The Cheng family head was ultimately unable to extract any useful information from Cai Shi and Xi Shi.
These two women were not foolish.
But their words were well-reasoned, claiming they were merely the laborers.
They barely recognized a few large characters.
How would they know the specific details? That was all handled by Cheng Hao himself.
The Cheng family head looked at the half-open courtyard gate. Inside, women were repeatedly carrying large, round baskets filled with beans, obviously the filling for the pastries he had eaten earlier. It seemed they had steamed these beans over ten times, and such a large amount of filling indicated how good the business was.
He felt rather conflicted, a mix of satisfaction and a touch of jealousy. After all, his own old trade was hitting roadblocks everywhere, and it wasn't easy to make a comeback. The whole situation had been quite bothersome.
He had also suffered a serious illness recently, and although he had recovered, his health was not as robust as before.
The Cheng family head could profoundly feel that he was truly getting old.
Meanwhile, his legitimate son was at the prime of his youth.
He himself had been such a young man once.
But he hadn't been as successful; this business had truly taken off as soon as it started.
The Cheng family head thought this with a hint of sourness.
His gaze kept drifting inside, yet he also found it too dirty to step in.
Seeing Cai Shi and Xi Shi so nervous and fearful of him, he immediately lost interest. He reasoned that they were still kin, and their husbands were also working for his son, so he wouldn't be harsh with them.
The Cheng family head then said with a gentle smile, "Since that's the case, sisters-in-law, you may continue with your work. I was just strolling around, and I'll be heading back now. I won't delay you. When elder brother and little brother return, please tell them to come find me later. The three of us brothers haven't had a good gathering in days, it would be nice to catch up."
He remembered Cheng Fengtai and Cheng Kaichun. He could inquire from them about how popular his legitimate son's business was.
The Cheng family head harbored some resentment that his legitimate son hadn't shared the details of the pastry business with him, so he decided to investigate himself.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi naturally understood his intentions, but they could only try their best to maintain a calm facade, forcing out strained smiles and nodding in agreement.
Only then did the Cheng family head turn to leave with a chuckle. However, after turning his back on Cai Shi and Xi Shi, his expression darkened, and his steps conveyed his displeasure.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi were extremely flustered.
"Oh dear, do you think we'll be alright saying that? Aren't we just pushing the responsibility onto Miaomiao and her husband? How will they handle it later?"
"Sigh, there's nothing we can do at this point. We don't know how to explain it either. Haozi and Miaomiao are definitely smarter than us. It's better to let them handle it themselves than for us to mess things up. We were right to say we didn't know!"
The two women spoke like this.
Although they felt a bit more comforted towards the end, they were still very uneasy.
It wasn't until they saw Ji Bo passing by.
The two women called out to the elder as if he were a life-saving straw, repeatedly urging him over.
After they informed Ji Bo of the situation.
Ji Bo immediately became anxious. He first said, "Why would the family head suddenly be concerned about us? He didn't pay much attention to our matters before! No, I must have Lai Fu inform our eldest young master!"
Saying this, he strode briskly towards the inner courtyard, already calling out for Lai Fu.
Although Ji Bo's hair was now streaked with gray, his physical condition was still strong and robust, and his voice was full of vigor.
Seeing that a third person was helping to share some of the pressure, Cai Shi and Xi Shi felt much more relieved. They then hurried each other towards the processing workshop.
They had to rush to meet the deadline.
After all.
Their pastry processing workshop's business had indeed been booming recently.
In fact, thinking about it, it wasn't surprising that it had startled the Cheng family head. The momentum of this pastry processing workshop was indeed quite strong, and it was sustained.
Currently, their pastry shop only had two types of pastries finalized, but the orders were already a mile long, and many shops had approached them.
Most of them were teahouses or upscale establishments. In short, any shop that needed pastries had sent people to discuss business. This was why the couple was rarely home, as they were constantly invited out and treated well.
The main reason was that the products were delicious.
Originally, they had only intended to sell them retail. Unexpectedly, their reputation spread. Now, not only were many shops seeking them out, but their retail sales alone could earn a lot of money each day, hence the excellent business.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi, without time for further conversation, plunged into their work.
Ji Bo was also busy.
After sorting out the miscellaneous matters in the courtyard, he had to go out and continue recruiting staff.
The manpower was indeed scarce.
Cheng Dali and Cheng Dazhuang, the brothers, were assigned to procurement.
