Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 30: Don’t you think about Guang’er?
Cai's mother looked at Cai Qiaozhu as if she was looking at a blockhead. Seeing that Cai Qiaozhu showed resistance again, she could only show her most powerful sword: "I know you are lazy and I know you don't want to take power, but even if you don't think about yourself, don't you think about Guang'er?"
When Guang'er was mentioned, Cai Qiaozhu was shocked and said, "What does it have to do with Guang'er? Are you afraid that Hao Guan will harm Guang'er? Mother, you don't know how close they are to each other, almost like father and son."
"Why is it not related?" Cai's mother said, "Hao Guan married a wife, how can he not have a son? When he has a son, hmph, no matter how close a nephew is, can he be closer than his own son? There is no such reason in the world! Your Wu family has just come out of adversity, and you support each other. Naturally, love will prevail over scheming. But as time goes by, when Guang'er is about to come of age, how will this account be settled? Do you think Hao Guan will leave his property to Guang'er or to his son?"
She didn't care that her daughter's face was becoming increasingly ugly, and she just blurted out all the words in one breath. Every word pierced her heart and lungs. They were all questions that Cai Qiaozhu had never thought about and was unwilling to think about.
After hearing this, Cai Qiaozhu was about to fall down, and finally couldn't help but said: "Mother! Stop it, stop it! I don't want to hear these nonsense. If you say this again, I...I will be rude to you."
Cai's mother didn't expect that her daughter was still not enlightened. She was anxious and annoyed, but she didn't dare to go against her wishes. Suddenly, she heard someone shouting outside. It turned out to be Cai Shiqun.
Cai Qiaozhu took the opportunity to say, "Mother, let's go out and see father together."
Cai's mother knew that it was useless to persuade her today, so she just sighed and said, "You are such a simple-minded fool. I am afraid that although you have a good heart, others may not have the same kind heart as you."
The mother and daughter calmed down and came out together. Seeing Cai Shiqun's smiling face, Cai Qiaozhu knew that he must have received a lot of benefits from Wu Chengjian. She thought, "Third Uncle is a man who repays kindness and grudges. Father and mother actually did something wrong to the Wu family a few months ago, but he forgave them. That was naturally for my sake. Mother has seen too many people's calculations outside and doesn't know the Wu family's family style, so it's not surprising that she said that."
Cai Shiqun did not enter the room, but talked to his daughter under the bare pear tree. He really praised Wu Chengjian, even more than he had praised Wu Chengjun back then.
After listening for a while, Cai Qiaozhu roughly knew that Cai Shiqun had recommended a shopkeeper named Yao to Wu Chengjian. This shopkeeper was originally one of the top three shopkeepers of the Xie family. After the decline of the Xie family, most of the low-level workers were successfully absorbed by the major families, and the middle-level managers also chose to live in other places. Senior managers like Yao were quite embarrassed - to be able to sit in that position, they must have been deeply branded with the Xie family's mark. In this case, the families that had grudges with the Xie family would not dare to accept him easily, and even if they accepted him, they would be "demoted" - they would be hired at a lower level. And the allies such as the Cai family were in a great decline, not to mention whether there was a suitable position for Yao, even if Cai Shiwen could provide a position, Yao would have to consider the future of Wanbao Bank.
After much thought, Yao Da, the shopkeeper, decided to try his luck with Cai Shiqun. They had studied under the same abacus master when they were young, so they were considered to be from the same school. Cai Shiqun did not dare to take on too much responsibility, but when Wu Chengjian mentioned it today, he readily agreed, which made Cai Shiqun feel very proud.
Cai's father and mother chatted in the yard for a while. Seeing that her daughter had no intention of keeping any more food for them, Cai's mother knew that she was still upset because of what had just happened, so she didn't want to make things awkward for herself and took her husband back.
Cai Qiaozhu sent her parents away and went to the backyard to see Wu Guoying. Wu Guoying said, "Sister-in-law, why don't you give your parents-in-law a meal? That's so rude!"
Cai Qiaozhu knew that her father-in-law was not being polite - the kitchen had actually prepared something - but she was unwilling to reveal the truth, so she just said, "Something else happened at home, and Daxing Street is not far away. We can come and go anytime. It doesn't matter if we eat or not. It's not a disrespect."
Wu Guoying is an experienced businessman, so even though he felt something was amiss, he did not ask any further questions.
Cai Qiaozhu accompanied him for a while, and then came to the left courtyard to see Wu Chengjian. When she entered the room, she heard Wu Chengjian flirting with Xia Qing. Cai Qiaozhu coughed, and Xia Qing saw that it was the eldest young mistress, so she slipped away a little embarrassedly. Wu Chengjian straightened up and said, "Sister-in-law."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "I know you dote on this girl, but you should restrain yourself when necessary, otherwise when my third aunt comes home, there might be trouble." Ever since Xia Qing took Guang'er to Macau, Cai Qiaozhu treated her differently from others after she came back. This statement really showed that she was considering Xia Qing.
Wu Chengjian said, "It doesn't matter. Life should go on as usual. How can I disrupt my good life for one person? Then why did I marry this wife?"
Cai Qiaozhu frowned and sat down, saying: "What are you talking about! After getting married, your life should be different from before. You are already so powerful outside, why are you so scumbag when you come home..." After all, she couldn't bring herself to say the word "bastard", so she stopped talking.
"Asshole, right?" Wu Chengjian said with a smile, "I am just like this. I pretend to be like this outside for others to see. It would be too tiring if I am still like this at home. Sister-in-law, don't treat me as the head of the family in the future. You can say whatever you want and scold me as you want. This family is still the same as before. There is just one thing..."
