Chapter 395 - 138: Trust
After this incident, Ruo Lan’s attitude towards Yueyao had greatly improved. It wasn’t about whether the formula could make money, but rather Yueyao’s attitude towards the Ma Family. Yueyao’s actions showed that she truly wished well for the Ma Family.
Yueyao also felt the change in Ruo Lan’s attitude towards her, and she was overjoyed by this change. Relationships between people are like this, interests can bind people temporarily, but for lasting relationships, sincerity is essential.
Zhuang Ruolan asked Yueyao with a smile, "Did you encounter any problems when managing your mother’s dowry?" Back then, when she managed such dowries, she had faced many challenges. Yueyao would definitely have had a tough time.
Yueyao shook her head and said, "I haven’t been in good health, and haven’t met with the Shopkeepers or the Farmstead by the end of the year. Cousin-in-law, I’m thinking of selling a few shops when the opportunity arises, and afterwards, just live off the rent. The rental income from the shops and the profits from the farmland are enough to ensure that Tingzheng and I never have to worry about food and clothing, and I won’t need to rack my brains doing things I dislike."
Zhuang Ruolan smiled and asked, "Are a few shops not doing well?"
Yueyao shook her head, "It’s not that they’re not doing well. I heard from Nanny Deng that the shops are doing rather well. It’s just that I’m not interested in doing business, and it’s troublesome. If things go wrong, you could end up losing money. I think it’s safer to live off the rents." Running a business is really troublesome, dealing with inventory, sales, and having to guard against crafty shopkeepers—too many messy issues. Just thinking about it gave Yueyao a headache, not to mention handling it herself. To Yueyao, it would be better to spend that time reading more books.
Ruo Lan was startled, then smiled and said, "That’s not a bad idea, but there’s no rush to sell the shops. Tell me about the locations of these shops, and when I’m feeling better, I’ll keep an eye out for you and introduce you to some good options."
Yueyao told Ruo Lan about the locations of the shops: "The other shops are just leased out for rent; only these two are actively doing business. I don’t understand business, nor do I have the energy to manage it. Renting them out is the easiest."
It was then that Ruo Lan understood why Yueyao didn’t want to do business; just the annual rent from the shops was about eight thousand taels, not including the farmland. Even if they divided the family assets in the future, these dowries alone would ensure a lifetime of prosperity.