the bottom of his milk tea, some dark, round objects appeared.
He Qiusi's eyes widened as he looked at Su Xiaoqi. "What, what is this?" Could it be that the cook accidentally dropped something into it? It was impossible to chew.