Chapter 42: The First Rift in the Foundation

Chapter 42: The First Rift in the Foundation

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, Madam Qu visited the shop in Jing County. Seeing Li Sanshun's gaunt and weathered appearance, she felt deeply saddened. Yet, she couldn't express her feelings openly, only able to hold back tears as she asked Li Sanshun to take her to see his crippled elder brother.

Though Li Ershun was only two years older than Li Sanshun, he had a crooked eye and a skewed nose, with white streaks in his hair. Upon seeing Madam Qu, he waved his hands excitedly, but when he turned his head, saliva dribbled down the corner of his mouth.

Madam Qu turned away, wiping her tears.

Xianjin also felt a pang in her heart.

As Li Sanshun supported his brother, he tried to reassure them both, "Old Master, don't worry. Two years ago, my brother could only lie in bed, but now he can sit up. Perhaps in a couple of days, he might even be able to walk!"

Madam Qu held Li Ershun, and as soon as she opened her mouth, tears fell like rain.

This was the sin of the Chen family.

"I know of a master acupuncturist in Xuancheng who used to treat nobles in the palace. When I return, I will invite him here. Your brother is not yet fifty; he still has many good years ahead! We must make an effort, strive for a leap forward!"

Madam Qu also paid her respects at the grave of Master Li Laozhang, where Xianjin bowed three times with a resounding thud. Seeing the young master's forehead turn blue from the impact, Li Sanshun's eyes reddened slightly, and he wiped away his tears as he turned away.

Madam Qu reminisced with Li Sanshun about the fine paper their father and brother had made for the workshop in Jing County. She also met Li Sanshun's four grandsons, pointing at each one to identify them, "The one in the red jacket is the eldest. I remember he's about to get married? On his wedding day, you must send me an invitation. I want to come and have a drink... The second is a granddaughter who likes embroidery. Her needlework is excellent, and she made me some beautiful sachets... The third and fourth are twins. They were so small when they were born, like little mice. I was afraid your daughter-in-law wouldn't have enough milk to feed them, so I specially hired a wet nurse from Xuancheng to bring them to you..."

Li Sanshun was overwhelmed with gratitude, "You still remember all that!"

Madam Qu chuckled as she gave each child a small gold lock, "I'm not senile yet! These are children I've watched grow up. If I don't remember them, who would?"

Xianjin glanced at Madam Qu, silently approving.

This kind of relationship between a boss and a long-serving, outstanding employee is common in family businesses—where the line between public and private is blurred, and they live like a family. This fosters high employee loyalty, making it unlikely for them to jump ship easily.

In her previous life, her father had shared experiences with his most trusted foreman—they had served together as volunteer soldiers, studied together in adult night school, and even shared a regrettable experience—visiting a brothel. For this, they received another shared "badge of honor"—they both went through divorces.

Such employees rarely betray, but if the old master passes away and the young master is weak, trouble brews.

The young master is also someone these old employees have seen grow up. Cough, let's be honest, if you've seen your boss as a child, running around in diapers and peeing wherever, would you still hold any reverence for him...

Therefore, if the young master is weak, the old employees either become too powerful and overstep their bounds or slowly start to erode the business... This is a common ailment of family-run enterprises.

Before leaving, Madam Qu left twenty silver ingots, gave a few more instructions, shed a few more tears, and then took Xianjin into a green-cloth-covered mule cart.

To avoid sitting face-to-face with his mother, Chen Fu chose to sit outside and drive the mule, giving it an occasional slap with the whip. The mule twitched its ears, slightly annoyed.

Mule: You're so noble, hiding from your mom by hitting me.

Xianjin provided the inner monologue for the mule.

"Jin-er."

Madam Qu's slightly hoarse voice interrupted Xianjin's thoughts. Turning around, she saw Madam Qu's serious expression and instinctively straightened her back, holding her breath in anticipation.

"The workshop in Jing County is the foundation of our Chen family," Madam Qu said softly. "Paper requires water, and good water makes good paper. Using the sweet water from the Wuxi River in Jing County to make paper results in a product as smooth and lustrous as jade, unmatched elsewhere. In the past twenty years, I focused on leading the Chen family out of Jing County and into bigger markets. I left my unruly and playful sixth brother, along with the exceptionally skilled Master Li Laozhang, here. With my trusted men, I ventured into Xuancheng. But who knew...who knew that Jing County nearly slipped away from us."

Xianjin nodded. This was a common issue with family businesses—either being too aggressive or too conservative. Being overly aggressive could lead to catastrophic losses, while being too conservative could result in stagnation, watching others soar.

The Chen family belonged to the category of being aggressively ambitious at times and occasionally cautious.

The Chen family operated under a model of "workshop production + store sales," meaning costs were already kept very low. As long as they controlled the quality of production, they could ensure steady profits without necessarily aiming for huge gains. What should have been maintained with stability was the quality of production, and the workshop in Jing County was the eye of the dragon.

However, this link in the Chen family chain was too weak. Despite having access to excellent raw materials, they couldn't produce high-quality goods. Therefore, even though they had opened three stores in Xuancheng, they couldn't directly dominate the market as the undisputed number one.

Madam Qu's thoughts aligned with Xianjin's, "...We need to train Li Sanshun well. He must be able to make the same lengths of paper his father and brother could, and he should also try to produce the 'thirty-three-foot' and golden sandpaper that they couldn't."

For the Chen family to rise, they needed to create renowned products.

Madam Qu's gaze was deep as she lifted the curtain of the carriage, looking out at her third son, who was harassing the mule with the whip. Her tone was rough and gruff with anger, "I don't rely on the third son, but you have surprised me—work hard. Not only must you learn to sell paper, but you must also learn to make it."

Madam Qu retracted her gaze and added, "I'm not asking you to personally make paper, but you should be able to determine the quality and origin of the paper with just a touch. Once you've honed these skills, you'll have great potential in the three shops in Xuancheng."

It seemed like she was suggesting a period of grassroots experience?

Xianjin was excited by the implications of Madam Qu's words.

Just like last time!

When Mr. Chen Liu disrespected her in front of Madam Qu, what did Madam Qu say? Oh yes, she said, "How will you manage the workshop?" What did that mean? Wasn't it clear that she intended to entrust the workshop in Jing County entirely to her?

Xianjin's eyes shone with unmasked ambition and desire.

"Work hard," Madam Qu said softly. "From now on, you are the manager of the workshop in Jing County. Your salary will increase from three taels to ten taels per month. You will also be provided with a residence and a green-cloth-covered mule cart. If necessary, you may appoint two male servants or maids to assist you."

A promotion, a raise, a car, and a house, stepping onto the peak of life?

The boss had promoted her!

Xianjin's eyes sparkled.

Madam Qu appreciated the strength in Xianjin's eyes. It was excellent, like a wolf that had gone hungry for days, tearing apart its prey in mere moments.

If...if only Xianjin bore the Chen surname...

Madam Qu thought inexplicably.

If Xianjin were a Chen, even if she were a girl and a concubine-born, as long as she carried the Chen name, Madam Qu would find a way to elevate her to the highest point in the Chen family. After Madam Qu's death, this young girl would automatically become the new alpha, leading the Chen family with ferocity and determination, never looking back.

Unfortunately...unfortunately.

Unfortunately, she didn't bear the Chen surname.