Free Web NovelChapter 22: Chapter 12: The Building Collapsed
After chatting for a bit, Gao Yao stood up, preparing to go back to peddling his fake manuals.
His family was struggling too. A man had to make a living, after all.
"Wait."
Fang Rui called out to stop Gao Yao. "I have a proposal: I’ll provide the supply, you sell the medicinal packets for me, and I’ll give you a twenty percent cut of the profits. What do you say?"
He had thought it through clearly. It was necessary to outsource the sales. His neighbors were out of the question—they knew him too well, which could easily lead to trouble. This fellow he’d met at the Black Market, on the other hand, was a perfect fit.
There were many reasons for this:
Right now, he had to come to the Black Market every other day to sell his wares. Coming and going so frequently risked drawing his neighbors’ attention...
And when he went out at night, there was no one to watch over the house, which made him uneasy...
He didn’t have the patience for haggling and dealing with people, which wasted time and energy...
This all pointed to the need for a middleman, someone to take on part of Fang Rui’s work and, by extension, part of the risk.
’As for letting Gao Yao sell the goods, is a twenty-percent cut too much?’
Not really.
To be blunt, they were just casual acquaintances. To this day, they hadn’t even seen each other’s true faces. If the offer was too low, there’d be no way to retain him.
Besides, when it came to a natural talent for sales, Fang Rui admitted he was no match for this Gao Yao. The man was a smooth talker who could adapt his pitch to anyone. He could support a family just by selling fake manuals; letting him sell real medicine might lead to a pleasant surprise.
It was possible that after they started working together, he would not only save energy and avoid all sorts of trouble, but with the increased supply and sales volume, he might end up earning even more than before.
That was a very real possibility.
"I’m in. Only a fool would say no," Gao Yao said instantly.
He was thrilled.
’Why did I go to such lengths to befriend Fang Rui?’
’Wasn’t it because I saw his potential? I was hoping that once he made it big, he’d give me a leg up, give me an opportunity.’
He just hadn’t expected the return on his investment to come so quickly.
"Good. It’s a deal."
Fang Rui and Gao Yao discussed the details. "...Then for now, let’s say I’ll resupply you once every three days. When I do, we’ll settle the accounts from the previous batch and split the profits. If sales are good, we can increase the volume."
He wasn’t worried about Gao Yao betraying him and running off with the goods.
After all, on one hand was a steady, long-term stream of profit. On the other was a one-time score that would not only make an enemy of him, but would also be for a pittance...
Fang Rui believed Gao Yao was smart enough to know which option weighed more.
And taking a step back, even if Gao Yao had a lapse in judgment and did betray him, the loss would only be three to five days’ worth of packets. He could afford that. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
’Paying such a small price to see a person’s true colors is worth it.’
...
From that day forward, Fang Rui and Gao Yao began their partnership. And just as he’d predicted, his profits didn’t decrease after they started working together—in fact, they grew.
By his calculations, his previous monthly profit of about two taels of silver had climbed to over three taels. It was still trending upward, and he estimated it would eventually stabilize at around four taels of silver.
That was likely the ceiling, though. After all, the market was only so big.
Fang Rui was content.
Of course, with the Ninth Grade strength he currently displayed, he was more than capable of protecting this level of profit. It wasn’t a major issue.
With a steady income from the medicine business, the Fang Family’s quality of life improved significantly, almost as if returning to the days before the great disaster. Their staple food, which had previously been almost entirely Sorghum Flour, was now a mix of half Sorghum Flour and half cornmeal.
In a disastrous year like this, such a thing was incredibly rare.
And this was despite Fang Rui’s appetite having increased dramatically after breaking through to Eighth Grade Muscle Strengthening. On top of that, the Fang Family could even afford to improve their meals every few days, buying a pound or two of eggs for some extra nutrition.
The Fang Family kept a low profile, quietly building their wealth.
Meanwhile, the lives of their neighbors were as difficult as ever. Many families could barely guarantee one meal a day; they were truly living from hand to mouth, never knowing where their next meal would come from.
However, this did not include the Wang Family.
Fang Rui had been keeping a quiet watch and noticed that the Wang Dachui family’s life had improved considerably. Compared to the sallow, malnourished faces of other families, his family at least looked well-fed.
’Looks like the Wang Family is still heading down that road of no return,’ he thought grimly.
Of course, that was none of his business.
Fang Rui had no intention of getting involved or trying to trip them up. He was content to live his own quiet life, keeping as low a profile as possible.
...
The peaceful days flew by. In the blink of an eye, another half a month had passed.
Until this day—
CLANG CLANG!
"Everyone, get out here!"
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The sound of a Copper Gong clanging from outside made Fang Rui frown. He knew this meant trouble.
"Brother Rui, what is it?" Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family asked as she entered the main hall, holding Fang Ling by the hand.
"Mother, Ling’Er, you two stay and watch the house. I’m going to see what’s happening," Fang Rui said before heading out.
When he got outside, a crowd had already gathered. This time, however, they weren’t in front of the Chus’ house—the Chu Family was long since ruined.
This time it was the Wang Family.
"Uncle Dashan! Sister-in-law Cui Hua! Brother Maozi!" Fang Rui greeted them politely, as was his habit.
The neighbors returned his greeting warmly, though their faces held a trace of awkwardness.
The reason?
The rumors about the Fang Family’s "contagious disease" had been circulating for a long time, but no one had actually caught it. Even the household of Third Lady, who was closest to the Fang Family, remained perfectly healthy. So, people had stopped being afraid.
A new rumor had started to spread privately: the Fang Family’s "disease" wasn’t very contagious. You could only get it if you lived with them and were extremely close; casual contact was perfectly safe.
With that fear gone, people were once again willing to be friendly with the Fang Family.
The Fang Family, after all, came from a line of healers. Without any other reason to avoid them, the neighbors were naturally eager to be on good terms. That way, if the worst happened and they needed to visit Caozhi Hall for an illness, it would be easier to ask for credit or pay with grain, wouldn’t it?
