"Will this work? With my Dad's abilities..."
Chen Daniu didn't even want to continue.
He was useless at everything, but first in line when it came to eating.
No wonder his eldest uncle looked down on his Dad a bit.
"My Dad said that everyone born has their purpose; everyone has something they excel at, and one should guide things according to the situation."
"He once told me a story where the protagonist was an ordinary person just like Uncle Ergou, but later embarked on the path of commerce.
From then on, he made his fortune and became a famous, wealthy merchant in the southern commandery city. Even the city officials treated him with utter respect."
"What was that story called?"
"Chen Ergou's Monstrous Life!"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Xu Mingyuan smiled and continued, "In Dongxi Village, the person closest to my Dad is Uncle Ergou."
"Go back and have Uncle Ergou give up growing Azure Jade Pears and work with my Dad."
"You can hire people to do the planting while my Dad provides guidance. As for the harvested fruits and vegetables, our two families can sell them together. However, my Dad's heart isn't in doing business, so Uncle Ergou will likely handle that part."
"As for the profits, I think a seventy-thirty split is fair: seventy percent for my family, thirty percent for yours."
"Why seventy-thirty?"
Xu Mingwei suddenly chimed in. He was extremely curious about how his younger brother had arrived at this ratio.
"Yeah, since Uncle Chuan and my Dad are good brothers, why isn't it fifty-fifty, or split according to how much each family contributes?"
Chen Daniu had attended school for a few years and was no longer an ignorant child.
Xu Mingyuan chuckled and began to explain, "First of all, if Uncle Ergou wants to grow good fruits and vegetables without hiring my Dad, wouldn't he still need to hire someone skilled in the craft? Tell me, wouldn't that cost money?"
"If he just plants casually, has any household in Dongxi Village ever made money growing fruits and vegetables? Breaking even would already be quite an achievement."
"Even though my Dad and Uncle Ergou are good brothers, clear accounts keep good friends. Your eldest uncle wouldn't support your family for no reason either, right?"
"My Dad is a renowned farmer across all eight surrounding townships. Would hiring him come cheap?"
"If it's just occasional guidance, that's fine, but if it's on a regular basis, my Dad is very busy too."
Xu Mingyuan continued explaining, while Chen Daniu nodded repeatedly, finding his reasoning very sound.
"Second, selling our produce together: leaving aside how yours turns out, at least my family's fruits and vegetables have already built a reputation. Not only does everyone in Dongxi Village prefer to buy from us first, but the same goes across all eight surrounding townships."
"Dad once mentioned a concept to me called the brand effect."
"Just like those century-old medicine shops and jewelry stores in the county town—if your Dad and mom go to town, wouldn't those shops be their first choice?"
"When more patrons come, profits naturally rise."
"If your family sells alone, you can calculate how much you would actually end up with."
"Of course, there is another model of cooperation: selling separately. The produce from my family's farmland will be sold with all revenue going to us, while your family can still leverage my Dad's reputation."
"The profit split for that could be thirty-seventy or twenty-eighty."
Xu Mingwei's eyes lit up as he listened; this arrangement was truly a win-win partnership.
It both helped Uncle Ergou's family and brought an extra stream of income to their own.
After all, Uncle Ergou's family had far more connections than theirs. With Dad's guidance, the quality wouldn't be lacking, and once the scale increased, the annual profits would likely be substantial.
Standing at the doorway of the main hall, Xu Chuan was astonished to hear Xu Mingyuan's perspective.
Although he had offered some guidance before, for a seven-year-old child to understand things to this extent and devise such a model of cooperation was definitely an extraordinary Talent.
"'【Way of Wealth Generation】... It seems this Talent was tailor-made for him.'"
Xu Chuan smiled faintly, having made up his mind.
Chen Fangfang's eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Mingyuan with pure admiration. "Ayuan, you're so smart!"
"I'm going back right now to tell my Dad and mom about this idea!"
Chen Daniu immediately headed back with Chen Fangfang.
"Ayuan, come here," Xu Chuan suddenly spoke up.
