The very same day, Wu Caiwei canceled her lease and, with her daughter, moved into a small courtyard provided by the Zhang family, carrying only a small bundle. The courtyard was in a corner of the Zhang family's backyard. To accommodate her wishes, the young master of the Zhang family had workers rush to build a wall that very day, and a gate was opened leading outside the estate, demonstrating their sincerity.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family was not entirely clear about what her husband had been doing all these days. When she saw him bring back a strange woman and a little girl, she assumed they were his mistresses and, with a forced smile, arranged things as he requested.
Since they would be living in the Zhang residence for a long time, Wu Caiwei naturally needed to meet the principal members of the Zhang family. When she encountered a woman around her own age looking at her with hostility, she knew there had been a misunderstanding. Smiling, she said, "You must be the eldest daughter-in-law. The young master and I are business partners. Due to unavoidable circumstances, we are staying at your residence. We will have to trouble you often, so please bear with us."
Upon hearing that she had misunderstood, the eldest daughter-in-law's gaze softened considerably. She quickly replied, "Please don't say that. Guests are most welcome, especially those who do business with our Zhang family."
The master and madam of the Zhang family knew what she did. Initially, when they heard she was a relatively young woman, the master of the Zhang family didn't quite believe she possessed such capability. However, the facts were undeniable, and they treated her with exceptional warmth.
With her worries about housing resolved, it was time to work diligently. Wu Caiwei asked the young master of the Zhang family to find a trustworthy person to learn her method for making fever-reducing medicine. The young master of the Zhang family was quite generous, giving her a twenty percent share, as they would rely on her greatly in the future.
Due to the ten pills she had refined earlier, her fever-reducing medicine had gained some recognition in a small area.
Once the newly refined medicine was launched on a large scale, to promote it, any patient with a fever who came to their establishment would first be given this medicine. They would also be informed that they could purchase it to store at home, to be used anytime a family member experienced fever symptoms. The price was also within everyone's reach, thirty *wen* per pill, which was cheaper than the medicine prescribed by many doctors and did not require boiling.
Before long, most households habitually bought some medicine to keep at home, especially those with children. They found that children often developed fevers in the middle of the night, and with just one pill, they would recover significantly, being able to go out and play the next day.
This was far more convenient than going out to find a doctor late at night. The doctor would first take their pulse, then prescribe medicine, which had to be boiled at home. By the time the child received the medicine, dawn would be approaching, missing the best treatment window. Often, the illness would worsen, requiring days of treatment and costing a fortune.
Having established a reputation with her fever-reducing medicine, Wu Caiwei quickly followed up with medicine for common colds and remedies for bruises and sprains. This time, the promotion was much simpler, as people already had some confidence in her medicinal pills.
Master Zhou soon noticed a significant decline in the business of the Zhou family's medical hall. After inquiring and discovering the reason, he was astonished. He sat on a stool, stunned for a long time. The Zhou family's medical hall was their most profitable venture. Now, the Zhang family had overtaken them, and the Zhang family had also paved a prosperous path. A sense of fear arose in Master Zhou's heart, as he felt the Zhou family was about to return to the state of being dominated by the Zhang family.
Master Zhou tried every means to poach talent. After investigating, he discovered that the research behind these remedies was done by a woman residing with the Zhang family. People only knew her name but not where she came from.
Several times, he sent people to stake out near the Zhang family's medical hall, hoping to intercept her and have a proper discussion. After all, he could offer terms comparable to what the Zhang family offered. Initially, Wu Caiwei completely ignored him. Later, being so pestered, and wanting to resolve the issue once and for all, she surprisingly agreed to meet him.
As soon as they met, Master Zhou eagerly said, "Lady Leng, I believe you know why I've sought you out today. Let's be frank. Whatever the Zhang family can give you, our Zhou family will offer double. Will you cooperate with me?"
Wu Caiwei said with a hint of malice, "Actually, from the first moment I saw you, I was a bit puzzled. You look quite dashing and scholarly, so why is your wife involved with others outside?"
Upon hearing this, Master Zhou immediately stiffened, his face turning green. If anyone else had insulted him like this, he would have made them regret being born. But thinking of his purpose for this visit, he endured it and calmly said, "I am sincerely seeking your cooperation. Even if you don't agree, you shouldn't insult me like this."
Wu Caiwei found his tolerance to be top-notch. She thought that any other man, being pointedly accused to their face, would not be able to speak so calmly. It was no wonder he had become the richest man in the city.
Finding it somewhat uninteresting, she decided to stop beating around the bush. "Actually, before I cooperated with the Zhang family, I approached Madam Zhou. But Madam Zhou completely ignored me at the time. Therefore, I had no choice but to join forces with the Zhang family against your Zhou family."
Hearing this, Master Zhou felt a pang of heartache. So, the other party had approached his own family first. He immediately pressed, "Why the Zhang family?"
Wu Caiwei said with a meaningful look, "You should ask your wife that. She stole my husband, forcing me to divorce. And she's still not satisfied. I only wanted to rent a small shop and do some business; I didn't want to oppose your Zhou family, as I would never do something like throwing an egg against a rock. But Madam Zhou's lingering presence meant that wherever I went, she was in control. For the safety of myself and my daughter, we had to choose to cooperate with the Zhang family."
Master Zhou was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that to be the reason. He could only watch Wu Caiwei leave, unable to utter any words of persuasion. He thought to himself that if he were in her position, even with more money offered, he wouldn't have yielded, as some things are beyond the price of money.
Although his wife had many flaws, the only person who could make her go to such lengths to target someone's wife was Xu Yijie. Thinking of this, he gnashed his teeth in hatred.
As soon as he returned to his residence, he told his wife about the matter. After all, she had caused such great damage to their Zhou family's business, so they had to recoup their losses elsewhere.
Madam Zhou was truly surprised that the wife of Xu Yijie had the capability to affect the Zhou family's business. She had initially thought the other woman was just a rural woman. If she had known this earlier, she shouldn't have let her leave that village and should have nipped it in the bud. Now that the woman was living with the Zhang family and they were guarded like thieves, it was difficult to make a move.