A well-defined left hand extended before her eyes. It wasn’t swollen that badly – the pale parts remained pale, not diminishing the hand’s attractiveness at all.

Lin Yuchan rolled her eyes at him. Give him an inch and he takes a mile – getting cocky now!

She wasn’t a servant girl anymore – she didn’t serve people.

“This needs cold compress. Can’t massage it,” she examined it seriously for a long time, giving a prescription with a straight face. “Will well water work? Should be quite cold.”

Su Minguan quickly withdrew his hand, turning to laugh loudly, pretending he’d said nothing.

He watched Lin Yuchan flip through the new ledgers with a smile. The little girl didn’t hide her envious expression – whether she admired his left-handed writing skill or his ability to fabricate numbers.

He couldn’t help but offer guidance: “Actually, it’s not difficult. Just predict which parts the tax inspectors will examine first, then work backwards…”

He suddenly realized something and imperceptibly stopped talking.

Until she’d flipped several more pages and gently prompted: “Mm? And then?”

“Then…” He wasn’t deceived by her voice, saying politely, “Remember not to copy the list of merchants paying protection fees. Don’t bother looking. There’s no power map you want in here.”

Lin Yuchan quickly put down the ledger, her face red beyond her ears, wanting to crawl under the counter for a moment.

Su Minguan couldn’t help but laugh softly and long. She shrank like a little mushroom – truly adorable.

“Alright.” He confiscated the ledger from her hands, not letting her read anymore. “The light’s so dim – aren’t you worried about straining your eyes?”

This ledger wasn’t one hundred percent perfect either. Hede had come too quickly – some numbers he hadn’t completely perfected, leaving several flaws that still resulted in fines.

But this made it seem realistic. Which profitable shop nowadays didn’t have some shady dealings? Being too proper would seem fake instead.

Three hundred fifty taels – sacrificing a pawn to save the rook, buying peace with money.

Lin Yuchan also thought of this problem, asking with concern: “Is there enough ready cash to pay the fine?”

Though compared to Yixing Shipping’s past accumulated crimes, this fine was already just a tickle, three hundred fifty taels wasn’t a small sum. When Lin Yuchan worked at customs, despite Hede’s repeated promotions and raises, the conversion to silver was only about five taels per month. An ordinary farming family in suburban Pudong, in good years, earned at most eight or nine taels annually.

Su Minguan locked the ledger back in the drawer, not looking up as he asked: “How much can you lend? Market rate of two and a half percent monthly interest, interest before principal, paid off in one year, guaranteed by the fast boats at the dock – won’t shortchange you.”

Lin Yuchan shook her head apologetically: “I don’t have any now.”

All her savings had been given to Rong Hong for purchasing goods. If she had even ten silver dollars left, she would unhesitatingly lend them to him for the emergency.

Su Minguan: “No matter. Shanghai has plenty of money, houses, and banks – foreign firms also have loan businesses. Even if the interest is higher, no worry about managing funds.”

He looked up, meeting Lin Yuchan’s sympathetic gaze. He felt the word “poor” was written all over his body.

Su Minguan smiled bitterly. Who told him to be born at the wrong time? A hundred years ago, during the Heaven and Earth Society’s heyday, when one party faced trouble, eight parties would help. Just one shout and the members would each contribute a copper coin to solve his urgent need.

Cold wind penetrated the shop interior, making the lights flicker. Lanterns across the river gradually extinguished, and people in the streets grew weary, returning whence they came. Several Kong Ming lanterns were released into the sky, slowly rising against the pitch-black night backdrop, chasing the westward-moving full moon.

Su Minguan opened the window and looked up at the moon himself, estimating the time.

“Well, keeping you so late again today – really sorry.” His momentary dejection passed as his eyes filled with smiles again. He pointed upstairs: “Don’t leave either – rest here tonight, so you can start work directly tomorrow. You said it yourself – you’d come help.”

Lin Yuchan’s eyes widened in fury: “Wait! That doesn’t count!”

She’d originally thought Yixing Shipping would be ruthlessly cut down by customs, facing catastrophic disaster. Feeling extremely guilty, she’d foolishly said something about “working for you for free”…

But Young Master had been prepared all along, playing the pig to eat the tiger, actually managing to anger away the God of Wealth Hede!

So why should she work for free?

Su Minguan looked at her mournfully, very disappointed: “Not keeping your word. Made me happy for nothing. I thought I could see you every day from now on.”

So-called cunning merchants – lies flowed from their mouths. Lin Yuchan tucked her hands in her sleeves, smiling at the corners of her eyes, quietly watching his performance.

He was truly handsome. A slanting beam of light on the wall illuminated his well-defined features like an oil painting from an art textbook. In a few decades, after removing his braid and changing clothes, he could directly take the stage in the May Fourth new plays.

“A’Mei, I’m about to live on borrowed money,” he smiled bitterly, lightly touching his chest. “As fellow provincials, if you don’t help, doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

Lin Yuchan smiled and shook her head: “I want to do my own business. All my capital went to purchasing goods.”

She knew what she was doing. If Su Minguan couldn’t solve this little difficulty, he’d be unworthy as a Thirteen Factories heir.

“A’Mei…”

He sighed once, stopped talking, and turned to get the tea canister from the cabinet, wanting to brew some fresh tea.

Opening it, he found the tea had all been consumed by Hede’s people – the canister was completely empty.

He shook his head, using his index finger to dab some tea residue on his tongue tip, put the canister back, and sniffed the fragrance in his hand. Moonlight cast a luminous shadow on his body.

This scene was too desolate – worthy of accompanying music like “The Moon Reflected in Er-quan.”

