The disaster relief effort would inevitably face waves of resistance, something Ning Yi, Qin Si-yuan, and others had anticipated. This resistance would come from far and near, from friends and even family members, because human relationships were so complex. If you wanted to get anything done, you often couldn't avoid it.

The backlash from the north and south had already begun when the grain merchants entered the disaster areas. The situation gradually spread to those around them after mid-October. Qin Si-yuan, Yao Zu-nian, and other famous figures faced the most trouble. Princess Zhou Xuan and her husband, Kang Xian, must have been dealing with similar issues, although imperial relatives could often disregard reason. Ning Yi's behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the Prime Minister's residence was discovered last. Once people knew he was the staff member in charge of this area, the number of visitors gradually increased.

Gentry, officials' relatives, and powerful families from all over the north and south came to his door, introducing their backgrounds, issuing veiled threats, and attempting to leave behind priceless gifts. Some sent jewelry and jade, others calligraphy and famous works. Some, with bad tempers, might even scold him. One great Confucian scholar from Hebei, after berating him, left his address, inviting Ning Yi to visit him personally to receive his teachings, condescendingly saying that his poetry was still acceptable. Su Tan'er had no choice but to agree.

Su Tan'er was the one who dealt with these matters at home.

These days, Ning Yi only returned home at night, spending most of his days in the Prime Minister's residence. Although Wen Ding and Wen Fang could receive some visitors on his behalf, they couldn't truly handle things independently. They couldn't speak freely to those of higher status. Tan'er hadn't interacted with this level of society before, but she was more experienced than Wen Ding and Wen Fang. As the lady of the house, she was qualified to receive guests, and as long as her attitude was good, people wouldn't bother a woman too much.

While dealing with these unwelcome guests, Tan'er also had to manage the business of the Su Family Cloth Shop. The Su Family Cloth Shop and the Bamboo Note combined to form "Su Ning." When they first arrived in Bianliang, the cheap cloth of the Su family couldn't compete because of Zuo Houwen's words. Later, Ning Yi began using a salesperson strategy for high-quality goods, which made the Su family's clothes a luxury item. However, the technological advantages of the improved loom that Tan'er had pioneered were still there. During the disaster relief, some grain merchants made a lot of money in the disaster area and specifically purchased winter clothing materials to transport to the disaster area as a way of giving back, in addition to supplying grain.

As a result, the Su family received large orders with high prices and generous profits. The other party did not even make any restrictive requests. If you can deliver, I will pay you. If you can't deliver, we are all friends, it doesn't matter. They even asked if we had enough manpower and cotton, and inquired about it several times. As a result, the Su family's original low-cost cloth workshops operated at full capacity, and hired a large number of female workers. Tan'er remotely controlled Su Wen Ding to take care of the various trivial matters of the cloth shop, making Su Wen Ding miserable.

However, the atmosphere of the Ning residence at this time was different from that of the Su family in Jiangning. With Ning Yi acting as a role model, several cousins understood that they could only have a great future if they endured this period of hardship. Therefore, no one was lazy or complained, and they were all working cautiously and diligently.

When the gentry and dignitaries came to visit and Ning Yi was not at home, they didn't have much recourse. Extending the tentacles of their relations to the Right Prime Minister's residence was another matter entirely. Although Qin Si-yuan was bound to face more pressure during this period, few people could cross the wall of the Right Prime Minister's residence to exert pressure directly on it, given his authority and control. Of course, in addition to these people, there were also a small number of people who were not so easy to deal with at the moment due to the special nature of their relationship.

These people included some distant relatives and some business partners. For example, after Tan'er shifted the Su family's business to the north, a paternal uncle who had some relationship with the Su family, named Hu Chengyan, supplied cotton to Tan'er. Originally, the two sides had been cooperating happily, and even when Tan'er was blacklisted by Zuo Houwen, he did not give up and often asked if she needed help. But after the disaster relief, he and his family came to visit, subtly persuading her: Ning Yi's power is not great after all. Doing things this way is angering everyone. The Right Prime Minister is in a high position and naturally not afraid of these things. But if someone wants to attack your family, you will not be able to stop them.