The two turned their heads, then called out in unison, "Dad."
Xu Mingyuan walked forward and asked curiously, "What is it, Dad?"
"That idea just now showed quite a lot of thought. How did you come up with it?"
"You think it's good too, Dad?"
Receiving Xu Chuan's praise, Xu Mingyuan blossomed with joy, unable to suppress the smile spreading across his face.
"Actually, I was just blindly pondering it."
Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "What are your thoughts on the future? Do you prefer doing business? Or do you want to pursue the Martial Dao like your big brother, or learn farming from me?"
Xu Mingyuan thought for a moment. "The Martial Dao... I learned some from Big Brother before. Back then, I just thought it was fun, but later I realized it was too grueling. It would be hard for me to persevere day after day like him."
"As for farming, I don't feel like I'm cut out for it."
"If possible, I'd rather go into business. I quite like counting money."
"Mm, then follow me. Shitou, keep guard outside the room. Don't let anyone in."
"Yes, Dad."
Xu Chuan planned to bestow a Fate Talent upon Xu Mingyuan.
In the courtyard of Chen Ergou's house.
The husband and wife had already calmed down.
Chen Daniu and Chen Fangfang returned and explained Xu Mingyuan's ideas to Chen Ergou.
Chen Ergou slapped his thigh. "This is a great idea!"
"Following Brother Chuan, we definitely won't get the short end of the stick."
"Tsk tsk, how is Ayuan's brain wired? Only seven years old, yet he has such ideas. He truly takes after Brother Chuan, who was also full of bright ideas since he was young."
Xu Yan scoffed twice. "Only a reckless fool like you would agree without even thinking."
"What's wrong? Why wouldn't you agree to such a good thing?"
"It's all because you were greedy for Brother Chuan's Azure Jade Pears back then! Three years of manpower and money poured into it, and what's the result? Aren't you just left with a bunch of half-dead saplings right now?"
"Let me tell you, if you're unwilling, we can split our family property. I'll go work with Brother Chuan myself, and you can spend your life guarding those Azure Jade Pear trees!"
Xu Yan's willow-leaf brows quivered slightly at first, then drew toward the center, pinching into fine creases above the bridge of her nose.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
In just a few short years, Xu Chuan had managed the Xu family exceptionally well, already surpassing Chen Ergou and showing strong momentum toward catching up with her father-in-law's household.
Once the elders passed away, Chen Ergou, not being the eldest legitimate son, would at most inherit a portion of the family estate.
However, by sticking with the Xu family, there was genuine hope for prosperity.
Still, her own relationship with Xu Chuan was merely average; even though they addressed each other as cousins, it was purely superficial.
Relatives beyond five degrees of mourning were not even as close as intimate neighbors.
"Why be so harsh? Did I say I disagree?"
Xu Yan's tone and expression softened noticeably as she spoke in a quiet voice.
"What I meant was that this is ultimately just children's playful talk. In the end, Cousin still has to agree."
"Think it over carefully first. Give thorough consideration to the details of the partnership and the division of profits before you go speak in detail with Cousin, so you won't be utterly clueless and doing nothing but nodding repeatedly."
"You're nearly thirty and should be established by now. Don't let my cousin look down on you."
"My elder brother might look down on me, but Brother Chuan never will. The two of us grew up wearing split-crotch pants together."
Chen Ergou asserted confidently, though he quickly softened his tone. "Still, what you said makes sense, Wife."
"Then let me think it over properly and head to Brother Chuan's place in a couple of days."
At that moment, Chen Daniu's and Chen Fangfang's stomachs began to rumble loudly.
Xu Yan smacked her forehead. "Your Dad got me so frustrated that I forgot to cook. You two still have school this afternoon, so go have a meal at Uncle Chuan's house first."
"Then I'll go too," Chen Ergou said shamelessly.
"Do you have no shame?" Xu Yan's expression darkened once more. "Does our house have no food?"
"The kids have school to attend, do you have school too?"
"Fine, I won't go. Just hurry it up, I'm starving."