My Lady Always Lacks Ambition
Chapter 282 - 281 I was Superficial and Hasty Again

Chapter 282: Chapter 281 I was Superficial and Hasty Again

Qin Liuxi sent off Village Chief Wang that very evening, and the next day, the Wang family held the funeral, the coffin raised steadily without any further issues, concluding her duties.

After receiving the reward from Wang Dayong, she tossed it to Chen Pi without even looking and gave a few more instructions before taking a ride back to town on a cattle cart arranged by the people of Wang Family Village.

She was somewhat gloomy throughout the journey. Upon entering the city and bidding farewell to the people from Wang Family Village, Chen Pi couldn’t help but ask her.

"Master, you’ve been in a rather gloomy mood this journey, what’s the matter? Are you thinking about the Wang family’s affairs?"

Qin Liuxi, with hands behind her back, said, "Why would I think about the Wang family? I was just reflecting on myself, wondering if my perspective and understanding are somewhat shallow?"

Chen Pi looked at her in surprise: "What do you mean by that?"

"I saw that Wang Dayong, despite being a peasant, is a man of filial piety and righteousness. Hence, I only set the rewards at ten silvers. For a peasant family, that isn’t much compared to the wealthy and powerful; ten silvers might be their annual interest income," Qin Liuxi paused, gazing at a white cloud in the sky and sighed, "But I was hasty!"

Chen Pi chuckled and responded, "The Wang family does have some small wealth, but they are not rich. Ten silvers is quite reasonable. Plus, you didn’t do this just for the silver."

"Nonsense! If it wasn’t for the silver, why would I bother making this trip? I might as well have stayed home and relaxed!" Qin Liuxi quibbled, then sighed, "I was hasty and underestimated the peasants. Look at that fraud from yesterday; he dared to demand a hundred silvers. Doesn’t that make him more capable than me?"

"You also said he’s just a fraud," Chen Pi said, "Don’t think about it any further. The reward was small this time, but you’ll make it back with the wealthy families."

"That’s true."

Powerful people: So we’re just to be seen as a bunch of fools?

Chen Pi continued, "As for the Wang family, with all these issues coming up, I’m afraid they won’t be able to raise their heads high."

"The village was leaky already, unable to cover up the truth. Gossips and rumors aren’t much of an issue, as long as they stand firm themselves, they will rise again, and those rumors will eventually be buried deep," Qin Liuxi said. "Plus, once new gossip arises, these topics will fade."

"You always see things so clearly."

"Wang Family Village has good Feng Shui; a hero will emerge from there," Qin Liuxi smiled faintly.

Chen Pi, knowing she must have noticed something, did not inquire further.

When Qin Liuxi visited the Coffin Shop at Shouxi Square again, she looked around and said, "Chen Pi, what do you think we should do with this shop? Your lady has provided a small capital, intending it as a private fund for the main house, we need to start something. Now that the official side is about to start a candied fruit shop, we need to get this private shop going; otherwise, it’s a loss for every day it remains empty."

"Master, aren’t you making things difficult for me? How could my brain work better than yours? Asking me is pointless," Chen Pi said.

Qin Liuxi sighed, "Isn’t this a matter of ’two heads are better than one?’ You know I’m lazy by nature. If I really have to do business, I’d rather you chop me with a knife."

"My opinion is to stick to what you’re good at, like processing medicinal herbs..."

"No way, if I touch medicinal herbs, Feng Fox would probably rush back from Heavenly Mountain to drive me mad. This world only needs one Changsheng Hall," Qin Liuxi immediately shook her head.

Chen Pi thought he was just trying to avoid work, but he didn’t dare say it out loud, instead he said: "Then we can only go back to basics: expelling evil, catching ghosts, selling talismans, and seeing patients."

"Wouldn’t that be competing with the Daoist Temple? The old man might chase after me with a horsetail whisk."

"That’s not really competing, is it? Opening a small shop could still bring believers to the Daoist Temple. You wouldn’t handle ceremonies like rituals; that could be referred to the Daoists. Besides, being virtuous, the money you earn you could give the Daoist Temple ten percent as incense money, which perfectly offsets the Five Disadvantages and Three Deficiencies. Isn’t that a win-win?," Chen Pi argued.

"That makes sense. But when I think about it, wouldn’t that be just the same as always? If I open the shop and business booms, wouldn’t I, the master, be even busier?" Qin Liuxi felt more convinced this would happen, saying, "Ultimately, this becomes my own business. If I ever stop, who in the main house could handle such a business?"

"Master, I may not understand much, but didn’t the lady only give you a small amount of money? We can’t start big, we have to start small. If the shop makes money, we can keep it in the bank to earn interest, and if not, we can buy more shops; even just renting them out would bring steady income annually. Bit by bit, money makes more money - that’s a real fortune," Chen Pi replied.

Qin Liuxi eyed him sidelong.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Pi touched his face.

Qin Liuxi poked his face: "You say you don’t understand, but it sounds like you do, very clearly, all laid out neatly."

Chen Pi chuckled: "I’m just brainstorming."

"How old are you this year?"

"Have you forgotten? I’ll be twelve after the new year."

Qin Liuxi clapped her hands, "Good, then you’ll manage this shop. Just as you said, you’ll act as the shopkeeper, handle ghost catching, evil expelling, selling talismans, seeing patients, and we’ll name the shop... um, how about Feichang Dao!"

Chen Pi was initially shocked by her decision to let him manage, then almost choked on his saliva when he heard the name she picked.

Feichang Dao!

Is that not a bit too casual with the naming?

"Master, aren’t there issues with someone my age being a shopkeeper? If I take up this role, who will serve by your side? We need to find a suitable shopkeeper! And about the shop’s name, Feichang Dao, can’t you be a bit more serious, perhaps something majestic or mystical-sounding?"

"Feichang Dao is very good; it captures greatness in the ordinary, ’Fei’ implies significance, ’Chang’ stands for constancy and eternity, and ’Dao’ exactly reflects the Taoist ethos of the Xuanmen Taoist sect. It’s quite fitting," Qin Liuxi felt there was no issue at all, waving her hand grandly: "It’s happily decided then. Next, I’ll arrange the silver for you; buy what needs to be bought. Oh, and we need to commission a grandmaster statue for worship. The back courtyard needs tidying up too; one room will be an enlightenment hall, I’ll handle that decoration myself. The other room will be a treatment room..."

She listed several points, and Chen Pi felt dizzy remembering them all - he shouldn’t have spoken out, he just wanted to accompany his master in jest, no, in promoting the Tao and benefitting the world.

Chen Pi thought to resist, but Qin Liuxi suddenly stopped talking, asking, "Aren’t we forgetting something?"

Chen Pi: "?"

"What were we supposed to do today?"

Chen Pi paused, then responded, "We agreed to take the two young masters from our family to register at the academy!"

Not good, not only were they sneaking in through the back door, but they were also tardy. Hopefully, Master Tang wouldn’t be too upset.

"Let’s go, let’s hurry home!" Qin Liuxi quickly pulled Chen Pi towards home.