Finest Servant

Chapter 12 Plotting Against the Young Miss (Part 1)

"Even scholars want to sign up?" Lin Wanrong frowned.

Nowadays, the term "scholar" was a highly coveted title. Anyone who held this title, regardless of their abilities, possessed a haughty disposition. They studied the Analects and moral philosophy, but spoke of the pleasures of the Qinhuai River. Scholars pursued a certain lifestyle, and even if they were offered a hundred taels of silver per month, they would not stoop to becoming a servant. But what was happening today? Had these people gone mad? Why were they so eager to become lowly household servants?

The middle-aged man, obviously a natural busybody, grabbed Lin Wanrong from all sides and cautiously whispered in his ear, "Young man, you don't know the inside story. I heard that the young miss of the Xiao family is about to come of age and choose a husband. All these scholars are going for her. Think about it, since the death of the master of the Xiao family, there are no more male heirs except for the three women, the wife and her two daughters. The whole estate of the Xiao family relies on the young miss to manage. Whoever marries her will inherit the entire wealth of the Xiao family."

Lin Wanrong let out a long "oh," realizing that was the case. The family's young miss was young, beautiful, wealthy and elegant, like the fragrant nectar in a flower, and naturally, all the scholars were like crazed bees rushing over. It was not surprising. Just as green flies were drawn to rotting eggs, the same was true for these scholars.

In the television dramas and novels that Lin Wanrong had seen, the so-called young ladies were all stunningly beautiful, like heavenly fairies. To be honest, Lin Wanrong did not believe it. Beautiful women were scarce, how could they be wholesale, as some authors fantasized?

"Excuse me, sir, how does the young miss Xiao look like?" Lin Wanrong asked quietly.

"This...no one has seen her before," the middle-aged man hesitated before answering, "Since the death of Master Xiao, this young miss has been managing the Xiao family's business, she keeps a low profile and never shows herself easily, so very few people have seen her. However, judging from the appearance of Mrs. Xiao, the young miss's looks should not be bad."

The middle-aged man's eyes glinted with a man's understanding, and Lin Wanrong smiled inwardly. It seemed that Mrs. Xiao must be very beautiful. According to what the man said, these scholars had not yet seen the young miss of the Xiao family. Lin Wanrong's mind turned, and an idea came to him. Old man Wei had forced him to become a servant, but he naturally did not want to lose out. He would take advantage of the Xiao family to make some money, which would also be fair for the grievances he had suffered.

Lin Wanrong glanced at the old man and smiled sincerely, "Although you are diligent, Uncle, your business methods are not diverse enough."

The old man exclaimed, "Please enlighten me, young man."

Lin Wanrong nodded and looked around before grabbing a young man dressed similarly to himself and saying, "Friend, I have a guide to the selection of Xiao Family servants in my hand. I was too hasty earlier and accidentally bought an extra one. I am now selling it at the lowest price of four wen. As you know, this item is in high demand today, and I just bought it from this old man for five wen."

The young man's eyes lit up and he shrewdly replied, "You're just reselling second-hand goods. I'll give you three wen for it."

Lin Wanrong looked hesitant but finally sighed and said, "Alright, I'll take the loss today. Let's make the deal, my friend."

With a grin, Lin Wanrong handed over the guide to the "shrewd" young man and took the three wen that he offered.

The old man watched with amazement as Lin Wanrong, in the blink of an eye, gained a guide map and a copper coin through his clever tactics.

"Do you understand now, Uncle?" Lin Wanrong asked, smiling.

The old man looked up to him in admiration and said, "You're a master, young sir!"

"This is called marketing strategy - spreading the cost and gaining profit," Lin Wanrong explained simply.

As the marketing department manager in his company, Lin Wanrong had a team of dozens of people under him, making these simple theories easy for him to explain.

The old man pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "I understand now, young sir."

Perhaps due to their shared profession, Lin Wanrong felt a connection with the old man and asked, "Uncle, may I ask your name?"

"I am Dong Rende," the old man replied with respect, not looking down on Lin Wanrong despite his tattered appearance.

Lin Wanrong thought to himself, "Dong Rende, what a great name!"

"Uncle Dong, hello, my name is Lin Wanrong," Lin Wanrong nodded and smiled.

"So you're Young Master Lin, this old man truly has failed to recognize a great talent," Dong Rende hurriedly saluted.

Lin Wanrong returned the salute with a smile and said, "No need to be so polite. Uncle Dong, I just had an idea and I wanted to propose a business partnership with you."

"A business partnership? Well, well, this old man doesn't have that much capital," Dong Rende stuttered.

Lin Wanrong realized that Dong Rende was suspicious of him because they had just met. In those days, if someone was too eager to propose a business partnership, people would suspect that they were up to no good. Additionally, looking at Dong Rende's attire, it was clear that he was not very wealthy.

"Uncle Dong, don't worry. This is a risk-free business venture, and I will provide all the capital. You just need to help me with a small favor, and we will split the profits equally," Lin Wanrong nodded.

Dong Rende looked at Lin Wanrong suspiciously, which was understandable considering Lin Wanrong's appearance didn't give off the impression of a wealthy businessman. Lin Wanrong understood his thoughts and said, "Uncle Dong, you are always out on this busy street every day, so I believe that you have a sharp eye. As they say, don't judge a book by its cover, and if you judge people solely by their appearance, how can you ever succeed in business?"

Uncle Dong pondered for a moment while Lin Wanrong seized the opportunity to say, "Heaven is fair. It gives everyone a chance. Some people have vision, they take a step forward and the sky is the limit. Others shrink back and miss the opportunity."

Thinking of Lin Wanrong's persuasive methods just now, Uncle Dong admitted that he had some skills. He finally made up his mind and nodded to Lin Wanrong, saying, "Alright, young master Lin, I'll listen to you. What do you suggest we do?"

Lin Wanrong nodded and said, "Firstly, Uncle Dong, I need to confirm if few people have seen the Xiao family's young miss."

Uncle Dong nodded and said, "That's true. My daughter often makes clothes for the Xiao family's lady, and she says even Madame Xiao rarely sees the young miss."

"Oh, a friend of the daughter of the affluent family?" Lin Wanrong smiled. "It turns out she used to have frequent contact with Madame Xiao and the young ladies of the Xiao family. I didn't realize it."

Uncle Dong proudly said, "My daughter is clever with her hands and has a good appearance. She is famous far and wide. The young ladies and madame of the Xiao family all like her." It was clear that his daughter was his treasure, and Uncle Dong beamed with pride when speaking about her.

Lin Wanrong wanted to share his thoughts with Uncle Dong, so the two of them looked for a quiet place to talk. Then, Uncle Dong looked at Lin Wanrong and said, "If young master doesn't mind visiting the home of a poor old man like me, let's talk there."

Uncle Dong was a practical person who devoted himself fully to what he had decided to do. He trusted people and had no worries about Lin Wanrong. He had some sense of heroism, indicating that Lin Wanrong had good judgment.