Chapter 13 A Beautiful Misunderstanding

Perhaps the heat in his gaze was too intense—Master Su was now certain that Shen Xiuyan had been staring straight at him all along.

Was this a hint?

Still, given that the young man had spoken up for his daughter, he supposed it wasn’t out of the question.

At worst, he wouldn’t make any money and just go through the motions. But if it helped repay a favor, then so be it.

“I’m willing to give sixty percent to Young Master Shen.”

Everyone stared at Master Su in disbelief—there we go, another one gone mad.

No matter how special this sugar was, it was still just sugar. Was it really worth such madness…?

The man who had just offered a fifty-fifty split stiffened. The duck that had been almost in his hand was now flying away. He could only sigh with regret, “Master Su really is bold. I withdraw.”

Master Su smiled.

He didn’t want to be “bold.” There was no money in this…

But thinking it was to repay a favor, he accepted it.

Shen Xiuyan was pleased. His future father-in-law had finally heard the cry in his heart.

He smiled and said, “That’ll be all for today. I’ll discuss the rest with Master Su privately. In the future, if any of you want to buy this sugar, just go through Master Su.”

Master Su looked at him in surprise. That tone—was he handing the entire matter over to him?

Just like that?

The others were equally stunned. Had they known Shen Xiuyan was going to relinquish all control, they would’ve fought harder.

There were plenty of ways to play tricks in this kind of business…

Master Su really had all the luck.

No wonder he was one of the top figures in the county—his instincts were razor sharp!

Regret aside, life had to go on. They just had to cozy up to Master Su from now on. If it meant making a bit more money, they’d give it their all.

“We’ll be counting on Master Su from here on out.”

“We’re all friends—don’t turn me down when I come to buy sugar.”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Old Su, I’ll visit your home sometime.”

Master Su responded mechanically, “Sure, sure, of course, of course, no problem.”

In that moment, he felt like the center of the entire county.

Soaking in the crowd’s flattery, he felt a little light-headed. Even the way he looked at Shen Xiuyan now carried a hint of satisfaction.

What a great young man—handsome, too. If only he could be his son-in-law.

After the others left, Master Su gave a cupped-hands salute. “I haven’t yet thanked Young Master Shen for speaking up for my daughter the other day.”

Shen Xiuyan was startled by the gesture and quickly helped him up. “Please, don’t. I’m the junior here—I can’t accept a bow from you.”

He felt like lightning might strike him.

“Heh heh~ You can take it, you can take it.” Master Su chuckled and sat down. “Let’s talk about how we’ll cooperate moving forward.”

Shen Xiuyan shared his ideas. Since he was partnering with Master Su, he intended to hand everything over.

Even if he got swindled, the money would still end up in Su Mingyue’s pocket—he’d be more than happy with that.

First, he planned to expand planting, increase output, and bring the price of brown sugar down.

Make sugar something everyone could afford. That way, the Su Family would gain both money and reputation.

As for white sugar, he’d only shown it off so far—hadn’t started selling it yet.

Its novelty was its selling point. He planned to package it nicely before launching it. There would definitely be wealthy households willing to buy, no matter the price.

Even at one or two taels of silver per pound, it’d sell without issue.

That way, with the price up, profit would follow.

“What a brilliant idea,” Master Su couldn’t help but exclaim.

The more he heard from Shen Xiuyan, the more amazed he felt. This was a plan that earned both money and reputation.

But wouldn’t all the credit fall to the Su Family in the end? Wouldn’t Young Master Shen be losing out?

He really couldn’t understand why he was so willing to give that reputation to the Su Family.

What a truly good person!

The more he looked at Young Master Shen, the more pleasing he found him!

He was determined to handle this matter beautifully—he absolutely wouldn’t earn a single dishonest coin from Young Master Shen. Even if the Su Family didn’t make any profit, gaining such a good reputation alone would be more than enough!

Then Shen Xiuyan casually dropped a second surprise on him.

“That sixty-forty split just now was too unfair, so I think it should be seventy-thirty instead—you take seventy, I take thirty. That way, after factoring in labor and resources, you’ll still have a profit and won’t be working for nothing.”

Master Su found the young man before him so lovable he could hardly stop himself from pulling him into a hug and kissing him.

He must have come to repay a debt of gratitude!

Did Shen Xiuyan get it backwards?

They were the ones who should be repaying him!

Could it be that he’d heard of some heroic deed of his and admired him so much that he wanted to return the favor?

Heh, he really was amazing!

Looking at Master Su’s expression, Shen Xiuyan had the feeling he was imagining something ridiculous…

Could it be that he’d noticed he was interested in his daughter?

It wasn’t time yet!

He hadn’t achieved fame or success, and he couldn’t just go propose and make Mingyue suffer!

Driven by survival instinct, Shen Xiuyan quickly found an excuse to avoid suspicion.

“I planned to do this with anyone I worked with. What I value is your courage to take a leap of faith.”

As if!

If you hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have sold that recipe even if beaten to death.

His words were a bit flattering, and Master Su, full of smiles, patted his chest. “Let me tell you, if there’s one thing I’m not lacking, it’s guts. How else do you think I built this business? Just watch—I’ll make sure you earn plenty.”

“Then thank you very much.”

And so, both parties went home satisfied.

In the Su Family front hall, Miss Su looked at her father in surprise. “Father, did you go eat honey or something? Why are you smiling so much?”

“I got a great recipe today. I have a feeling the Su Family’s going to rise another level.”

“Really?” Su Mingyue’s rosy lips parted in amazement.

“Of course it’s true. And funny enough, the recipe came from the same young man who spoke up for you last time.”

“What!!” Su Mingyue shot to her feet.

“Look how excited you are. I was shocked too. That young man—exceptional looks, fine character, and great ability. Since he trusts us enough to work with us, we should take good care of him in business from now on.”

The more he spoke, the more he regretted it—such a good young man in every way. Too bad he wasn’t a scholar, or he’d consider introducing him to his daughter.

Sigh, why did his child insist on finding a scholar? Handsome and wealthy men weren’t good enough?

At that moment, Shen Xiuyan had no idea Master Su thought he was just an ordinary businessman. If he knew his true thoughts, he’d probably regret it to his core.

Hearing her father praise him so freely, Su Mingyue blushed. “Then you really should take care of him. When I saw him at the Golden Tower last time, he didn’t seem well-off. He probably isn’t rich. You could give him some money in advance.”

Master Su: “……”

He stared at his daughter speechlessly. Was she out of her mind? The business hadn’t even started yet and she was already talking about handing out money?

And what are you blushing for?

Under her father’s suspicious gaze, Su Mingyue felt something was off and quickly found an excuse to leave.

Back in her room, she sat there grinning foolishly while holding the books Shen Xiuyan had copied for her. That’s right—she’d bought those books back.

Whatever she thought of made her blush again. After a moment, she turned to her maid and said, “Cuicui, Shen Lang really loves me.”

Cuicui: Whether or not he loves you, she didn’t know—but she did know that you were holding the book upside down…

Also, young lady, being love-brained is not a good thing.

Still, this partnership was no loss for him. At the very least, he’d definitely make money. It was simply a win-win situation!