Although he pleaded earnestly and asked his wife to help persuade Tan'er, in fact, his background was a powerful family with considerable influence in both the capital and Huainan. When Tan'er always responded with Tai Chi, he vaguely revealed: You have been purchasing cotton in large quantities recently, but my family's inventory is not much. If this continues, the supply may be cut off...

In addition to Hu Chengyan, some suppliers and distributors came to visit one after another. Some were from the Su family, some were from Bamboo Note, and even people who rented houses and land to them came to say that they wanted to take the place back: "We are not afraid of breaching the contract, we will pay compensation." Most of these people were related to local powerful families. After learning about Ning Yi's network of relationships, they asked them to come to exert pressure. Some had even communicated with each other, and many took Hu Chengyan as the core and took turns coming to persuade him.

The pressure from all sides, whether good-natured persuasion or malicious words, was unlikely to be without burden for anyone. Tan'er calmly dealt with everything on the surface. Since the matter also involved Bamboo Note, she waited for Ning Yi's final decision. Ning Yi asked her to delay for a few days, and today, Tan'er called everyone to come to their door together. When Ning Yi returned from the Prime Minister's residence, Tan'er was talking to this paternal uncle and aunt in the backyard, and Su Wen Ding and others were waiting for guests in the front hall, which was already quite lively.

"...Tan'er, it's not that your aunt is saying anything, your aunt's knowledge is short, and some words are unpleasant to hear, but you can just listen to them. Country people all know that the arrow shoots the bird that sticks its head out. Some things, you are proud of them at the time, but what will happen in the future... Your husband, after all, came to be a Son-in-Law, you are the head of the family, you must grasp the measure, you can't just let him do everything, you should persuade him more about what he is doing, right..."

In the backyard room, Madam Hu was nagging and persuading Tan'er, while Tan'er always maintained a smile on her face and responded politely.

"Aunt, I am also a woman. He is my husband, I respect him and love him... I was strong at first, but that was because I was young and ignorant, and no one in the family could support me, so I was forced to. As a woman, who doesn't want to stay at home and teach her children? Aunt, those things are men's affairs, so let them take care of them."

"Hey, you can't say that, Tan'er, you are no less than a man, some things, you should still persuade him, you must listen to your aunt..."

"Tan'er knows."

Tan'er's Tai Chi was slippery and elusive. Hu Chengyan was just listening outside the door and did not participate. He knew this niece was powerful and actually decisive in her temperament. But what if she was decisive? This was a matter of grinding and time. You may be able to withstand one person's words, or even ten or a hundred, but you will definitely be annoyed in your heart. As long as you are annoyed, it will be easy to cause friction, quarrels, and resentment at home, and then you will know that the pressure is everywhere. After all, it was not just their family that took action this time. Several people had already joined forces.

Hu's family was backed by the Liu family in the capital. The Liu family was a family of dignitaries for generations, and this time they asked him to handle the matter and promised to marry a young lady from the main family to his son. He wanted to make this in-law. In fact, he did not want to force Tan'er and his wife too hard, but mainly to make the other party raise their hands in a few small places in Huainan. The Liu family were kind people and did not want to starve people to death, but just wanted to conveniently collect some land. His family also held a small share in this. The famine that year was actually like this. Now I want to collect some land, you can't block my way, right? We are all friends, you want to provide disaster relief, we will not stop you, we are not bad people, and we have a sense of propriety...

Ning Yi came in from the back door, and then saw Ning Xi and Xiao Chan playing there. Xiao Chan waved her hand while holding the child and said to Ning Xi: "Daddy." Ning Xi also pointed there: "Little Mother, Daddy."

Ning Yi came over to hug Xiao Chan and the child, asked about the situation in the front, and then went in, and then saw Hu Chengyan waiting there. The other party was already smiling: "Haha, Virtuous Nephew Liheng."

"Uncle Hu." Ning Yi cupped his hands and smiled, then went to the door of the room and greeted inside, "Aunt is here...Tan'er, I'm back."