Lin Yuchan originally wasn’t so hard-hearted. For a moment, she couldn’t help wavering, wondering if Yixing’s financial black hole was worse than she’d imagined…

Chu Nanyun’s fate was unknown, and large numbers of Green Gang remnants were scattered in the countryside. The legitimate Yixing faced internal and external troubles – once it collapsed, Su Minguan would likely meet a bad end.

She wavered in her resolve, thinking maybe she should postpone starting her business to help him?

But she’d have to make it clear – the contract would have a time limit. She could start without or with a little salary, but had to fight for dividends later…

Just as she was calculating this self-sacrifice, her forehead suddenly warmed. This scoundrel Su Minguan was rubbing her head.

“Alright, little friend, just joking with you.” He couldn’t help but laugh, biting his lip, a hint of mischief flashing in his smile. “Without you, I’d probably still be doing hard labor under Chu Nanyun. How could I repay kindness with ingratitude, using you for free…”

Several words flashed across his tongue. Saying “employ” wasn’t evil enough; saying “order around” wasn’t sincere enough; saying “use you for free” seemed disrespectful…

“Exploit. Exploit.” Lin Yuchan looked up, quietly telling him a term. “You can’t exploit me.”

Though Su Minguan’s English was pure, it was limited to accounting, calculating, bargaining, and pleasantries. He’d never heard this word and was confused for a moment.

“Say whatever you want.” His voice gradually lowered, his tone very powerful. “A’Mei, feel free to do business. Tell me when you open. As long as you’re not too far from me, within ten li, you won’t need to worry about thugs bothering you.”

Lin Yuchan softly drew in a breath. Her ears hadn’t understood yet, but joy was already surging in her heart.

“You… you… Why didn’t you say so earlier…”

So stingy, making her rack her brains for days about what to trade with him for a “power map.” Deliberately squeezing her…

Su Minguan blinked, frankly spreading his hands: “I thought you’d ask me nicely.”

Lin Yuchan glared at him fiercely. His wishful thinking was quite beautiful.

“But it is late today – it’s not safe for you to go back alone.” He put away his smile, pointing to the stairway. “I have a guest room with new bedding – I can still afford this much. Go upstairs.”

In the following days, Lin Yuchan ran to Boya Trading twice daily, eagerly awaiting Rong Hong’s safe return.

The Lantern Festival had passed, and Boya Trading had long since reopened. The garden vegetation was sprouting, dyed a patch of tender green, with small early spring flowers blooming, quietly floating a layer of fragrance, as if also patiently waiting for its master to come admire it.

With the boss away, the clerks Rong Hong employed were idle all day, gathering in the small Western building to drink tea, smoke, and play cards, or else tending the garden. Sometimes when Lin Yuchan passed in the afternoon, she saw their card game seating arrangement was the same as in the morning, with only a few more takeout pastry boxes beside them, no other difference.

Imaginably, business turnover was minimal all day.

Lin Yuchan recalled jokes she’d seen online about “rich people working hard abroad while buying villas where nannies enjoy themselves daily,” feeling sorry for Rong Hong from afar.

Even knowing Boss Rong’s mind wasn’t on making money, you couldn’t fleece capitalists this ruthlessly!

Lin Yuchan struggled daily about whether to tip off Rong Hong later out of friendship, or if she’d be considered meddlesome.

This day brought drizzling spring rain with few pedestrians on the road, only tall ginkgo trees standing upright on both sides, blocking most of the blue sky.

Lin Yuchan wrapped a small foreign cloth headscarf around herself and came to Boya Trading to check in as usual.

Those clerks all knew her now. Manager Chang greeted her warmly: “Miss Lin, come have some tea!”

Lin Yuchan politely declined. She didn’t lack for tea and wouldn’t take advantage of Rong Hong.

Just walking out of the Saigon Road intersection, she suddenly blinked, feeling that the rain had stopped.

Looking up, an umbrella covering her head.

Someone said in a clear voice: “Miss Lin, I was delayed and kept you waiting.”

Lin Yuchan turned to look and was so happy she jumped three feet high: “Mr. Rong! Oh, I missed you so much! – Hey, your braid’s crooked, straighten it quickly.”

She wouldn’t dare be so presumptuous with others. Rong Hong was a fake foreign devil who wouldn’t think it improper.

Rong Hong looked somewhat tired, with a large patch of stubble, messy hair sticking out from under his hat, and his clothes mixed with a damp smell – clearly a hard journey.

But his temperament remained unchanged – still an elegant, refined scholar, at most looking more down-and-out, like a scholar heading to the capital for examinations who’d run out of money.

Behind him stood a carriage with the driver unloading luggage.

“Safe return is a blessing. How was Nanjing’s scenery? Were the roads passable? Did the passport work? What attitude did the Taiping… um, there… have toward you?” Lin Yuchan was embarrassed to directly ask about her “purchasing agent” business, first making small talk about other things.

Rong Hong gave her a complex look, smiling bitterly as he tossed a few silver coins to the driver.

“It’s hard to explain in a few words. Not quite what I expected…”

Lin Yuchan made an “mm” sound, as expected.

She stood on tiptoe to look at the carriage behind him. Were her six hundred pounds of tea inside? That was her entire livelihood – but this carriage seemed a bit small…

Rong Hong saw her eagerness and watched her smile for a while before saying, “Miss Lin, we’ll discuss your tea later. I’m starving – you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Lin Yuchan was too embarrassed to ask about the tea anymore, just shook her head and said awkwardly: “Then I’ll come back this afternoon…”

“Come along. My treat. Don’t be embarrassed – you can’t eat me out of house and home.”