The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme - Chapter 531
Chapter 531: Chapter 518: Heartache
Playing chess?
Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli glanced at each other, then pursed their lips in laughter.
Without a doubt, Chu Jinzhou’s arm was home to at least five small turtles by now.
“This is great, my sister and I specifically brought some nice things for Mr. Fan and Jinzhou, they can be put to good use now.” Zhuang Qingsui wiggled the neatly wrapped paper package in her hand and pulled Zhuang Mingli along, “Let’s go quickly.”
If they were too late, they might miss the wonderful moment of drawing small turtles.
“Okay.” Zhuang Mingli nodded in excitement.
“Miss Sui, Young Master Mingli, follow me.” Banqing led the way, escorting them to Chu Jinzhou’s study.
For a time, only Chu Jinnian and Zhuang Qingning were left in the flower hall.
“Miss Zhuang, please have some tea.” Chu Jinnian sat down and explained, “I just returned to Qingzhuyuan, I haven’t even changed my clothes yet, my apologies.”
“I was planning on tidying up a bit, then going to visit Miss Zhuang.”
I didn’t expect Zhuang Qingning to come first.
Couldn’t it be said that the two of us are quite fatefully connected?
Zhuang Qingning took Chu Jinnian’s politeness at face value and didn’t think too much about it. Sipping on her tea, she laughed, “I heard from Jinzhou that usually, Master Chu wouldn’t be able to return until the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth at the earliest. You arrived quite early this year.”
In a few days, it will be the small New Year. It seems that Chu Jinnian truly loves Chu Jinzhou deeply, coming home so early.
“I’m embarrassed to say.”
Chu Jinnian smiled and said, “This year, I returned so early due to official duties.”
“A horrific homicide happened near the village of the Ma family in the county. Master Ding and Mr. Xu have been investigating without a result for a long time, so they reported the matter. Also, many people were brutally murdered in this case, including the young children at home. Even the Emperor was furious about this. Therefore, I was instructed to investigate.”
“We should solve this case as soon as possible, apprehend the murderer, so as to appease the souls of the deceased and let the common people feel at ease.”
“I see.” Zhuang Qingning nodded slightly.
She had indeed heard about this case. Since the whole family was silenced and we are at the end of the year, rumors started and got more ridiculous as they spread.
Some say it was ghosts seeking life, some say it was gangsters seeking money, and some else say it was a bloodthirsty maniac …
Regardless of the rumor, it all led to unease among the public. As soon as the sky darkened, no one would venture out. People would keep their lights on at night for fear of being left in the dark. From the sound of recent water leak issues, caused by the constant light, there have been two or three such incidents in just a few days.
If this goes on, I’m afraid we’ll have bigger problems.
It is reasonable that the higher authorities sent someone to investigate this case.
Chu Jinnian is a high official in the Ministry of Justice and frequently travels between the capital city and this place, his appointment is indeed suitable for this task.
And seeing how Chu Jinnian’s eyelids were slightly darkened, it was obvious that he had hurried here tirelessly day and night.
It seems that even those born with a golden key and high status cannot avoid doing the duty of being a responsible officer.
Zhuang Qingning suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for Chu Jinnian, “Master Chu, you have worked hard.”
The cup almost slipped from his hand, but thankfully Chu Jinnian was quick enough to grasp the top edge of the cup, thus avoiding an awkward situation.
“You are over-praising, Miss Zhuang, it’s part of my job.” Trying to suppress the excitement in his heart, Chu Jinnian placed the teacup on the table and looked at Zhuang Qingning, who was smiling, “It seems Miss Zhuang has lost a lot of weight, you must also have been very busy recently.”
“It’s just daily chores, I wouldn’t say I’ve been overly busy.”
Zhuang Qingning replied, “It’s the end of the year and all the workshops will stop working by the day before the small New Year, so I can rest for a while afterward. These days, I had nothing to do at home so I made some soap. I thought Mr. Fan and Jinzhou might need some, so I brought some with me.”
“Soap?” Chu Jinnian raised his eyebrows, “Is it a new dessert made by Miss Zhuang?”
If it is…
I just saw a lot in Zhuang Qingsui’s hand earlier, by now, perhaps half of them have already entered the stomachs of Fan Wenxuan and Chu Jinzhou.
And the rest of those…
Chu Jinnian quickly calculated in his mind how he could keep some of those things.
“No, it’s not a dessert, nor is it food, it’s a utility.” Zhuang Qingning quickly explained, taking one out and unwrapping the oil-paper packaging around it, “Here, take a look.”
Chu Jinnian took it and studied it carefully. He even sniffed it, and asked, “What’s the use of this?”
“Soap is used to wash hands, wash faces, or wash clothes. If there is dirt somewhere, after wetting it and rubbing it, it will produce some foam, and after rubbing, it can wash away the dirt and look as good as new.” explained Zhuang Qingning.
“That sounds quite miraculous.” Chu Jinnian laughed, “And the name is quite interesting.”
“This product is magical and useful, not complicated to produce, and the raw materials are easily available. However, very few people know about it and even fewer use it, so I thought, if we could produce it in large quantities and start selling, we would make a lot of money.”
Zhuang Qingning looked at Chu Jinnian with some embarrassment, “So I wanted to ask Master Chu, do you know any reputable and powerful businessmen in the capital who could be introduced for a possible partnership in this soap business?”
Unlike the tofu, tofu skin, century eggs, and glass noodles that required the addition of a special recipe powder/water system, this soap doesn’t require any additives. The workshop can be set up elsewhere, even far away is not an issue.
This is also unlike the Moon Incense, which has a small target audience. This soap can be promoted as a mass product. Moreover, because the product can be differentiated and extended, various soaps can be produced, such as rose soap, gardenia soap, and even various medicated soaps, so it can fully meet the needs of people at all levels.
For such a product, the ultimate goal of promoting sales everywhere must begin in a place like the capital city. Harnessing the “star” effect of the capital city, other places can be encouraged to follow suit and buy the product.
But in the capital city, Zhuang Qingning really didn’t know any powerful businesspersons. The only one who claimed to be a businessman from the capital city was the recently met Shang Chengen, but Zhuang Qingning felt that she should not put all her investment in one place and that she didn’t know Shang Chengen well enough yet. So, she turned her attention to Chu Jinnian.
Chu Jinnian is a trustworthy person who he knows well, and his recommendation would not go wrong. Moreover, during the cooperation process, we can use Chu Jinnian’s reputation a bit to intimidate any potential partner who wishes to cheat her out of her formula.
“Of course, if this can be worked out, two tenths of the profit will be returned to Master Chu as a thank you for your help. What do you think, Master Chu?”
