Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

What are those so-called "face" worth, really?
My husband is going to take up his post, but it's just a minor official position; to be honest, he's not even an official.

With such a small amount of money, it would be good enough to support himself, let alone such a large family.
My brother-in-law is getting old and only knows how to squander money at home. Shouldn't he go out and earn some money to support the family?

Xu Yulan's eyes darted around. "Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want my husband to go out and earn money, but as you know, he's picked up those bad habits. If we just let him leave the house like this, what if he gets itchy and starts..."

Liu Yun, “…” Indeed, she had been so poor lately that she had forgotten about this.

If Gu Kaichen were to go out and cause trouble again, their family would be even more on the verge of collapse.

"So I think the best solution is still with Bai Suihe. As long as she's willing to loosen her grip, things won't be so difficult for us."

Besides, we're not taking her money for nothing. As long as she's willing to help us get through this difficult time, my sister-in-law can still make some promises.

Besides, didn't you tell her in your letter that your elder brother was going to take up a post in Lingnan?

If she insists on going her own way and does what she did before, she can ask her older brother to use some tricks on them. I don't believe they're just commoners; do they dare to fight against officials?

Liu Yun clapped her hands suddenly, "I forgot to mention that."

Yes, although he was a low-ranking official, he went with the new county magistrate, who was also a man of the Third Prince, so he would definitely lend a hand.

With a little trickery, I'm sure Bai Suihe and the others will obediently hand over their money.

“I won’t even bother writing to them, I’ll just write to your older brother,” Liu Yun said, her confidence returning instantly. “Your older brother’s involvement will definitely be more effective than ours.”

Xu Yulan nodded quickly. This was a good idea. As long as Gu Kaichen wasn't allowed to leave the manor and they didn't go hungry, everything was negotiable.

She was genuinely afraid. If Gu Kaichen continued to get involved in gambling and something really happened, his wife and children would definitely be the first to suffer.

The two chatted there, unaware that a young girl had given them a bribe, but they still couldn't leave the house. In the end, they could only go back dejectedly and get another scolding.

☆

Gu Baijiang sat quietly in his study. Even though he had been copying books and drawing illustrations all day, he still overheard a few things when he went to the bookstore to hand in his work.

After all, scholars have more comprehensive sources of information than ordinary people.

He didn't know if the news was true or not, but there's no smoke without fire.

The third prince was framed, and now the imperial physician is serving him in the mansion.

This is not a good sign for him. There are many ways to be schemed against, and it is hard to tell whether it is an external injury or internal strife.
And Gu Antong, she only sends people back to the manor when needed. Now that there is something going on in the Third Prince's manor, why didn't she give a heads-up beforehand?
If it's inconvenient for me to do it myself, I can simply ask that girl to come back and relay the message, just like before. But what if something unexpected happens again?
Gu Baijiang frowned at the thought of this possibility. Gu Antong was their family's greatest hope.

Unfortunately, his old friends in the capital made him realize what it means to be forgotten once you're gone. Even when he went to them for help, they were extremely indifferent.

I thought about it for a while and was still very worried. I had no heart to copy the book anymore, so I packed up and hurriedly left.

The butler watched silently from behind, then turned around and ordered the cleaning to begin.

☆

Bai Suihe looked at Gu Kaiyuan quietly, "So you want to give Chen Dafu a prescription?" Gu Kaiyuan replied, "To be precise, it's not for him, but for Chen Qingmu and the others. They have indeed helped me a lot these days. Now we have almost cleared out the estates and shops we have, leaving only a few suitable ones. These people have been trained, and we have given Chen Dafu our due."

But seeing how hard they worked, I decided to give them the tofu recipe.

Bai Suihe had jotted down quite a few recipes before, and this tofu recipe was the one buried at the very bottom.

It is said that there are three hardships in life: blacksmithing, boat rowing, and tofu selling, all of which require hard labor.

“That’s possible,” Bai Suihe immediately understood what Gu Kaiyuan wanted to do. He said it was for Chen Qingmu and the others, but his real purpose was to establish some ties with Chen Dafu.

"But don't you want to do it yourself?" Although the profit margin is relatively thin, the demand is quite large, making it a long-term business.

"What's the big deal? We can still do it even if we give it to them. We'll just find a suitable shop, hire a few people, and set up the stall," Gu Kaiyuan said nonchalantly.

Bai Suihe smiled and shook her head, "How many more people are you going to hire? Making tofu is hard work."

Besides, with such thin profit margins, according to what you've said, it would really only result in losses.

Tofu sold quite well in later generations, but don't forget, this was in ancient times.

Only families that are financially well-off are willing to spend money on vegetables; otherwise, they can just grow a little bit in any corner and make do.

"Have you had someone try this tofu recipe?" Bai Suihe remembered that he had taken these recipes out to test them, and that's what he should have done.

“I’ve tried it, and I think, as you said, buying a donkey to pull the millstone would be much faster. But you also have to keep an eye on it, and many details can’t be left unattended. So I thought that since this is more difficult to do, I’d give it to them as a favor!”

Because he had experimented with it, Gu Kaiyuan realized that it was difficult to become rich by relying on tofu, but it was possible to support a family.

There are many wealthy and powerful people in the capital. As long as Chen Qingmu and his colleagues are willing to work hard, they can still build a family business.

Given such a huge favor, even if Chen Dafu wanted to refuse, his children and grandchildren probably wouldn't agree.

Gu Kaiyuan didn't expect Chen Dafu to help him with the female criminal investigation; as long as Chen Dafu could pass on some information to him at crucial moments, that would be enough.

Bai Suihe: "This is just one recipe for making tofu. Actually, I've thought of many derivative products, but I need to try them out myself."

“We can consider the others later,” Gu Kaiyuan said. “This one prescription is enough.”

If they complain about the hardship or fatigue, that's none of our business.

The opportunity is right in front of them; I believe Chen Qingmu and his group wouldn't be so foolish.

Chen Qingmu and the others were certainly not stupid, but when they heard the news, they were so excited that they trembled. This was a secret recipe, and it was just given to them so easily.

"Sir, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Chen Lanmu asked incredulously, "You mean you're going to give us the secret recipe?"

Although they didn't know what tofu was, anything with a secret recipe must be extraordinary, so they were all eager to try it out... (End of Chapter)