Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 40

“Five taels of silver! Why don’t they just rob someone?!”

Li Ta was utterly shocked by this outrageous demand. What kind of parents would be so ruthless as to bleed their own son dry like this?

You have to know, he and his brother both worked at the Chancellor’s Mansion, earning two taels of silver a month-a wage that was considered quite decent even in the bustling Capital.

Together, the two brothers would only make four taels a month if they didn’t spend a single coin.

Yet Ruan Fuxin’s parents actually demanded that he hand over five taels every month? To support them in their old age?

What kind of elderly in the village would need five taels of silver a month for their upkeep!

Were they being cared for with gold inlays or jade embellishments?

“Because they want to buy a house for my younger brother in the county town. When they get old, they plan to live with him in comfort.

“They also want to buy two Maids and old women from the Brokerage to serve them, and then find a wife for my brother to bear a few grandsons, so they can enjoy the feeling of being Old Master and Old Madam.

“After being supported by me for so long, they’ve long forgotten how to farm. The few acres of land at home were rented out to other villagers. The rent is only two hundred wen a month, not much at all. If they want money, they can only squeeze it from me.

“And at the time, I was desperate to break free from them, so I gritted my teeth and agreed.”

Looking back now, Ruan Fuxin realized that although it had been a difficult decision, it was absolutely the right one.

Such parents and a brother were nothing but a burden, dragging him down!

Xiao Wangshu sat upright, her fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest, and said calmly, “Continue.”

“Yes,” Ruan Fuxin replied, still kneeling on the ground as he continued his story-

“After the family split, I was eager to stabilize my business, so I used the few dozen taels of silver I had left to take over a shop.

“Shops in the county town were expensive, so after buying one, I didn’t have much money left.

“But it was the end of the year, the harvest season-a great time to make a big profit. I didn’t have enough hands, so I had to hire two more workers.

“I didn’t expect that after I made some money, I would attract a lot of envy. By then, many people in the nearby county towns were already copying my methods to make money, and some even offered lower prices than I did.

“Those clients who had long-term dealings with me were tempted by the lower prices and began to waver.

“At that time, my younger brother racked up another gambling debt.

“I really didn’t have any spare money to help him pay it off, so he went around borrowing from all my former clients, pestering them until they got annoyed and sent people to remind me.

“The owner of the Gambling Den took money from my competitors and pressed my brother harder and harder.

“With nowhere else to turn, my brother ended up helping my competitors by slandering me in front of my long-term clients, saying I neglected our elderly parents, and even reported me to the authorities, having the officials from the Prefectural Office drag me in for questioning.

“I was delayed for several days in the Prefectural Office, and by the time I got out, someone else had already taken over my market.

“The goods I had collected were piling up in the warehouse. Even if I sold them at cost, I couldn’t get rid of them before they spoiled.

“The villagers had traded with me for years and trusted me enough to deliver goods before getting paid. But when this batch didn’t get paid for, that trust quickly collapsed. Villagers from several villages came to my door to demand repayment, giving me no chance to turn things around.

“In the end, I was forced to sell the shop, and still couldn’t pay off all the debts.

“When my parents and brother heard I owed the villagers so much money, they immediately kicked me out, called the Lizheng and others to the Ancestral Hall as witnesses, and publicly struck my name from the Genealogy.

“Now, I have no parents, no family, and still owe forty-five taels of silver. Even if I scrimp and save, it’ll take me another two years to pay it off.”

At the end, Ruan Fuxin gave a bitter laugh.

Now, aside from a self-mocking smile, he didn’t know what other expression he could put on.

“You…” Li Jun opened his mouth, but in the end didn’t know what to say. He could only walk over and pat Ruan Fuxin on the shoulder.
Xiao Wangshu looked at Ruan Fuxin, who was kneeling before her, and asked, “So you are unwilling to waste another two years of your life, and you are also unwilling to spend your whole life as a Guard, so you wish to seek a turning point from me?”

Ruan Fuxin kowtowed and said, “Yes! I do have selfish motives. I want to show myself more in front of Miss, to strive for a chance to manage a shop for you, to earn more rewards, pay off my debts as soon as possible, and win a chance to make a comeback!”

He was still young, only in his twenties-anything was possible.

Once he grew older, he didn’t know if he would still have the same drive.

Xiao Wangshu gave a faint smile and asked again, “So, from your last failure, what lesson have you learned?”

Ruan Fuxin was stunned for a moment, then thought and replied, “I shouldn’t have acted so hastily. When I had no working capital at hand, I still hoarded so much stock.”

Xiao Wangshu’s expression remained calm as she continued, “And what else?”

Ruan Fuxin pondered for a while longer and continued, “I shouldn’t have backed down in the face of so-called family ties. I shouldn’t have been so hesitant. I should have… found a once-and-for-all solution and cut things off when necessary!”

What solution in this world could truly be called once and for all?

Nothing but those shady, bloody means.

Xiao Wangshu smiled again and asked, “Anything else?”

Ruan Fuxin furrowed his brows and thought hard, but truly didn’t know what answer Xiao Wangshu wanted to hear. He could only prostrate himself at her feet and say, “I do not know. Please instruct me, Miss!”

“Instructing is too much to say. You and I are both pathfinders.”

Xiao Wangshu rose gracefully and began to pace slowly around Ruan Fuxin, saying-

“Actually, I don’t think your final gamble was all that radical. If it were me, perhaps I would have made the same choice. Doing business is a high-stakes gamble-no one can predict victory or defeat.

“That last gamble, if you had managed to secure that deal, then when those competitors just entered the market, you could have crushed them.

“As long as you could hold your buyers, keep your customer base, they would have faced the dilemma of having no sales channels for their goods as soon as they entered the market. Without enough funds to support them, they would be courting their own ruin.

“Other than reselling at a loss to recover some capital, there would be few better options in such a predicament. And as long as you could sell your goods, once you had the money, you could buy up your competitors’ stock at low prices and resell it.

“By then, that market would be yours.”

Xiao Wangshu paced, her voice indifferent and unhurried as she continued under Ruan Fuxin’s gaze of shock and doubt-

“Four years of repaying debts have worn down your body, and revenge has eaten away at your reason. But the achievement of earning a fortune at a young age has left you arrogant.

“So much so that, after reviewing everything for four years, remembering every detail as if it were yesterday, you still haven’t found your greatest oversight.

“Just now you asked me to instruct you, but do you truly accept my instruction?

“Perhaps not, Ruan Dongjia?”

Ruan Fuxin’s pupils contracted sharply. After a long hesitation, he kowtowed again, pressing his forehead to the ground, and said, “I… I earnestly beg Miss to instruct me.”

Xiao Wangshu stopped walking and looked down at him.

“You extended credit to the wrong people.

“You cared too much about your face in front of your buyers, but reputation is never maintained that way.

“You should not have extended credit downward. The villagers rely on the money from selling goods to make a living. No matter how many years you’ve worked with them, they would never be willing to let you owe them money.

“The last people you should owe are them.

“As soon as you delay their payment, they will definitely make a scene, and the situation will be impossible to control. Owing the villagers money is the worst possible strategy.

“Unless you are absolutely forced to, unless your business is on the verge of collapse, never delay payments downward. Otherwise, it will throw people’s hearts into chaos.”