Tan'er stood up and nodded. The couple exchanged a look. Madam Hu was about to nag and say something to Ning Yi, Ning Yi smiled and said: "Aunt, I'm sorry, I have something to say to Uncle Hu, let Tan'er accompany you, let Tan'er accompany you...Uncle Hu, let's talk in another step."

Ning Yi reached out and walked forward along the corridor with Hu Chengyan. Hu Chengyan opened his mouth and said: "Liheng ah..." Ning Yi looked back, with a smile on his face, but spoke quickly: "Uncle Hu, recently there have been some things that I wanted to find you for, but unfortunately I am too busy with official duties and can't spare the time. It just so happens that you are here today, so I can discuss it with you. Oh, let's go this way..."

"Uh..."

Hu Chengyan wanted to speak, but Ning Yi did not wait for him to speak and said without slowing down: "That's right, recently, the demand on the cloth shop side has been very high, and the cotton in Uncle Hu's hands is not keeping up. I believe Uncle also knows that the Su family has already opened up the market, and so has the Bamboo Note. Recently, many people have contacted me saying they want to cooperate...Oh, the order is here, Uncle Hu, please take a look."

He took a piece of paper from his sleeve. It was a list of various supplies, showing the names of different merchants. When his eyes fell on the item of cotton, he read the names "Zhang Pei of Haicheng" and "Tang Sihan of Lucheng."

"Look, these, these... Oh, Uncle Hu, don't misunderstand about the cotton. We will always need the goods from Uncle's family, but the last time Uncle came to the door, he said that the cotton was in short supply, which was very regrettable and also very anxious. Tan'er told me that we shouldn't bother Uncle anymore, so we took a little of the fabric we lacked from the Zhang family. But after this time, we still want as much of the goods in Uncle's hands as we can get." Ning Yi said, smiling for a moment, and then restrained his expression, "But, next, we need to develop."

The two went forward together.

"Uncle Hu may not know that this time, our Bamboo Note also participated in the disaster relief in the Prime Minister's residence and contributed a little bit of effort. The achievements are not much, but we have made some acquaintances. Within eight hundred miles of Bianliang, eighty-seven large landlords and merchants have contacted us, as well as some other scattered households. You know, some people are generous and willing to help as long as they are friends, such as the raw silk from the Cheng family. What he is willing to give us is 70% of the market wholesale price, and... the best color, without saying a word."

"Because of the disaster relief, the development of Su Ning has slowed down a little." Ning Yi said, "But in the next two years, we have new plans, and a rough outline has already come out. Uncle, do you think, with the help and support of these people, plus the power of the Prime Minister's residence, how much will we develop next?"

Hu Chengyan frowned: "This..."

"In the next two years, Bamboo Note will open stores all over the north and south of the Yangtze River. I want to expand more than fifty stores in all the big cities. For the Su family's cloth, next year alone, Tan'er and I want to expand five times. That is, five times the supply."

"The new plan will have a new system. I have discussed with Wen Ding and the others for a long time and decided that at the beginning of the year, we will invite all our friends to come and get together, and there will be a plan for how much goods we need, and everyone will bid. How much can each other offer, and what price can they offer? Doing business, since it is big, is always like this, and Uncle understands."

Gatherings and bidding for supplies were a sign of a business that had grown very large. But since it was a bidding, the price would definitely be pushed to the lowest. Hu Chengyan understood what Ning Yi was saying, and Ning Yi smiled.

"However, after this plan was formulated, Tan'er and I both said that others are fine, but how can we treat Uncle Hu, who has always taken care of our family, like this? Therefore, we have always wanted to talk to Uncle. We will always accept the goods from Uncle's family at the current price, as much as we can get. If it is not enough, we will ask the Zhang family and the Tang family to help us. At the beginning of next year, Uncle just needs to make a gesture." Ning Yi smiled, and then waved his hand seriously, "Hey, Uncle, don't say something polite. I know Uncle's temperament, never taking advantage of others, and we are not looking down on you. All along, Tan'er has been doing business, and you have taken care of her. You are an elder, we are true friends, a little money, friends, earn it and don't be too polite. In addition, there is one more thing, which can be considered a presumption on my part..."

