It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Li Cheng had thought he had done enough in his counterattack, but upon hearing this, he simply raised his hand again.

Snapped--

Snapped--

After blow after blow, Newton could no longer utter a harsh word. She could only clutch the blankets with both hands, grit her teeth, and try her best not to let that strange feeling completely control her and cause her to make any shameful sounds.

'You're always so stubborn, now you've finally given in.'

Li Cheng expressed great pleasure.

However, he completely forgot one thing: now this family not only consists of them and Freya, but also includes Louise Anderson, who is full of curiosity about many things.

Louise was initially drawn to the scene by Li Cheng's misfortune. Worried that something had happened to her brother, she rushed over from the living room to check on the situation.

As it happened, Li Cheng's door was not closed, so Louise easily pushed it open without making a sound.

Then she saw her brother Li Cheng pinning her sister Newton down on the bed, a pleased smile on his face, his right hand repeatedly rising high and then gently falling.

It's like spanking Newton's sister, but something feels a little different.

!!!

Upon witnessing this scene, Louise was completely stunned, her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly agape.

Although she didn't quite understand what was going on inside, she was deeply shocked.

......

dining table.

'I'll go find the blacksmith Roy hired later and hand him the sketches I've finished... Hmm, I also need to hire some skilled textile workers, since I probably won't be able to find a partner right now and will have to work alone.'

"But it's not a big problem; I have His Highness's backing me this time."

Li Cheng sipped his oatmeal porridge, planning his day's itinerary.

Next to him sat Louise, examining a small piece of black bread she had specially bought, looking around for the right way to eat it.

Although the selected bread was high-quality black bread without sawdust, it was still hard and dry—perhaps more aptly described as a compressed biscuit or a weapon than bread.

Seeing this, Li Cheng kindly reminded him: "Take a small bite, don't chew it, hold it in your mouth until it softens, and then chew it."

"Ok."

Louise obediently responded and then continued to observe.

What? You're asking about Newton?

That person is no longer there. Perhaps there was once, but now there is only a blonde little girl who couldn't bear the blow of being seen and spanked, and ran away in tears to Freya's room, locking herself inside.

Li Cheng shook his head inwardly, thinking to himself that if he weren't thick-skinned, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

"Awoo."

Just then, Louise, having finished her inspection, finally took a bite of the black bread.

She opened her small lips, revealing two rows of white teeth, and then took a small bite with great effort, savoring it slowly in her mouth.

"Waaah—"

But soon Louise's brows furrowed tightly, and the corners of her mouth drooped, making a crying face, clearly indicating that the taste was not very good.

"It doesn't taste good, right?" Li Cheng smiled.

"Mmm—"

Louise struggled to chew the small piece of black bread in her mouth, swallowed it with difficulty, and then shook her head, saying, "It's hard and doesn't taste good."

"It's good that it doesn't taste good."

Li Cheng shrugged: "This kind of bread exists only to fill your stomach; it has no nutritional value or taste whatsoever. If given a choice, no one would want to eat black bread."

"Try this after you've tasted it, I'll take care of yours."

As he spoke, he pushed a plate of soft white bread over to the side, and then moved Louise's black bread, which was missing a small piece, in front of him.

Louise asked doubtfully, "Brother, don't you find it unpalatable?"

Li Cheng nodded, then shook his head: "It tastes bad, but we can't waste food."

No matter the dynasty, even in modern times when resources are extremely abundant, there will still be people who go hungry for various reasons.

But this doesn't mean that people who can eat their fill should be complacent about it; rather, they should be more grateful for food.

However, Li Cheng had no intention of lecturing this time, and there was no need to tell a nobleman's daughter to cherish black bread or anything like that.

"Louise, watch carefully, this is how you eat black bread."

He simply demonstrated by breaking the black bread into small pieces and dropping them into the oatmeal, then began stirring with a spoon: "Only an idiot would bite into that hard bread directly."

Unexpectedly, Louise frowned and reacted very strongly, saying, "Louise is not stupid."

Then, to Li Cheng's surprise, Louise walked up to him, picked up the bowl of oatmeal mixed with black bread, and drank it all in one gulp.

Chapter Seventy: Expectations

After breakfast, Li Cheng went to the soap factory located on High Street.

Because he doesn't come often, some of the factory's new employees don't even recognize Li Cheng, which almost caused him to be turned away at the gate—the factory does a very good job of security at the gate to prevent people from stealing the precise formula for the soap.

Fortunately, someone recognized Li Cheng, and after some trouble, he was finally allowed in.

The process is roughly as follows:

'Who are you?' → 'Don't you know who I am?' → 'How would I know who you are?' → 'Never mind if you don't know me, I'll find Roy, please call him for me.' → 'Do you think you can just see Manager Roy whenever you want? Get lost if you have nothing to do.' → Supervisor appears → 'What are you doing? He's the boss.' → Security guard shocked.jpg

Li Cheng remained unmoved by this, acting as if nothing had happened.

