Chapter 1: Perplexity

  "Young master, what do you plan to do with this thing after it's made? I think that once it hits the market, it'll definitely be sought after by wealthy families, and it'll be a way to get rich! After trying out this soap, Xue Yan experienced its benefits and discussed the matter with Gao Huaiyuan."

  "This is easy to handle, I don't trust others with this matter either. And if we put it here, there are too many people around, who knows when the secret will be leaked? I plan to let those kids in the mountain villa work hard on this. We'll set up a special workshop for production in the villa, and only our own people can know about it, so we can keep it confidential! It just so happens that I'm also planning to expand the villa, killing two birds with one stone!"

  "As for selling this thing, I've already thought it through. Let's still follow the old method and find a business to come out and sell it for us. We'll just be responsible for production!" Gao Huaiyuan was also thinking about this matter, and when Xue Yan asked him about it, he opened his mouth to answer.

  Xue Yan naturally had no opinion. Such a good thing, if it were to be learned by others, wouldn't that be equivalent to cutting off Gao Huaiyuan's huge source of wealth?

  In these days, Gao Huaiyuan was busy with the trial production of soap, and he also took out a lot of time to teach Liu'er to recognize characters and arithmetic every day. Liu'er was also a very clever girl, and many things were understood at once, and she quickly mastered Arabic numerals and the methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. She began to learn accounting with the goose feather pen that Gao Huaiyuan had made, and thus Gao Huaiyuan unloaded another burden. Seeing that Liu'er was already able to take over this matter, he simply handed over all the account matters here to Liu'er, formally promoting Liu'er's position once again.

  Liu'er was deeply grateful to Gao Huairen for teaching her so many things and trusting her, and she accepted the task very seriously, starting to take charge as the accountant of the Gao family's old mansion.

  After a period of observation, Gao Huaiyuan was also reassured about Li Tong. Although this guy is a bit sly, after half a year of tempering, Li Tong is still quite sensible and loyal, and there won't be any more problems in the future. After thinking for a moment, Gao Huaiyuan felt that he had many things to do in the future, and if he had to take care of everything himself, he would probably be too busy. Moreover, Li Tong is a relatively clever person, and it's necessary to have someone like him around to manage things.

  With the idea of using people without suspicion and suspecting those who are not used, after some consideration, Gao Huaiyuan called Li Tong to his study.

  "Li Tong, you've been following me for nearly half a year now! I'd like to ask you, how do you think I, Gao Huaiyuan, have treated you? Is there anything you're dissatisfied with?" Gao Huaiyuan made an exception and allowed Li Tong to sit down before answering his question.

  Li Tong hastily stood up and replied: "Young master's kindness to me is unforgettable! How could I dare have any dissatisfaction?"

  "Spare me the flattery, you're just trying to butter me up! I'm not buying it! I've also figured out that although you're supposed to be in charge here, Liu'er has been overstepping her bounds because of her relationship with me, and Xue Yan often follows my lead. You may not say anything, but I know you're not happy about it!" Gao Huaiyuan sneered.

  Li Tong was so frightened that his face turned white, and he quickly knelt down in front of Gao Huaiyuan, crying out: "I dare not! I dare not! If the young master allows me to be in charge, I will be eternally grateful. I absolutely dare not have any dissatisfaction with Xiaojie or Brother Xue! I also know that Xiaojie's care for the young master is unparalleled, and I wouldn't dare compare myself to her! Moreover, I understand that Brother Xue is more capable than me and has protected the young master and Xiaojie before. I am nothing, how could I possibly be dissatisfied with them?! Young master, please don't misunderstand me! Otherwise, I will really have no way out!"

  Gao Huaiyuan looked at Li Tong's expression and knew he was telling the truth, so he nodded in satisfaction: "Good job, Li Tong! You can understand this matter, I'm very pleased! Now you also know that what Gao Huaiyuan values most is the loyalty of his subordinates. Whoever is most loyal to me will gain greater benefits! If people don't betray me, Gao Huaiyuan won't betray them either! But if someone betrays me, my methods are not to be underestimated! You must remember this! Killing people is no longer a big deal for me now!" After finishing speaking, he flicked his hand, and a cold glint flashed. Suddenly, a raven on the tree outside let out a startled cry, flapped its wings, and fell down. A flying dagger was stuck in the chest of the innocent raven, which died instantly.

  Li Tong turned his head to take a look, and was so scared that he almost fell to the ground, breaking out in a cold sweat all over his body. Only now did he realize that Gao Huaiyuan's abilities were far from just being good at martial arts or having brute strength. If he wanted to kill someone, probably not many people could escape! Luckily, Li Tong was so scared by Gao Huaiyuan that he almost wet his pants.