Ning Yi looked around and lowered his voice: "Recently, I heard that Brother is going to get married with the girl from the Liu family. I am in the Prime Minister's residence and have some convenience. After checking, this girl from the Liu family is from a concubine, and she has had some dealings with several men herself, so she may not be a good match...I shouldn't have said this, but it concerns Brother's lifelong affairs, so I had to be a bad guy who chews the fat. Of course, Uncle still has to check it himself. This is a copy of the secret detective division's investigation. It's some trivial matters, it doesn't matter, Uncle can put it away first, and then verify the investigation later. Friends in front have been waiting for so long, I also want to ask Uncle to go out with me to deal with it. With Uncle here, it will be easy to keep the situation under control."

He stuffed another envelope containing intelligence into the other party's sleeve, then patted the back of the other party's hand, and then, holding his hand with both hands, went to the front.

Ning's house front hall, more than ten people here have been waiting for a long time, and they have long been impatient with each other's conversations. Then, they saw Ning Yi and Hu Chengyan coming out hand in hand. Seeing that it was Ning Yi who appeared today, the hall was silent, and everyone stood up. Although they came to "force the palace", Ning Yi was now working in the Prime Minister's residence, and his status seemed not low, so everyone dared not take it lightly. Everyone thought about what to say, Ning Yi smiled and asked Hu Chengyan to sit down.

"Please sit down, everyone, please sit down, everyone is an old friend, there is no need to be polite. Wen Ding, has the tea been served? Go inside and take my best can of Mingqian, you are so old, you don't understand anything... Everyone sit down, uh..." Ning Yi was about to sit down, his expression set, "Oh, two of you are not good friends, I'll deal with it first."

He walked to two people in the room: "Boss Chen, Mr. Hu. The land and houses in the south and west gate of the city are yours respectively. When we rented them, we signed a contract and had a guarantor as witness. Now you want to take them back in advance, has my family ever neglected the two of you?"

One of them cupped his hands and said: "That's not true. It's just..."

"Have you ever offended the two of you?"

"No, it's just that we have something to take back now and we are willing..."

"Okay, then let's go to court."

"Uh?"

"Kaifeng government office, let's go to court. No matter how long it takes, Ning is willing to accompany you. Now, please go out." He moved his finger towards the housekeeper next to him, "See the guests out."

As soon as these words were spoken, the housekeeper immediately came over, and one of them became angry: "Ning, we signed an agreement, I have something to do now and I am willing to compensate, how can you humiliate me like this! I must make things clear today..."

As he said this, someone next to him immediately came over and said: "Liheng, don't be like this..." Ning Yi smiled and glanced at him. Tall guards had already come outside the hall to ask the two to leave.

"If they don't leave, throw them out."

These words were cold, and the two could not afford to lose face, so they had to leave cursing. In fact, when Ning Yi and others first came to Bianliang, some things were handled by others, and the contracts signed were not as strict as those of later generations. Ning Yi didn't care much about this little money, but since the other party wanted to disgust himself and make him uncomfortable, he also had to counterattack indifferently. Where was he a good person in the business world in his previous life? If he went to the government office, the power of the Right Prime Minister's residence would at least not be bullied openly. Even if he was finally sentenced to return the houses and land, the other party would still have to pay that little money, or even less, so he would have to make the other party uncomfortable for a while before he could gain more buffer time.

After driving out these two people, Ning Yi smiled and sat down: "I don't welcome people who take advantage of fire, loot, and kick people when they are down. Everyone is an old friend. Ning has always taken care of his friends. Come, come, I have something here. Wen Ding, please send it out."

He took out a stack of papers from his body, each of which was the same as the one that Hu Chengyan had seen, and Su Wen Ding sent them out one by one.

"This matter is related to the new development of Su Family Cloth Shop and Bamboo Note, and there will be some changes, but I guarantee that the opportunity to make a lot of money has arrived. We are doing business, we want to make money, we want to win-win, this thing, I guarantee that everyone is the first to see it, so everyone can be prepared first... Everyone take a look, and I will tell you more in detail..."

