**Chapter 9**
"Is this really okay? My father isn't that capable."
Big Ox didn't want to talk about it anymore.
What couldn't his father do? The first thing at home was to mess things up.
No wonder his aunt couldn't stand his uncle.
"My father said, 'Heaven gives every talent a use.' Everyone has their own strengths. You have to guide them with benefit."
"He once told me a story. The hero of that story was an ordinary man, just like Second Uncle, but he went into business."
"Later, he became a famous wealthy merchant in the southern county—even the county officials treated him very well."
"What's the name of this story?"
"The Life of a Moneymaker!"
A few of them fell silent.
Xu Mingyuan continued with a smile. "In Dongxi Village, the person closest to my father is Second Uncle."
"Go back and tell Uncle to give up on planting Green Jade Pears and follow my father's lead."
"Uncle can hire people to plant, with me as the guide—grow melons, fruits, and vegetables. We'll sell together. But my father's mind isn't on business, so the work will likely fall to Second Uncle."
"As for the profits, I think seventy-thirty is fair. My family takes seventy, yours takes thirty."
"Why seventy?"
Xu Mingwei suddenly interjected. He was very curious how his younger brother had arrived at this split.
"Yes—since Uncle Chuan and my father are such good brothers, why not fifty-fifty? Or split according to how much each family contributes?"
They had been in school for a few years now and were no longer ignorant children.
Xu Mingyuan smiled and began to explain. "First of all, if Second Uncle wants to grow good melons, fruits, and vegetables, he'd have to ask my father for help. Or he'd have to hire someone skilled in this area. Either way, wouldn't that cost money?"
"Look around—which family in Dongxi Village actually makes money growing melons, fruits, and vegetables? Most barely break even."
"My father and uncle are good brothers, but brothers still settle accounts. Your uncle isn't going to help your family for nothing, is he?"
"My father is a renowned farmer for miles around. Can he be cheap?"
"An occasional pointer here and there is fine, but if it's a regular arrangement, my father is a busy man."
Xu Mingyuan kept talking, and Chen Da Niu nodded frequently, finding his reasoning very sound.
"Second, if we sell our goods together—never mind how your family's crops turn out—at the very least, my family's melons, fruits, and vegetables are already famous. Not just in Dongxi Village, but for miles around, people prefer to buy from us first."
"My father once told me a phrase: the halo effect."
"It's like those century-old medicine shops and jewelry stores in the county. When your parents go to the county, don't they choose those shops first?"
"With more customers, the profits naturally rise."
"If you sell on your own, you can count on one hand how much you'd actually make."
"Of course, there's another way to cooperate: sell separately. The fruits and vegetables from our farmland—all the proceeds are ours. Your family can also use my father's reputation."
"The profit split could be seventy-thirty that way too."
Xu Mingwei's eyes suddenly lit up. This method was a true win-win cooperation.
It would help Second Uncle's family and also bring in extra income for their own.
After all, Second Uncle's social network was much broader than theirs. With his father's guidance, at least the quality wouldn't be too bad. If they could scale up, the annual profit would be considerable.
Xu Chuan stood in the hallway, listening to Xu Mingyuan's arguments, and was very surprised.
Although he had given his son some pointers, a seven-year-old child understanding things to this degree and coming up with such a cooperation model—that was definitely a talent.
*This talent must be his.*
He smiled and made a decision in his heart.
Chen Fangfang's eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Mingyuan with admiration. "Aiyuan, you're so clever!"
"I'll go back and tell my father and mother."
Chen Da Niu immediately headed home with Chen Fangfang.
"Aiyuan, come here." Xu Chuan suddenly spoke.
The two boys looked around and said, "Dad."
Xu Mingyuan stepped forward and asked, "What's the matter, Dad?"
"That was a good idea you had. What do you think about it?"
"Does Dad think it's good too?"
With Xu Chuan's approval, Xu Mingyuan's heart swelled with pride. The smile on his face couldn't be held back.
"Actually, I've been thinking about it for a while."
Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "What do you see yourself doing in the future? Do you like business? Do you want to walk the martial path like your brother, or learn farming with me?"
Xu Mingyuan thought about it. "The martial path—I used to learn from my big brother. I thought it was fun at first. But later I realized it was too hard. I couldn't stick with it every day like he does."
"As for farming, I don't feel like I'm suited for that."
"If I can choose, I'd rather count money."
"Come with me, Shitou. Guard the door outside. Don't let anyone in."
"Yes, Father."
Xu Chuan intended to bestow a lifelong talent upon Xu Mingyuan.
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**The Chen family's second house.**
The couple had finally calmed down.
Chen Da Niu and Chen Fangfang returned and told Chen Erzheng and Xu Yan about Xu Mingyuan's idea.
Chen Erzheng slapped his thigh. "This is a good idea!"
"We won't lose money."
"Wow—Aiyuan's brain. Only seven years old, and he comes up with something like this. It's true, following Chuan Ge, he's had a special way of thinking since he was little."
Xu Yan sneered twice. "You—don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not agreeing yet."
"What's wrong? You wouldn't agree to such a good thing?"
"You're the one to blame, insisting on following Chuan Ge with those Green Jade Pears. Three years of manpower and money poured into them, and what's the result? They're barely half-dead now?"
"I'm telling you, if you don't want to do this, let's split the property. I'll follow Chuan Ge. You can keep those Green Jade Pear trees alive."
Xu Yan's two willow eyebrows first twitched gently, then knitted together in the middle, forming small folds above the bridge of her nose.
She was slightly browbeaten.
In just a few years, Xu Chuan's excellent management of the Xu family had surpassed Chen Erzheng's—and even had the strength to catch up with his father-in-law's household.
After the old man passed away, Chen Erzheng wasn't the eldest son, so at most he'd inherit a portion of the family property.
But with business, there was hope of wealth.
Still, her own relationship with Xu Chuan could only be called average. Even with the cousin form of address, it was just surface-level.
Relatives five generations removed weren't as close as friendly neighbors next door.
"What are you doing? I don't disagree!"
Xu Yan's voice had noticeably softened.
"I mean, after all, this is just children's talk. In the end, it has to be agreed upon with my cousin."
"You think it through first—the cooperation terms, the profit distribution. Carefully consider everything, *then* go talk to my cousin. Otherwise, if he asks you something and you don't know, all you'll be able to do is nod."
"Alright. You're almost thirty—don't let my cousin look down on you."
"My brother might look down on me, but Chuan Ge definitely won't. We grew up together in the same pair of trousers."
Chen Erzheng said this with certainty, but then his tone shifted. "But you're good too, my wife."
"Let me think it over. I'll go to Chuan Ge's house in two days."
Just then, Chen Da Niu and Chen Fangfang's stomachs growled loudly.
Xu Yan slapped her forehead. "You two—your father confused us all. We forgot about lunch. You have school this afternoon. Go eat at Uncle Chuan's house."
"Then I'll go too." Chen Erzheng's face was thick as a wall.
"What do you mean by that?" Xu Yan's expression immediately changed. "Is there no food in your own home?"
"The kids have to go to school. You don't."
"Fine, don't go then. Hurry up—I'm hungry."
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