When he entered Roy's office, he saw Roy buried in a pile of reports, looking worried, occasionally drawing a line with his quill pen, seemingly writing something.

"Those damned pirates, don't let me catch you..."

He muttered to himself.

Being a hands-off manager is fun for a while, and even more fun if you keep doing it... Seeing this, Li Cheng silently recited the bible of slacking off, then lightly knocked on the door to try to get attention: "Roy, I'm sorry to disturb your work, but I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Ok?"

Roy looked up and, seeing that it was Li Cheng, immediately put down his pen, stood up from his seat, and said with a wry smile, "Sir, you're relieved to have this free rein, but I'm incredibly busy here."

As Li Cheng sat down on a black soft stool, he casually said, "It's okay, I'll give you a raise."

"It's not about the salary."

Roy said with a mix of helplessness and bewilderment, "I just don't understand. Most people who can make a profitable business would have poured their entire energy into it, not daring to relax even for a moment, but you..."

"But I seem completely unconcerned, right?"

Li Cheng spoke for the other party, smiling and saying, "It's very simple. For me, this is just a small business that's just starting out. If I had to do everything myself, even ten people wouldn't be enough."

"A small business that's just starting out? My God, what did you say?"

Roy was shocked by these words and couldn't help but gasp.

But he quickly regained his composure and said rapidly, "I'm sorry, I got a little agitated, but do you understand what you're saying? Do you know how popular soap is among the common people and even the nobility?"

"This is a booming industry with unlimited potential, which may one day be sold and popular throughout Europe and even the world. People who can make this industry are even worthy of being recorded in history. You call it a small business that has just started?"

"Yes, it's a small business."

Li Cheng remained unmoved. He smiled faintly and said, "Roy, you must remember one thing: no matter how much money a soap seller makes, he is still just a soap seller. Also, to correct another point, what makes someone go down in history is the invention of soap, not how many pounds they made using soap."

“But if you earn enough, even a soap seller can become a nobleman and even be recorded in history…” Roy tried to argue.

Li Cheng didn't want to argue about this issue any further. He shrugged and interrupted, "As far as I know, soap imitations have gradually appeared in London, haven't they?"

"You already found out so quickly?"

Roy's eyes widened in astonishment.

No, I guessed from what you said... Li Cheng said, "I wouldn't completely ignore a golden hen that lays eggs; it's the least I can do to respect the gold pound."

Roy paused for a moment, then explained, "Yes, but their soap is of much lower quality than ours, which is our advantage."

Li Cheng shook his head and said, "They will gradually get better, and they have a great advantage, which is that their prices are lower than ours, and not just a little bit, but much lower."

"That's because our costs are too high."

At this point, Roy suddenly abandoned his composure and said somewhat excitedly, "Our raw materials are much, much better than theirs! And we also pay our employees £1.10 a week!"

Roy could somewhat understand the so-called 'brand effect' regarding Li Cheng's strict raw material standards, but he couldn't understand why Li Cheng would pay those employees such high wages. Even if it were half the price, countless people would still be scrambling to apply!

£10 shillings! Good heavens, is this the salary those workers who have never had any education deserve? Some teaching assistants in rural areas don't even earn that much! This will bankrupt the factory!

"Don't rush, Roy, don't rush."

Li Cheng pressed his hands down to comfort them, saying, "Every industry has huge profits when it first starts out. But as competitors appear, it will gradually become more competitive and eventually evolve into a life-or-death struggle. Profits will decrease step by step until a final winner is determined."

Roy asked in surprise, "You know this, so why did you still do it...?"

"At least we are still making a lot of money right now, and as expected, we will firmly hold onto the high-end market, won't we?"

Li Cheng smiled again and said, "As long as we secure the high-end market, our products can be sold at a premium, so we don't need to worry too much about the salary. Regarding this, I recently hired a professor who is very good at chemistry, and I will continue to hire similar talents in the future, so you can rest assured."

Seeing that Roy still wanted to say something, Li Cheng comforted him, "Roy, you can never earn all the money in the world. It's just soap. Let's leave some opportunities for others to make money too."

"It's just soap, just soap..."

Roy repeated the sentence, his tone gradually becoming somewhat agitated.

Looking at Roy like this, Li Cheng felt a pang of emotion.

He could understand Roy's feelings, but Roy couldn't understand his thoughts, because from the beginning, their goals were fundamentally different.

Roy wanted to maximize the profitability of the soap factory.

He was just making a little money off soap on the side.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's change the subject."

Li Cheng shook his head and looked at Roy: "Roy, I admire you, not only for your business acumen but also for your keen insight. Your analysis of the cotton textile industry in your letter coincides with my own."

He paused, then continued, "So, are you willing to work with me?"

Roy seemed a little dejected: "But I'm working for you right now, and I don't even have time for a vacation to Poole in the southwest."

Li Cheng said calmly, "You know what I mean, Roy."