Ning Yi's words echoed in the hall, and although his tone was gentle, the atmosphere was cold and hard. Soon after, everyone saw his attitude: if you want to make trouble, I will replace all of you!

Everyone did not expect that he would directly sit to this extent. To be fair, if all the people were to be replaced, Ning Yi's side would also suffer losses, and everyone would have to cause trouble for Ning Yi, so of course they could directly tear their faces. But soon after, they also vaguely saw the prospects of Bamboo Note. If this disaster relief really allowed the other party to establish so many relationships, then with the power of the Right Prime Minister's residence, Su Ning would also become a powerful group no less than any gentry and powerful family—because it was originally in the name of the Right Prime Minister's residence.

Everyone originally relied on a certain powerful family to survive, so they came to the door this time, but to say that they were valued by those big households, it was not necessarily so. Ning Yi's description was actually hinting: instead of following them, it is better to follow me. You and I already have a cooperative relationship. Next, it will be easier to expand and develop. This pie, as long as you are willing, everyone can completely divide it themselves.

Soon after, two people broke their faces on the spot and left, while the rest were still watching. Hu Chengyan hardly said anything throughout the process. After Ning Yi left here and returned to the Prime Minister's residence, Su Tan'er came out to entertain them again. After a while, these people finally left one after another. The sky was near dusk, the sky was near dusk, the night fell, the stars rose in the sky, the night wind was bleak, and in the huge city of Bianliang, I don't know how many people were doing what they had to do.

Late at night, Ning Yi rode in a carriage from the Prime Minister's residence all the way back home. The fragrant yellow lights and laughter enveloped the Ning residence in this season. Some were laughing, some were playing, and some were hugging Ning Xi and running wildly in the yard, with occasional bursts of the child's laughter. Ning Yi greeted each one and went back to his room. In the bedroom, a warm yellow light was on. Tan'er was sitting on a stool, wearing an elegant skirt, soaking her feet in a wooden basin filled with hot water. Her hands were propped on her knees, and when she saw Ning Yi coming in, she gave him a smile.

Ning Yi walked over, squatted down, and put his hand into the hot water. Tan'er's body shrank slightly and reached out to press: "Don't." She probably felt that this was not something a man could do, but Ning Yi didn't mind and washed her feet for a while to reduce fatigue. In fact, dealing with various trivial matters every day, even if the attitude can be tough, the body and mind will still feel annoyed and tired. The powerful people are only mentally excited, never to the point of compromise, but the feeling of tiredness is still there, even if Ning Yi is familiar with business matters, it is no exception.

At this time, the couple could actually understand each other, and as they spent more and more time together, they became more and more tacit. There was no sound in the room, only occasional sounds of water, and the distant sounds of the warm big family came from afar. Tan'er reached out and propped her knees, looked up, and after a while, gently hummed: "Stars in the sky... sparkling..."

That was a nursery rhyme in Ning Yi's memory that he had sung to Tan'er later. Tan'er had always remembered it and liked it very much. Listening to her softly sing, Ning Yi smiled and hummed along: "Those are pairs, pairs of eyes..."

"Blinking... watching~ watching..."

"Those are childhood partners..."

"Hehe..."

The man squatted in front of the woman, and the lamp shone the scene in the room with a fragrant yellow in the singing. The simple and quiet sound seemed to evoke people's memories. Their childhood partners had also gone far away, and the life that was no longer pure, in this huge vortex, was even more complicated and dangerous than ordinary people by a hundred times. Soon after, Tan'er also served Ning Yi and washed his feet by the bed, and then after a while, the lights in the room went out, and the lights in the entire mansion also went out, allowing everything to fall into a warm slumber.

This day has passed, and the complicated enemies have been defeated and pushed away by them, but more people have not stopped their desires. In the new day, there will be more enemies surrounding them, trying to interfere, pull, hinder or attack them with different means.

But there will always be some means to convey warmth. As long as you can lean against someone, everything will always become distant at some point...

Then, the next day arrived...