Due to the good business.
They had to constantly procure supplies, and it was essential to have their own people overseeing it to ensure peace of mind.
To prevent people from shortchanging them.
Cheng Xiaoxi had also found work that interested him. He continued to raise rabbits in the backyard. He managed them diligently, and there was no odor. Now, the offspring born earlier were almost ready for breeding, and they were raised plump.
In addition to raising rabbits, he was now also responsible for tending to the flowers and plants in the front yard.
Since others went out of town to collect things, he would occasionally accompany them to find some fertile soil and use the empty space in the front yard to grow vegetables. He grew those with short growth cycles, harvesting quickly.
Alternatively, he grew ginger, scallions, and garlic sprouts, plants that could be harvested anytime for seasoning. In any case, the front yard under his care was full of vitality, and everyone who saw it praised it, bringing comfort to their eyes.
Thus, with everyone cooperating.
There wasn't a single idle person in the entire courtyard; it was a scene of thriving prosperity.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao were also not idle. After tidying themselves up, they enjoyed going out for appointments. People specifically sent carriages or sedan chairs to wait at the entrance. The couple did not like to bring any attendants or servants.
They went lightly armed.
The main reason was that their martial arts skills were formidable, so they weren't afraid of what others might do.
Furthermore.
Their pastries were now highly sought after, with almost everyone finding them unforgettable. There were no crispy cakes or glutinous rice balls like these elsewhere; they were truly novel pastries. Whichever shop bought their pastries, the customers invariably praised them profusely, which in turn significantly boosted their business.
Therefore.
So many teahouses, taverns, even gambling dens and the red-light districts that operated at night.
Merchants smelled business opportunities, like cats smelling fish. They couldn't resist.
They all came knocking.
During the days their pastries had become popular, Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao had not been idle. They had also gained a general understanding of the city's powers. Currently, in Quezhou City, there were the five major local families and the new official, making six major forces. The new official, a young man, had ability but was still inexperienced and not as powerful, so this could be temporarily ignored.
As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake.
The truly powerful here were the five major families, all of whom practiced martial arts.
Their relationships were also a bit delicate.
It could only be said that a temporary balance was maintained, with various forces mutually restraining each other.
However, they were still quite loyal to the imperial court.
They had no rebellious thoughts.
Currently, they were only worried about the problem of one family becoming too dominant.
But now, things were in disarray.
The members of the five major families would not easily cause trouble, nor would they engage in a brawl over business. This made Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao feel somewhat at ease, daring to flex their muscles here, not afraid of provoking any of the five major families, as some of the people who approached them were also from these families.
However, their presence alone should not alarm their leaders. Currently, it was likely the shopkeepers or influential managers responsible for certain businesses who were approaching them, primarily to discuss business with Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao.
The couple, in order to earn more money and establish themselves, as well as support their team, naturally could not back down. Was there any reason not to accept the business that came to their doorstep?
Therefore, they directly accepted the appointments!
As a result.
Su Miaomiao, sitting in the sedan chair, whispered to Cheng Hao, "It's a good thing that people from several major families didn't come to our doorstep to block us. Otherwise, whose carriage or sedan chair to take would truly be a difficult problem."
Although the double sedan chair was large, even a grand sedan chair carried by six people, it was still somewhat unstable. Cheng Hao constantly held his childhood sweetheart's waist, fearing that if there was a jolt, she might bump and bruise.
He didn't want to hurt her.
Even though she claimed to have tough skin and wasn't afraid of pain, he couldn't bear to see her suffer.
Hearing her say this, he also whispered, "This is not a big problem. As long as we don't agree to sell pastries to only one family, we will sell to any of the other five families as usual, with the same price.
This way, the five major families would have nothing to say. If one family were to monopolize or buy them out, the problem would be huge. Matters of interest could lead to animosity, so there's no need to stir up such trouble.
They should just focus on making money.
The members of the five major families also naturally understood this principle. Monopolization would not benefit anyone and would only disrupt the current balance. Therefore, they would not make things difficult for the young couple. They only needed to continue selling pastries, and as long as their customers could get their pastries, they wouldn't lose customers due to the lack of them.
Then it would be like before.
The businesses of their major families would rely on their own abilities. If the young couple could extricate themselves, then it truly wouldn't be a big problem.
Su Miaomiao also nodded, indicating that she had the same idea.