Cai Qiaozhu's heart tightened, wondering what new rules Wu Chengjian was going to set? Even when Xia Qing brought the tea, she paused when she heard this, and then she heard the eldest young lady ask cautiously, "Which one?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Although the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, I only regard you as my sister. Look at yourself in the mirror. You are still young and beautiful. Don't make yourself look like a housewife at such a young age."
Cai Qiaozhu spat at him and cursed, "You are being disrespectful to me again!"
Wu Chengjian, however, was still laughing.
After Xia Qing left, Cai Qiaozhu said, "I came here today to ask you something."
"Yes." Wu Chengjian said, "Are you asking about the third young lady of the Ye family?"
"That's postponed." Cai Qiaozhu said, "It's about Manager Yao."
Wu Chengjian just said "oh" and didn't say anything.
Cai Qiaozhu said, "As a rule, I don't care about the affairs of this industry. Even when your eldest brother is in charge, I only help with some of the accounts and never interfere with personnel matters. I brought up this matter today because I want to ask you, if you agree to let Manager Yao come in, will it hinder me?"
Just as Wu Chengjian was about to speak, Cai Qiaozhu stopped him and said, "Wait, listen to me. My meaning is very simple. The Cai family of Daxing Street is my maternal family. I am very grateful and satisfied that the master can put aside the past grudges and make peace with me. But family affairs and official affairs must be clearly distinguished. For my maternal family, it doesn't matter even if it costs money. But the head shopkeeper is involved in Yihe Bank, and I don't want family disputes to be mixed in, which will bury any hidden dangers for Yihe Bank's business. If you feel that it is difficult to refuse after you have already asked, it doesn't matter, I will talk about this matter."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you worry too much. I am a person who even schemes against my future father-in-law. Do you think I would mine the business of the bank just for a little favor?"
Cai Qiaozhu's long eyelashes twitched slightly, but she did not find Wu Chengjian's reason very convincing. Although she had dismissed Wu Chengjian's words as "rumors" that he would not doubt himself even if he doubted his wife, deep in her heart, she actually felt that she was more important in Wu Chengjian's heart than the third Miss Ye who had not yet married - at least that was the case for now.
Wu Chengjian looked at Cai Qiaozhu and said, "Don't worry, I have been paying attention to the situation of Manager Yao for a long time. This time we turned the tables and took over many businesses of the Xie family. We took over both dead industries and living people. The lower-level people are easy to deal with, and it doesn't matter who they work for. The middle ones are a bit troublesome, but they are not problems that cannot be handled. But after our Wu family's business suddenly grew, we actually lacked high-level managers."
Cai Qiaozhu nodded.
After the "evil dragon came out of its lair and the beasts shared the food", Hou San was dealt with, Dai Er was marginalized and had limited his ability to do things and his prestige in the industry was greatly reduced. It can be said that only two and a half of the four shopkeepers of the Wu family were left. Although Ou Jiafu was promoted and Xu San was introduced as a shopkeeper, it was still insufficient compared to the larger business scale of Yihe Bank.
Wu Chengjian said, "Manager Xu San is a good person and is familiar with foreign affairs. But his qualifications are quite flawed. To put it bluntly, the big managers in Guangzhou's business community have high abilities and have long been selected by several major families. Manager Xu has worked in several major business families, but has never been in the core layer. This is his advantage, but people who have never been in the core layer are not good enough when dealing with certain important matters."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "But once you enter the core layer, you will have the mark of that family on your body."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Yes, so the lower-level laborers are everywhere, and the middle-level managers are also easy to find. There are only so many people coming and going in Guangzhou, and almost all of them have been recruited by several major families. The character, ability, and reputation of Manager Yao are beyond reproach. Although he is related to the Xie family, I have inquired carefully and found that he is not to the point of revenge for the Xie family. Moreover, he is a classmate of Uncle Cai, so this offsets that there is no kinship or resentment. So I have been paying attention to this person for a long time. Today, I did not agree to Uncle Cai for the sake of my sister-in-law, but Uncle Cai and I hit it off. Moreover, the Xie family has been ruined for two months, and other families have tried to recruit him, but he was not tempted. He waited until now to ask Uncle Cai to make a connection, which shows that he has been interested in me for a long time, so I think this person can be used! If my sister-in-law can treat him better after he enters the industry and make him feel at home, he will most likely become a pillar of our Wu family in the future."
Cai Qiaozhu was overjoyed and said, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved."
After the uncle and his wife talked, they were both happy. Xia Qing brought some snacks. Cai Qiaozhu saw that she came at the right time - just in time not to disturb the two people's serious conversation - and couldn't help but say: "This girl is really lovable. When your wife comes home in the future, you must treat her well."
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "Why don't I not marry Miss Ye San and help Qing Er take over the position."
Xia Qing pouted and cursed, "You're making such a frivolous joke again. It's just me. If someone else heard this, they might have some wild thoughts."
Wu Chengjian asked, "Don't you have any false thoughts?"
Xia Qing said: "I don't want those unreliable things, and I don't think about the long term. I just want to live happily in the present day, one day at a time." Then she turned and left.
Wu Chengjian laughed and said, "This girl is heartless."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "That's better."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "It's just that she met me. If it was any other young master, she would have suffered! Which young master would tolerate a girl who is always making trouble for him?"
"But you are not another young master after all." Cai Qiaozhu said, "And I really want to know how Miss Ye San could have won the heart of our Wu family."
"Subdue me? Pah!" Wu Chengjian said, "I think this girl is too cunning. Instead of leaving her out, it's better to keep her by my side and watch her carefully."