  "I dare not! I will never betray Young Master in this life! If I were to betray Young Master, I would end up like that bird, dying a terrible death!" Li Tong didn't know why Gao Huaiyuan was telling him these things today, but he knew that Gao Huaiyuan was giving him a final warning not to have any second thoughts, so he hastily swore an oath.

  "Alright, Li Tong, you're a clever man! Since you've said so, from now on, I'll also consider you as my most trusted person. You don't have to manage the household affairs anymore! Starting tomorrow, you'll go to Luliu Fang and be in charge of it. The formula for Luliu, I'll tell you, just remember that only you and I know the formula for Luliu in this world, never allow a third person to know about it! Otherwise, I don't need to say more about the consequences, you understand yourself!" Gao Huaiyuan said to Li Tong with an ominous tone.

  Li Tong first shivered, then suddenly became overjoyed. The Glass Workshop was a lucrative business, and he knew it better than anyone else. However, he could only linger outside the workshop. Now that Gao Huaiyuan had agreed to hand over the management of the workshop to him, along with the secret formula, it meant that Gao Huaiyuan had completely accepted him as one of his own people. Li Tong now understood Gao's abilities clearly and knew that this young man would not be a mediocre talent. He might even rise to great heights in the future, at the very least becoming extremely wealthy. By following him, Li Tong was certain that he would no longer be just a lowly servant as before. At the very least, getting rich was guaranteed!

  "Thank you for your trust, young master! Rest assured that even if I die, I will never reveal the formula of Luliu!" Li Tong hastily gave Gao Huaiyuan a bow and said solemnly.

  For the next two days, Gao Huaiyuan took Li Tong to the Luli Workshop and told him about the formula for glass as well as temperature control of the glass kiln. He let him continue to explore on his own and gradually improve the quality of the glass. Li Tong was grateful and didn't know how to express it. In his heart, he vowed that he must do a good job with this matter and absolutely could not be looked down upon by Gao Huaiyuan.

  A tree lives by its bark, a man by his breath; as long as he is a man, he has some spark of spirit left. Li Tong was also a man, and he would not be content to spend all his life under the thumb of others. He knew that this was his only chance in life to take control of his own destiny. After making up his mind, he really did summon up the courage, plunged headlong into the glass kiln, day and night staying with several kiln workers, and started working hard.

  After a Spring Festival of recuperation, Gao Huaiyuan's injury healed quickly, and Xue Yan was also able to move freely. Therefore, they didn't delay and immediately got busy again, inviting a group of bricklayers to the mountain villa to start expanding it.

  After checking the terrain of the mountain villa, Gao Huaiyuan counted his money again. Because before the New Year, he had sold another batch of glassware, and Jibaozhai had also made a lot of money by exclusively selling his glass products, which had greatly enhanced its reputation in the industry. So, it was not worth saving money, still at a high price to collect goods first, then sell them out, and then make up for the difference, making Gao Huaiyuan's financial situation much more comfortable.

  He then bought some nearby wasteland and the mountainous area behind the villa, which originally belonged to no one and were under the jurisdiction of the government. After spending some money, Gao Huaiyuan directly acquired these lands from the government at a very low price, expanding his private property several times over, leaving both him and the magistrate of Daye County delighted.

  After finishing this matter, he now has a relatively more spacious hand, so the frame is even bigger than the original plan. Gaohuaiyuan drew a rough map based on the terrain and divided the villa into three parts: the front is where the lower people live, the middle is where the young people live, and the back is a workshop with several rooms that specializes in producing soap.

  The craftsmen measured the land according to the rough sketch he provided, and then started construction in earnest. All kinds of materials were constantly transported to the villa, making it lively all at once.

  Apart from the craftsmen, after passing the year, it's not yet the busy farming season. Gao Huaiyuan also asked the idle tenants to come and help. Each person was given a decent wage, allowing them to earn some extra money to supplement their household expenses. The tenants were overjoyed and rushed over at the call. Some pulled carts, others transported bricks, and those who cut wood did so with enthusiasm. They knew Gao Huaiyuan was taking care of their livelihoods, so they didn't dare slack off. Even the craftsmen were infected by their work ethic. With Gao Huaiyuan's generous wages, this group of people, along with the young and lower-ranking servants' help, made rapid progress in constructing the mountain villa.

  After Gao Huaiyuan himself had seen the progress of the project here, he felt speechless, so he sent someone to slaughter a pig, bought some wine and came back to reward these people, letting them get excited again, and their work became even more enthusiastic. A not-so-small mountain villa quickly took shape, and house after house rose from the ground under the busy work of these people like ants, which greatly improved Gao Huaiyuan's mood.

  After entrusting the expansion of things here to Huang Yan and Zhou Hao, Gao Huaiyuan rushed to the county town again.