Chapter 297: Do You Want to Listen?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Herlyee Translations

At dusk in June, a gorgeous sunset filled the entire sky.

The sun set in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun enveloped the entire Shanghe Village in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Under the old locust tree in the Shen family’s courtyard, Ji Zhao, who was lying on a bamboo rattan chair, gently narrowed her and looked at the clouds in the sky. She curled her lips in disappointment. “It’s already so late. Where is Chenchen now?”

“I heard from Master Song that they will first go to Guichuan Prefecture, then turn to the waterway and take a boat south,” Shen Yao, who was standing beside her, said softly as he gently fanned himself.

“I’m a little regretful.” Ji Zhao lowered her eyes to hide the reluctance in them. There was a hint of self-mockery in her tone. “If I had known earlier, I would have gone to the county city with you and sent Chenchen off.”

‘When Chenchen comes back, I’ll accompany you to pick him up.” Shen Yao rubbed her cheek and comforted her softly. “Don’t worry. Chenchen is obedient and sensible. He’ll definitely be safe and sound along the way.”

“Okay.” Ji Zhao forced a smile and leaned against his muscular waist, closing her eyes in satisfaction.

…..
Zhao Lanhua’s eyes were filled with relief as she watched this scene from afar.

On June 21st, Ji Zhao was woken up by the heat.

The air was so stuffy that it made one panic. Even breathing was suffocating.

“Zhaozhao?”

“Shen Yao, I can’t sleep anymore,” Ji Zhao said in a low voice. “1 want to take a bath.’

“Alright, I’ll prepare hot water for you.”

An hour later, Ji Zhao, who had bathed, still felt suffocated.

“Ah Tao, try this. I specially made yam red date millet porridge.” Zhao Lanhua filled a bowl with porridge and handed it to Ji Zhao, who was frowning. She asked with concern, “I see that you look a little pale. Are you feeling unwell?’

“Mother, I’m fine.” Ji Zhao smiled and shook her head gently. “It’s probably because the weather is too stuffy, so I feel uncomfortable.”

‘You don’t say. The weather is indeed a little strange,” Zhao Lanhua quickly echoed. “Your father and I were sweating from sleeping this morning. Sigh, I don’t know when it will rain!’

“Mother, have we harvested all the crops in our fields in advance?’ Ji Zhao suddenly asked.

“Don’t worry. Your father brought people to help collect them yesterday. However, the weather this year is really bad. The wheat production we planted isn’t much either. Fortunately, we’ve harvested a lot of sweet cane.”

“But Ah Tao, you said that you can extract even purer white sugar from the sweet cane. Is that true?” Eldest Brother Shen, who was eating a bun, suddenly thought of something and asked curiously.

“It’s true,” Ji Zhao said firmly. ‘The reason why sweet cane is so sweet is because the amount of sugar it contains is especially high! Moreover, the white sugar extracted from sweet cane will taste better.”

“That’s good!” Eldest Brother Shen’s eyes instantly lit up. “If we use white sugar with a better texture to make some pastries, then the pastries will be even more delicious. More importantly, we can save a portion of the cost.”

“Brother, I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?” Shen Yao placed a peeled boiled egg into the bowl in front of Ji Zhao. Then, he looked at Brother Shen and suggested with a smile, “Do you still want to buy Zhao’s Rice Shop from before?”

“Objectively speaking, the location of Zhao’s Rice Shop is indeed much better than Shen Ji.” Eldest Brother Shen thought about it seriously for a while, then shook his head. “But let’s just forget about buying the shop. We can’t make everyone fat with just one bite. Besides, I was indeed too anxious before. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been fooled by Zhao Xu.”

“If it weren’t for you and your wife, I don’t know how long I would have been locked up…”

“Brother, there’s a saying that goes, you should get up from where you fell!” Ji Zhao smiled and persuaded, ‘Moreover, the business of the pastry shop is getting better and better. Don’t you want your business to rise to a higher level?”

“Don’t you want to save more money and send Haohao to school when he grows up?”

Shen Yao’s casual words easily moved Eldest Brother Shen.

“Even if I want to take over Zhao’s, I’m powerless!” Eldest Brother Shen shrugged helplessly. “Have you forgotten how difficult it is to deal with those guys from Zhao’s?”

“There’s nothing difficult in the world. No matter how difficult a person is, they will have their weakness.” Shen Yao smiled and explained softly, “Brother, why do you think those workers from Zhao’s Rice Shop are difficult to deal with?’ “That’s because that son of a bitch Zhao Xu owes them money.”

“Isn’t that right? The reason why they stopped you from going to Zhao’s was firstly because Zhao’s Rice Shop was where they had worked for many years.

Secondly, they must have thought that there was hope by guarding the shop,” Shen Yao analyzed calmly. “In summary, their weakness is that they were afraid that they would lose the job of supporting their family and that they would never be able to get back the money that Zhao Xu owed them.”

Eldest Brother Shen nodded repeatedly. “Third Brother, your analysis is not bad. But the pastry shop really doesn’t need so many employees!”

In fact, it wasn’t that Eldest Brother Shen hadn’t thought of taking the workers in the rice shop for his own use. However, the pastry shop was different from the rice shop. The pastry shop needed a master who knew how to make pastries the most. However, the workers in the rice shop only knew how to use brute force.

“Brother, have you ever thought about opening a sugar factory yourself?” Ji Zhao, who had eaten her fill, smiled and joined the conversation. “Look, you can’t avoid using sugar to make pastries, right? Many families in Dingyuan County have planted sweet cane. Brother, you can choose a suitable location to open a sugar factory and buy these sweet cane at a low price to process sugar. This way, not only can you save the cost of the pastry shop, but you can also let many people have a stable job!”

‘You can totally buy Zhao’s Rice Shop’s shop and provide a good job for the workers at the rice shop. I think they will definitely thank you when the time comes! This way, you can also expand the Shen Ji Pastry Shop, right?”

Brother Shen was moved by Ji Zhao and Shen Yao’s blueprint for the future, but he was still a little hesitant. “But Third Brother, Ah Tao, it shouldn’t be easy to open a sugar factory, right? Can you help me estimate how much it will cost?

Also, whether the sugar extracted from sweet cane can be added to the pastries is still a question mark, right?”

“No matter how difficult it is, as long as you do it with a serious and passionate heart, I don’t think anything will be a problem,” Shen Yao said gently.

“That’s right!” Ji Zhao rested her chin on her hands and looked at the man beside her.. She chuckled and replied, “Eldest Brother, I know you still have some doubts, but we can do an experiment first!”